Looking for a mitt that fits this design

[Mitch Chesney]

I'm looking to improve on the design of the Buffalo Mitt or the Montane Extreme Mitt as it pertains to my climbing style. I like wearing a light/mid-weight powerstretch glove inside a highly breathable but windproof mitt. The problem is when I need dexterity the mitt will hang on the idiot cord collecting snow, and will require two hands (and momentum pause) to re-equip. I want what's called a 'convertible' mitt where the finger section folds back without removing the mitt. There are a number of these on the market (although not enough, in my opinion) but they all fold back to reveal an internal glove cross-section (see: Black Diamond Men's WindWeight Mitt), are too lightweight, or have membrane shells (read: traps moisture). I'd much rather have a 'lobster' style internal so there is room for my mid-weight climbing glove to fit. A lobster style has a single strap of fabric between the middle and ring fingers… essentially a regular mitt but that strap prevents the mitt from sliding down on the wrist.
The best material that I've found thus far has been the Pertex pile fleece in a (relatively) windproof shell… it seems least affected by sweat or moisture and is super-lightweight. The Buffalo Mitt has been around forever and with the exception of the short gauntlet and slippery, fragile material it is a damn good storm mitt for only $30. The Montane Extreme Mitt improves these limitations with only a slight weight and price increase. If I could find something very similar to the Extreme Mitt, convertible, with an internal lobster strap it would be absolutely PERFECT. I'm hoping someone knows of a cottage manufacturer or some relatively unknown or forgotten mitt brand.

edit: failing an existing design, I may take needle and thread to an Extreme Mitt and create a prototype.

Pertex pile
Breathable, wind-resistant shell (not membrane, WindBlocker, GoreTex, etc)
Convertible/finger flap
'Lobster' internal style
Leather palm, thumb… possibly reinforced in key areas
Ideally a long forearm gauntlet with cinch closure
Affordable ($199 for Alti mitts?!)

[Richard Fischel]

designed for high altitude helicopter crews. just don't look at the price.

http://military.outdoorresearch.com/gov/multicam-swoop-mitt-shells-non-fr-old-7082.html

you can find in the $200 range online, which i guess is a bargin.

[Max Dilthey]

I think I have backpacks that weigh less than the swoop mitts.

Less leather!

It'd be sweet if some cottage company picked up on the (perceived by me) lack of UL winter mitten options. ZPacks fleece mitts are a step in the right direction, for early/late winter…

[Mitch Chesney]

Yes it seems so many manufacturers are simply repeating the same three or four patterns adding useless little features like touchscreen compatibility and charging more each year. And don't get me started on the membrane WPB marketing hype. For sweaty, cold hands nothing is better than a truly breathable pile fleece. And at 3-5oz the two mitts I first described are a perfect weight (especially since they can almost be called storm shells).

[Eric Blumensaadt]

SHELL-> Outdoor Products GTX seam sealed Cordura shell

LINER-> EMS (discontinued) double layer fleece mittens

The double layer fleece is amazingly warm. I wear thin polyester glove liners with them for rare times when I must remove a mitten.

This combo will easily take you to -40 F. I know because I used a lesser combo of a nylon/leather shell and Dachstein boiled ragg wool liners in these conditions and was fine.

NOTE: If you cannot find double layer fleece liners then get a large single-layer fleece liner and wear a pair of fleece gloves inside them. OR get a slightly smaller fleece mitten, insert it in the larger liner and sew them together at the cuff hem.

Naturally this require that your shells be large enough to accommodate these liners.

[Mitch Chesney]

Yea, but Eric that layering system is not at all what I required in my original post.

[Andy F]

"I want what's called a 'convertible' mitt where the finger section folds back without removing the mitt."

The term for that is "snow trap." :)

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Mitch,

Cabela's has the biggest selection of this type mitten I've seen.

[Mole J]

here

http://www.opticsplanet.com/outdoor-designs-konagrip-convertible.html

may not be as warm or light as Buffalo Mitts, but possibly tougher amd useful for a lot of situations.

[Mitch Chesney]

So the problem with the existing convertible mitts is they don't expect you to be wearing light/mid-weight gloves as liners… or liners at all. They have an internal 'glove' design. So the OR Konagrips can't be used for the same reason as I explained with the BD Windweight mitts. I almost see this design as a flaw… a mitt can and should be layered over regular climbing gloves. c'est la vie.

Using some Google-Fu I've found the keyword "split palm mitt" and "fingerless mitt" to give some encouraging results. Sadly none of the results were ideal but the Black Rock Fingerless Mitts (http://www.blackrockgear.com/foldbackmitts.html) showed an improved 'convertible' design simply creating a slit in the palm. These use 900FP down so they won't fit my wet-n-wild style, they may be more useful to the BackpackingLight community.

I've just purchased a new pair of Buffalo Mitts and will likely make my own modifications.

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