Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

This is a very soft, warm glove. As the product description states, they have much higher loft than other synthetic liners that I have used. The only problem I experienced was using them one rainy day...my hands were covered with lots of loose fiber (a bit irritating, and makes me wonder about its long term durability under wet conditions). Guess it's the result of the short natural fiber (vs. a synthetic fiber). Regardless, I really enjoy hiking with them when an insulated winter glove would be too warm.

Rating: 3 / 5

BPL has been clear about the limits of durability of the Possum material, so not a gripe here. Just, in my experience, even when baby them they wear out very very quickly. Thin spots develop even when using as a liner only and being careful with them.Then one has holes in them in short order. I feel they are simply just too fragile even when care taken.

They are indeed very warm for their weight. In a beany fine but as socks or gloves 2 thumbs down for me.

Rating: 3 / 5

I really like these gloves (and the related hat). They are warm, light and soft. That's the good news. The bad news is that they are fairly delicate and are prone to shrink a lot if they are put in the dryer even on low.

Rating: 4 / 5

The possumdown gloves are great for day-to-day use. I wear them almost every day when it is cold. They are also great for hiking if you don't use poles or use poles but don't plan on using the gloves while hiking. However, if you plan on using them in the winter when you are wearing gloves all the time and using poles - you'll wear them out in probably 10 days of use.

Bob

Rating: 4 / 5

They are comfy down to freezing, but aren't terribly wind resistant. Thus, I pair these with OR basic shell mitts (goretex) and have used this combination down to the teens. It's comfortable in those temps when active, but IMO not beefy enough for sitting around in those temps.

I recently had a brutal experience that was a testament to their warmth and limits: I was winter hiking above tree line with summit conditions in the upper teens and a brutal wind. Anyhow, I lost one glove on the way up so that one hand only had an OR basic shell mitt keeping me warm. The difference between the gloved and bare hand was startling, basically amounting to feeling vs. numbness. Luckily, I found it on the way down.

In short: paired with shell mitts, they are great in above-freezing temps. As some have written they need plenty of babying if you plan on using them as your sole handwear. Mine have some small holes from rubbing up against granite, but this is well within the limits of claimed durability. The would earn a five if they were a bit more wind resistant.

Edited by tonyabad on 03/19/2006 02:29:27 MST.

Rating: 4 / 5

I really like the feel of these gloves and they kept my hands warm in early Fall weather in the Sierras- in the low 20's. They could possibly start to unravvel in time if used with trekking poles for long periods of time. Overall a very warm good feeling
product.

Rating: 2 / 5

I tried my best to like these gloves but even treated with the utmost caution my pair only lasted 1 trip before starting to show significant wear. By the end of the second trip, I had holes in both gloves. They do have a very nice feel to them and are indeed light, but I couldn't even get a decent baseline feel for their performance before they were wrecked.

Rating: 3 / 5

This review is for the FINGERLESS version of the glove, so they are good for slightly different purposes than the full glove. These gloves are defintiely warm, but definitely delicate. They also don't perform well in wet or wind. So why would anyone carry them??? Well, I carry them to wear around camp and in bed. That's it. Being fingerless is a real bonus for all those tasks around camp (including use as pot holders). I wouldn't wear them on-trail.

Rating: 2 / 5

As others have noted, these have amazing warmth for the weight but in the end I gave them up on them & wouldn't buy them again. They tear way too easily at the fingertip areas... just about useless for anything but camp use and even then, treat with care if you want them to last.

Also, the fibers have a way of ending up in your food, very annoying & gross.

Now the possumdown hat on the other hand I love.

Rating: 3 / 5

I first read about possumdown gloves on BPL but since they were out of stock I searched and found a retailer on ebay selling them from New Zealand and bought a few to try. They have a great feel, light, soft and warm, but they did quickly form holes in the finger tips and more recently between the thumb and second digit. On the other hand, my wife has been using her pair for nearly a year without any visible damage whatsoever. My other gripe is that the cuff come up too short on the wrist and leaves me exposed to snow or wet weather. I will try out a new pair with a waterproof mitt to see if wear is affeted.