Need some advice on gloves and mitts.

A glove/liner system that is good to 10 degrees Fahrenheit without compromising dexterity is tricky. I've had good luck with fingerless wool army surplus gloves (made by Rothco I believe) in warmer temps–I'm wondering if wearing a pair (or two) over a fleece liner that is touch-screen compatible would work. I'm not sure of any material that would work well if it's windy though.

As for mittens, I've had good luck with Dakine Titans. I know they're not the nicest, but Goretex gloves are the only ones that keep my hands dry in extreme conditions, and they are pretty durable. I've worn them in extremely cold temps without issue.

Gloves are difficult.
Put your hand out in front of you, flat, with your fingers closed. See all that room between the fingers for the glove fabric/insulation? No? Me neither.
My conclusion is that gloves can sometimes be counterproductive, by blocking blood flow through the fingers. So I never wear heavy gloves; I use heavy mitts instead for real insulation.

In the snow I carry three different pairs of gloves, and mix them appropriately.

The first is a light fleece baselayer (as it were). I emphasize, they are light. They do provide some insulation and some mechanical buffering or spacing. They wear out after a season or two, so they get replaced regularly.

Then there is a Goretex overmitt. This is used to keep the snow off my insulation layer(s) so it does not melt there. If the weather is really mild I might just have these on in the snow, especially when pitching a tent. For some strange reason, dry hands are much warmer than wet hands. Funny about that.

Finally, and not taken on every trip, there's a heavy fleece mitt – 300 weight or higher. When it is really bad these go under the overmitts but over the base layer. They are bulky, and make holding ski stocks harder, but there are times …

I would have trouble with my tent when wearing all 3 layers, but I can pitch and strike my tent with the Goretex plus base layer. Been there, done that, know it is possible. In fact, Sue gets just a shade sort-of snarky if I try to strike the tent without wearing gloves sometimes. She reckons it takes too long!

In non-snow but alpine conditions (shoulder season) I might carry some UL overmitts made from PU-coated 70 denier nylon and some really light base-layer gloves. The theory is that the PU fabric will breathe slightly, but I can't say that always works. But they do keep freezing rain and wind off. That combo is really light. I am happy if they never get used.

Cheers

You have several different requirements pulling you in opposing directions.

For cold weather, it is nice to have a two-layer system. One layer might be thin to medium insulation, and a top layer might be a thin weatherproof shell.

That conflicts with a photographer's system. There are several types of gloves that are made with touch screen compatibility. Otherwise, to adjust the dials and controls and buttons, you want something extremely thin, like thin mechanic's gloves. If those aren't warm enough, then put some warm gloves that have the fingertips cut out over the mechanic's gloves. That puts warmth around most of your hands and leaves only the fingertips for the camera control dexterity. Still, you want non-slip grip for the camera. Some thinly insulated gloves have non-slip patterns on the palms.

A few photography shops sell what they call photographer's gloves, and those tend to be overly expensive for what they do.

I doubt that you will find anything in a tan leather glove that comes close on any of these.

–B.G.–

Thanks for the information guys. I figured it was a long shot.. there just doesn't seem to be a great glove system out there for us photographers yet.

I was thinking of something like these:

http://www.campsaver.com/touch-point-liner-glove-men-s

Paired with something like these:

http://www.rei.com/product/835648/smartwool-ridgeway-gloves?s_kwcid=sCgEVPl8R_dc|pcrid|51875805125|pkw|smartwool%20ridgeway%20gloves|pmt|e|google|main&gclid=CMLU_4Pf5sMCFQEHaQod-VgA2Q

I tried those Ridgeway gloves on in REI and they were very comfortable and dextrous for what they are. Maybe those with the above liners will be enough to keep me warm down a little below freezing when stationary?

Then I'll just get a heavy duty waterproof mitt for those times it's absolutely freezing and doing anything with your hands isn't quite a priority.

Has anyone here tried those Smartwool Ridgeway gloves?

Highly recommend: BLACK DIAMOND MERCURY MITTS (-20/10 ºF) – MED (11.5oz) with IBEX WOOL LINER GLOVES (1.1iclo) (1.25oz) and your hands will be toasty.
(TOTAL WEIGHT 12.75oz)

>>>>OR ANOTHER OPTION<<<<

DACHSTEIN WOOL MITTS (6.63oz) with SEIRUS ARCTIC SILK GLOVE LINER – L/XL (1.1oz) and covered with MT. LAUREL DESIGNS eVENT RAIN MITTS – (1.4oz)
(TOTAL WEIGHT 9.13oz)

I use both combinations here in Michigan presently when I walk every day with temperatures at or below 10ºF.

Hunter's style gloves or mittens with tops that fold back are good for photography. I have some 300w fleece mittens with shells that are good. In the old days when cameras were made of metal, I had my fingers stick a couple times. No licking flag poles either :)

Dont breathe on your camera either! Transitioning from warm/moist to cold can be a mess for cameras too.

Gloves really made for cold temps are expensive. Outdoor Researchvand Black Diamond come to mind, and you may find something less expensive at hunting-oriented sources like Cabela's, or a snowmobile oriented supplier.

If it is cold enough that snow doesn't melt onto everything, then regular wool mitts are surprisingly good. I spent a few days winter backpacking this season into -14F and the only hand protection I wore was knitted wool mitts. Moisture passes out readily and snow stays appropriately outside as well. In fact, any pair of mitts that lack a waterproof shell will serve to help dry out your hands while drying out themselves pretty well.

In nearly all cold conditions I usually use lightweight, non-waterproof gloves like the Mountain Hardwear Power Stretch lightweight fleece gloves and the heavier The North Face Denali fleece gloves. They dry fast when put inside your mid layer, so it is no problem to have two or three pairs and swap them out. Despite not being waterproof, the heat from your hands is enough to push the moisture away from the surface of your skin, which results in a surprisingly comfortable gloves.

When I do need waterproof gloves, as is commonly necessary for ice climbing warmer days or on exceptionally windy summits, the only gloves I have ever found to work for me are the Arcteryx Alpha SV gloves. They are completely waterproof, and with care they can be the only gloves you need to take on an entire trip. The thing that makes them unique is that the lining and waterproof shell separate completely, so you can dry them out if you are careless and get them wet, but they are breathable and waterproof enough that I've never had them freeze in the winter, nor wet out.

Other so-called waterproof and Gore-Tex gloves work well, until they get wet and invariably freeze solid, rendering them useless. If you go this route, bring a few pairs and plan to defrost them at night.

I do have the BD Mercury mitts but in my case they are almost always overkill as they are very bulky and too warm! I like them if I am out for the day doing photography, since I can quickly put my hands inside and easily wear thin gloves to handle the camera. But even better is just putting your hands in your belay parka pockets, if you are wearing one!

"Otherwise, to adjust the dials and controls and buttons, you want something extremely thin, like thin mechanic's gloves."

Silk liner gloves also work really well for this kind of application. They are thin enough to fit under a medium liner glove like Polargard Windpro, which can then be paired with a wind/rainproof shell. They also cause almost no diminishment in tactile sensitivity/dexterity, and weigh almost nothing.

"Hunter's style gloves or mittens with tops that fold back are good for photography."

I actually have a four layer system though I rarely wear all four.

1) very light base layer, either capilene glove liners or fingerless sun gloves.
2) very lightweight food service disposal gloves. $8 buys 500. These act as a vapor barrier.
3) fold back mittens as described above.
4) waterproof over mitts.

Without the over mitts you can flip up the mittens and operate just about anything. It is also surprising how big of difference the food service gloves make in warmth.

A guy that I have skied with uses latex or nitrile exam gloves under his liners for extra warmth and as VBL. Used with silk or thin poly gloves that have touchscreen compatibility that ought to be thin and dextrous but warm enough while you are shooting; then put the mitts on over in between shots. Also, as a building contractor I have used many varieties of work gloves that are thin stretchy knit with a coating on the palm and fingers. Pretty warm – some of them I can't use in warm weather because too hot – and some work with my Iphone screen. Could be useful as base layer for your situation.

I have found these after trying many other things:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/20516?feat=fishing%20gloves-srrrtop
The LL Bean windbloc converta mitts were the best option for me under a similar situation of cold winter stream fishing where I often needed access to my fingers for intricate tasks, but got too cold and my hands quickly fell apart when I had to frequently take off my gloves. There are two advantages of these gloves over most fleece or wool converta mitts:

1) The windbloc liner/waterproof sandwiched between 2 fleece layers makes them very warm.
2) With the mitt folded back each finger is more covered (mots of it) than many converta mitts that only cover the 1st 3rd of the finger.

These gloves have worked for me in many Michigan winter with 12 hours in 10-20 F. If it's colder than that I supplement with a thin liner, which is either synthetic or wool to add a bit more warmth and so no actual skin is exposed event when I fold the mitts back.

Check out the Heat 3 Smart gloves. They were designed for the Austrian Special Forces to be both warm and allow for more dexterous movements. I can easily work the controls of my camera with them.

Here is their website:
http://www.theheatcompany.com/en/gloves/heat-3-smart

I ordered directly from them and it took quite a while to get them (over 3 weeks).

Here is a video review:

Thanks a lot for all the info guys. Plenty of options to check out!

Matt, welcome to Boulder.

My standard set of hand wear, good for a variety of conditions, and temps down to about -10F is:
1. OR VersaLiner gloves – a liner glove paired with a stowable wind proof/water resistant shell. Weigh about 3oz, and are all I need for most outings. I don't know why these aren't more popular.
2. Woolen glo-mitts. They make a very warm layer over the VersaLiners, while still retaining good dexterity. Super stylish, too.
3. Nylon shell overmitts for when conditions really get nasty.

As you will find, there are plentry of days when you only need liner gloves for skiing or snowshoeing around here, even if the nominal temperature is very low. Use a layering system and leave the bulky gloves and mittens at home.

Thanks Drew! I might check out those versaliners and glomitts today. These should cover me for a variety of conditions, and then I'll get a heavy mitt for when it's REALLY cold and I also need the waterproofing. Maybe the Hestra Heli Mitt. Those have incredible reviews.