Gloves...whadya like?

[freeclimb9]

for temps between 10 and 35 farenheit, I like Atlas's freezer glovers --it's the Vinylove, baby-- http://www.seamar.com/atlas/460.html

they're cheap, last well, are easy to remove (unlike neoprene gloves), and are bright orange.

[willstrickland]

Looking to replace my old worn-out OR gloves with something new. I'm soliciting opinions, what do you like and why, what do you hate and why.

I've looked at Granite gear's Ice Sparring gloves, and some other cheap stuff. They don't need to be G-tex, but inserts would be nice.

On a related topic, I checked out Granite Gear's new alpine pack the "Alpine Light". It looks fairly well designed, about 2 1/2 lbs, tool sleeves and crampon patch/straps, frameless with removable bivy pad, top lid opens from either side, and it was pretty damn cheap. Anybody have experience with this thing?

[Bronco]

Check out Costco's gloves next time you are in there. $30 for goretex gloves with the extra long sleeve and drawstring closure. I don't think the liners are removable but, they seemed pretty nice. I plan to pick some up.

They are even equipped with some special "snot patch" on the back of the thumb for wiping your nose. I hadn't seen that feature before.

[haireball]

I found an off-brand glove of windstopper fleece (you know, two layers of polartec with a goretex film between the layers) for $7 at the local grocery store this year - so that's what I'm trying. I've never had a glove hold up very long against the rigors of serious climbing, so I refuse to spend serious $$ on gloves anymore. I find it easier to just consider gloves a disposable item...

[Terminal_Gravity]

I am a big fan of Lowe. I finally replaced my old pair with thier Gadd Glove. Warm, dexterious and flexible, water proof, removeable (and useable) liner, a good keeper system and a bit of knuckle padding.I paid full retail of $80.... almost 1/2 of what the equivalent Varmot or TNF would cost you

[ 11-14-2001: Message edited by: Terminal Gravity ]

[James]

this is a great topic to bring up will. from the little ice climbing i've done i've found that my hands get absolutely frozen. the warmest system i have are some big wools mits with a shell (and liners of course) but the dexterity sucks. i find that my hands lose alot of heat to the ice just from contact, and so those $$$ gloves with knuckle pads are attractive. however, i've held off on buying them since i've never heard anyone say they are worth it. so terminalg., i'm wondering if the padding helps with warmth or just bashing? and also freeclimb, are you serious? if you stand behind those things i would spend $15 just to give them a try. anyone else like padded gloves? bd ice glove, or the moonstone sauvage which you can now get for $80 online? suggestions please!

[freeclimb9]

I use the Atlas gloves for most of my ice-climbing. I go through about one pair per season, and that's fine for $15. Typically, a fast rappel does 'em in. I first used the gloves working a construction project near Cordova, and was very impressed with them from then on (we bought them by the case --much cheaper that way, too-- and worked building Gabians under the water's surface of a glacier-melt creek). As usual, for climbing I use breathable gloves for the approach and deproach, but go Vinylove for the ice. Running water is no problem. And even if they get soaked by a fill-up, they stay pretty warm.

On multi-day trips, I use another type of glove with gaunlets and removable liner so that I can dry them in my bag overnight. The Atlas gloves need forced air to dry thoroughly (I made a dryer from a shoe box, paper-towell tubes, and duct tape; The whole affair sits on top of a heating vent). And I'm serious.

[Dru]

Mec Mixed Master glove, $70ish CDN, last 2 seasons of ice plus one season of alpine, keeps your hands warm and dry.

[dan_e]

My Mont-Bel gloves are still the best I have ever found and since they don't sell them in the US anymore I only use them on the coldest days.

These gloves kick butt! They have an over-sized gauntlet, removable, completely sealed inner gore-tex mit, super warm removable fleece liner, and tough exterior shell with keprotec palm (material with kevlar fibers in it).

If anyone knows where to get Mont-bel products on the web let me know! Of course they may not even make them anymore.

Dan E.

[willstrickland]

Last season I used a pair of $12 neoprene camo numbers from Wal-Mart's hunting section. They weren't quite warm enough for my taste, but the dexterity was amazing. The entire palm and palm-side of the fingers were rubberized, the stretch allowed me to fit them with zero dead space in the fingers. The biggest drawback is that they get clammy. I use size XL expedition style mitts for belays and such, slide them over my regular gloves, but for long easy routes where you don't belay much I want something warmer than the neoprene.

[Lambone]

I love the BD Drytool glove! And I carry a pair of OR mits for the belay.

The first time I lead with the Drytool glove I thought I had found Nirvana. They have also kept my fingers warm in super cold conditions, just as warm as my old OR gloves. I'll never go back.

The only disadvantage with the Drytool glove is that in warm conditions they cand be really clammy. They don't breathe well.

[Norm]

Ortavox Dachstein Mitts. They're ~$30 and toasty. OK so they leave you with about as much didgital dexterity as a seal, but they're cheap and warm. I mostly use them skiing/ mountaineering. I've used them ice climbing and been happy with the results. No need for the shell they are acutally warmer once a layer of rhime forms around the exterior of the glove, although this does make cleaning up after a face plant somewhat tricky.

[dbb]

I've used everything from OR mitts (suck!) to the Vinylove-baby gloves, and I have to agree with freeclimb. They rock.

Dextarity is amazing--no futzing around with screws or biners. the warmth is there too, but I find my fingers getting cold at belays or when busting through deep snow. The one thing I don't like about them is their gauntlet length. But not a problem for I sewed my own cordura gauntlet and duct-taped/seamgripped them onto the glove. This has worked great for two reasons: 1) my wrists are never exposed and 2) the rubbery glove part is covered so it doesn't get all snagged up in my leashes while exiting/entering/twisting. I can put up the pattern if anyone is interested...

As free climb said, these gloves are a pain to dry out. You can invert them pretty easily if you push the fingers in, or better yet, just buy a couple pairs! Size Large seems to work for me.

For colder days, or many pitches I'd bring gloves with removable liners. Bring lots of liners because they're going to get soaked (but lots of Manzella ones)

One other viable option may be to buy the vinylove gloves without the fleecy lining. Then you could stick your own removable fleece gloves in and climb all day with a little more warmth.

[ 11-14-2001: Message edited by: dbb ]

[David_Parker]

This may help eventually. I climbed with Al in Canada last year. Al runs http://www.neclimbs.com

Ice Glove Roundup:I've been accumulating samples of all of the latest glove offeringsfrom the gear manufacturers. Sometime before the first of DecemberNEClimbs will have a roundup of all the gloves including prices,features and first impressions. Definitely check it out.

So far I personally fail almost every major manufacturer of "ice climbing" gloves. I could write a whole disertation on this topic. You don't have to spend the big bucks. Look at snow boarding gloves for way cheaper. Gloves don't have to be gortex...really, how much do your hands sweat? Wool and leather are still great materials in my opinion! I don't really like the removeable liner because if you have to pull your hand out in the middle of a pitch, the liner always gets all screwed up and the glove is hard to put back on. Bottom line: you need a box full of various gloves to choose from depending on conditions/temperature!

[ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: David Parker ]

[dan_e]

Actually Dave, your hands sweat quite a bit, well at least mine do. I learned this from a pair of VB mitts that I own, my hands get pretty moist in them.

I still think the one-piece, inner gore-tex mitt is the way to go, I mentioned this in my post about my beloved Mont-bell gloves, which are still the best gloves I've ever used. I may have even found a way to get these gloves from our friends at Mont-bell in Japan (they no longer do business in North America).

Dan E.

[Paul_detrick]

I say spend money, i've tried all the methods allready mentioned and still had cold hands, at least iceclimbing.I got a pair of BD iceage gloves and they are the bomb,I agree no liner messes with you too much,knuckle pads are a must, if you do use dachsteins cut a small piece of insulite pad to cover your knuckles.

Paul

[Rafael_H]

In my experience, while what works depends on many variables, expensive gloves like BD Ice Glove are not worth the price. Moreover, I found them just not worthy in general. After some thought I decided to keep mine for... rappels. I may still sell them.

I'd recommend trying all the inexpensive alternatives first having the emphasis on dexterity: it is best if one can climb without taking the gloves off to protect.

[David_Parker]

Cold hands are just something your going to have to deal with. What do you expect when you raise them above your head for extended periods of time. It's not necesarily the gloves fault you have cold hands. One thing I've noticed is that thicker gloves tend to make you grip tighter because you loose "connection" with your tool due to the thickness and grip tight = colder hands. The lighter you can grip and hang by your leashes the better. I usually carry a spare pair of warmer gloves or even mittens for belaying and try to get away with as light as glove as possible for climbing. I tuck them inside my jacket so they are real handy. This keeps them warm and easily available in case I drop one. Obviously you'll use different gloves according to temps and how wet the waterfall you'll be climbing is. This is why you need a quiver of gloves to choose from. I thought I had found the ultimate glove with the Marmot glove with all leather palm, but it proved to be too thick and thus above mentioned problem. That was a lot of money to spend to find that out. At least they are great for skiing.

I think if you have a serious problem with bashed knuckles, you need to revise your technique, not add pads. One reason for bashed knuckles is your leashes are too short. I like mine at the very extreme end of the shaft so there is room for a little bit of flick at the last moment. This will keep your knuckles off the ice. The only time I bash knuckles, (and I climbed with straight shafts for 15 years!) was when they hit a bulge. You may be swinging too hard and trying to bury your pick too much.

Snowboarding gloves are built very similar to ice climbing gloves but seem to be cheaper because for some reason "ice climbing" gloves just HAVE to cost more! Look for gloves where the tough stuff on the palm and fingers actually wraps around the end of the fingers. If there is a stitched seam right at the end of the fingers, it will blow out sooner. Check em out. You should be able to find some for $35-$50. Then don't be afraid to try the other stuff like atlas, wool, leather etc.

Good luck!

[mneagle]

For ice-climbing, OR Fall Line gloves are Gore-Tex with excellent dexterity due to no bulky padding on the fingers. You can put different thickness liners in them depending on how cold it is.

For mountaineering I prefer the OR Ice Mitts. They are superwarm with the single liners, so unless you're going to the South Pole don't get the double liners.

[Dru]

get shake and heat pads and tape them on the back of your palms. warmhands with any glove. you can also put one in a pocket and put screws with frozen-in cores in the pocket for a minute to get the core loose enough to blow it out. but WD40 beforehandand then taking a lighter up the climb with you works better.

[David_Parker]

Here's a link to some pretty well priced gloves!!!!!

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/prod_list_display.asp?dept%5Fid=L2%7E224&dept%5Fname%5Fp=Men%27s+Clothing&mscssid=LXRQ0FDG9ESR2GGA0G0KN0SFNRNHFCT9

[fleblebleb]

The best gloves I have ever used are the Ortovox Berchtesgaden. They are at their best when you're dripping wet, freezing cold and still need excellent dexterity. The wool keeps so warm even when wet through, you have to try it to believe it. The Kitzbuehel look even better since they do away with the need for a rap glove but I don't have a pair. Check out http://www.ortovox.com/eng/produkte/produkte.phtml?kat=13&prod=133 - don't be fooled into thinking your aunt might knit an equivalent pair for you, the tight weave is the trick.

Has anyone tried the Glacier Glove they sell at Feathered Friends? How is the durability? The dexterity seems hard to beat - I wanted to get a pair of BD Dry Tool gloves, but I didn't like the somewhat bulky seams on the fingers and the Glacier Gloves don't have those. Plus, they're also cheaper at $40. Anyone?

[cj001f]

Dan -

Montbell has bit the big one - at least for this country, short of ordering directly from Japan. I used to live by their US distribution center in Santa Cruz it's dead and long gone. But o the discount deals while it lasted. They had some of the best long underwear ever, not to mention light weight, and ultralight weight shells before everyone and their mother was pitching "fast and dead". For what it's worth:

http://www.montbell.com/top/top_f.html

is their website - if you speak Japanese, and can tolerate Japanime kiddie graphics.

Carl

[Paul_detrick]

Easy Dave, Ididn't say I was bashing my knuckles,I was letting other people know some tricks of the trade, which I was shown. I don't get cold hands, thats why i'll spend the money.

As far as technique,that comes with climbing,and its harder to learn with frozen hands, you won't know your knuckles are hitting the ice til the next day. Big gloves are easy to work with time, I don't take my hands out to set pro, I've learn to do that with them on. Try and get over size biners, I have a bunch of big fins from BD, rope goes right in,my comments were more for people just starting out,just trying to pass it on. keep climping don't slip.

Paul

[TheDude]

The Ortovox gloves are great. I use an old pair of thick (but close fitting) military gloves often..although I'd opt for a gore-tex mitt for wet ice temps or extended trips. Not sure which model FF sells in the neoprene but the Glacier gloves I've used once are pretty good. They're more or less a VB glove, so don't expect any moisture escape. With that, they work amazingly well until the moment you first take them off. After that, my hands just didn't seem to warm up. They got too cold in the short time they were off.