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#107757 - 12/08/08 04:15 PM winter glove preferences
Heber Offline
member

Registered: 12/31/07
Posts: 245
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
I have a pair of convertible gloves/mittens (the kind where your fingers tips are exposed when in "glove" mode). They are just cheap things made of some kind of synthetic material. I picked them up at the discount store . But they keep me pretty warm. Then the other day I went on an overnight backpacking trip with my daughter in pretty cold weather (low 20s) and while making breakfast two things happened. (1) I spilled hot cocoa on the gloves and (2) I melted the cuff of one glove in a stupid attempt to dry the glove using my stove. They are still usable but it made me think I may need new gloves because it seems like winter gloves that absorb liquid that fast are a bad idea.

I think we would all agree that the three things you need in a winter glove system are warmth, water resistance, and dexterity (how much can you do with out taking off the gloves, i.e. can you work zippers and lighters and so forth). It occurs to me that there are a few trade-offs here. A warmer glove or a more water resistant glove may be more cumbersome to work with. A more waterproof glove may be less warm overall because it causes your hand to sweat. You see what I mean.

So what do you all like to use? And let's think of it as a system rather than as a glove. So if you like to use a liner glove in addition to a mitten or whatever then please mention that.

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#107758 - 12/08/08 09:34 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Heber]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada

wool liner gloves - add a wool mitt in very cold weather + nylon overmitt. Not very complicated.
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My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
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#107759 - 12/08/08 09:36 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Heber]
verber Offline
member

Registered: 01/26/04
Posts: 269
Loc: SF Bay Area, CA
Andy Kirkpatrick noted there are no perfect gloves. There is nothing that makes me super happy. When backpacking (opposed to snowshoeing, skiing, climbing, etc) my preference are powerstretch liners with some silcon added for a bit of extra grip and unlined wpb sealed mittens. I am using the original MLD eVENT mitts, but there are a number of reasonable options like the REI taped mitten, etc. At times the liners will get wet, but tif they are thin, they will dry reasonably quickly,

--mark

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#107760 - 12/09/08 10:37 AM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Heber]
ajherman Offline
member

Registered: 05/02/06
Posts: 208
Loc: Rock Springs, WY
http://www.backpacking.net/forums/showth...sb=5&o=

check out this thread in the winter section
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#107761 - 12/09/08 12:27 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Heber]
JoeF Offline
member

Registered: 07/21/08
Posts: 19
I've tried a few thing and one things for sure. Whatever you like buy an few pair. I find U.S. Military issue glove liners work well and are cheap. They are a wool / acrylic blend. I buy mine at a local Army Navy place but here a link.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=486639

When I need a bit more I carry a wool mitten I can put over it as well as nylon over mitt.

JFF
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#107762 - 12/09/08 12:47 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: JoeF]
Cesar Offline
member

Registered: 11/06/07
Posts: 217
Loc: El Paso, TX
I dont know the quality but here are 5 wool glove liners on the same site for 15$

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=235072
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#107763 - 12/09/08 02:03 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Cesar]
JoeF Offline
member

Registered: 07/21/08
Posts: 19
That does look like a good deal but I've not used them. The military ones however I've been very happy with. True that are not 100% wool but they hold up really well.

JFF
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#107764 - 12/09/08 02:51 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: JoeF]
kbennett Offline
member

Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 820
Loc: north carolina
I usually carry several items for my hands on a winter backpacking trip. I really like Windbloc or Windstopper fleece gloves for winter hiking. They are warmer and more weather protective than regular fleece. If the weather is really bad, I put on a pair of w/b overmitts. (Too heavy -- I need to get the MLD version.) In general I like to have a separate set of gloves or mittens for camp. I have an old set of Windstopper glo-mitt things, so I can use my fingers when operating a stove, etc.
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#107765 - 12/09/08 07:53 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: kbennett]
JoeF Offline
member

Registered: 07/21/08
Posts: 19
I would agree that fleece wind stopper fabrics works well in gloves but I find once wet they are done. So you have to carry a few sets. Wool however still keeps you warm when wet. That's not to say I'm always wet but here in the North East I just find where I hike in the winter, Daks and Catskills sooner or later my hands are wet.

JFF
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#107766 - 12/10/08 06:49 AM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: JoeF]
JAK Offline
member

Registered: 03/19/04
Posts: 2569
My current mitts are hand knit mitts of a coarse felt resistant shetland type wool, like Briggs & Little, which is a very warm when wet and very resistant to fleecing. They don't stay wet, unless its continuously raining. You can shake them dry. The wind blows through them to keep them dry and your hands comfortable in all conditions so you don't have to keep taking them off. I will be make a pair of scrap nylon overmitts like phat. Extra long elastic wind or rain shell sleeves can also work as overmitts. If you can get a pair of thin single knit wool gloves that fit your fingers just right, and tighten some when you try and pull them off, these can be very good to wear in cold rain and still be able to tie shoelaces or tent cord or even a hatchet, and stuff like that. Again they should be a strong wool that is resistant to fleecing. They can be surprisingly warm when wet even though they are thin. These could be carried with the hand knit mitts, and together with the nylon shell you would have something for sustained periods of very cold weather. You want to avoid wool mitts and gloves that felt to easily, as they will not be so good once wet. Stuff like alpaca and angora and rag wool is not so good once wet. However, Alpaca is excellent for hats and neck tubes. I don't think mitts and gloves should be double knit or thrumbed. Better to have thin wool gloves, and separate wool mitts of a thicker wool, but single knit.

Hands don't need as much insulation much of the time, but they need just as much for sustained periods of extreme cold, and perhaps a little more to get warmed back up again after getting exposed and wet to get something done. Wearing socks as mitts can be a good way to dry them out, or to give you an extra layer when its really cold and your just resting or trudging along, or if you need to get them warmed back up and refilled with blood.

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#107767 - 12/10/08 07:49 AM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: JAK]
JAK Offline
member

Registered: 03/19/04
Posts: 2569
An interesting question is how much thickness of clothing your hands need in the most extreme conditions on any given trip versus the rest of your body. In otherwords, when you are wearing all your layers, when standing or moving at a slow steady pace in the extreme low for that trip, how much less thickness or more thickness for your hands that the rest of your body? Of course good pockets are also an option, or even essential, especially for warming your hands back up.


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#107768 - 12/10/08 01:11 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: JAK]
TomD Offline
Moderator

Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
For moderately cold weather (above 0F) I have liner gloves made by OR, plus Sno-Claws made by Heat Factory that look like a mitten with a separate index finger. They have a pocket for a little chemical heat pack on the back, which I've never used. I also carry a spare pair of wool gloves and lightweight mitt shells for emergency use.

If it's really cold, I would buy a big pair of insulated mitts, preferably with a removeable liner.

However, for working around a stove, I think I'm going to pick up some leather work gloves, like the ones Kinco makes. You can see them on their insulated Kinco gloves.

Some of the Canadian guys who hot tent and have fires wear leather gloves with liners to prevent exactly what you are talking about-burning or melting a synthetic glove. The last thing you want is to melt a glove to your hand out in the wild and a leather glove will prevent that.
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#107769 - 12/10/08 02:00 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: TomD]
midnightsun03 Offline
member

Registered: 08/06/03
Posts: 2936
Loc: Alaska
Since moving to AK 9 years ago I've accumulated many many pairs of gloves and mitts. I lost count... I'm probably somewhere between 30 and 40 pairs. I'm still looking for the perfect glove, and might actually find one if I were willing to spend the big bucks. But I won't spend the big bucks unless I have a good sense that they would work. It is a catch 22 for me. Even with hand warmers my hands freeze when I'm skiing. But then, I'm usually downhill skiing in sub-zero temperatures.

I've also found that any glove that gives me enough dexterity to do things like hold a retractable dog leash, clean snow off my car, etc. are not thick enough to insulate my fingers from the cold, and my hands get very cold and numb very quickly. I'm afraid I'm absolutely no help at all, LOL.

MNS
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#107770 - 12/10/08 02:23 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: midnightsun03]
ringtail Offline
member

Registered: 08/22/02
Posts: 2296
Loc: Colorado Rockies
Quote:
I've accumulated many many pairs of gloves and mitts. I lost count... I'm probably somewhere between 30 and 40 pairs. I'm still looking for the perfect glove


Me too. However, I put a cable tie and mitten hook on all my gloves. I may be Seattle Fabric's best customer with cold hands.
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#107771 - 12/10/08 02:29 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: ringtail]
midnightsun03 Offline
member

Registered: 08/06/03
Posts: 2936
Loc: Alaska
I've been trying to find the courage to buy down gloves and gore-tex overmits... I just can't quite bring myself to do it. The combination of the 2 is almost as much as a whole sleeping bag!

MNS
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YMMV. Viewer discretion is advised.

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#107772 - 12/10/08 05:12 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: midnightsun03]
TomD Offline
Moderator

Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
Andi, Check out Kinco gloves, the telemarkers swear by them. They are cheap (er). They have a pro model that's around $30 that is insulated and waterproof and the plain insulated leather gloves (the 901 model) are only about $13 at one of their online distributors.
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#107773 - 12/11/08 06:38 AM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: midnightsun03]
JAK Offline
member

Registered: 03/19/04
Posts: 2569
Quote:
I've been trying to find the courage to buy down gloves and gore-tex overmits... I just can't quite bring myself to do it. The combination of the 2 is almost as much as a whole sleeping bag!

MNS
From what you describe what might work better for you is something with more mass, like wool gloves when you need to do something with your hands, and heavy mitts with enough mass to hold heat for when you shove your hands back into them to warm you hands back up without just turning instantly just as cold as your hands. It would be good also to have a pouch/pockets in your jacket/sweater that go in right under the outer insulation to your skin layer, and you keep you overmitts there when you aren't wearing them, or when your hands are in them. Ideally they would just fit your mitts and still have a good seal with the outside when your hands and wrists are in them. Sometimes there is room in there for a canteen also, filled with hot tea. I have a 200wt fleece sweater with a great pouch, but haven't made zips or velcro flaps in my skin layer to match. Also I prefer a wool sweater and fleece pants, so I really need to add a pouch to my sweater. With a down jacket it would be sufficient to get in under the down and not the layers under, but I think a down 1/2 zip with a pouch would be better than a full zip. I think even with 'cold hands' its good to give them the practice of getting cold now and then and then warmed back up. The fingers and hands are supposed to vasoconstrict more significantly than any other part of the body, (except the gonads maybe). Something like 60% of the mass of fingers is blood volume, when not vasocontricted. I'm not saying people should let them freeze, but I think everyone should 'work' them, meaning let them get cold, then warm them back up again, let them get cold, then warm them back up. I think this is best when you have heavy mitts or deep pockets. You shouldn't need hand warmers. You should be able to let your blood do the work. Overmitt or pocket warmers are a good idea though. I think the overmitts or pockets need to be warm enough though to help trigger the blood to let it know its safe to flow back in. As a student I used to carry a hard boiled egg in each pocket heading back up the hill on cold mornings at UNB Fredericton. Walking everyday, a few -30F mornings each winter were pretty much guaranteed.

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#107774 - 12/12/08 07:06 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: JAK]
fos Offline
member

Registered: 05/24/02
Posts: 538
I like a natural leather/wool glove (won't melt on hot stoves or over a fire) with good dexterity and grip for poles, buckles, boots; and a synthetic W/B overmitt to go over them when standing around, digging in wet snow, etc. OR makes some good lightly insulated overmitts that aren't too heavy.

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#107775 - 12/13/08 05:37 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Heber]
300winmag Offline
member

Registered: 02/28/06
Posts: 1342
Loc: Nevada, USA
Look in the Mountain Gear site. They have the best selection of winter gloves I've seen. And many have my #1 requirement - REMOVABLE LINERS.

At the least shells need to be windproof. At best they should have Gore-Tex liners. Most other "breathable"' liners leave your hands too clammy & moist (and later, cold!).

OK, you'll have to pay the better part of $100. for many of Mt'n. Gear's gloves but this is an item where compromise leads to frostbite or worse. (Lessee, how much does it cost to amputate just one frozen, gangrenous finger?)

Not in yer budget? Then look at Cabela's selections. No removable liners in your fav glove? Then get one size larger and buy some medium or thin thickness fleece liners.

Always carry and extra pair of liners. Your fingers will thank you.

Eric
P.S. This winter I needed a medium weight pair of gloves for ski patrolling so I bought a pair of OR Arete gloves at REI. I have extra medium thickness fleece liners I carry in my patrol pack.
My heavy duty gloves are old Cabela's Gore-tex that take thick fleece liners.


Edited by 300winmag (12/13/08 05:45 PM)

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#107776 - 12/14/08 01:45 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: 300winmag]
Keith Offline
member

Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1667
Loc: Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Quote:
(Lessee, how much does it cost to amputate just one frozen, gangrenous finger?


Not much, if you do it yourself . . .
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#107777 - 12/18/08 09:36 AM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Heber]
Jon Offline
member

Registered: 10/17/03
Posts: 328
Loc: Missouri Ozarks
I have used the same system for years in the midwest. This system may not work in some other areas or during cold, wet, snowy conditions. I would bring backup gloves, etc. in that case. I just think in layers, like the rest of my body.

Most of the time I use a pair of thin, lightweight liner gloves. I'm pretty warm natured so they work for me in cold weather. My second layer would be lightweight fleece mittens worn over the liner gloves. When its really cold (say in the 20's or lower 30's) I wear a lightweight water resistant breathable shell over everything. This works really well for me because it blocks all the wind from entering the fleece gloves.

I can't do much with mittens on, so as needed I strip back down to the liner gloves for chores. I don't carry trekking poles either, so thats not an issue.

When cooking I almost always go gloveless, or just use the liners if I have too. Helps keep the food smells off the gloves, and I try to keep them away from the heat as I have melted a few pair.

I do agree with carrying an extra pair of liners as stated above by another poster.

In an emergency you could always use an extra pair of socks as mittens & maybe some small stuffsacks or whatever as a waterproof layer over them.

Jon


Edited by Jon (12/18/08 09:38 AM)

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#107778 - 12/18/08 10:20 AM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Jon]
scottmphoto Offline
member

Registered: 08/18/08
Posts: 31
Loc: Russellville, Arkansas, USA
I have several pairs of green wool glove inserts from when I was in the military. They work pretty good for me. I have a pair of cheaper mittens that are convertable where the mitten part folds up and velcros to the cuff and exposes half-finger gloves, they are pretty warm but I don't like mittens.
Two winters ago, I bought a pair of Rocky brand gloves at Wal-Mart. They are fairly water resistant and have the rubber non-skid grips on the palm and fingers. They are thin and lightweight but warm. They work real well when I'm trying to operate my camera in cooler weather. These are what I wear most of the time. They were fairly inexpensive too.
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#107779 - 12/18/08 11:32 AM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: scottmphoto]
JAK Offline
member

Registered: 03/19/04
Posts: 2569
I think a good rule of thumb is equal thickness everywhere, when you are wearing everything on any given trip, but not that you have to have equal thickness everywhere most of the time. Hands might be the expection, because there is always the option of deep pockets, and they are particularly good at cooling down and warming up compared to the rest of the body. As a minium though, in winter, I go with wool mitts, extra long sleeves, and deep pockets. To this I will add thin wool gloves, and light nylon shell mitts, with enough room of a pair of wool socks as well. Most of the time I hike with just the wool mitts. They are single knit of a Briggs&Little wool that never gets soggy, and seem to be warm enough most of the time even in wet snow, and blowing wind. They are mor or less consistent with my idea of keeping the wool sweater on, and only adding the skin layer and shell layer when needed. I also dress unevenly though, except in the extreme, so I will take my hat and mitts off, and even hike in shorts, in order to keep my heavy wool sweater and not have to pack it. The mitts and hat also come off and on in colder conditions for thermal regulation, but never to the point of risking of frostbite.

I think the biggest challenge to hands and feet is when you are exposed for several days, perhaps after a serious delay or injury, so that you are also low on food and energy, and so that you have to hike very slowly or remain in place in order to minimize energy loss, especially glycogen reserves rather than body fat. I think your clothing choices need to keep this in mind. That is where I think the shell, and thicker insulation, becomes most neccessary, though deep pockets are also an option as long as you are free to keep them there. I think these principles apply all year round, just that the total thickness needed changes. In summer maybe just 1/4", in winter perhaps 1" or more. I think if you bring enough clothes to cover yourself evenly for survival in the extreme for that season, and they are broken down into layers, then you shouldn't have to worry too much about comfort the other 99% of the time. It makes sense though, to make some minor modifications for comfort, and perhaps even aesthetics, with some additional weight, without compromising survival.

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#107780 - 12/18/08 02:42 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Jon]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Quote:


In an emergency you could always use an extra pair of socks as mittens & maybe some small stuffsacks or whatever as a waterproof layer over them.

Jon


Since before I was old enough to shave, my winter kit's "ditty bags" have been stored in large old-school wool socks for this reason, the fact that, well, they can be socks in an emergency, and they keep the nick nacks from rattling around making noise in the pack.
_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


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#109182 - 01/11/09 08:50 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Heber]
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
Let me see how short I can make this.
In Alaska where temps were around 20 F in winter I wore wool mittens. No gloves seemed to work well. I had wp nylon mitten shells in my pack that i rarely used over them. I have experimented with all sorts of gloves, wool, synthetic, leather/fleece/nylon rei combo and others. They all have their place. (handling cold ice axe for example). I have tried and do like the flexibility of the glove/mitten hybrid. These days, in winter, I always start out wearing gloves, but keep a pair of O.R. mittens (gortex shell, fleece liner) as a back up for colder conditions. That said, a pair of cheap ragg wool mittens is perhaps the lightest, warmest, most practical thing you can carry. Don't forget you extra wool socks can double as mittens in an emergency!
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___92881?CS_003=2477120&CS_010=92881


Edited by Pliny (01/11/09 08:53 PM)
Edit Reason: added link
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#109207 - 01/12/09 01:05 PM Re: winter glove preferences [Re: Jim M]
Paddy_Crow Offline
member

Registered: 11/08/04
Posts: 2285
Loc: Michigan
My only complaint with wool is that it doesn't block wind, and I've found that air infiltration is probably the #1 thing that makes my fingers cold.

So far, the warmest combo I've found is a shell mitt with removable liner and a liner glove - total of three layers.

Most of the time, though, the liner glove isn't required.

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