Winter Gloves

[kayak karl]

my hands are bad. work has damaged the circulation in them. at 40 i feel it and at 32 im in pain. So, does anyone have ideas on winter gloves (for below zero) that can be purchased in USA.

i have the meteor mittens, but im not happy with them.
looking for gloves, but good mittens might have to do.

KK

[10-K]

Outdoor Research PL400 mittens with merino wool liners.

[kayak karl]

Outdoor Research PL400 mittens with merino wool liners.

TY, but that's close to what i have and they won't make it below 20 for me.

[10-K]

Yeah, I missed the below 0 part, sorry. PL400's and mw liners wouldn't cut it.

[Rasty]

If your hand really need extra warmth start with a pair of NRS Hydroskin gloves then heavy gloves over the top. Hydroskin is 0.5mm neoprene plus a waterproof layer. It's thin and very warm.

[Rasty]

For the outer gloves Black Diamond mountaineering gloves or mittens.

[grayfox]

Have you tried those golves or mittens with the small pocket for a chemical hand or toe warmer on the back?

Sounds like trying to warm people with hypothermia--you have to put some heat next to them as they can't make thier own heat no matter how many sleeping bags you wrap them in.

[Rasty]

my hands are bad. work has damaged the circulation in them. at 40 i feel it and at 32 im in pain. So, does anyone have ideas on winter gloves (for below zero) that can be purchased in USA.

i have the meteor mittens, but im not happy with them.
looking for gloves, but good mittens might have to do.

KK

Is it Renaud syndrome? My father inlaw has that and his hands hurt and turn purple around 30 degrees

[HikerMom58]

Is it Renaud syndrome? My father inlaw has that and his hands hurt and turn purple around 30 degrees

Wow, that sounds really bad and painful...what does he do about it? Is there a cure? Maybe it could help KK with his cold hands issue. I'll be honest with you all- I've never heard about this prob. before....

[Mags]

Dachstein boiled wool mitts.

http://www.bradleyalpinist.com/cart/...u3uerut2h7i5e1
\

Generally considered among the warmest and most bomber mitts in the world. Couple them with liner gloves and I think you'll find your hands toasty.
http://www.climbing.com/news/justout...in_uber_mitts/

[Marta]

For me, it's not so much the mitten as the fact that my hands have to be warm before the mittens go on. In winter that means making a hot cup of tea or hot water bottle, so I can warm up my hands before i slip the gloves or mittens on.

I like a combination of wool mittens with a wind proof layer. If my hands start to get hot, I take the shell layer off.

[mkmangold]

Reynaud'd produces those symptoms. It's from spasms of the tiny arteries that supply your fingers with blood. Terazosin and calcium channel-blockers help.
I have silver-impregnated inners gloves that work well for me but I layer my gloves depending on temp and symptoms. You can google them to find suppliers.

[John S]

I got into winter hiking in the White Mountains about ten years ago and Reynaud’s almost stopped me before I really got started. It’s a nasty matter – one’s hands become virtually useless in just a few minutes of exposure and, even with a heat source, it can take fifteen or more painful minutes to get back to normal.

I spent several hundred dollars on high end gloves and never found any that worked. The only system that did work for me was a thin liner glove (wool, synthetic, whatever), hand-warmer packets (Grabber, etc.) and Fox River Mills 9988 Double Layer Winter Mittens. The artificial heat from the hand warmers is critical because with Reynaud’s the hands/fingers just don’t produce or hold enough. The Fox River mittens are soft and comfortable and keep the heat and dryness inside even when the outsides are wet or ice-encrusted. They are also cheap enough to carry extra pairs in case they become totally soaked. The liners remain warm and dry and will buy a few extra minutes of functionality whenever the mittens must be removed.

[bigcranky]

My brother has serious circulation issues. Hand warmers are the only way he can survive winter living in upstate PA.

[Slo-go'en]

You might check out the gloves made for skiers or snowmobilers. I have some thinsolite lined gloves which are pretty warm, but bulky.

When I'm doing something active like snowshoeing, fleece mittens with an overshell to keep them dry and wind proof works well for me when it's really cold out, like sub zero. Thankfully, I'm good with lighter gloves in the more typical +10 to +20 degree range. I might start out with the shells over the gloves, but take them off when my hands warm up.

Man, I hope we get some snow this winter!!

[grayfox]

Karl, I've been thinking about your cold hand problem and I remembered a really cold Boundary Waters winter trip when I just had a real hard time having any fun at all because it was so cold. I had packed some favorite beverages for us in small flat oval nalgene type bottles. One was 4oz and one was 8oz. After they were empty I filled them with hot water and put them in my pants pockets. They kept me warm and my body heat kept them warm for a long time. I also drank the water as it was so convienent. When ever my fingers got cold I put my hands in my pockets. This worked very well and is endlessly renewable, unlike the grabber packets-when you're out you're sol.

There are a lot of good ideas above--overmitts waterproof/breathable are great in wet windy weather.

[kayak karl]

Dachstein boiled wool mitts.

http://www.bradleyalpinist.com/cart/...u3uerut2h7i5e1
\

Generally considered among the warmest and most bomber mitts in the world. Couple them with liner gloves and I think you'll find your hands toasty.
http://www.climbing.com/news/justout...in_uber_mitts/

anybody know where i can get these in gloves. i exhausted all searches i can do.
PS. i PM'ed Mags, but he only knows of mitts

[Mags]

If warmth is your main concern, you are better off with mitts.

If you still want to go the glove route, you'll have a major trade off in warmth. There's a reason most people in cold temps use mitts.

Having said that, a local craftsperson in your area would be contracted to make some custom boiled wool gloves (make the gloves oversized, boil them in hot water until they shrink...that's pretty much it).

[Moose2001]

How about these? Gloves with a boiled wool glove insert

http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/sho...d=932_f3212dd9

[Snowleopard]

Your meteor mitts are 300 weight fleece so they should be pretty warm. Are they too tight? That would reduce circulation and make your hands colder, but you've probably already taken this into consideration.

You need a system, not just warm gloves. Your gloves/mittens will get wet in snow, especially at temps near or above freezing, so you need backups. The best single backup for cold conditions is Dachstein mitts (Dachstein gloves don't exist) -- they're warm, windproof and stay warm when wet. It's probably best to have several sets of backup fleece or wool mittens and backup liner gloves. A source of Ortovox Dachstein mitts is http://www.mountaineer.com/store/mer...tegory_Code=64 I haven't tried the Dachsteins from Mags' link; if they're as thick/heavy as the Ortovox, then they're as good. Definitely take a pair of Dachsteins always. Also take handwarmers in case your hands get seriously cold (e.g., frostbite).

An ultimate system would be:
thin polypro liner gloves,
maybe thin wool or fleece gloves over those (for when you need to manipulate things),
a number of wool or fleece mittens in increasing nested sizes,
(perhaps replace the wool/fleece layers withsynthetic puffy mitten such as http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/MensCl...tts-unisex.jsp , use down only is it's guaranteed to stay way below freezing)
and a waterproof breathable shell that fits over all these.
You need to adjust the layers so your hands don't sweat too much and get the mitts wet. I've heard of using latex gloves as a vapor barrier for your hands, and this might help but I haven't tried it.

If you can sew at all, sewing your own nesting fleece mitts would be the easiest way to get this system.

In use, you want to keep your hands warm always. Winter hikers in New England learn to use big zipper pulls and other tricks to manipulate your clothes without removing bulky mitts. You would want to learn to set up your tent and cook dinner with your hands protected as well as possible. Check out the hot tent campers in Canada; they use what they call plunge mitts. When you take the mitts off for some task, they hang by straps so you can immediately plunge your hands back in. http://www.wintergreennorthernwear.c...unge-Mitt.html These are likely too warm and sweaty for your use, but the idea is useful.

I used to have snowmobile mitts that had the advantage that they were long and came well up my arm most of the way to the elbow; this made them warmer. I think the blood in the forearms was kept warmer which made my hands (and body) warmer. You might have to make your own for this.

Good luck, winter is the best time to be out there.