yuppiefication of work gloves

I noticed those about a month or two ago…. After shredding a pair of fleece BD gloves in one trip up Washington i am trying to figure out what will be lightweight strong and warm enough for when all you need is something light.

patrick …

work gloves

go into yr local hardware store and pick up the best fitting gloves … at the end of the day theyll likely work better than a lot more of the expensive gloves in the market, be cheaper and last longer

there are ones that are made for very cold temps … one advantage of workgloves is that they have to be dexterious

youd be surprised at the number of climbers that use cheap work gloves

why dont you hear about it more? …. because all those hardcore people you see in the mags are given $$$$$$$$$ gloves by gear manuf that want you to think their gloves are the best and special

otherwise how else can they convince you to shell out $275 on a glove (alpha sv)

most of the outdoor industry is like this …. marketing

Us backpackers and outdoors folk spend a whole lot of money on gear, gas, and travel just to be temporarily homeless in pretty places. Then we come back to air conditioned, heated, and well furnished abodes to trade epic tales of how cold it was, how hot it was, how far it was, how wet it was, how 2500 calories a day just wasn't cutting it…

In all fairness, I'd say it doesn't get much more yuppie than that.

I enjoy finding things to get upset about.

Dave T i am trying to figure out what exactly your comment means? I could take it a couple ways either way both make me laugh.. an not even knowing how to take it makes me laugh!

I used to hate yuppies. Darn yuppies, always prettier than me with more expensive stuff than me.

Then one day, I was out hiking, and I got this really nasty splinter in my paw … er …. foot. Yeah, foot. And I cried and cried. And then along came this yuppie all smily and spiffy and everything, and he offered to help. And I said, rather disdainfully, "What you can do to help me yuppie! You don't know anything about REAL backpacking!"

But the yuppie just smiled and pulled out his solid gold Victorinox Swiss knife, and using the included tweezers, pulled out my splinter! I was so happy! And I've loved yuppies ever since.

The end.

One of my jobs involves riding bike patrol downtown for ten hour shifts regardless of the weather. A trick we've come up with to ward off the cold, wet PNW wind is to wear those workman's gloves that are coated with blue rubber on the palm and up to the finger tips. Except that we wear them backwards so that the rubber is on the back of the hand instead of the palm…excellent and elegant solution for cutting the wind and rain while maintaining some breathability! And they only cost about $3/pr. These same gloves are also great for kayaking and preventing blisters if you're at it all day touring. So far the idea hasn't been co-opted, probably because of the color.

This is the same forum that gushes over a $500 5'x8' piece of water proof cloth because it weighs an entire 4 oz less………..

I really think that this is the wrong place to be talking about being a yuppie and overspending on work gloves. There is a guy out there backpacking with a Jansport bag and a green nylon tarp that would laugh his but off at this forum.

Eric, I don't know you- but I like you and find most of your posts to be full of information that suggests real experience in the mountains. However, I really must ask; did a "yuppie" steal your girlfriend or kick your dog? Your use of the term as a pejorative is almost becoming a hallmark of your posts…

I actually own those Flylow gloves- going on my third ice season with them after buying them for about $30. I assume you take issue with them because they resemble the Renco gloves but are $20 more expensive, apparently due to the inclusion of a logo. I disagree that the only added utility is branding.

I bought these to SAVE money as well as to maximize the utility of my winter gloves system.

Why did I buy these gloves?
They are insulated, very easy to put on and take off, mildly waterproof (in the leather) and very tough. Every hardware store glove I have used was either not warm enough or was too bulky. That said, you really are paying for the wax treatment (they stink like beeswax for a few weeks). I have found this to actually add real water resistance.
I use the Flylows as my dedicated ice belay and rappel gloves. The tough leather (is it pigskin?) handles the abrasive nature of rope work extremely well while repelling much moisture and being warm enough into the 20s. Ever since using them for these purpose I have saved my Black Diamond ice gloves from premature retirement as it was always the palm and seems that blew out of my ice gloves that required buying a new pair. Typical work gloves (including the Flylows) are not form fitting enough for me when leading ice, and so a specialized ice glove has been a necessity for me (does this = yuppie status?).

Using the Flylows has kept my current BD lead gloves looking like new for an entire season- saving me from having to buy a new pair each winter. I'm sure another insulated work glove may work for others, but these are very good for my uses, fit me well, and are inexpensive given their utility.

I wish I was a yuppie… I would love to buy Flylows new Ridge Glove for the added protection, but unfortunately I think my current Tough Guy gloves will last at least 3 more years.

P.S. Monty- good tip on the rubberized gloves. However, I have found them useless for ice climbing as the non-coated portions let all water through. Great for changing the oil in the car outside during winter though… grippy!

Mike … One of these days ill take a picof my gear closet …. I probably have the most yuppie gear of anyone here …

What makes these gloves yuppie IMO … Is not the extra cost, sure they cost more but aint THAT expensive

but the fact that they are designed to look like work gloves

decades ago onlu cowboys and such wore jeans … Then some yuppies thought it would be cool to look "western" …. Now we got $1000 designer jeans that have no function other than to look cool

darn yuppies gimme back my doggie !!!!

Eric,
I refuse to let the fashion industry co-opt my unfashionable outdoorsy sensibilities!

Sure, they look like work gloves- but they ARE work gloves. I expect a snowboard company to worry more about fashion than other companies, but when styling does not interfere with function I ignore it.

I have to take pictures of me gear room for insurance next month, so I may take you up on the "battle of guys with entirely too much outdoorsy stuff" showdown. That would be a fun thread- kind of like the "rack" thread on RC.com

IMHO, Craig's and Mike's are valid… but still kind of miss the target. It's more like if North Face came out with the new "Ultralight Legacy Elite" line, featuring the best new throwback tent: a 2 oz/yd green nylon flat tarp, including poles made of an eco-friendly biodegradable resin that looked *just* like sticks you found in the woods! Supertexdrie DWR and a TNF logo the "shoulders" if you pitch an A-frame: only $250! New for 2012 will be an officially licensed replica Jansport pack, except with a TNF logo: $169.

Yuppieficiation is when yuppies or those marketing to them fetishize and co-opt those cheap work gloves, $20 Equinox tarp, and clearance Jansport bags by sticking a logo on them and marketing them to lifestylers for 10x the price they were before.

Obviously, almost all of us are some kind of yuppie for the money we've spent on gear… But there are plenty of folks in the world who would look at your Jansport 'n Tarp fella as a yuppie with the luxury of tramping around the country with very few cares. A life of privilege compared to working 12 hour shifts in the hope that you'll have *something* for your childrens' bellies at the end of the day… It's all relative.

There's nothing wrong with yuppiefication per se, it's just so very lame. That's my view, at.least.

"However, I really must ask; did a "yuppie" steal your girlfriend or kick your dog? Your use of the term as a pejorative is almost becoming a hallmark of your posts…"

+1, only if you add standard references to "patagucci" and "dead bird" (yawn)

I know i for one have my own unique way about going about life, my own unique way of thinking about things. My own ideas as to what is a noble existence and what is not. Do i see eye to eye with the yuppie in most common sense of the word? About as much as i see eye to eye with my aunts and uncles whom have chosen to have children get married and slave their life away for the sake of Money as everything that is important to them depends on it in some way or another. Do you get my drift? Are they bad people or more evolved people or less evolved than am i…. i dont think so. Can i stand the lady that cuts me off in her $100,000 car as she is in such a rush to get her kids from soccer or her nails done… not all!!! Do i look down at that type? YUp i sure do! Does it have to do with the car? No it s the biatch behind the wheel. I have no respect for bad character yuppie Scum or hippy low life druggie dirt bag. In my book good people are good people and bad people are bad people. The good ones are hard enough to find i take em in whatever package they show up. I know myself that people judge the decisions that i leave open for the world to see plain as day. things that in the end are no real indicator of character but people still do. Is it human nature YES, just the same as me judging the fancy lady in the fancy car except she cut me off lol!! Do i like this about humans NO, I try do as little of it myself as humanly possible. I like form fitting outdoor gear though so i suppose that is all you needed to know lol?

Yuppies don't bother me as much as all the bad grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc.. that I see going on here. One word; paragraph.

Edit. Yeah, sorry. Was just starting my coffee.

This "grammar/spelling" problem would be one of those things i wear on my sleeve for all to see. At 33 years old i figure its pretty much way to late to do much about it. I could take 30 min to respond to a thread and google my brain out but i still would have terrible grammar so i figure why bother.

I dont get people that get all huffy and high on their horse about grammar and spelling. In my experience the people that make a stink about this with no reason to do so otherwise are normally the know it all type anyway, and i am not just referring to spelling!!

Being i def seen this correlation i try to just let what these type have to say roll off my back. I have been very surprised to meet many a person whom cant spell at all that i would never suspect otherwise as they are over the top successful in the conventional american sense of the word. Ahh nit pickers will always be nit pickers i suppose.

“I dont get people that get all huffy and high on their horse about grammar and spelling. In my experience the people that make a stink about this with no reason to do so otherwise are normally the know it all type anyway, and i am not just referring to spelling!!”

I’m not sure that people get all huffy and high on their horses. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, a common practice among those with poor grammar and terrible spelling skills. You see, the issue with those who can’t spell and have issues with putting an understandable sentence together (or who seem to get confused on exactly where punctuation should go, and therefore forgo it altogether), at least in my experience, is that they too often hold rather ignorant views of the world at large. And I find that (whoooaaaaaa, whoooaaaa there girl! Sorry, my high horse was acting up a bit there) rather disconcerting.

Now, I’m making a grand generalization here, though I realize nothing applies to everybody. Just offering my opinion from my experiences. And, for what it’s worth, there’s a missing apostrophe on your sleeve.

Doug – I think I snorted coffee out my nose while reading your post. Thanks for that. ;)

"all the bad grammer, spelling.."

Poor grammar, bad spelling!

:)

nm

lol

i guess then that all you need is good grammar to be totally tolerant

im sure that all those non ignorant folks years ago had goodah grammar …. you know back when other repressive stuff was more acceptable ;)

Nice.. real nice!!!! Gotta love humans?

"I enjoy finding things to get upset about."

You must be in hog heaven these days, Dave. So many bummers, so little time…. ;)