I've been flip flopping with handwear for a few years now and still haven't landed on a system that works for me year round.

What are you guys using, where, and when? What works, what doesn't? Any woodburning stove appropriate gloves?

Here's what I'm looking at:

Base:
- Ibex Stretch Merino (base)- I already own them and they work.

Midweight liner/standalone (mild weather):
- Rab Phantom (Polartec Wind Pro, silicone palms/fingertips)
- OR Omni (Wind Pro, silicone palms)
- MHW Heavyweight Powerstretch or standard Powerstretch gloves

Shell:
- eVent mitts


* This is mostly for 3-season use. My winters are mild and my gear typically covers year round use outdoors.

Edited by Eugeneius on 01/07/2011 15:03:00 MST.

I'll be curious to see what folks come up with. Where I hike, I don't need gloves very often, I typically just use them around camp for some light insulation and can get away with a thin liner glove or at most a mid-weight liner glove.

Every once in a while I'll need to wear gloves while on the move. When this happens, my thin liners (Patagonia lightweight glove liners) are pretty much adequate for me (but I run warm).

I've been thinking about some eVent shell mitts for cold, wet days though. Dry hands doesn't seem like a bad way to go...

I would recommend andy's truth about gloves which basically says you aren't going to be happy.

I am not doing woodburning typically so I am not typically worrying about melting them.

I have been using some MH powerstretch gloves than I embedded some silcon into for better grip. Typically these don't come on trips unless I expect it will be 30F or less for an extended period of time when I am not warm under my quilt. If I am carrying them, they tend to get put on when it gets below 40F if the wind is blowing, 30F if it's calm. I will also sometimes bring a pair of MLD eVENT mitts. Combined with the powerstretch gloves I have been good down to around 0F when highly active (snowshoe, hiking hard, nordic skiing, etc). Not warm enough sitting around or downhill.

On snow trips I used to use a pair of OR modular gloves which doesn't seem to be sold to consumers, but are still made for the military? Mine were lost many years ago. I would have replaced them but I couldn't find them so I have used a number of other alternatives over the years. I haven't found anything I liked as much as them, thought I might be remembering them more fondly than I should.

For snow trips I have been bring powerstretch gloves, but don't take the MLD mitts... they aren't durable enough. And I add 1 of the following (2 if I expect it to be so cold that liner isn't enough when active:

RBH VaprThrm mitts
OR Meteor Mitts
OR Alti Gloves
BD Patrol Gloves
Marmot Expedition Mitt

I bounce between them because none of have truly made me happy. I seems to use the Meteor Mitts more than the others. I am not completely sure why because the little magnets on the inner mitts are really annoying. The Expedition Mitts seem to be the most common second pair I bring when it's really cold. I use them once I stop. Note: Most of these (other than RBH) are fairly heavy. It don't know why, but while most of my gear tends light weight, my handwear isn't.

I have been tempted by the arc teryx sv gloves but they are very pricy, and I am going to be in the snow less this year than normal, so I am weighting to heard what other folks think about them.

Edited by verber on 01/08/2011 00:39:43 MST.

if you want something similar to the OR modular, try the rab modular mitts ... primaloft glove, event shell mitt

http://exploreitoutdoors.com/2010/01/05/rab-modular-mitt/



i use light fleece/softshell (brand doesnt matter too much) for use around freezing

light merino liners and rab latok gloves for down to 0F

mercury mitts below that

i looked at the dead bird SV glove in the store, it looks OK, but theres no way im paying $300 can for a pair of what are basically a pair of fleece gloves with goretex shell, not even made in canada to boot at that price ...

i still need to get myself a pair of outdry gloves ...

the trick with gloves in winter? ... bring 2 pairs ... warm one up in yr layers while using the other one ...

OR Omni gloves alone 90% of the time.

If especially windy, wet or cold, I add OR Endeavor mitts.

It really cold (like -5 or lower), I wear the Omnis, some 200 weight fleece mitts, and the Endeavor mitts.

my setup is similar to Dave's

Smartwool liners, if need be I add Endeavor mitts; I carry a pair of PL400 mitts to use w/ the Endeavors if it's really cold

might have to look into the omni gloves, look like they would hold up better in the winter than my smartwool liners

I purchased these "Seirus Hyperlite All-Weather Gloves" recently and love them. They are under 2 oz. and windproof. Some people gave them negative reviews as they are not completely waterproof since they are not seam sealed. They are very water resistent though and would make great liners but I've only used them as stand-alones. I found them to be comfortable (possibly even a little warm) doing aerobic activity in 25-30*F and no wind.

http://www.rei.com/product/743106

I bring DeFeet Wool Duragloves and usually have MLD eVent mitts with me too:

http://www.defeet.com/product.php?id=161

Smartwool liners
Arctery'x Delta SV gloves
OR Rain Mitts (not in production)

Mostly in the California area...Sierra, Lake Tahoe area, Yosemite, occasional Death Valley. Generally not WInter camping, but that's changing...

Generally the Delta SV's are enough for almost anything, but I like to have the Smartwools along just in case, and the Mitts if the weather turns sour.

Edited by Pittsburgh on 01/08/2011 00:11:49 MST.

Thanks Eric... the rab-modular-mitt looks very close to what I have been looking for, and seems to be very reasonably priced for good quality mitts.

--Mark

For camp all my colder weather gloves and mittens are GTX shells over fleece or heavier pile liners. I carry extra liners to replace sweaty ones.

For ski touring & snowshoeing I use light leather XC gloves, sometimes with light Outlast or other poly liners if it's cold enough but too warm for the heavier gloves.

It's often recommended to at least carry mitten shells in addition to regular gloves for emergency use if very cold weather unexpectedly hits. The fleece glove liners will work fine inside mitten shells and you'll still have the glove shells for work requiring more dexterity.

Edited by Danepacker on 01/08/2011 12:08:24 MST.

It does seem amazing to me how hard it can be to find decent mittens. I lost one fleece mitten early on the AT this past year and was looking in outfitters all along the trail and found that no one sold mittens, I think with one exception of a fairly heavy, bulky ski type mitten. I think that outfitters sell gloves because people just far prefer gloves over mittens. I.e., maybe it's an education issue.

It's a no-brainer to me to have a thin glove "base" layer, a wool or synthetic mitten mid layer, and a light shell. I'm not to0 particular about the thin glove; I've never found one that's durable, and they're all too expensive. If someone has a better idea, I'd love to hear it as it's expensive running through these things over the years, the finger tips seems to shred and get holes way too fast.

For mid-layer I just bought a pair of Fox River double ragg mitts, "extra heavy weight". These are heavy --- 5.7 oz (163g) in size large. The size large are slightly long on me, slightly tight in the wrist and thumb, so not an optimal fit, but okay; I've got them stretched over two stacks of tuna fish cans to try to stretch out the wrists.

The "double" part of the "double ragg mitt" name is correct, there are two layers. The outer is a mostly wool shell and the liner is more acrylic than anything else. The liner is stitched to the shell at the edge of the wrist only, i.e., you can pull the liner out of the shell (good to help dry faster, at any rate). Or of course a person could cut out the liner and stick with the shell, something that I might consider to reduce the weight and make the fit more comfortable. The shell is 85% wool and 15% nylon, while the liner is 67% acrylic, 23% wool, and 10% nylon.

For a rain shell, I've found the MLD eVent rain mitts to be more durable than I had feared they would be (even for a trekking pole user). But overall I haven't had to deal with all that much rain in recent years, and much of that was warm enough that I didn't use the shells. Hopefully they'll hold up to one more thru-hike!

Excellent feedback. These are all great suggestions and I'm noticing a few replicate systems and approaches to dealing with handwear in the front and backcountry. The common theme I'm finding in all your posts is that no singular glove is ever going to adequately meet the needs of: windproofing, insulating across a wide temp range, breathe well, and maintain waterproof benefits.... although the RAB Latok glove sure looks like it gets pretty close. I noticed many of you also choose synthetic liners/midweight gloves over wool options, which seems to differ quite a bit from the approach to footwear and feet, where merino wool socks seem to be the staple. The liner> midlayer> shell mitt system is what I expected most of you to suggest, which is good,it confirms what I was leaning towards. Now I'm just going to have to play the cards and hope I can find gloves that fit my gorilla hands well. Can anyone attest to certain models and their durability? The lightweight gloves I've had over the past few years have been lasting about one summer worth of use before springing holes and being retired for running use in winter.

similar findings- my smartwool liners only get about a season, most of that being used up in the winter w/ poles though- for summer use only they'd last longer I'm sure

I think I might try the OR Omni's for a winter liner (appears they might last longer) and keep the smartwool liners for "summer"- they (SW) are lighter, very dexterous and warm enough for "summer" use

I've been moving towards an ultra durable UL set-up. For gloves I take Smartwool heavyweight gloves ($30). They are overkill in summer when I don't need gloves, but any othertime they are garunteed to keep you warm. I had lightweight MH powerstretch liners and my hands would still be cold so I ditched those. I also take a leather work glove when the mercury drops. Keep you extra warm, durable, can handle fire, and great if you are using poles or an ice axe.

For 3 season?

I go with:

Marmot wrist gaiters and gordini? windstopper fleece.

So far I've stayed warm with this even in rain/ snow mix.
I'm sure i'll need a shell for long trips, but for a couple days this has worked. The wrist gaiters are pretty new to me but I used them around the upper 20s / low 30s in the rain. After lunch my hands were numb though, so maybe they really only work on-the-go. But after walking for about 10 min they were warm again.

For cold rain I have Mountain Hardwear Tempest shell gloves with an integral fleece liner, much like Marmot Driclime. I was concerned about the liner drying or getting holes but it has worked well. They are 2.8oz and give decent wind/water protection.

I have a pair of light polyester stretch gloves and have found them more useful for travel. We went to San Francisco last month and hit some cold rainy weather. I kept them in my rain shell pockets for walking and I was glad I had them. They are so compact and light I almost forgot I had them. I have doubts to durability with poles. I see runners wearing them all the time.

For colder stuff, I have some Sealskyn gloves that are 4.1oz and quite thick and warm. They are fine with trekking poles, but too thick for any real dexterity.

Mechanics gloves work for cool days and have better dexterity. I wish they made them plainer, minus the contrasty colors and graphics.

I have large vitiligo spots on the back of my hands, where the melanin is not produced and will sunburn very quickly. I use sunscreen, but I have also gotten in the habit of wearing fingerless, unpadded bike gloves. They are a perfect match for trekking poles and you get the sweat wiping patches to boot. I'm keeping an eye out for a bargain on full-fingered models to replace the mechanics gloves.

I have some cold weather mittens, but I haven't hiked in weather cold enough to warrant them. We used to wear ragg wool gloves with leather palms for cross country skiing. I wonder if someone makes a merino wool equivalent.

hey eugene

the latoks definately arent waterproof, if you keep plunging yr axe in deep snow, set up snow anchors, dig caves, etc... they will get wet ... they are just water resistant, very breathable and dry overnight ... theyre plenty durable for normal backpacking use, i climb with them

the rab modular mitt however that i posted above is waterproof for the shell ...

what helps alot i find is liners ... not only do they boost the temp of yr gloves ... they also wick away moisture, less of a damp feeling ... thin as possible, i find merino liners more durable around velcro ...

thick wool gloves IMO take way too long to dry

Edited by bearbreeder on 01/08/2011 14:57:22 MST.

I've been happiest with ragg wool gloves and waterproof overmitts. I use the gloves with gripper dots. My hands sweat, so insulated gloves get cold and clammy because they won't dry out. I like the wool over fleece, because they are seamless and feel better. I hardly ever use the mitts unless it's really cold out or snowy/rainy. My only problem is that the wool gloves wear out quickly. I go through several pair each winter.

They dry quick, the best reason to go with fleece.

My oldest pair is about 17 months old and starting to get holes in the fingertips. That's after a ton of use. Acceptable durability IMO.