Glove help

head to an army navy surplus store and get yourself some wool army gloves. they are light, cheap, indestructible. the backpacker holy trilogy

I like wool gloves. You can get them as thick/durable as you want and they can be multi-purpose as a pot holder. A synthetic glove won't be able to handle the heat of handling pots. I'm using Icebreaker 320g/m2 wool gloves (1.84oz/pair) right now that are working very well. You can get ones that are much lighter…it just depends how much warmth and durability you want.

My goto liner glove for over 4 years has been Outdoor Research PL liners (not to be confused with the PL100 or PL150). They are the best liners I've ever tried. They are stitched so that no seams touch your fingertips. I'm almost certain they weight in under your requirements. They are also extremely durable-having taken mine up Mt. Shasta, Rainier, etc. I often layer them under PL400's and a goretex overmitt (all of which are outdoor research). Oh, and they will be fine around freezing as long as you're on the go. If you're resting or at camp, you're going to need to layer them accordingly. On a capilene scale, I would say these are compareable in thickness to capilene 3 (completely different texture though, as the PL gloves are very very smooth)

I would avoid windstopper fleece–I find them a bit too muggy.

+1 on the army surplus wool gloves. I have these, and I have a pair of similar gray rag wool gloves from the hunting section of a discount store which are slightly warmer.

> A synthetic glove won't be able to handle the heat of handling pots.

I think polyester is okay to around 450 F, but if you are working near a flame of any form, you shouldn't risk putting a flammable synthetic near it, which could melt to your hand and cause severe burns.

hmm, I don't think flames would be too much of an issue for me since i mostly use an alcohol stove for 3 season and a canister stove for winter.

@Konrad-Are you talking about the Outdoor Research Mens PL Base Glove? because that looks really good too.

Sam, you got it! those are the ones.

The latest generation seems to have added some silicone to the thumb and index finger for grip. My PL base gloves don't have that, but my PL400's do. The extra tackiness is definitely helpful

Dan, I've never used wool liners…do they distort or does the fit get sloppy when they are wet?

I suppose the fit does get a bit sloppy when the gloves are soaked, but compared to dealing with wet gloves, a bit of sloppiness is a pretty minor concern.

One downside to a woven glove, is that it can catch/pull if you are snagging it on brush etc. My icebreaker ones are pretty durable wool, but some lighter wool gloves may suffer more. Another downside is they're not as windproof as some gloves…but synthetic gloves vary a lot in this regard so its hard to generalize. There are some really nice synthetic gloves that I'm sure would be great options if you don't plan on using them for regular pot handling. I had some thin synthetic liner gloves that I melted when trying to handle a pot with.

Here are the wool ones I have:
http://www.backcountry.com/icebreaker-glove-320

i always find lightweight synthetic gloves to be very cold when wet, i prefer a wool. i wear a heavy thicker one for work.

defeet durawool, currently about to try a pair of them out. which i found after reading andrew skurkas gear book.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442629137&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302886890

The ultralight glove solution that I use is this. First, I have some thin synthetic glove liners. Second, I have disposable vinyl gloves.

If it is a warm rainy day, I might wear the vinyl gloves only. If it is a cool dry morning, I might wear the synthetic glove liners only. If it gets extra wet and cool, I put the vinyl over the synthetic gloves. Total weight is 1.6 oz.

–B.G.–

BD makes a set of wool/synth blend with a leather palm $20-30

http://www.spadout.com/p/black-diamond-woolweight-gloves/

or you could just go check what fits in the local hardware store …. ive used the BDs above, OR windstopper, el cheapo nitrate gloves, etc …

my current preference are the thin $10 nitrate/kevlar work gloves, but then those are for climbing where i need grip …

I carry Icebreaker gloves. I don't go much below freezing and they work well with poles. Thin enough and light.

I have used a bunch of different gloves on the cheap side.

1. Fingerless wool gloves (sometimes called half-mitts). They keep the palms warm and only expose the last inch of your finger. Great dexterity and are surprisingly warm – even in winter (I used to live up North). I paid $18 or so for a pair and they have lasted 20 years (plus you can repair them!).

2. Army wool liner gloves – fit is kind of sloppy and they do smell like a wet dog sometimes. Think of it as ambiance. These are rotten when the wind blows – wind cuts right through them.

3. North Face (Denali?) gloves – great feel and breathability – I paid $18 for a pair on eBay recently.

4. Alpine Designs windblock fleece – Again an eBay find for less than $20. These are very wind resistant but they do not breath very well, have very poor dexterity and are clumsy to deal with. As a result I don't wear them much.

5. Blackhawk Hellstorm Gloves – These are nomex flight gloves for military type use but if you can live with the leather patches on the palms getting a little wet (they don't dry very quickly) – they are great gloves. In fact I have a bunch of flight gloves and if you are only out a day or two they work great to provide a small amount of protection in 30-50F temps. I bought mine from (you guessed it) eBay for less than $10 but you can get them from US Cav or any other surplus company.

I have been using Cabelas Powerstretch gloves for a number of years. I have not found another glove that works as good for me. It seems that they are a little warmer and tougher than other powerstretch gloves i have had. I once heard they were discountinuing them, so I bought 3 pairs. (I still am on the first one from 5 years ago)

I have used them in 40 degree rain and my hands were not cold. One of the best things sbout them is that you can actually leave them on if you need to work with something small instead of having to take them off.

Best of all, they are $15 right now online

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Polartec174-Power-Stretch-Liner-Gloves/1143598.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dliner%2Bglove%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=liner+glove&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Hey, Ben, those Cabella's gloves–how is the seam at the thumb? The problem I found with fleece gloves and trekking poles is sometimes they have a seam at the junction of the thumb with the forefinger. It can really rub on your hands if you are using trekking poles for any distance.

Although not a liner, I highly recommend the Marmot Precip Shell Gloves. And they are not heavy or bulky. I intentionally bought a little big to fit a liner and my primary use is for winter (mountaineering). Retail is ~$40, but I'm sure they can be had for less.

Ray

Army surplus wool gloves will almost instantly wear out in teh thumb/foefinger web area if you use them with poles. Further they are not at all windproof. Don't ask me how I know about Army wool glove liners. And I doubt very much that other, better wool gloves will last much longer in my own 'spensive experience.

Good quality midweght polyseter fleece gloves, preferrably with a windstopper laminate and reinforced palms and fingers are the way to go. The palm reinforcement should be a decent quality synthetic.

P.S. REI and Cabela's usually have a good fleece glove selection. Campmoor not so much.

Defeet Dura Glove – Wool; Spring/Fall
Defeet Handskins; Summer

I use the SmartWool liner gloves with the MLD event rain mitts over top in cold/windy/rainy conditions.

I'm a trekking pole user in wet and cold Scotland. Merino is king as far as i'm concrned as a base layer, but it isn't durable enough for pole use.
I don't feel the cold too much, so when i need a glove, i'm usually into a more substantial answer than a liner. My favourite gloves for cold, damp weather are the softshell Rab Baltoro. I'll stick a pair of Extremities Tuff Bags over the top if it really rains.

Warm hands are happy hands.

that's odd. my army surplus gloves have lasted for years.

B.G Nice solution. I went with the black nitrile since I had them in my tool box.

Diane
I have never had the seam on the cabela's gloves cause any irritation when using poles.

Shoot me a PM if you want me to take a picture of them on so you can see where the seam is.

Rab Phantom Grip Glove – wind resistant, lightweight, breathable, pretty durable.