Seam sealing Waterproof overmitts – use Seamgrip or tape?

I've used SeamGrip, applied to inside-out mitts. It has worked well for going on 5 years.

A question I have about seam tape is How stiff the finished result will be? Your Tyvek prototype will provide the answer.

Try both if the tyvek is just a test. I seam sealed my MLD rain mitts and I have to say it looks awful. But then I'm not that good at perfection.

So now you have a pair of perfectly sealed waterproof gloves, just like some plastic bread bags. And what happens out in the cold?
All the sweat from your hands condenses inside the overmitts and you end up with very wet hands.

You might just as well not bother with the seam sealing.

Cheers

you can use PVA with Tyvek.
(Seam Grip with Gore-Tex)

I get your point, Roger.

The Tyvek is really just a cheap test run before I try sewing with something more expensive like GoreTex or eVent.

From the 2014 John Muir Trail hiker survey, there are multiple entries from people who had wished for warmer, waterproof gloves or mitts.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9Fz_vc-zml_d1JIUGtpbzJ1aXM&usp=sharing

And the past couple of weeks on the John Muir Trail, hikers faced similar "unusual" conditions of colder than expected temperatures coupled with persistent rain, hail, snow, etc.

I've decided that for longer expedition trips, I want a decent pair of windproof/waterproof mitts, and something that is more durable than bread bags.

I'm well aware of the breathability limitations of WPB fabrics. Still, I'd rather my hands get wet from perspiration rather than from leaky seams, and I feel that warm and damp hands would be better than freezing cold and wet hands.

Further, my wife suffers from Raynaud's phenomenon, so she suffers from cold conditions much more quickly than I do.

Luke's Ultralight overmitts are speced at 2oz. Moutain Laurel Designs's mitts are speced at 1.3oz. That gives me a good weight range to expect from a pair of MYOG mitts, or if I decide I don't have the time and want to purchase a pair from a cottage manufacturer.

I use my rain mitts when riding my motorcycle to work. It really sucks to get my fleece gloves wet and cold in the winter. The seam sealing actually works well. When I've worn the rain mitts on hikes, I have worn them without warmer gloves underneath. I didn't notice my hands becoming particularly wet from sweat due to the seam sealing.

Hey Jeff-

I did the same thing. Found a pattern online and used a couple of USPS tyvek shipping envelopes to create the over mitts. Once sewn and turned back inside out, I used seam sealer and it worked perfectly. It doesn't look the greatest but does the job. I'll try to upload some pics when at home.

Hi Jeff

Don't get me wrong – I carry 'waterprof' overmitts in alpine regions too, and especially in the snow. It's just that there does not seem to be much benefit to be gained from careful seam-sealing. A good seam might be sufficient and much easier to do.

Cheers

Here is my daughter sewing them:

And here you can see what seam sealer is like:

Thanks for the photos, Gordon! I hope I do as nice a job as your daughter did. :-)