Best All-Around Glove/Mitten System???

[ClimbingPanther]

I am in the market for a better all-purpose glove system and want the most useful and widely adaptable combination of liner/shell. My current thoughts are an outer mitten, such as the OR Latitude or similar shell mitt, for warmth when the temps dip towards zero. The inner will ideally be a glove so I can take off the mitt and get dexterity without exposing my hand. For the inner glove, I am wondering if a Windstopper might be the best option instead of a generic fleece liner for warmth and usefulness without the mitt.

 

The main idea is to cover the widest variety of temps & weather conditions and only need a single shell/liner combo. What are some of your systems and why do you think it's the best?

[catbirdseat]

How can anyone answer your question when you haven't really described what sort of climbing you'll be doing. There are different dexterity/warmth requirements, depending on what you are doing.

 

How likely is it that the gloves will get wet? Is quick-drying a requirement?

Edited February 2, 2007 by catbirdseat

[G-spotter]

mittens suck. i would not include any mittens on a "best" list.

 

otherwise, the best all-around hand wear is the one having the most fun.

[ClimbingPanther]

Mostly I guess I want to know if anyone has one special combo that they can bring regardless of what they're doing in the winter and be relatively happy. That's what I do anyway but before I buy something new (my old gloves are cracking) I just wanted a feel for what people are happy with.

 

If I'm going to drop $100 or so on something new, I want to get the most out of it, plus as a weight concern, I'd rather not ever carry two sets of gloves/mittens.

Edited February 2, 2007 by ClimbingPanther

[NTM]

A friend told me that when ice climbing he wears a liner with dish washing gloves for total h2o-proof-ness, then puts on a warm glove at the belays. He sounds happy with his setup (cheap too and easy to replace).

[ClimbingPanther]

Maybe if this was in spray it would get more responses on a Friday afternoon...

I'll be happy if you just take a sec to post the make & model of your current pair(s) of climbing gloves & whether or not you'd buy them again

 

[mattp]

For general mountaineering and ski mountaineering, I like a pair of wool liner gloves with rubber knobs on them for grip. These alone are sufficient most of the time when I am hiking or skiing or climbing uphill (sometimes even these are too warm). A separate insulating mitten (again, I prefer wool over synthetic and I really like the dachsteins but I know some people prefer synthetic because it dries faster) and shell complete my standard rig. Sometimes I used just the liner glove, I add the shell over it for a bit more warmth, and change to the mittens w/shell when it gets cold. If you may be rapelling, get shell gloves with a leather palm but, if not, don't (they dry more slowly).

 

This system has the advantage of having two insulating layers available in case I get one wet and, because it all comes apart, I can dry it in my sleeping bag or over the wood stove in a hut. This isn't such a good set up for ice climbing or technical climbing where you need warmer gloves and greater dexterity for handling gear.

[RogerJ]

I've fiddled around with OR Arete gloves and some of the various wool and fleece liners. I seldom use the liners that came with the gloves.

 

For ski touring, I use the OR Vert glove and have the OR Touring glove in my pack if it gets cold standing or going down.

 

I've not really found "the one" that solves all my hand warmth issues, due to many varied outdoor activities.

 

-r

 

 

[David Trippett]

I use these: http://www.mountaingear.com/pages/product/product.asp/item/121392/N/0/CMP/KNC-70150/cmpn/70150/afl/438 ....and I'm happy with them. I've had them for over a year and use them on everything from ice climbing, to alpine, to skiing.....It's a good system and I got them on sale....I think they're on sale now. I wouldn't pay 180$ for them but they're a reasonable deal at 100$. They're warm and very rugged. I like being able to "layer" with my glove system like I do the rest of my winter climbing clothes, so these work out well. The reviews are right though....with the liners and overgloves together they're not dextrous enough for ice climbing....but that's ok. The inner mixed glove is AWESOME for climbing and what I usually do is climb in the liner and put the outer glove on as soon as I get to the belay.....the outer glove is goretex and can be used alone as well....both have padding on the knuckles and the palm leather is tops. If you get them....size the fit for the liner....not the outer. For the sale price you could do a lot worse....

[Mountainstyle]

I would advise checking out some of OR's combinations. They have a lot to offer and I have never been dissapointed with their products. Plus, a lifetime guarntee. I have the Metorites right now, I used them on a Dec Mt Washington climb (unsuccessful due to weather) and I had dry, warm hands.

[Jedi]

gloves are like boots, it comes down to fit. Currently, some of the Black Diamond gloves fit me. OR changed the shape of their gloves a couple years ago and now fit a more slender hand, Same with Patagonia's Stretch Element glove.

Most gloves have a thumb as long as the middle finger. That it too long for me and eliminates most gloves.

I like a glove that has a removable liner so i can drythe liner and shell overnight.

Windstopper liners are great because they have a grippy palm BUT dry slower. Fleece liners dry faster but never come with a grippy palm. I would like to know why??

Most have pittards waterproof palms. Yeah, waterproof if the leather is new and unused. Once used, they soak up water just fine and dry very slowly. Leave them outside your bag and they are frozen balls of useless crap in the morning.

Sythetic palms are the best unless you will be rappeling, which melts the palm of some. I think OR has a better palm now. If not, you need a leather palm glove for rappeling.

Big bulk gloves are nice and warm but you have to squeeze harder to hang on to tools or rock. This restricks blood flow and makes your hands colder.

My combo is the old Stretch element glove with a BD winstopper liner. It freeezes and dries slow but no other combo allows for technical climbing with much dexterity (sp?). If it is really cold outside, I also bring a big pair of mitts. I also bring a couple extra pairs of liners so i can try to dry the damp liners around my neck. Just rotating the lot.

 

You can take a pair of fleece liners you like and drizzle seam grip on the palm and fingers to make them grip better.

Jedi

[crazy_t]

I use an:

-OR "Lobster Mitt" Outer Shell

-the OR Expedition liners that go with them

-a lighterweight glove- OR windstopper or Patagonia Activist

 

3 pieces, pretty much covers everything. Like mattP says, you get 3-4 options out of this setup for changing conditions/temps over a long day. Most of the time, I am in the liner gloves. If it gets colder/windier, on go the shells. If it gets a lot colder, trade the liners for the expedition liners. If one of the inner liners gets wet, trade with the other and put the wet ones in my jacket to dry.

 

Issues:

-who makes the lobster-style gloves these days? I like them best because they are a great combination of dexterity and warmth. The thinner liner gloves fit in great. Having 2 sets of liners is key, in case you or a partner was to ever lose a glove up high, you have a backup. If you are tending towards lower altitude/more technical climbing, I'd probably go w/ OR gloves/shells.

-the liner gloves I like tend to wear out quickly, i.e. roughly 10 8-10 hour days and holes can start to appear. But I like those ones best, so I keep getting them.

 

I use this for ski touring, ski area, basic alpine climbing (I really don't climb much ice), and moderate altitude climbs (up to 7000m). For lower alt/warmer days I just bring the lightweight liners and the shells. For the coldest days, I bring a couple of hand warmers too.

 

$100 budget might be tight- gloves are pretty key, don't skimp if it comes to it, or you might end up with another "not quite good enough" glove system.

 

Anyone know who is making/selling lobster claw type gloves??

 

Edited February 3, 2007 by crazy_t

[bgagosian]

I like to go to the nearest hardware store and pick up a pair of insulated work gloves for 10-15 dollars and then water treat them. They work just as well as any "Climbing" or "winter" glove i have ever used and they are cheap as hell. It pisses me off that these outdoor companies can get away with charging so much damn money for these gloves. For example I have a pair of Black Diamond Ice Climbing gloves. Now you would think that they would do a decent job of staying dry/semi warm, but everytime i use them my hands are freezing. Instead I started using these cheap ass insulated work gloves and just bringing an extra pair along. They stay warmer and dryer than the 130 dollar BD gloves.

[Jedi]

I use an:

-OR "Lobster Mitt" Outer Shell

-the OR Expedition liners that go with them

-a lighterweight glove- OR windstopper or Patagonia Activist

 

3 pieces, pretty much covers everything. Like mattP says, you get 3-4 options out of this setup for changing conditions/temps over a long day. Most of the time, I am in the liner gloves. If it gets colder/windier, on go the shells. If it gets a lot colder, trade the liners for the expedition liners. If one of the inner liners gets wet, trade with the other and put the wet ones in my jacket to dry.

 

Issues:

-who makes the lobster-style gloves these days?.................

 

Anyone know who is making/selling lobster claw type gloves??

 

 

Have you tried cycling lobster gloves? I know I have seen them in Performance bike catalogs.

[freddshuksan]

I highly recommend the OR Super Couloir glove. It's basically the softshell Vert glove as the liner, with an primaloft-insulated gore-tex outer shell. The last few seasons I've used a similar glove from OR, both have been great for backcountry skiing/ski mountaineering.

[wfinley]

I have 2 systems: For ice I use BD Guide gloves for climbing / rapping and a pair of Patagonia Primo gloves that are 1 size too big for belaying. For skiing I use BD glissades plus the larger Patagonia for when my hands get cold.

 

In the past I've tried mitts but inevitably I end up taking them off to do things like clip biners or zip up jackets so I switched to the gloves sized 1 size too large. These are a bit big to do stuff like place gear in - but still fit well enough to do things like work zippers or adjust belay systems.

[Jedi]

One thing I would like to add. I did a little testing this morning on my predawn, 25 degree run. I wore a BD Windstopper Tech glove on one hand and a fleece Patagonia liner glove on the other. The Patagonia glove was a little thicker.

 

About 30 minutes into the run, the BD hand felt calmy and cold. The BD glove felt cold and damp to the touch (from inside the glove while wearing it). The fit of this glove is perfect, like it was made for my hand.

 

The fleece, non-Windstopper glove felt dry and warmer. When I got home (60 minute run), the Windstopper "hand" was very cold. The "fleece" hand was warm.

 

I got away from windstopper jackets a couple years ago. I think my windstopper gloves are history too.

 

Good idea, William, about the oversized gloves.

Jedi

Edited February 7, 2007 by Jedi

[wfinley]

One thing I would like to add. I did a little testing this morning on my predawn, 25 degree run.

 

25 degrees? Those poor eastern Virginians must be freezing.

 

(PS - I heard it from a friend that ice in SNP is in! )