Winter Glove Systems 2023

Are you asking about handwear for general winter snow travel or specifically for climbing when you might be handling rope and tying knots?

You mention three types of gloves but the answer to keeping your hands warm is mittens. See the thread from last month on waterproof overmittens.

I would look at RBHDesigns but many other products were mentioned in that thread.

Also, did the BD gloves get wet?

And were you getting cold all over?  I ask because the first step of hypothermia is for the body to withdraw blood (and heat) from the extremities like hands, feet, ears, etc

I recommend a pair of Nitrile gloves as your first layer, to take off only when sleeping. They act as a VBL.

My preference is Harbor Freight 9mil. Easily reusable.

I used Outdoor Research meteor mittens @ -15°F and my hands were toasty warm.  I also have the Outdoor Research Alti II Gortex Mitts, have not needed them yet but I am waiting for their time to shine.  My usual mitts though in low temperatures.. Like teens and lower for the last bunch of years have been those Meteor Mitts. I think mittens keep my hands much warmer then any glove. In fact, during my last trip 2 weeks ago in the Catskills, the low of 20° I also wore a thin pair of Zpacks fleece mittens.. While pitching and breaking down my tent,  cooking my meals and boiling water, even just casual time around camp, good dexterity for doing chores and they keep my hands warm too.  You mention temps -20°F .. That is cold.. Mittens are the way go.

Others here have a lot more extreme cold experience than me, but I like a three-layer system to mix and match, or wear all three when necessary:

1. liner glove (ex. Powerstretch)
2. insulated mitten or thicker glove for trapping more heat (fleece, wool, leather, synthetic – something thick and warm)
3. shell mitten for wind or exterior moisture (waterproof or waterproof-breathable)

The last time I spent significant time below zero was during a field season in Antarctica. Temps were teens down to -40ºF. For reference, here’s a picture I found online of the U.S. Antarctic Program’s standard issue extreme cold weather gear. The system I mention above is basically what you find on this wall labeled “Liner Glove Thermax” + “Liner, Mitten, Wool” + “Mitten, Wind”. Toss in a leather glove or mitten for back-up or manual work.

@btolley I’m asking for general snow traveling.  I will take a look at that overmitt thread for sure.  Thanks for pointing that out.

The BD gloves did get a little moist when we were hiking through a sun lit area prior to the ledges.  I swapped the BD out for fleece gloves and put hand warmers in them to dry.

As far as hypothermia that’s a good catch.  We were pretty active going up so our cores were pretty hot at the time. I remember wearing the Brynje fishnet base layer and the Senchi Wren combo until my nipples were getting frozen.  Threw on the hardshell immediately.  Feet were pretty warm in the G2’s and ears were fine under the hardshell.

@iago I’m guessing the VBL is keep the outer gloves from getting wet and losing their insulating properties?  The trade off would be wet / clammy hands the whole time right?

@Wangle Our hands perspire, and you are trying to keep that perspiration off of your glove system. Sweat is even more of an issue if you are using hand warmers.

Clamminess isn’t an issue for me, but I am less sensitive than others.

Recommend:

RBH DESIGNS ULTRALIGHT VAPOR MITT

https://www.rbhdesigns.com/products/ultralight-mitt

Yeti Mitts – NEWLY INTRODUCED

https://blueboltgear.com/product/yeti-mitts/

Those Yeti mitts look great!

Does anyone have experiance with the Yeti Mitts and to what Temperature?

I am using a liner glove plus the Black Diamond Absolute Mitt for winter snowshoe camping, while it is heavy it has performed really well.  I have the Torrid Mitts with 6oz of insulation that I need to try out on a multi-day trip as I do not have experiance below 0F with them yet.  I throw a WPB shell over either system.

@chicagomoose Based on their website the Yeti Mitts has 170 grams per square meter of insulation which is equivalent to 5 ounce per square yard.  In theory they would not be as warm as your 6 oz Torrid Mitts.  Of course there are lots of other factors that go into the warmth of the glove.

Has anyone used the Yeti mitts yet?  They are in stock and seem very promising for winter in the northeast

Just picked up some Black Diamond Overmitts. Robust and I love how long the cuff is compared to more UL options.

My system is 2 pairs of Minus33 wool liner gloves (swap if damp or sweat and dry on waistband) and Showa 282-02 gloves. Keeps me warm and dextrous at 10F.  I have another pair of the of Showa 282 that I ripped the liner out of and wear over the same liner gloves if it is warmer. Can vouch for the waterproof, uncertain on the breathable, but haven’t had sopping hands from hours of work, and with the pair without the liner it is easy to dry my liner gloves and not worry.

Did you size up the 282-02’s in order to fit the liners?

I think so. I believe I have XL.

Anyone looking for an inexpensive liner that is really warm in my experience

https://a.co/d/5JtzcaF

They are a bit bulky and should be used as a liner-not durable with hiking poles, etc. I find them very warm and comfortable.

I went back to a rag wool/synth flip mitt with a long cuff:

https://www.marks.com/en/pdp/windriver-men-s-heritage-rag-flip-thinsulate-mitts-61484222f.410025165897.html?colorCode=COLOUR_Oatmeal

Cheap, very breathable, doesn’t hold sweat, ample stretch for any size liner without pinching blood flow, cuff helps keep blood to hands warm.   Worked really well (warm!) @ -13C.  Below that I add screen capable liner for the conditions

Latex glove under that when really cold (latex works with touch screens).  Overmitts when having to get hands in the snow.  These are a steal if you have small hands (I’ll have to replace with BDs)

Looking forward to trying these (forces use them out here) with a thick liner below -25C, hoping for a cold snap!

Hot Hands in the pack as backups, always, for safety reasons.

Recent similar thread with some more ideas: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/looking-for-flip-mitts/

For almost 3 decades I’ve used Gore-Tex shells with various thicknesses of fleece or heavy pile liners.

Later I bought an oversize pair of Knut & Knut Norwegian heavy wool gloves. I got them a size too big B/C I then shrunk them in near boiling water to make them similar to my factory boiled wool Dachstein mittens. IT WORKED! (A blind squirrel gets an acorn once in a while.) Now I use these wonderfully dense wool liners with GTX shells when the temps are around zero F. They are not as dexterous as fleece liners but definitely warmer.

BTW, much below zero I use my Dachstein mittens inside OR GTX shells and am toasty. I’ve used this combination at -40 F. and been nicely warm. Dachstein boiled wool mittens are just amazing.

Gloves and hands have always been my downfall, and I have finally conceded to just carrying more than what a normal person might deem necessary. It’s not the most lightweight system at almost 15 oz, but one that has worked down to 0F in MN and provides a modular system that can be mixed and matched as the conditions require, and I’m confident could be pushed much lower in temperature (just haven’t had the chance to try it lower).

• Zpacks Possumdown Gloves  (1.34 oz)
• Hestra Windstopper Overmitt (4.77 oz) – heavy but so worth it
• EE Stronghold Mittens 4oz Apex (2.36 oz)
• Black Diamond Waterproof Overmitt (3.77 oz) – durability nice with snowshoes/snow
• Showa 282-02 with liner removed (2.61 oz)

Since my winter excursions are normally only 2 nights at a maximum, I’ll also just eat the weight of chemical handwarmers. I don’t use them while hiking, but having them for camp if sitting out around a fire with friends just makes everything so much more enjoyable while building in another factor of safety. I’ve also found that they really help any glove layers that have gotten wet to dry out and allow me to have less layers during camp chores to maximize dexterity.

Everything is sized to be worn at once if needed (except the Showas). Normally I’m just wearing the Hestras while hiking with the Overmitts hanging from my wrists or in my hipbelt pocket if I need a boost of warmth or to keep dry. This lets me flip the mitts back to easily use my phone for navigation or pictures. I can put the possumdown under if need be, but tend to not need it unless we’re approaching low single digits while hiking.

In camp I immediately switch to the possumdown and Showas for camp chores. This has been the best level of weight, durability and dexterity and I’ll add a handwarmer if needed.

While eating and hanging out, I’ll put lose the Showas and put the Hestras back on along with a handwarmer, and then I’ll throw on the EE’s when its time to just hang out.

@Michael, great system. It took me a couple of years to dial in mine after moving to PNW. My hands are very sensitive to cold-as some have mentioned repeated exposure to freezing conditions may have made this worse. Weight be damned, I need warm hands. My current system is similar to yours.

OR PL400 gloves-OOP but good gloves. These get me from mid 50’s to mid 40s by themselves depending on physical output.

Refrigwear dual layer acrylic gloves. Warm but a bit fragile. Go great under shell.

Military surplus 75% wool liner glove-my back up liner.

BD Waterproof Overmitt. These have been lifesavers. Weather proof and good heat traps. Also work well with Hot hands.

REI Minimalist GTX waterproof shells. -my backup pair that stay with the military wool or Refrigwear liner gloves in my pack all winter. These are too short to be really useful for me in severe weather-hence them being backup now.

Hothands-(4) packets per day of cold weather expected.

I have been looking at the EE Apex mitts for a while- I may add them for camp.

The ZPacks possum gloves as a liner are nice. I either measured wrong or their a tad big or both. Shrunk them up in a pan of water. They work well with the Showas, though my liner does need to come out.

I got some possum socks with them. Extremely warm. Luxury. I saw they were on sale today, along with the gloves, so I ordered three more pairs.

Code

BUILTWITHPURPOSE

Also works at a few other places. HMG included.

As warm as my HOLLOW brand alpaca socks are I really wish they made alpaca blend gloves, say 70% alpaca, 30% nylon/acrylic or nylon/polyester with a touch of 2% Elastane or Lycra at the wrists.

And a nicely thick alpaca knit Peruvian hat would be nice, while I’m asking.

Do the HOLLOW socks have exposed elastic inside the cuffs? I’ve been wearing bison wool, but I don’t like the elastic in their crew socks. I’ve switched to possum, which are nice, but they’re mainly merino.

28.43% Brushtail Possum Fiber

52.12% Merino Wool

15.71% Nylon

2.12% Acrylic

1.25% Elastic

0.37% Steel