3 Finger Lobster Mitt

Those look great, Ralph. It looks like you have some expertise with the sewing machine. The seams look impeccable. Do you know if the shell material has a DWR? I'm looking forward to hearing about their performance in the field.

That looks like a great way to make a pattern. I will definitely have to try it. Thanks for sharing

Nice work Ralph. The workmanship looks fantastic. Let us know how they work out.

It's a brilliant idea. I think I'd pair the fingers together if I were doing it, but your way should be much warmer than gloves without losing nearly as much dexterity as in mittens. I wish there were actually real options for lobster claw mittens for people that didn't want to sew their own. I can't wait to hear your report after using them.

“I wish there were actually real options for lobster claw mittens for people that didn’t want to sew their own.”

There are many options for lobster claw mitts. Though most follow the “two sets of two fingers” design, not all do.

— Pearl Izumi makes a mitt that has the index and middle fingers in their own slot, and the last two fingers together, a sort of modified lobster glove.

— Assos makes a cycling glove system that includes glove inners and a lobster claw outer.

Lobster gloves are quite popular with winter cyclists.

Those are options, but I don't think they're good options. The choices get even worse for motorcycle handwear, a place where you really want to prevent heat loss, but need protection too. In my dream world, glove/mitten makes would build a lobster claw design alongside their better conventional designs.

Yeah, the red material came from the stuff sack to my Montbell Alpine Light and the black was from a Patagonia one. Both seemed to be really wind resistant and have a good DWR on them. I wanted something that would be like a wind shirt over a light fleece layer, and I couldn't find anything out there. Maybe durability will be the issue, but I think I can be nice to them.

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Hi Eugene!

What are you looking for in lobster claw mitts that you're not finding out there? Have you considered weathershields or pogies for motorcycling?

Take care,

Doug

Still can't believe that Outdoor Research haven't brought these back. Of course I was going to buy a pair, but they had been discontinued.

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Anna, Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try them.

So, I've had some time to get a feel for these and I've been so impressed. The microfleece / wind shell creates the perfect climate for most of my activities. I've used them backcountry skiing, including some overnight camping trips. Temps were 25 to 60 with winds up to 90 mph. I could easily wear them on the uphill until it was warm enough not to need any gloves – without any over heating or clamminess. Wind resistance was perfect when it really started screaming. And then sitting around camp I found them warmer than my backup gloves that weighed almost 10 times as much. Dexterity was good. I had no problems cooking and eating in them. One early problem that I had was the fleece lining floating around inside the shell, so I had to sew the finger tips to lock those layers together. Will they replace all my other gloves and mittens? No, but they make an impressive addition.

Impressive Indeed!
If you ever go into production…