UKC

I have been looking for a pair of running gloves, but I can't find what I think I want. I'm hoping someone here can point me to where I might find some.

I have seen various models of thin gloves with a "hood", so a cover which turns them into mittens which can be stowed away when you don't want the mittens. However, I think I want similarly thin material but fingerless gloves with a mitten hood which stows away. I can find plenty of woollen or fleecy options like this, but I cant see them in a thinner running type fabric. I would like the mitten bit to be at least windproof, if not waterproof. 

Does such a thing exist? 

It did - the Outdoor Research Overdrive Convertible glove, which are brilliant - thin glove with a windproof mitten that stows away and can be pulled over if it gets chilly. Unfortunately they seem to have stopped making them. If you have very large hands, Up and Under in Cardiff still have some in stock, but i suspect the Large is going to be too big for female hands I'm afraid.

Sorry - just realised these aren't fingerless which is what you were after. Get some standard ones and cut the fingers off?

Gutted. The number of times excellent bits of kit get discontinued is frustrating!

No, my hands are about the same size as those of an 11 year old child! The very large ones will swamp me. I can go a bit big for running as I don't need huge amounts of dexterity, but those do sound too big. 

Helpful to have something to keep an eye out for on ebay though, thanks

Nike do something similar: Women's Transform Running Glove. No idea if the tops of the fingers could be cut off without danger of fraying.

And yeah. I get particularly annoyed when bootmakers stop making my favourite design, because I find it so difficult to find boots that fit me properly!

I use the decathlon version which are abit heavier than say the BD model.

You could potentially cut the fingers on the decathlon model down to suit?

Apologies, I see that's already been suggested. Good luck on the search! 

I could probably do something to stop the tops fraying, but it feels wrong to butcher new kit! It might come to it though if I can't find what I want.

Boots, or any footwear really, is the most annoying design change as the fit is so important. Yep, totally with you there! 

Probably not much help to you if you can't knit but homemade ones are fairly easy. I made a pair of fliptop fingerless gloves last winter and they're great for running or walking in. They have full thumbs (because flip thumbs are a pain) but I left a slit down the right thumb so I can use my phone without taking the mitten off.

I'm a big fan of the over-mitt idea but have never found an ideal version. Gloves that are too tightly woven and/or have leather/synthetic palms don't breathe well enough I find, and some over-mitts don't cover enough to keep really warm, often just the fingers (have tried OR, Salomon and TNF). Result is cold hands from several factors.

The best solution I've come up with is a Salomon over-mitt over a pair of grid-pattern base gloves from Nike or TNF, covers all the options from a very breathable glove to fully windproofed.

For fingerless, I'd just chop some gloves you like, then some stitches, glue or sports tape to stop fraying. Do you need all fingers bare or just index and thumb?

I want something lighter weight than the woollen ones though. It's getting the right combination of style and fabric weight which is my problem. 

I like your idea of the slit in the thumb for phone use though! Great plan!

Yeah, I am hoping for all fingers bare. It's not so much a dexterity issue as a warmth one. I am trying to come up with a solution which would mean gloves just stay on and effectively have venting. Saves faff of putting them on and off and reduces the chance of dropping one etc.

I tend to find that mostly thin liner gloves are the warmest I want when moving, but often find I get too warm while going up hill in them and then want them on when a squally shower comes through or the running gets easier. So thinking fingerless with the hood would allow different temperature options that I can just leave them on. I would still carry warmer overmitts for stopping/ emergency use along with my other warm layers.

It's looking like cutting long ones might have to be my option, it just feels wrong to cut new gloves!

I've got a pair of these from Alpkit and have found them very useful: 

https://alpkit.com/products/specta-pullover-running-mitt-glove

You'll have to cut the fingers off unfortunately but I can't recall ever seeing a fingerless glove / mitt combination in thin material.

'butchering new kit...' is just customisation by another name. That'd be my solution: buy the kit that's closest to what you want, then customise. Good luck in your search.

(Others have suggested Decathlon: I seem to recall seeing in one of their shops fingerless gloves with mitten-hoods, made from windstopper type fabric. Worth a look?)

Entirely this. The best bit of gear you can own is a nice pair of scissors.

Girlymonkey; Salomon do fingerless with over mitts, I've not tried them as they don't seem very breathable, but perhaps a starting point.

Thanks, those Salomon ones look like they will work! I have ordered some and will see how I get on 🙂

Was gonna suggest the Salomon Bonatti mitt. Or the TrailHeads powerstretch convertible mitts, but dunno if they'd be too warm?