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Gloves vs. mittens

#1
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1/12/04 at 7:01am
  • Joined: July 2002
  • Post Count: 61
My current gloves don't keep my hands warm and dry, so I'm going to get some new ones. But I'm trying to decide between gloves and mittens.

What are the preferences of the group? Do you wear gloves (better dexterity) or mittens (warmer)?

I live and ski in New England.

FWIW, these are the ones I'm thinking about:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=47633919&storeId=8001&cat alogId=40000008001&langId=-1

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8001&catalogId=40000008001& productId=47633920&parent_category_rn=29814627

http://www.pmgearusa.com/kglove/kglove.html
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#2
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1/12/04 at 7:45am
  • Joined: July 2002
  • Location: Somers, CT
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Gloves, but it's a guy thing.

I think one thing that nexts to be pointed out is something I learned on my own. Blood flow has a lot to do with keeping your hands and feet warm. If clothing is to tight or pinching off the blood flow you will be cold. Saturday at Okemo -15 degress my left foot got cold. That never heppens with me. I took my left boot off and the foot was still cold. I remembered that I had different socks then normal, they were tight in the calf area. I turned down the top of the sock to relief the tight grip it had on my calf. With in minutes my foot warmed up. Yesterday, went back to the normal thin sock I wear. Temp about the same. No cold feet.

I don't use heaters either. May be it's a guy thing.

If my hands get cold I make sure the clothing is not pressing on the vain's on the inside of my elbow. when most people sit on the chair they fold there arms or hold them close to the body. What that does is force the clothing to close off the vain's inside your elbow.
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#3
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1/12/04 at 9:07am
  • Joined: July 2002
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I have a pair of EMS mountaineering mittens with a fleece-like lining, and I carry a pair of polypro liner gloves in my coat pocket. If it is normal-to-warm winter temps, the mittens alone are adequate. Below normal, I put on the liners and my hands are never cold. I do ski patrolling on the weekends and I find the liner gloves to be very handy (no pun) when doing odd tasks out in the weather or treating an injured skier. I was out in -15 this weekend with a 25mph wind and my hands were not cold. I did take note that my thumb was getting a little chilly at one point and I did think that if I had gloves instead of the mittens, my fingers would not be toasty. I think the key thing is liner gloves. I asked for and received a very thin pair for Xmas, so I think I will work with a set of liners, thin to thick, under mittens, as my system. When it gets real warm, I use a pair of cheap work gloves with/without my liners. I have liner enthusiasm.
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#4
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1/12/04 at 9:19am
  • Joined: January 2002
  • Location: L.A.
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If you have gloves and they aren't quite warm enough, you can always add liners to get extra warmth. My hands were getting cold at about 15-20 deg. in my gloves, I got a pair of Outlast liners for $12, I thought I would try them before I spent big bucks on new gloves, they worked great, I skied a couple days around 0 to -5, and my hands were fine.
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#5
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1/12/04 at 10:53am
  • Joined: January 2002
  • Location: Denver, CO
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Primaloft is considerably warmer than Thinsulate. Mittens are much warmer than gloves, but obviously you give up dexterity. This can be compensated for by wearing a glove liner in the mitten, and then you can take off the mitt and do the adjustments you need with the liner gloves on.

Disadvantage of Primaloft is that it will compress somewhat in the palm when you grip your pole. I don't know too much about the construction quaity of any of the gloves you mentioned, but REI will take anything back, no questions asked (except for wanting to know what the problem so they can improve their merchandise selection) even after you have used the item for a while. I personally like having a long gauntlet (goes over the cuff of my jacket) to seal the gap between my glove and jacket so the wind and snow stays out.

[ January 12, 2004, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: dp ]
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#6
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1/12/04 at 11:23am
  • Joined: December 2000
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i use a pair of bonfire 20 mittens
never had a problem with them. always warm...my gf always steals them from me when i'm not looking in the lodge [img]tongue.gif[/img] kinda hard to use since no individual fingers, but i can deal with that

melloboy
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#7
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1/12/04 at 12:50pm
  • Joined: January 2004
  • Location: Spokane, WA
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The secret to warm hands is not to have gloves that fit tightly. The same goes for liner gloves. I posted about the Manzella's on another thread. For me, Manzella is the best compromise between a loose fit and good dexterity - your mileage may vary. For liner gloves, I've found that sewn liner gloves are vastly better than knit ones for warmth.

[ January 12, 2004, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: EricW ]
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#8
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1/12/04 at 4:22pm
  • Joined: August 2003
  • Location: Maine
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I live in Maine. The temperature varies wildly. I have skied at -20F (before the wind) and at 75F in the spring. I find I need both. Gloves just don't cut it for me if it is much below 10-20F. But if it is 20F or warmer I prefer gloves. I really need the mittens on those colder days.
Richard

Momentum is a terrible thing to waste.

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#9
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1/12/04 at 6:51pm
  • Joined: May 2004
  • Location: Summer in MI, teach at Breckenridge
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I use a high quality leather glove for temps down to single digits (F), then use mittens with fingers inside for colder days. I'm often out for four or five hours at a time if ski school is busy, and have found these two work in these circumstances for me. A big part of keeping hands comfortable is keeping the arms warm. I only wear a vest in really warm weather. If I need extra warmth under the parka, I use a fleece or sweaters with arms.

Probably the single most important thing for keeping the rest of the body warm is good headwear. I've always worn hats with extra lining for cold weather, but this season I've gone to a helmet, and I've found that to be even more warm than the best hat and aids in keeping feet and fingers comfortable.

[ January 12, 2004, 06:53 PM: Message edited by: Kneale Brownson ]
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#10
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1/12/04 at 7:18pm
  • Joined: October 2002
  • Location: Sydney, Australia
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I've always got cold hands (even in summer), but in the snow they are almost frozen, and very uncomfortable.

About 2 years ago I decided to give mittens a go. I am now a convert and will never go back to gloves. The mittens I got are not a very expensive brand, and are made up of two layers, and gortex type outer and fleece inner. My had stay warm in them all day. At the end of the day, they inner is quite wet (from the sweat), but I don't notice it during they day.

As for dexterity, mittens feel a bit awkward for a couple of weeks, you just have to used to grabing things between fist and thumb, and using all your fingers together.
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#11
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1/12/04 at 11:35pm
  • Joined: January 2003
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I've had mittens for a long time, and just switched to gloves because I need the extra dexterity helping my kids students on the slopes. I found my new gloves to be pretty warm, similar to the mittens (the gloves being new and the mittens pretty old may help).

For the price you're looking at, Cabela's has a Gore-TeX XCR glove that may be worth looking into (Men's casual wear > Men's accessories > Gloves and mittens). $30 for an XCR glove sounds like a super price! Here's what they say:

Quote:

Another Cabela's innovation, the first gloves engineered with GORE-TEX®XCR® glove inserts. This revolutionary material is the most durablywaterproof and most breathable barrier available for gloves. Everycomponent of these gloves has been engineered to work in concert with theGORE-TEX® XCR® insert to keep your hands drier, warmer, longer when you're active outdoors. So no matter how wet or sloppy the conditions, your hands will stay drier and more comfortable than ever. The tough 100% nylon shellresists tears and abrasion, yet is extremely breathable to complement theperformance of the XCR. A plush, high-lofting Berber fleece lining offersexcellent warmth without excess bulk. And the soft leather palm and fingersimprove dexterity, grip and durability. A Velcro®-secured web strap wristclosure and cuff strap combine to seal out moisture and deliver a customfit. The security cinch strap snugs around your wrist to prevent lossduring frequent on/off situations. Imported.
Sizes: S-2XL.
Color: Black/Gray.
They have other Gore-TeX choices. When I looked a month ago they also had a gauntlet glove which would be my preference (I like the gauntlets) but it has disappeared.

YA

[ January 12, 2004, 11:36 PM: Message edited by: Ladede ]
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#12
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1/13/04 at 12:12pm
  • Joined: October 2001
  • Location: Silicon Valley
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Only a minority of skiers use mittens even when it is cold or stormy. My thin hands get cold easily. I use gloves most ordinary days. For years I have used oversized mittens on any stormy day whether it is cold or not. Mittens besides being obviously warmer are much easier to put wet hands into. This season I got a pair of higher quality bulky $45 REI mittens which are easily the best I've ever used:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000& productId=47669006&parent_category_rn=4501529

They are noticeably more bulky than usual mittens because they have quite a thick layer of insulation but that is what I like. When it is really cold out, I don't have to hide my hands inside my parka pockets on the lift ride up but rather can use them to shield my face from the wind or whatever. And if I need to take my bare hands out for some task like clearing fog or water on my goggles with tissue, when I put my hands back in they regain heat quickly. In part due to the residual heat in the extra insulation. Gripping my ski pole is a tad less solid but not enough to make a difference. There are certainly a few more expensive gloves or mittens but these are great for the price. Makes my storm skiing days more pleasant now. -dave
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