Glove choice for the PNW winter, shell?

I usually use a pair of soft shell gloves with water proof mitten shells, the shells I have are a pair or OR shells made of GoreTex, but there are several othes around, like the eVent ones that MLD makes.

If you get work gloves that are a bit generous in size, you can put some liner gloves under them, and have three lightweight layers.

In PNW down to freezing or so I need no gloves for camp chores. I put my hands in my pockets or hold hot coffee cup a lot.

Below freezing I wear fingerless mitten I made from fleece. Most of the fingers and the last joint of thumb stick out. Again, put hands in pocket a lot.

Or stretchy base layer with thumb holes at end of sleeve – that covers the palm but leaves fingers free.

Difficult to do camp chores with your fingers covered by gloves or mittens.

I need less insulation to stay warm than the average person

All winter I use a pair of REI "Convertible" mittens, which are fingerless with a pullover mitten part. Mitten will keep your hands warmer than gloves, and the quick on-off is helpful for camp chores and the like. An waterproof breathable shell mitten over that, and you have gnarly 4 season protection.

That being said, if I really had cold hand problems, I would probably get some super duper Down mittens. My hands get sweaty just thinking about it :-P

I wear lightweight gloves (usually sold as liners) underneath waterproof mittens. I've been using the REI Taped mittens, which are on clearance right now at REI Outlet. They're a bit heavy and not so breathable, but great when the weather's miserable cold and I need to do things with my fingers periodically. They have a nice sticky rubber pad for grip and are easy to slip on and off with cold, wet, numb hands due to the lack of a lining.

Rab has an Event waterproof glove that I use. They're a bit sweaty for nordic skiing, but that's sort of an extreme example. Evey glove I've had sweats out when skate skiing. For snowshoeing they're great. One person has said that he uses merino liners with these for moisture maintenance.

I've been using the Mountain Hardwear Tempest gloves which have a light rain shell style fabric with synthetic palms and a wicking lining. They have been discontinued and it appears the MH Epic glove is a replacement. I see that Marmot has a Precip glove along the same line.

A shelled glove with a light lining is great for hiking with poles in cold rain and wet snow. They lack dexterity for camp use, where fingerless gloves would be my choice.

I think layering is a good option. I already have a Serious innovation silk glove liner. And thinking about adding mitts and some sort of soft shell with some DWR coating. The 3 layer should help me keep warm and dry.

Whatever shell you decide upon I would recommend at least one spare liner glove.

1. Polyester fleece makes the warmest, fastest drying liner I know.

2. A medium weight fleece liner and a heavy weight Pile liner seem to be the most versatile combo in my own winter experience.

3. Many winter camping books recommend you always carry a mitten shell for very cold weather and they often say it is a "safety" item that should always go with you. I have had nylon/leather shells and Dachstein boiled wool mittens keep me warm at minus 40 F.

4. For backcountry sking I use a light WPB glove shell with a thin glove liner or the medium weight fleece liner, depending on the temperature. Using fleece alone will cause the pole handle to wear holes in the fleece. (Don't ask.)

5. Wool liners are the most prone to wearing through at the thumb web area unless you have a thick, BOILED wool glove like the Austrian Dachstein type. They are boiled on a glove form at the factory to shrink them to size and make them very thick and warm.

6. For a very breathable WPB glove try eVent shells.

My Liners:
> Thin liner of heat-retaining "Outlast" polyester
> Medium weight fleece liner (or two)
> Thick pile liner

P.S. For temps well below zero F. I use an OR GTX shell (size XL) with a double thickness pile mitten liner or my Dachstein wool liners. Both seem warmer and feel drier than down mittens over the course of an entire day.

I use the following glove combination:

1) DeFeet DuraGlove-Wool
2) MLD eVent Rain Mitts

This system is very warm and relatively light. Use the wool glove alone, the eVent shell alone or both together in harsh conditions. And yes I live in the PNW and get out in winter conditions.

@Thom – which size of mitt did you get from MLD, and how does that compare with your normal glove sizing?

I tried a buddy's MLD mitts at the weekend, albeit without a liner glove underneath, and his size Large pair seemed utterly massive to me. Yet Large / XL is what I normally wear. I've seen conflicting feedback whether to downsize or keep with your normal size. Another data point from an actual user would help.

It is really hard, if not impossible to find warm, flexible waterproof gloves. Waterproof mittens are another story. So, my basic system is similar to what others use:

1) Lightweight synthetic glove. I've tried several different types (including wool) but my favorite now is a Mountain Hardware Powerstretch glove. It is similar to softshell, in that is water resistant, but breathes really well. They can still get saturated, though, if I'm not careful and get them wet. In that case, I just wring them out and throw them in the pack.

2) Overmitts. I use wool for this, but there are lots of different options out there. Some are expensive, but I still use big puffy wool mitts I bought at an army/navy surplus store. I don't care that much about weight during the winter.

3) Waterproof shell. I have one that is an REI brand, but I don't know if they make it anymore. OR makes similar ones (the key is that they are really big and extend down beyond the wrist).

I sometimes carry an extra puffy mitt, in case I get my main wool mitten wet. I hate cold hands. I do a lot of skiing and fall down a lot, so it is pretty easy for me to forget to put on the liners and end up with wet mittens or gloves. The conditions in a PNW winter are almost always the worst for avoiding cold hands: it is often precipitating and the temperature is often just a bit above or below freezing.

I've yet to use them in the winter, but the CAMP Windmitt'ns have worked out well so far as an over-mit. They're about 1oz, but my assumption has always been, if I lose balance and fall, they are going to rip.

you are going to be digging w/without a shovel, or anything else that might tear-up your shell or liner gloves, a pair of leather work gloves or chopper mittens is an invaluable addition to your winter kit.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=441475&pdesc=North_American_Trading_Mens_Unlined_Deerskin_Chopper_Mitten&aID=501F3&merchID=4006&s_kwcid=adwords_chopper_mittens (as an example, not an endorsement of this specific pair of mitts).

Ross,

Try Cabela's catalog or get a ski patrol friend to order some from their NSP catalog.

Liner: Seirus Innovation Men's Arctic Silk Glove Liner
Shell: REI Taped Mitts.

Now I'm thinking weather to get the Mountain Hardwear Power stretch or Outdoor research windstopper which has some waterproofing abilities to it. http://www.rei.com/product/787060/outdoor-research-windstopper-gripper-gloves-mens