Gloves/Mittens

[Lady Grey]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Army wool mittens (2 pair), Lightest shells you can find. The trigger fingers make many tasks easier.

[Smooth & Wasabi]

Light liner glove and the lightest wpb shell you can find.

[swjohnsey]

Yep, mittens are warmer. Z-pack makes some cool fleece mittens with cuben shells.

[jakedatc]

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]

Another vote for wool liner gloves and a lightweight mitten shell.

[Slo-go'en]

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]

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]

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]

Thanks, everyone, for your ideas! I'll keep researching...

[MuddyWaters]

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]

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]

Merino wool liners, OR PL400 mittens and MLD eVent mitts. Warm, light, and very tweakable.

["Atlas"]

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]

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]

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]

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/...-socks/mittens