I've found "Mechanix" gloves (about $20. at Lowe's or Pep Boys stores) to be great for S.W. desert travel here in S. Nevada when rock scrambling on certain "trails".
The palms are of a gray synthetic "suede leather" which wraps back over the top of the fingers a ways and the backs a black nylon knit.
They are short gloves with a Velcro closure on the back of the wrist. Great for wet weather B/C they dry fast and keep you a bit warmer even when wet. Very durable and very lightweight.

Never thought about using them for that purpose. I just have used them for auto repairs. Perhaps i'll sacrifice my oldest pair to my hiking kit. I think that you are absolutely correct that they would work well for the purpose that you suggest. Some types even have cushioning gel at key points in the palm - better for vibration absorption (more likely encountered using power tools when working on cars), but might not be the best ones for scrambling? Most lack the gel pads and so are probably better for scrambling (and less expensive too!)?

I have been using those Coolibar sun protection gloves for a while now as a "base layer" for my hands. Then I layer gloves over them.

Coolibar = Base Layer
Possum Down Gloves = Insulation Layer
OR Lobster Claw Rain Mitts = Top Layer

...the jury is still out on this system but it works in a wide range of conditions and is very light.

Edited by jjpitts on 01/11/2007 05:05:38 MST.

You can find similar gloves are Wal-Mart for half as much as well. These aren't as light as a good technical liner, but they get the job done.

I've been using the padded-palm type as a mountain biking glove for a year now. Just as good as a glove advertised for the sport, and a bit cheaper.

If you look around batting gloves work pretty well for hand protection, I've also used a racquetball glove for a belay glove, the one I use has a slightly tackey palm, you'ld need to buy both a right and a left though.