Glove shells and liners

[Eric Blumensaadt]

How many of you use glove shells with fleece/pile (or other) liners?

I've found this to work better for me than any other system because I can:

1. remove damp, sweaty liners & replace them with warm, dry liners
2. change out the liners to a different thickness to better regulate the warmth
3. wash the liners at home to get out the stink
4. use the thickest liners inside mitten shells for more warmth in extremely cold conditions

All my shells ate GTX with a very thin Thinsulate layer. Sometimes I just use the shells alone.

I realize it is difficult to find WPB glove shells for this purpose and often more difficult to find thick liners. I've even resorted to using double layers of thinner pile type liners to achieve the effect of one thick pile type liner.

"Fleece" is my term for thinner, short nap synthetic liners. "Pile" is my term for thicker, sheep's wool type synthetic liners.

[Stephen M]

I use varying weight fleece gloves/mitts under MLD Event mitts.

Also sometimes wear down mitts
Under them in camp. If the outer mitts are a bit damp inside I will dry them off with a buff before adding the down ones.

Last year I treated my fleece items
With Polar proof which makes them surprisingly water restiant.

If its below 0f I carry a ppair of synethtic mitts and leave the down ones at home.

[Richard Fischel]

one pair of regular mittens and the other is lobster/trigger finger. as mentioned, i find the versatility of what i wear under them to be their greatest advantage.

i usually wear a really thin pair of glove liners against the skin. my favorite insulation layer are a pair of dachstein wool mittens.

i also have a pair of chopper mitts which can come in handy and a pair of leather ski gloves for specific applications.

[Mitch Chesney]

I hate any kind of lined glove so pile is amazing under the right shell fabric. I'll usually wear leather-palmed climbing gloves with a fabric or powerstretch back for venting, and keep an oversized pair of Buffalo Mitts when stopped or the weather turns foul. They pack to the size of a tennis ball, are ultralight, and cheap for their warmth. What I wish was for pile-lined convertible mitts with leather-palmed reinforcement so I could keep them on while climbing.

[Charley White]

Timely….I'm in the market for replacement mitten shells, recommendations?

I also want waterproof and no insulation or liner–will manage that myself. Old ones were OResearch, and goretex but with PU coated cordura palm, which finally just gave up. Palm was never fully waterproof, so when building a snowcave, I'd wear my nitrile (rubber) gloves underneath. Recently, skiing in heavy, wet snow, I'd wear those under my fleece liner gloves. They'd get wet, but meltwater would not be coursing over my hands, which stayed remarkably warm. Added curiosity is I recently went back to leather "patroller" gloves for good weather. Remarkable warmth range, can add liners, best feel on grips, and unbeatable for camp chores like breaking sticks for a fire.

But I really do need to replace the shells. Just the shells, but accompanying liner may be unavoidable. Want some palm durability so all-eVent out. Thanks for any tips.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I like my OR Gore-Tex mitten shells. They are the original version so I had to seam seal them.

[DGoggins]

Ok, how durable are things like the MLD event overmitts?

Planning a trip with an overnight low of 15degrees.

Currently I have a lightweight wool liner and then a thicker generic fleece glove. ->

I was planning on getting some overmitt…I trust MLD so was going to get theirs, but how durable are they for continual trekking pole use?

Also, should I ditch the midweight fleece glove and get one of ->

EE synthetic Insulated Mittens
BlackRock Gear foldback fingerless down mittens

for 15degrees, would a liner glove, EE 2.1oz apex, and an overmitt be warm enough?

[BlackHatGuy]

My favorite non-insulating shells continue to be Extremities Tuff Bags overmitts.

[DGoggins]

After some quick searching….those overmitts can only be found/had via shipping from the UK? It also looks like outdoors magic users like buffalo mitts, which also require international shipping?

Anyway, I'm assuming the goretex extremities mitts are quite a bit more durable than the MLD eVENT mitts?

[Rick M]

del

[Mitchell Ebbott]

Has anybody taken a look at surplus Swiss Army shell mittens? They don't claim to be fully waterproof, but they're dirt cheap and would probably be fine for keeping out wind, snow, and light rain.

[Kevin Schneringer]

I just picked up a pair of TNH Runners 3 overmitts. Hyvent shell 1.25 oz for pair
I wore this past Saturday in rain for 8 hours with no wet out.
They run small so size up! With fleece glove they were great.

[Ito Jakuchu]

I had the Outdoor Research Endeavor Mitts (GTX Shell Mitts).
Those were great but I lost them and replaced it with a bit heavier glove – the Black Diamond Soloist Lobster. The lobster design is less warm, but much more convenient when working with tools (axe/poles). If my index finger gets cold I can still fit them in the mitt part though.

In winter but not extreme cold I use Rab M14 gloves (tight fitting, provide lots of dexterity, leather palms). If like Rick says above, I need more wind protection I would first use just the GTX shells. If that is too cold I switch out the Rab M14's for thicker fleece gloves or pile gloves.

I like how with the whole system I can switch out one for the other, go warmer or cooler, and have a dry back up.

edit-

About the liners – if you need thick fleece, check out Outdoor Research PL 400 Gloves (or mitts). These are double layered fleece gloves, 100+300 weight that are much warmer than a lot of other fleece gloves.

I have some super thick pile ones that are even warmer that I got on sale from Helly Hansen. They serve as a back up.

[Christian Edstrom]

It's the only system that works in real cold. I use thin wool gloves, a wool, boiled wool, or pile insulation mitt, and a shell mitt.

For just below freezing, that's a set of DeFeet wool gloves and a set of Camp Wind Mitt'ns.

For real cold weather, that's a set of DeFeet wool gloves, a set of mom's knitted wool mittens or Woolpower 400g wool terry mitts, and a set of OR shell mitts.

For inhumanly cold weather, it's a set of DeFeet wool gloves, Ortovox/Dachstein boiled wool mitts, and a Swedish army leather/nylon shell mitt.

For both latter situations, a set of plain leather slightly oversized Wells Lamont leather work gloves can be useful to pull over the inner gloves for short-time uses where fine dexterity is needed – cooking and tying knots, e.g.

[David Goodyear]

I posted this a couple/three years ago. Since a commercial system did not exist or was way too much $$ for the average guy. our group of winter hikers developed this system. it is totally breathable and can move moisture very well. I have found that when I wore liner gloves, they got too damp and thus my hands got cold when we stopped. I only use fingerless gloves now for the base layer.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=40647&skip_to_post=356228#356228

Enjoy,

Dave

[Christian Edstrom]

That's good stuff Dave. Nicely done.

[Andy F]

David G's system looks excellent!

Here's what I've thrown together from cheap purchased items.

Gloves
polypro liner gloves
wool surplus liners
Wells goatskin work gloves with insulated liners removed
(I use only one of the liners, as both are too bulky)

Mittens (used in dry cold below 0F)
polypro liner gloves
wool surplus liners
Dachstein boiled wool mitts
Swedish army surplus liners
Swedish army surplus mitten shells (leather with poly-cotton back and gauntlet)

Generic photo of Swedish army mitts with liners:

[Author]

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