The description of the MEC Puffy Mitts does not appear to indicate a fleece/pile palm section, which if you are using tools or poles is much warmer than synthetic (compresses less). Still, looks like an inexpensive option.

Also, be sure your overmitt is large enough to fit such a liner as I have found that any constriction of the hands leads to much colder fingers regardless of the amount of insulation in my mitt system. All of my overmitts are XL...

i do believe there is some lining ... but not a fleece palm

id say that if youre not planning to do technical stuff, it isnt that big a deal

if i remember correctly i fitted a pair of mediums into medium OR endeavors fine ...

what you can do is call any one of the mec stores and ask them to test it out for you .... theyll be glad to help you

I would go one of two ways:

1) Liner glove
2) Big Wool Mitt
3) Waterproof Breathable Shell

or

1) Liner glove
2) Puffy Synthetic Mitt
3) Waterproof Breathable Shell

A big wool mitt is likely to be cheaper. However, a puffy mitt is lighter. For particular items:

1) Liner gloves -- My favorite now is the Mountain Hardware Power Stretch glove. It is light (one ounce) due to it's no nonsense design (e. g. no leather palm). It has a bit of rain resistance (unlike polypro). It isn't cheap, though. A much cheaper solution is just to get some polypro or wool gloves from an Army/Navy (or other surplus) store. They typically cost less than $10 and work well. Buy a bunch in case you might lose a pair. The main thing is not get them wet. If you think you might, carry a spare. Otherwise, you end up just going with a mitt (and not a glove/mitt combination).

2a) For a big wooly mitt, I recommend an Army/Navy store. It is hard to beat the price to warmth ratio.

2b) As mentioned, MEC seems to have the best offering for the price.

3) REI offers a shell mitt, which I find works fine. MLD has a nice shell mitt (which I use for summer) but you would have to get it in a very big size. Even at that, you won't have the nice wrist coverage of a shell designed for winter use. Outdoor Research Endeavor is a very nice shell; it is similar to the REI offering, but better.

[Corrected the Shell Information (should have read previous posts and done more research)]

Edited by rossbleakney on 11/05/2010 14:29:36 MDT.

I use the 3 layer system, but i always carry a pair of Buffalo System Pile/Pertex mitts as back-up.
They give superb warmth, and are bombproof. Some folk here in the UK carry 2 pairs as there only handwear. Normal size, and a size up for double duty when it get baaaaad.

Mike,

+1 on carrying Buffalo P&Ps as back-ups, especially when I'm ski guiding. I'm hoping the new Montane Extreme Mitts will be the Buffalo Mitts that can be used all day, every day.

I can't praise the OR Endeavors enough. They are the warmest and most reliably dry mitts I have ever encountered. I always pack a pair of smartwool liners, also.

My previous glove the Arcteryx Delta SV was only good to about 20F then I would have to put on the PL400 mitt or Endeavor mitt. Once it dipped to 5F I'd need to have the Delta SV, PL400 and Endeavor on. This set up been taken to 2F.

This winter I've been able to push my glove system to -5F.

I currently carry:

Arcteryx Tau AR
OR PL 400 Mitt
OR Endeavor Mitt

The Tau AR has been really impressive. I can take it to -5F on its own in calm conditions while I'm moving.

I'm looking at eliminating the PL 400 and just carrying the Tau AR and Endeavor.

I am looking for recommendations for a Big Dumb Mitt when I'm stopped or in camp for subzero temps.

Edited by lightingboy on 01/22/2011 09:36:51 MST.

Here's what I use for the Upper Great Lakes region:

http://www.wintergreennorthernwear.com/Accessories-Hands/924-78080-Plunge-Mitt.html

if your thinking about eliminating the PL 400 mitts and replacing it w/ something just for camp- your probably looking at a primaloft or down mitt- if they don't have their own shell, you'll want to make sure they fit under your endeavors

even though I don't use my PL 400 mitts a heck of a lot (liner and/or endeavor covers most scenarios), I'd never even consider eliminating them in the winter- spare dry hand wear is a must imo

Are the more expensive outdoor research gloves much warmer? I'm clueless about gloves but want to take my first winter backcountry trip this year. This is my last purchase to get. There's almost 7oz. of weight difference so figured they'd be alot warmer. I'm not concerned about the price just looking to make the right purchase the first time. I have powerstretch liners with an overglove made by mh but I wouldn't consider them real cold winter gloves. Thanks for the help. Eric

A couple of summers ago I bought a pair of OR shells with liner sewn in. I add my Possumdown gloves for added warmth. For me, this combo works very well. I got the ORs for thiry some bucks (I think that was half price ???). The PDs I got here at BPL. They are great alone when moisture in not an issue (no cold rain, sleet, or snow).

Try different solutions and you'll come up with something that works well for you. I learned in my case that you don't want more mitt/glove than you need (gets to warm - my hands got too sweaty). Another good lesson learned was that really wet wool gloves alone don't work well when it's really cold - you need the mitt over them.

Erik said "Are the more expensive outdoor research gloves much warmer? I'm clueless about gloves but want to take my first winter backcountry trip this year. This is my last purchase to get. There's almost 7oz. of weight difference so figured they'd be alot warmer. I'm not concerned about the price just looking to make the right purchase the first time. I have powerstretch liners with an overglove made by mh but I wouldn't consider them real cold winter gloves. Thanks for the help. Eric"

Erik for "winter" you definitely want some overmitts- gloves just don't cut it in really cold conditions. As liners they are great- dexterous and light; for warmth- mitts

Mike

Thanks for the response. I'm going to order the or 400's and the OR endeavors.

Edited by zerolimit on 01/10/2011 20:13:12 MST.

How do you keep your fingers from freezing when setting up at night or packing up in the morning? I can't do it with mitts on, I've tried. But as I set up or pack up with just liners, my fingers are freezing before I'm even finished. Takes me a while to get them warm again.

How do y'all do it?

good motivator to work quickly :)

if it's cold enough my hands do get a little cool, getting them back into mitts warms them up pretty quickly though

Mine get cold too Doug. Not sure that can be entirely avoided in all conditions, like packing up in morning when more dexterity is needed.

"Mine get cold too Doug. Not sure that can be entirely avoided in all conditions, like packing up in morning when more dexterity is needed."

Yeah, I was afraid of that.... ;-)

"Mine get cold" too

We must accept the nature of ice. : )

I think based on this or a similar thread I recently ordered a pair of Dachstein mitts, dense 100% wool mittens made in Austria. I had read in some places online that these are hard to get; I didn't have much trouble. I ordered via Sweaters International, http://www.sweatersintl.com/store/woolmittens.html
They were back-ordered for a couple of weeks or perhaps a bit more but just arrived today.

I got the 7.5 size, but in retrospect wish I had sized up to an 8. Overall they fit well with a thin liner glove underneath, but the thumb area is a bit tight; I expect it will stretch out enough that it will be fine.

The size 7.5 weighs 151 grams, or 5.3 oz, i.e. their listed weights on the website are quite accurate. I also earlier bought a pair of size large Fox River double ragg "extra heavy weight" mitts; they carry these at REI. They fit about the same, i.e., overall good, a bit tight in the thumb area. They also weigh nearly the same, 163g or 5.7 oz for the Fox River mitts.

It's interesting, however, to compare the design philosophies here. The Fox River mitts have a double layer, both layers are a blend of fabrics, with the thinner inner layer being mostly a couple of synthtics. It's a much more open weave, overall slightly bulkier too. The Dachsteins are dense, and 100% wool. I expect that without a shell I would feel the wind through the Fox River mittens a lot more than I would through the Dachsteins.

I anticipate that the Dachsteins will be my go-to mitten for cold weather; looking forward to trying them out!

Campmor often sells the boiled Dachstein mitts, but were out the last time I looked.