UKC

I'm after some warm winter gloves, and it seems that every single model I'm trying has very long fingers that create a lot of excess bulk at my fingertips.

So far I've tried the Rab Guide, Mountain Equipment Guide, Black Diamond Punisher and various models from Sealskinz, Montane and Extremities (that I don't remember the name of - it's the usual stuff you can find in Cotswolds). They're all a terrible fit because of the long fingers.

What does fit me perfectly are the Rab Baltoro in size Medium - I'm just a bit concerned that they won't be warm enough for winter.

Any recommendations for warm gloves that don't have long fingers? There's not a great deal of choice in stores in London and I'm getting a bit fed up of ordering/returning stuff online.

Thanks

In reply to asteclaru:

I might have an answer for you, depending on size. I've a pair of unused Outdoor Designs Winterflex gloves in men's medium. They definitely have short fingers. I haven't used them though have had them for years, as I bought them "just in case" and haven't managed to wear out or lose any of my other gloves in the meantime. I know they're good for ice climbing as I've had two other pairs over the last 15 years which have been brilliant. If you think they're the right size you could have them for £30 + postage which is about half price. Send me an email to ml.ben@btinternet.com and I can send photos.

In reply to asteclaru:

I have the same problem, go up a size in womans gloves they mostly have similar hand width but shorter fingers.

Im a med in ME guide in mens and the womans large are spot on.

In reply to asteclaru:

Mittens.

In reply to asteclaru:

IIRC I also found the ME guides too long but my randonees (the old model) are a good fit for my short fingers. couloirs are also quite short.

Other than that almost nothing i've tried fits me. Have a pair of cham binman gloves that fit well but way bulkier than a similar glove with a more "high tech" insulation in. Some Hestra's have quite short fingers but many are not suited to climbing and they cost a fortune.

In reply to asteclaru:

I used Rab Baltoro gloves last year in Norway, never had cold hands. It was cold and dry, minus 18 was the lowest temperature. I was wearing good clothing with wristloops etc. What they would be like in wet I don't know, but they dried very quickly.

In reply to asteclaru:

Hi. I have large palms and relatively short, thick fingers and have found very few gloves (over the last 10-15 years or so) that are a good fit. My thoughts:

Definitely check out Outdoor Research. I would take Martin up on his offer above.

I agree with Kahti that the ME Couloirs / Randonees seem to be a good fit for short fingers. If it helps, this is what I currently use:

ME Couloirs. (These are a good fit for me, and warm; great gloves but I wouldn't trust them not to get trashed if you properly climbed in them.)
ME Randonee. (Great little gloves that are warmer than they look; 2 pairs of these are my go-to gloves for mountaineering type days. I find the fit really good but it is very snug which can make them a hassle to get on if you let your hands get too cold.)
OR Stormtracker. (These definitely don't meet your criteria for being warm, they're a basic softshell glove but they fit me brilliantly so if a mixed lead is close to my limit then I'll wear these and switch into mitts at the belay.)

Then for ice routes or snowy winter climbs I'll wear an old pair of BD Punishers (they are a little long in the finger for me too but not so much that the tips gets caught in krabs or anything) but I'm yet to find a warm technical winter climbing glove that fits well.

If you mostly want a walking/mountaineering glove, then it's worth considering ski gloves too. Norrona gloves, in my experience, have short fingers and surprisingly aren't eye-wateringly expensive.

I have a pair of basic Berghaus winter gloves that I picked up in a sale that have very short fingers - almost too short for me. So, although they don't make high spec gloves, Berghaus could be worth checking out for a back up pair.

In reply to asteclaru:

I used the baltaro guides (think, they had the long wrists) for a while, they're perfectly suited to scottish winter but I found the insulation to bed down quite quickly to the stage where they went from being a perfect warm fit to being able to fit silk liners under them. I've found the ME randonee to be a similar fit and much nicer and warmer.

In reply to asteclaru:

Try a woman's in the size up from your normal man's size. Assuming you're male of course.

Works a treat for me.

In reply to asteclaru:

The new ME Super Couloir glove has fairly short fingers. Could be worth a shot. We've a review in the pipeline. They're a perfect fit for our reviewer Kevin, but sadly not for my long thin fingers - which is a shame for me as they are really nice gloves

In reply to asteclaru:

Rab Baltoro was going to be my suggestion. I have 2 pairs and hands that hate the cold but I find the Baltoros a great option. Still fairly warm when wet too.

Wow, I wasn't expecting so many replies; judging by the size of most gloves on the market, I thought I was the only one with this issue

Thank you for your suggestions everyone. I will try to find some ME Couloir/Randonnee to try on, and also some larger sized women's gloves if them two are no good (I didn't think that was an option to be honest - most women I know seem to have have longer fingers than men - you learn something new every day)

In reply to asteclaru:

Definitely not the only one. I'm a woman with the same issue, size 8 paws width wise and 6 for the fingers = total pain in the backside to get gloves that fit. Sadly I can't resort to women's gloves so just have to try lots till I find something that works. I use Mountain Equipment ones for winter climbing in a ladies small.

Have been trying a few more glove models from Black Diamond this week so I'm back with a few of my findings :

- BD Crew - tried size Medium - hopeless; very long fingers and the lining is shorter than the outer leather, so even if you have long fingers, you can't get them all the way through
- BD Glissade - tried sizes Small and Medium - Medium was a smidgen too large, so I downsized to Small, which is a bit snug, but not tight. Finger length (on Small) is almost perfect for me. Overall, they fit like my Rab Baltoro in Medium. I can tie my shoes with them on, so dexterity is good, even though the glove is quite bulky. They seem to be well built too, although I don't know how well the softshell fabric will hold up.
- BD Pursuit - again, tried sizes Small and Medium - Medium was too large, but Small is perfect : an even better fit than the Glissade. Compared to the Glissade, they feel a bit nicer and also less bulky, so dexterity is slightly better. There's also an extra strap across the wrist to cinch them down.

I now have 3 pairs of what I think are decent gloves, so hopefully I'm sorted for the winter gloves wise