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Mountain Laurel Designs eVENT Rain Mitt Review

My testing in Minnesota confirms Will's findings. They are great, but must be worn under your jacket sleeves.

My brother also used them over last winter, laying over some Powerstretch gloves. He used it mostly for wind-breaking purposes, but also do dig out snow shelters and other wet winter activities. He loves them.

Edited by citystuckhiker on 04/08/2009 10:34:39 MDT.

I have them aswell. Awesome pair of mitts. I actually have never used mine in rain yet, only as an overmitt in winter. They work great so far.

I also have the MLD mitts, and I agree with Will. My experience with the MLD Mitts: very light and very good.

I often do not see waterproof mitts such as these mentioned on gear lists. I have used them in spring rains in GA and wet fall snows in New England. My hands would have become numb and useless without them. OR used to make a pair similar, but with a shorter length and tight elastic cuff. ($40 gortex). Less expensive models of silnylon are also around, and simple patterns are found for sewing your own. The thumb of the MLD pair is a somehow funny, awkward fit, but they work well....a very important piece of gear.

I have some of the first round and I like them. I bring them along and use them as a stuff sack for my rain knickers most of the time. When it's pouring they keep my leather biking gloves from wetting out immediately and keep my hands pretty dry.

For an ounce they are worth it for sure.

I've worn these mitts quite a bit, but, like Will, I've carried them for many more miles than I've actually used them. I want to point out three things:

1- I can't emphasize enough the importance of sealing the seams with SilNet. This is not easily done, but it needs to be done perfectly in order to make them waterproof. Without sealed seams, they are not waterproof, and your hands will get wet. And having cold and wet hands is miserable.

2- In addition to using them for backpacking, I run with them often in the winter in order to add warmth to my standard running gloves (DeFeet Duraglove) and to shed any precip that may be coming down. I've worn them in temps between 15 and 35.

3- When backpacking the mitts are part of my 3-season handwear system, the other part of which is usually the DeFeet Duragloves. When morning/evening temps are regularly less than 30 degrees, I prefer bringing the BPL Vapor Mitts made by RBH Designs, which are much warmer (in both dry and wet conditions) and only slightly heavier than the Mitts/Duragloves combo.

Agree with Andy on the seam sealing. Also I don't like to wear merino wool inside them, as the mitts are "slippery." I normally use a Burton Outlast Soft-shell Glove Liner.

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Cold frosty morning, wet tent from previous night, poles frozen into sleeves. I tried extracting the poles with bare hands, but soon gave that up as a seriously bad idea! I was wearing both mitts and liner gloves here!

Cheers

I searched high and low for simply a simple UltraLite shell glove or mit. Impossible to find. Except for the MLD eVENT Rain Mitt. The design and craftmanship and materials used are excellent. I've done over 1000 miles of the Appalachian Trail with these baby's to say that they STILL get 2 thumbs up. Seem to be waterproof, they do actually breath and they are very light. Why can't I get a simple jacket and pant made like this?
NOTE: A very light and cheap mitten option is: when you wear out your DriDucks or FrogTogs Jacket, put the sleeve on backwards. Then cut it off just beyond your outstretched finger tips and glue/sew this open end
closed.

Edited by gregdegler on 04/09/2009 17:26:35 MDT.

I agree sealing the seams isn't easily done. My don't seem to have 'stuck' that well, after a wet weekend they're peeling around the thumb. I dread having to do them again.

Also I find they tend to slowly slip down my wrist, because there isn't actually anything holding them on your hand. Cinching down a rain jacket over the top helps, but over time as your hands move about they work themselves down. I think a simple bit of elastic just around the wrist (below the wide bit of the hand) would help here (in a similar position to the webbing straps on the much beefier OR Endeavor Mitts).