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Lady Grey
10-14-2012, 17:29
What gloves or mitts would you recommend for an early March start on the AT at Springer? Yesterday I hiked on a chilly day in the Adirondack High Peaks and brought fleece gloves that worked well, although by the end of the day they were soaked on the inside. Not sure what the best option is for a thru-hike - any recommendations/suggestions would be appreciated.

Moose2001
10-14-2012, 17:46
I use a light pair of glove liners. If it gets REALLY cold, I'll slide on a pair of wool socks over my hands!

snifur
10-14-2012, 17:53
i use kayaking gloves as they are designed to get wet. they work great! hands get cool, but not frozen numb! (a little pricey but totally worth every penny) fingers maintain full dexterity, excellent grip for those with slick poles, and they dont wear out fast at all. heat up nice and fast too if you stick them in your pants.

jakedatc
10-14-2012, 18:43
I use a goretex shell mitten. mittens are always warmer than gloves, you can put light liners inside too if needed. i prefer for them to start unlined so they will dry out fast if they do get wet.

Feral Bill
10-14-2012, 18:57
Army wool mittens (2 pair), Lightest shells you can find. The trigger fingers make many tasks easier.

Smooth & Wasabi
10-14-2012, 21:06
Light liner glove and the lightest wpb shell you can find.

swjohnsey
10-14-2012, 21:42
Yep, mittens are warmer. Z-pack makes some cool fleece mittens with cuben shells.

jakedatc
10-14-2012, 22:42
MLD makes a Event shell mitten that looks nice also..

the ones I use are old gore-tex running mittens i've had since HS and still won't die so i'm happy.

Mags
10-15-2012, 09:34
Another vote for wool liner gloves and a lightweight mitten shell.

Slo-go'en
10-15-2012, 10:18
I met a woman on the LT who was using Latex gloves, the kind car mechanics are now using to keep oil and grease off thier hands.

jakedatc
10-15-2012, 10:55
i wouldn't suggest that unless you know what you are doing with vapor barriers. my hands get super sweaty in nitrile gloves at work in a very short time just standing there.. i couldn't imagine while hiking. They are very difficult to get on when your hands are wet. your hands also get very pruned up which can be painful after a while.

ChinMusic
10-15-2012, 12:43
I have a pair of MDL overmitts. I just cannot for the life of me get them seam sealed good enough to hold up to the abuse of the field. My seal-seal attempts have all failed on my mitts. I don't know why I suck at seam sealing gloves as I never had trouble with sealing a tent.

I have decided to go with the Zpacks cuben version as they come pre-taped.

Lady Grey
10-15-2012, 20:12
Thanks, everyone, for your ideas! I'll keep researching...

MuddyWaters
10-15-2012, 20:45
Mittens will always be warmer than gloves, they have less surface are to lose heat thru.
I think fleece mittens and tyvek overmitts are about the easiest DIY project you can make. Or use cuben and cuben tape too.
Zpacks look good, but price is a bit steep .

Del Q
10-15-2012, 21:09
Mirror the comments, I will step out on a "limb" here, every hiker should own a pair of MLD (Mountain Lauren Designs) eVent mittens.

They weight nothing...........come on ultra lightweight freaks, give me a pass on this one.

These bulletproof mittens are great for when it is really cold but more specifically, when it is rainy and in the 35-50 degree range. With no gloves you will be water-free and toasty! If you use your gloves in these conditions they will get soaked, then what to do at night (if you like to wear gloves)?

With these and (dry) gloves underneath they are super warm!

GREAT GEAR - someone should start making these at 1/2 the price...........sell them at every trail head, donate 25% to the ATC, spend the balance on gear, ham jerky and GORP.

10-K
10-15-2012, 21:11
Merino wool liners, OR PL400 mittens and MLD eVent mitts. Warm, light, and very tweakable.

"Atlas"
10-17-2012, 01:25
Given that you are from Vermont and starting at Springer in March, I am willing to bet your gloves for Vermont winters will work just fine. Even in Buffalo winters I like fingerless wool glove liners or the type of fingerless with mitten pull overs. but the MLD eVents look like they are on my shopping list now for a winter hike.

leaftye
10-17-2012, 04:00
Gloves provide minimal warmth, even when they're very thick and bulky. Mittens are super warm, even with minimal insulation.

My #1 choice for handwear is glomitts. They are gloves without fingertips that have a convertible mitten section to cover your fingers. They provide lots of warmth while allow the full dexterity of bare fingers, but you'll want to be quick when your fingertips are exposed. Even when they do get cold, bare fingers directly against each other in mittens warms up pretty quick.

Lady Grey
10-17-2012, 06:43
Since I live in VT and ski and snowshoe in the winter I've tried a bunch of glove/mitten options. I've been looking at glomitts but now am really intrigued with the MLD eVents. When I'm out during the day at home I can always dry my mittens out in the evening; it looks as though the eVents would help keep my hands dry. My hands get cold easily so I want the lightest and warmest option!

swjohnsey
10-17-2012, 07:08
Might wat to check this bunch out. I just order some of their trail mittens but have got them yet. The price is right.

http://raggedmountain.com/index.php/hats-gloves-socks/mittens

Tipi Walter
10-17-2012, 08:29
As anyone who uses mittens in the winter knows, yes they are warmer than gloves but for a backpacker who does hundreds of movements a day requiring fingers, mittens end up being taken off and on endlessly. This is why many people like lightweight gloves or glove liners. The problem with wearing a liner under a mitten is cold rain at 35F where both the mitten and the liner get soaked. Now you have 2 glove items wet when you should just only have one wet because I only carry two sets of gloves on a trip---one allowed to get wet and the other in reserve and always dry.

The MLD mittens look cool but they are shells only and need something inside. Will they keep the inners dry in a cold downpour? Probably not as water flows down your jacketed arms and into your hands. But insulated mittens are warmer than gloves, it's just a question of finding an overkill mitten for real winter trips---and then it could be a goose down mitten or primaloft. When it's -10F you don't worry about rain soaking your hands but you need something warm. An insulated mitten with a liner is the answer as then you can remove the mitten to do camp/pack/tent/boot work with the liners and then add the mitten.

Problem is, any work in the snow with a liner and it will get wet---working with an icy tent, dealing with frozen boots, adjusting a snow encrusted pack, etc. So you end up with a wet liner. And like with socks you'll have to use that wet liner the next day on the trail---it's cold---but you can't use your dry liner in reserve.

I treat gloves like socks---they wear out quick and are easily replaced. My current gloves are a Walmart fleece Thermolite pair ($5) and a nice pair of North Face black liners. Here's the thermolite in action---

http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/10065/tj10065%5F022510%5F074540%5F512795.jpg

jakedatc
10-17-2012, 09:05
funny. my goretex shell mittens worked great at 30F in the snow on Monadnock one winter. they can be dried out by putting them in my pocket and letting body heat dry them.

not sure of what "hundreds" of movements i need my hands for but in normal AT temps a few seconds out of mittens is not a big deal.. many things could be done with the mittens since they are thin. if it requires any real detail gloves would have to be removed too.

nice picture... your fleece gloves look useless for a while. eVent does not collect snow or much water and dries quickly.

Lyle
10-17-2012, 09:10
I add my vote to light/medium wool liners with light shell mitts. Versatile, and very warm.

jimmyjam
10-17-2012, 11:05
Mittens will always be warmer than gloves, they have less surface are to lose heat thru.
I think fleece mittens and tyvek overmitts are about the easiest DIY project you can make. Or use cuben and cuben tape too.
Zpacks look good, but price is a bit steep .

Pretty close to what I've got: light wool glove liners and DIY Tyvek overmitts.

bubonicplay
10-21-2012, 15:59
I use smartwool glove liners with E-vent mitts if I expect cold or rain.

Grampie
10-22-2012, 09:15
I would definately bring a pair of gloves if you are starting in April. I used a pair of cheap cotton work gloves. Only needed them a few cold mornings and when it got warmer I just through them away.

Starchild
10-22-2012, 09:42
I use fleece gloves, usually my hands and fingers are warm enough to not only put on my crampons ungloved but also help all those in my group who can't because their hands are too cold to be of any use. I find gloves with a vapor shell to be too hot and sweaty and damp, the fleece allows a lot more air flow and are dryer and more comfortable. Both types (shelled and unshelled) of gloves during a heavy rain become soggy messes around the hands.

I have heard of wearing latex (or other plastic) gloves inside a insulation layer glove, the idea is that your sweat: 1: can't evaporate and can't cool you down 2: can't get your glove material wet , your hand stays damp, but like a wet suit your body heats that water so there is warm water around your hands inside the glove. I have played around with that setup a bit but not enough to say that it works.

bamboo bob
10-22-2012, 09:45
March at Springer is not all that cold. You'll not likely need gloves at all. Even if it snows, it's nothing like VT.

swjohnsey
10-22-2012, 09:49
It can get pretty chilly. I saw a foot of snow and temps in the teen with 50 mph winds coming across Hump Mountain. I was sure happy to have mittens. This was early in April.