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VIDEO: Winter Gloves Explained

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Rachael Crewesmith runs through the features to look out for on winter gloves and explains the differences between a general purpose winter glove and a climbing glove.

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5
 TobyA 23 Oct 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Getting the cuff of the first glove under your jacket cuff is always the easy bit. I want to see Rachel put the second one on with her first hand already gloved! That can be the moment where you find that having gauntlets over your jacket sleeve isn't such a bad idea after all, just because it can be such a faff getting them under!

I'm not sure how much use well insulated gloves are, if it is horribly cold wear mitts. The best gloves for warmth in real world conditions tend to be the ones you never need to take off - if you can not only place gear, rack gear and so on in them, but even set a bearing on a compass and manipulate a map in a map case in them - those are going to be great gloves. I've found after many years of trying different ones in different conditions, that surprisingly uninsulated gloves made of Goretex or similar can be warm enough in pretty brutal conditions if you don't need to take them off. Hands pump out more heat than you might expect.

 ScraggyGoat 24 Oct 2021
In reply to TobyA:


Agree, and also after many years for being a sucker for winter gloves ‘must be waterproof’ as advocated in this vid. I’ve had an emphany and found that for general mountaineering non waterproof breathable gloves stay warmer and drier, unless the snow is wet, or it’s raining. I used to find my goretex gloves were soaked with sweat and useless part way through the day.


Fancy gloves are generally a waste of money, particularly if climbing, they get trashed too quickly.

just another poorly veiled promo vid.

3
 Nathan Adam 24 Oct 2021
In reply to TobyA:

Best gloves I've had just happened on a recommendation from a friend of mine for a company called Snickers Workwear, £25-35 for really dexterous and fairly warm and fast drying general purpose gloves. They're great for leading in and manipulating all the usual kit. 

Never spent anymore than £50 on gloves (ME Guides), IMO anything that has insulation and a Gore Tex lining is a total pain to dry in a real world situation. I tend to just carry enough gloves now to see me through the course of a full day and accept that they'll get wet at some point.

 phizz4 24 Oct 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

The most versatile gloves I have found are the cheapish Rab Vapour Rise ones. Not waterproof at all but dry quickly, very dextrous, quite hard wearing (apart from the nose-wiping surface rubbing off), and surprisingly warm for their thickness. Used ice climbing in Italy in February.

Post edited at 18:14
In reply to TobyA:

My best pair of winter gloves was a pair of Altura windstopper, with a suedette palm. They were warmer than they deserved to be, and were a perfect fit, and so were dextrous too. Sadly, the suedette eventually wore out at the fingers, and when I found some replacements, the design had added about an inch to the fingers... I still have them, though; as someone with Raynaud's, i have dozens of pairs of gloves, always looking for 'the solution'...

 Robert Durran 24 Oct 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

The trouble is what works with winter gloves (like any clothing) is very personal. I seem to have more or less given up winter climbing, partly because, with age, I am finding it almost impossible to stay warm enough while wearing clothing that actually allowed me to move. But, in the end, I did have gloves/mitts absolutely nailed - but it took me more than 30 years to get there!

 VictorM 25 Oct 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

I'm a big fan of anything Ergo Grip made by Hestra from Sweden. 

Ergo Grip models have pre-shaped fingers which removes excess material, and allows your fingers to have a more natural stance. Also, it makes them really dexterous, even in the thicker versions. 

I own a whole range of gloves but I'm reaching for my Ergo Grip Actives and Ergo Grip Inclines across the wides range of conditions. 

 rachcrewe 03 Nov 2021
In reply to TobyA:

> Getting the cuff of the first glove under your jacket cuff is always the easy bit. I want to see Rachel put the second one on with her first hand already gloved! That can be the moment where you find that having gauntlets over your jacket sleeve isn't such a bad idea after all, just because it can be such a faff getting them under!

Ha! Challenge accepted! Actually the jacket I am wearing in the video is my winter work jacket (Rab Muztag) and it has really wide wizards sleeves...

You can get nice gloves nowadays that are insulated on the backs of the hands but remain dextrous. 

Obviously this video is paid for by a brand so we use their gloves. But those Guide gloves do have some cool features as do the Pivots. It's just a shame that "unisex" just means "mens". 

 rachcrewe 03 Nov 2021
In reply to ScraggyGoat:

>unless the snow is wet, or it’s raining

Two things it often does in Scotland in winter. 

>general mountaineering non waterproof breathable gloves stay warmer and drier

Correct. As waterproof as a glove is, it's fundamental flaw is the hole that your hand goes in through. However a waterproof glove is better in warmer, wetter snow as it lasts longer before you have to change. Again, it depends on what you are up to : climbing and walking require very different features. I also find gloves last longer when used solely for winter hillwalking unless I am digging a lot of buckets. 

Post edited at 13:37

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