Hi Bill........yes, that's real important protecting the hands. Glad to see you recognize it. Actually, for both weightlifting and carrying just about anything, I always use "sponges." The ordinary car wash sponges you can buy in any hardware store. They're about 2 inches thick but really "cushion-y." What I do is have someone hold the sponge securely on each side while I slice cleanly down the middle with a kitchen knife. You end up with two one inch sponges...one for each hand. It really protects your hands from callouses in weightlifting and anywhere you're going to be lifting something. Been using them for 50 years now and am happy to say my hands are still soft as they were........50 years ago.