Give winter gloves the finger?

K

kunegos

Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
80
OK, maybe not like it sounds.

I'm looking into buying some wool gloves.

Should I go full-finger, half-finger, or with the mitten style that covers the half fingers?

What are considerations that would make a difference, particularly for using various cutting tools, starting fires, etc?
 
I've used the half finger mitten style and wasn't very impressed. If its very cold out I found they don't work very well especially if your fingers are already cold from being exposed.

But if the dexterity is needed I feel they are better than full fingered and offer a little more protection than half fingered alone. I've gotten better results using some kind of thin glove liner with them but its still a little cumbersome with intricate work.
 
Get a pair of big warm mitts, and a pair of thin gloves to wear underneath so when you take off your mitts to use your knife, car keys, lighter, ect,ect, your hands wont freeze.

I dont like the half mitt half glove either, theyre not warm like proper mittens and you still have to take them all the way off for any finer tasks that need thumbs.
 
I have always gone with full finger. If I need the dexterity, I can quickly and easily remove one or both gloves. The flap over the finger models are a bit bulky for me, a pain in the %^*# to use, drafty, and a general nuisance most of the time. The half finger gloves would be OK if you were using an over mitt. You gain a little warmth with this two glove method, but you still need to remove the outer mitt for tasks requiring dexterity. Bottom line, everything is a compromise:grumpy:
 
I have used a lot of them in both cold and wet. Went out hiking yesterday when it was -5 with -30 windchill!
I have found that most of my wool gloves are kind of drafty. I like having a really thin pair of windproof gloves on underneath of my wool gloves.
I have a pair of manzella windproof baselayers that I like. They don't really insulate well but for days like yesterday when I was taking a lot of pictures I could pull out of my bulkier gloves take the picture and do what I needed with most of my dexterity available and them get them back in the wool or fleece shells. Like I said they also do a great job of stopping the wind that my wool or fleece gloves let through.
 
I have a pair of grey boiled wool mittens. They are heavy and absolutely windproof. I do not know where I bought them. I wear them with a fingered glove liner so if I have to remove them to do finer work my fingers are still protected for a short time.
 
When skiing I wear full-on gore-tex insulated ski gloves. They are warm, waterproof and windproof.

If it is mild and I am active, say -10 and I am hiking or cross-coutry skiing, or snowshoeing, I will wear much lighter gloves.

If I am shooting I like the fold-back wool ones with a polypro liner underneath. It allows me trigger finger feel and dexterity.

They are sufficient in serious cold PROVIDED there is no wind. I have worn them in forty below and been comfortable IF there was no wind and I was moving around.

They don't cut it in very mild temps because everything is wet.
 
I have thin rag wool gloves, thick rag wool/thinsulate gloves, half-finger gloves, gloves with only the pointer, middle, and thumb as half-fingers and ring and pinky full, mittens, ski gloves, and on and on and on... My favorite winter wilderness setup is the thin rag half-finger gloves and a pair of elk-skin choppers (mitts) with boiled wool liner mitts. hands stay warm when hiking, chopping wood, etc. but when I need the dexterity, the mitts come off and the half-finger gloves still provide some warmth.

I also have a pair of the mitten over half finger gloves and they're perfect for hunting (pulling a trigger or drawing a bow), but as has been stated, without the bare thumb they still have to come off to tie knots or do other fine skills.

J-
 
As with so many other aspects of preparing for living and working in the outdoors, in winter hand wear there really isn't one do-all solution. Sometimes lightweight gloves are needed, sometimes medium weight gloves are needed, sometimes big cumbersome mitts--and maybe even over-mittens--are best. I've got 'em all and each winter use them all, sometimes some more than others. There seems to be a sliding scale involved with deciding what you need. Milder weather to severe; needing manual dexterity to little or no manual dexterity needed. Only you can decide (and sometimes, in one day or during one outing, you can wear more than one).

I tell you though, the best value in handwear I ever bought was a pair of rough suede work mitts I picked up at a hardware store over 10 years ago. They're lined with what I guess you'd call berber or sherpa fleece. Anyway, I bought them for less than $10 then, and they are warm, windproof, and tough as hell. You can even use them like oven mitts or to grab burning wood (within reason) on account of the leather. No manual dexterity at all, almost, but the suede surface is pretty grippy, unlike wool, nylon, and poly fleece. You can use a shovel or axe or steer your car/ATV/ski do with reasonable control. Get a pair.
 
I used to have some of the mittens that fold over and reveal your half finger, didnt really like them. For sking and snowboarding I use to use gloves but my finger got cold so I switched to mittens and I love them. The only drawbackis losing finger dexterity. What I usually do is wear the half finger gloves under the mittens. When I go hunting this doesnt work so I just found some mittens and liners that are a mix. They seem like they will the problem.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/BJR475-65422-606.html
 
Ive tried the wool half/mittne things and theyre not warm. Fleece ones are warm if the mitten part is down. The thick gloves & thin liners are probly better idea.
 
i have tried a bunch of different items, the combo of thin liners and overgolves is my favorite combo for real cold weather, if it warms up the liners alone will do, if the sun goes down then put on the heavier golvesover top to keep warm.

alex
 
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