Recommend me a Winter glove system

I can't praise the OR Endeavors enough. They are the warmest and most reliably dry mitts I have ever encountered. I always pack a pair of smartwool liners, also.

My previous glove the Arcteryx Delta SV was only good to about 20F then I would have to put on the PL400 mitt or Endeavor mitt. Once it dipped to 5F I'd need to have the Delta SV, PL400 and Endeavor on. This set up been taken to 2F.

This winter I've been able to push my glove system to -5F.

I currently carry:

Arcteryx Tau AR
OR PL 400 Mitt
OR Endeavor Mitt

The Tau AR has been really impressive. I can take it to -5F on its own in calm conditions while I'm moving.

I'm looking at eliminating the PL 400 and just carrying the Tau AR and Endeavor.

I am looking for recommendations for a Big Dumb Mitt when I'm stopped or in camp for subzero temps.

Here's what I use for the Upper Great Lakes region:

http://www.wintergreennorthernwear.com/Accessories-Hands/924-78080-Plunge-Mitt.html

if your thinking about eliminating the PL 400 mitts and replacing it w/ something just for camp- your probably looking at a primaloft or down mitt- if they don't have their own shell, you'll want to make sure they fit under your endeavors

even though I don't use my PL 400 mitts a heck of a lot (liner and/or endeavor covers most scenarios), I'd never even consider eliminating them in the winter- spare dry hand wear is a must imo

Are the more expensive outdoor research gloves much warmer? I'm clueless about gloves but want to take my first winter backcountry trip this year. This is my last purchase to get. There's almost 7oz. of weight difference so figured they'd be alot warmer. I'm not concerned about the price just looking to make the right purchase the first time. I have powerstretch liners with an overglove made by mh but I wouldn't consider them real cold winter gloves. Thanks for the help. Eric

A couple of summers ago I bought a pair of OR shells with liner sewn in. I add my Possumdown gloves for added warmth. For me, this combo works very well. I got the ORs for thiry some bucks (I think that was half price ???). The PDs I got here at BPL. They are great alone when moisture in not an issue (no cold rain, sleet, or snow).

Try different solutions and you'll come up with something that works well for you. I learned in my case that you don't want more mitt/glove than you need (gets to warm – my hands got too sweaty). Another good lesson learned was that really wet wool gloves alone don't work well when it's really cold – you need the mitt over them.

Erik said "Are the more expensive outdoor research gloves much warmer? I'm clueless about gloves but want to take my first winter backcountry trip this year. This is my last purchase to get. There's almost 7oz. of weight difference so figured they'd be alot warmer. I'm not concerned about the price just looking to make the right purchase the first time. I have powerstretch liners with an overglove made by mh but I wouldn't consider them real cold winter gloves. Thanks for the help. Eric"

Erik for "winter" you definitely want some overmitts- gloves just don't cut it in really cold conditions. As liners they are great- dexterous and light; for warmth- mitts

Mike

Thanks for the response. I'm going to order the or 400's and the OR endeavors.

How do you keep your fingers from freezing when setting up at night or packing up in the morning? I can't do it with mitts on, I've tried. But as I set up or pack up with just liners, my fingers are freezing before I'm even finished. Takes me a while to get them warm again.

How do y'all do it?

good motivator to work quickly :)

if it's cold enough my hands do get a little cool, getting them back into mitts warms them up pretty quickly though

Mine get cold too Doug. Not sure that can be entirely avoided in all conditions, like packing up in morning when more dexterity is needed.

"Mine get cold too Doug. Not sure that can be entirely avoided in all conditions, like packing up in morning when more dexterity is needed."

Yeah, I was afraid of that…. ;-)

"Mine get cold" too

We must accept the nature of ice. : )

I think based on this or a similar thread I recently ordered a pair of Dachstein mitts, dense 100% wool mittens made in Austria. I had read in some places online that these are hard to get; I didn't have much trouble. I ordered via Sweaters International, http://www.sweatersintl.com/store/woolmittens.html
They were back-ordered for a couple of weeks or perhaps a bit more but just arrived today.

I got the 7.5 size, but in retrospect wish I had sized up to an 8. Overall they fit well with a thin liner glove underneath, but the thumb area is a bit tight; I expect it will stretch out enough that it will be fine.

The size 7.5 weighs 151 grams, or 5.3 oz, i.e. their listed weights on the website are quite accurate. I also earlier bought a pair of size large Fox River double ragg "extra heavy weight" mitts; they carry these at REI. They fit about the same, i.e., overall good, a bit tight in the thumb area. They also weigh nearly the same, 163g or 5.7 oz for the Fox River mitts.

It's interesting, however, to compare the design philosophies here. The Fox River mitts have a double layer, both layers are a blend of fabrics, with the thinner inner layer being mostly a couple of synthtics. It's a much more open weave, overall slightly bulkier too. The Dachsteins are dense, and 100% wool. I expect that without a shell I would feel the wind through the Fox River mittens a lot more than I would through the Dachsteins.

I anticipate that the Dachsteins will be my go-to mitten for cold weather; looking forward to trying them out!

Campmor often sells the boiled Dachstein mitts, but were out the last time I looked.

http://www.blackrockgear.com/undermitts.html

Just ordered a pair of these. May be worth a look for keeping hands toasty. Will post initial impressions but won't be able to field test for a bit.

I will be using for 3 season use. Replacing a pair of light wool gloves. I know the BR mitts will be lighter. Time will tell on warmth. But if there like there hat, it should be good.