Gloves or Mittens

[1ADAM12]

I am going to get into winter hiking next year and I am going to start getting my gear now. This way I am not sinking 500 bucks into new gear just before a trip.

In your expierences which is better gloves or mittens?

Thanks,
Adam

 

[Adk_dib]

I use the gloves with the finger tips missing so I can grap things (ever try to grab something with gloves on?). They have a flap that folds over like a mitten. I carry thin insulating liners with me in case that is not enough.

 

[cbcbd]

Both. IMO one should have two sets of gloves/mittens in the winter, just in case. I usually carry gloves (not as warm, but more dexterous), mittens (not as dexterous, but much warmer), and a stretchy liner.

 

[poison ivy]

I wear a pair of light liner gloves underneath a a pair of mittens.

- Ivy

 

[DougPaul]

I use wind-block fleece gloves most of the time. Good dexterity and warm enough for me, again most of the time. I carry mittens and mitten shells for use when the gloves are not warm enough.

People vary tremendously--some have warm hands, some cold. You will have to experiment to find out what works for you.

For cooking, you might want to consider wool gloves. The plastics (nylon, polyester (fleece), polypropolene) all melt when heated too hot--they burn too.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Mittens are much warmer, but you loose some dexterity. OTH, unless you're doing brain surgery, at least you can feel your fingers.

Check for sales at this time of the year. Consider getting a pair of shells, and then a few pairs of mittens - double fleece, or WindProof fleece are good choices. I also love boiled wool mittens (sometimes called Himalayan or Dachstein) but they can be a bit tough to find. Sometimes Campmor carries the boiled wool variety.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Both. IMO one should have two sets of gloves/mittens in the winter, just in case. I usually carry gloves (not as warm, but more dexterous), mittens (not as dexterous, but much warmer), and a stretchy liner.

For a long hike, I might wear 3 or 4 pairs of gloves/mittens/liners. Stock up now! And I highly recommend chemical hand warmers!

 

[nartreb]

Ditto on "both". I wear fleece gloves - they're not quite windproof (despite the labelling), and not extremely warm, but most of the time I just want something to keep the chill off. The fleece breathes well so my hands don't get sweaty, which is as much a concern as the cold. Dexterity is much better than with mittens - I can usually manage zippers, crampons, etc without removing the gloves.
Above treeline on the coldest days, I'll put a pair of nylon mitts over the gloves for a completely windproof, waterproof shell that extends over my jacket sleeve to the elbow.

Consider bringing more than one pair of fleece gloves - they're not waterproof, so if you fall into the snow, or spill your water, or just sweat a lot, the gloves you're wearing will get wet. Not only does that make them less warm, but if you take them off when wet they can freeze solid.

 

[Jay H]

You can buy a complete system though not necessarily all at the same time too. a basic fleecy liner gloves can be worn under a mid layer windproof/waterproof glove and then in seriously cold conditions, you can buy an over mitt or over glove, gauntlet style to wear above that and then mix and match based on the conditions.

That's what I typically do in the ADKs in my winter climbs. Mittens are regarded to be much warmer and carrying those chemical heat packs is fairly inexpensive. I've never used one though yet and they do weaken with age.

Jay

 

[hikingfish]

I am going to get into winter hiking next year and I am going to start getting my gear now. This way I am not sinking 500 bucks into new gear just before a trip.

In your expierences which is better gloves or mittens?

Thanks,
Adam

Ahhh, I love talking about mitts! I'm a big mitts fan for winter use, this is my setup, which has been tested up to -36C up north (little north of Lac St-Jean, in Quebec) without counting the windchill of howling winds (people were wearing ski goggles just to get from the trailhead hut to their parked cars 100m away):
1 pair of polypro liners
Double fleece mitts
OR Shells!

A couple of things I like to check for if you decide to go for mitts (although it might probably apply to gloves too): Take your shells fairly big. You'll be wearing a liner and a insulating layer (either double fleece, or these when it's cold and you're not moving). Also, if it comes with a fleece liner, make sure it's removable (and be sure to buy a spare, although it doesn't need to be from the same company). Shock cords are awesome, and a wriststrap is ok (not a big fan, snow/ice sometimes forms in there and it gets stuck). Idiot cords (so you can clip your mitts to your jacket is convenient for when you take your mitts off to take the summit pics!).

One thing my OR shells don't have which I wish they did: Sniffle patches on the thumbs. Although, all the snot just freezes there either way

Fish

EDIT: I also own a pair of gloves. Unfortunately, they're not warm, so I keep them for 3 season hiking.

 

[Double Bow]

I agree with the "both" POV. I carry several of both 'cause I'm cautious. For most 4K climbs, I wear windproof fleece gloves with leather palms. Sometimes though, I'm warm enough that I just wear liner gloves.

I very rarely wear my mittens but on the rare occasion when it's WICKED cold and I'm going to be out in an exposed area for a while, I'll slip on my boiled wool mittens inside my OR Mercury Mitts. FWIW, I've only had to use this set up twice in the past three winters and I'm out pretty much every weekend.

I also second the advice to stock up on hand warmers NOW! While I don't often use them, they can do a world of good if you or another hiker needs them.

 

[cbcbd]

Idiot cords (so you can clip your mitts to your jacket is convenient for when you take your mitts off to take the summit pics!)

To me idiot cords are key!! Not only am I a bumbling idiot, but with my
Powerstretch glove liners and mittens combination, I can quickly flick off my mittens for quick dexterity and not fully expose my hands and then have them right there to put back on.

 

[giggy]

I agree with double bow - I pretty much carry em in winter in case I get hurt and have to spend the night out. I haven't actually worn them in years while on a day hiking trip - or overnights for that matter.

I prefer 2 pairs (90% of the time only one gets used) nice water/wind proof gloves

for example:
http://www.rei.com/product/725076


below trreline on most hikes, a fleece glove typically does the job. I actually wear 100 weight polartech liners most of the time.

find what works for you

 

[onestep]

1 pair of polypro liners
Double fleece mitts
OR Shells!

Take your shells fairly big. You'll be wearing a liner and a insulating layer (either double fleece, or these when it's cold and you're not moving). .

Your OR Shells come with a removable liner. Are your OR Shells sized so that you can wear your Polypro liners & Double fleece mittens in place of the OR Shell liner or INSIDE of the OR Shell & its liner?

 

[onestep]

... when it's WICKED cold and I'm going to be out in an exposed area for a while, I'll slip on my boiled wool mittens inside my OR Mercury Mitts.

Mercury Mitts come with a removable Prima-Loft & Fleece inner mitten. Do you wear your boiled wool mittens inside of the prima-loft/fleece mittens, or in place of them?

 

[hikingfish]

Your OR Shells come with a removable liner. Are your OR Shells sized so that you can wear your Polypro liners & Double fleece mittens in place of the OR Shell liner or INSIDE of the OR Shell & its liner?

I didn't like any of the liners I saw when I was shopping around for mitts, so I specifically chose a shell that didn't come with a liner. So I wear polypro liner glove, fleece mitts and shell (no inner shell liner).

One down side of this setup that I've seen after the purchase, was that some shell-provided liners have velcro or abrasive parts which will greatly increase the your ability to manipulate anything with your mitts. I just practice and practice and I do a lot of stuff wearing my mitts now.

Fish

 

[the starchild]

neither is better all the time.

neither is better all the time. there is a time and place for both. get both!

with gloves get a two piece set with a waterproof shell and inner liner. now you have four things to wear (liner only, shell only, liner and shell, mittens)and can always buy thinner liners to wear with the shells.

if your hands get really cold messing with your pack/camera/whatever, putting gloves back on won't help much. mittens will be much more helpful.

as other also said, experiment, everyone's tolerances and bodies are different.

 

[DougPaul]

One item to note:
If you have gloves/mittens that have both a shell and a non-removable liner, you will have difficulty drying them. Separate shells and liners are much easier to dry. It is also practical (and desirable) to carry several sets of liners for a shell--as one set of liners gets damp, you can swap them for a dry set.

Your hand insulation will get wet, either from sweat or from melted snow.

You dry liners on the trail by carrying them in your shirt or at night by putting them in your sleeping bag with you. In both cases, they are dried by body heat. (On a day hike, you may be able to get by without drying the spare liners on the trail.)

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

An additional thought on shells: you can spend a small fortune on a pair, particularly if you get waterproof ones. In my experience, waterproof shells are a waste of money, and they're heavy to boot, so get basic shells, with possibly non-slip grips. When it's so cold and windy that shells are a necessity, about the only thing that resembles a liquid will be (pardon my candor) your runny nose...

 

[Toe Cozy]

Wool!!!

I haven't been winter hiking very long, so take that into consideration. My system of choice has turned out to be some $14 Fox River wool gloves that have little rubber nubbies (hey "little rubber nubbies" is fun to say! go on, say it...out loud) on the palms. They are a little thicker than liners but not thick like serious gloves. Most of the time I wear just these and take them off as soon as my hands get warm and start to sweat. It took me a while to figure this out and to get used to the on/off on/off procedure. But dry gloves. Dry gloves make a huge difference. I can keep them dry for almost a whole hike by taking them off and hiking bare handed when I'm hot and putting them back on when I'm cold.

When the wool gloves are not enough I'll put my OR shell mitts over top for some wind and wetness from the outside protection. If that is still not enough I'll stop, take off the wool gloves, put on my double thickness $11 Fox River wool mittens and then the Shell Mitts over those.

I carry backup synthetic liners and really cozy down mittens for emergencies. I also am not embarrassed to use a little chemical help, but usually find that I don't need it for long and end up putting them into my pockets. It's good to pass them around your hiking group in my opinion. I'm a chemical hand warmer pusher!

Anyway, that's a long way of saying. Wool is great (and a renewable resource unlike all the synthetic stuff we use!) My usually cold hands were warm this winter almost all of the time and it was a cheap system.