gloves? Mittens? Liners?, Rain?

[SkeeterPee]

I am considering what I need for rain and for possibly cold / wet weather while backpacking late fall or early spring. I was thinking some set of layering options might be best instead of carrying different pairs for different purposes. Is this the right approach?

For instance I have some glove liners which I wear when skiing as they keep your hands warm when you have removed your main gloves/mittens. If you add some light weight fleece gloves they can be pretty warm together. However some sort of rain repelling shell would be good Should that be gloves or mittens. And do I need full winter gloves, or would liner, fleece, and shell be warm enough.

What do you do or like?

[Smooth & Wasabi]

I think you are on the right track. I would add the lightest of waterproof breathable mitten shells. I have an old pair of ul OR mittens I use for the shoulder seasons, Mountain Laurel Designs has some that are as light and look nice. No need for full on winter hand wear during the time of year you are talking about, for me it would have to be pretty darn cold to need more than liners and wpb shell while moving.

[Slo-go'en]

+1 on the shells. Very good for wet and or windy conditions to augment a glove or mitten.

[Tipi Walter]

A cold winter rain is the hardest thing to dress for on a backpacking trip. Here are some ideas:

** Plan on getting a few items wet and learn to live with it, i.e. putting these wet items on in the morning when breaking camp (you slept in your dry stuff).

** These wet items will include your pair of shorts/rain pants, socks and shoes, t-shirt (under a good rain jacket for warmth), and a wet baseball type hat. All else stays dry. Never allow your midlayer tops (merino/fleece/polypro) or your leggings to get wet.

** Always take two pairs of gloves and socks---one pair of socks to sleep in and one pair for hiking only whether wet or dry. One pair of gloves stays dry no matter what---in case the temps dip to 0F and your other pair are wet.

** Recently I added a super lightweight mitten shell to help keep my fleece glove liners dry and they work well. They are Mt Laurel Designs eVent shell mitts as shown below.

[JaketheFake]

I hate to hi-jack this thread... But it is in topic. Is it typical got a nobo hiker to start with gloves/mittens in early April?

[Casey & Gina]

I use Outdoor Research Revel Shell mitts over Icebreaker merino gloves. In cold winter, I will add another layer between those as needed.

[cneill13]

TIpi. You need to write a book on hiking. Seriously.

[swjohnsey]

Zpack makes nice/light cuben mitten shells and liners.

[garlic08]

I hate to hi-jack this thread... But it is in topic. Is it typical got a nobo hiker to start with gloves/mittens in early April?

Yes, and it's best to keep them until the Trail Days weekend in mid-May. Do not underestimate spring weather in the southern Appalachians. It can really get your attention in the high country.

Back to the OP, if you're packing for the possibility, rather than certainty, of cold wet weather, one option is to use a spare pair of socks as mitts, and/or use the bread bag trick ("Bagtex") for overmitts. It's tricky not having opposable thumbs, but it's a good way to hike through an emergency with no extra pack weight. I hiked through two relatively severe spring snow storms (wet snow, high winds and nighttime temps in the teens) on the AT with just my one-ounce glove liners.

[wormer]

I used an inexpensive pair of wool mittens last week on the 100 MW that worked real well. They had rings attached to each mitten that allowed me to fasten them to my pack, once the sun came up and it warmed up.

[Traveler]

I most always carry a pair of smart wool gloves and ear warming band. They don't weigh a lot and when you need warmth you have something that will work even in wet weather. In fall, winter, and spring I will carry mitten shells. A poly or will watch cap is always in my pack in fall, winter, and spring as well. It's always been an amazement to me how well I can regulate body heat with these hats by wearing it differently.

[bigcranky]

I hate to hi-jack this thread... But it is in topic. Is it typical got a nobo hiker to start with gloves/mittens in early April?

Coldest night I ever spent on the trail was in early April one year. So, yeah, I would bring my midweight windblock fleece gloves and a warm hat. I also have a pair of the MLD eVent overmitts that Tipi mentioned above, and they work well, though if I were doing it again I would get the Zpacks. My wife has a pair and I like those better.

[Traveler]

BC, how breathable are the Zpack mittens? I have used others that claim to be, but end up removing them because the liner gloves get soaked from inside.

[Tipi Walter]

TIpi. You need to write a book on hiking. Seriously.

I've probably already written the equivalent of about 10 books now---and they're all in my Trail Journals---

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=18147

Coldest night I ever spent on the trail was in early April one year. So, yeah, I would bring my midweight windblock fleece gloves and a warm hat. I also have a pair of the MLD eVent overmitts that Tipi mentioned above, and they work well, though if I were doing it again I would get the Zpacks. My wife has a pair and I like those better.

Bigcranky has some good suggestions as usual---

http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/mitts.shtml

http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/possum_gloves.shtml

It must also be remembered that liner gloves and possum mittens and fleece gloves and the thin stuff we're talking about has a short field life. I've probably been thru 20 pairs of gloves in the last couple decades because living outdoors and backpacking in the winter takes its toll on the Hands ergo the Gloves.

What eats them? Moving snow off the ground for my tent; invariably use my gloved hands for the job---or sometimes I bring a snow shovel for this job which saves the gloves. Day to day use of the hands during winter backpacking produces small finger holes and then a couple more and soon you need replacements.

Stouter fleece gloves last much longer than liners. I found a nice pair of thick fleece gloves at Walmart once years ago---for $5 a pair---and they are called "Theramax" or "thermolate" or something similar. Comfy and warm. I bought 3 pair no problem. The dog chewed up two pair and now I have the one last pair. They look like this (from the interweb)---


Here are my Walmart gloves in action---


They got wet the day before---left out to dry---midnight blizzard hit---too lazy to go out and get them---morning welcome sight. Glad I brought another pair.



The old $5 fleece gloves during more peaceful times.



A couple years ago my backpacking buddy Patman (pictured) turned me onto a serious pair of winter down mittens called the Mt Hardwear Nilas mitts---for deep winter cold at around 10F or -10F. Goose down with a goretex-like shell---and super light. They work well in the rain too if you get the sleeve of your rain jacket to fit over the wrist cuff of the mittens.



I went ahead and got me a pair and they are now part of my standard winter load, i.e. from January to April.



And they can also be used as down booties to keep the feet warm before morning shove-off.

[Tipi Walter]

BC, how breathable are the Zpack mittens? I have used others that claim to be, but end up removing them because the liner gloves get soaked from inside.

My eVent MLD shell mitts are designed to keep your fleece liner gloves DRY when doing the things which soak regular gloves, like packing up a snow-covered tent or rain-soaked tent in the morning when you want to keep your hands warm at all costs. Sadly, fleece gloves and liners soak up water like a sponge so the shells prevent this.

For strenuous hiking whereby warmth is generated, you can wear the shell mitts by themselves for a thin layer of protection, or no gloves at all, or liners with the shell until they get too warm for comfort. Sweaty hands inside a too-warm pair of gloves sucks---just remove the gloves and hike without them for awhile.

The Nilas down mitts pictured are very warm---too warm---but a thin liner glove can be worn underneath and the mitts removed periodically for ventilation.

[bigcranky]

For strenuous hiking whereby warmth is generated, you can wear the shell mitts by themselves for a thin layer of protection,

This works well.

In cold weather I bring two pairs of gloves, a very light windproof glove, a heavier glove made of windbloc fabric, and the waterproof mitts. I wear the light gloves w/ or w/o the mitts depending on the weather, and save the heavier ones for in camp or when stopped. Same with hats, actually, a light microfleece beanie for hiking and a big warm hat for not hiking.

I dunno about the breatheability of the new Zpacks mitts, they have changed the fabric.

[bigcranky]

For strenuous hiking whereby warmth is generated, you can wear the shell mitts by themselves for a thin layer of protection,

This works well.

In cold weather I bring two pairs of gloves, a very light windproof glove, a heavier glove made of windbloc fabric, and the waterproof mitts. I wear the light gloves w/ or w/o the mitts depending on the weather, and save the heavier ones for in camp or when stopped. Same with hats, actually, a light microfleece beanie for hiking and a big warm hat for not hiking.

I dunno about the breatheability of the new Zpacks mitts, they have changed the fabric.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

Coldest night I ever spent on the trail was in early April one year. So, yeah, I would bring my midweight windblock fleece gloves and a warm hat. I also have a pair of the MLD eVent overmitts that Tipi mentioned above, and they work well, though if I were doing it again I would get the Zpacks. My wife has a pair and I like those better.

I have the MLD mitts too.
They work, cant complain.

[MuddyWaters]

Shells and liners for hiking in normal conditions. Blackrock mittens for stopped in below freezing conditions.

[saltysack]

Liner gloves with bread bags and rubber band ....I'm cheap


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