Help: I Need a Woman with Cold Hands

[dvbl]

My wife's hands get cold when we hike in the winter. She says it's because it's too cold outside. I say it's because her gloves are not adequate. So we're both right (but I'm a little more right).

Anyway, I want to get her some mittens which go over her gloves (those pretty fleecy form-fitting gloves) to provide waterproof and windproof protection.

Or, mittens that are waterproof and windproof AND have a boat-load of insulation. In this case, she can take the mitts off and put her girly gloves on when she needs some temporary dexterity.

Help please. Brand, type, model, whatever works for you. Thanks.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Look at Marrmot's Expedition Mitt - lists for $100 - exceptionally warm.

Any chance she has Reynaud's?

 

[DougPaul]

Keeping your hands warm requires more than just warm gloves/mittens--it also requires that your body be warm enough to allow excess heat to go to the hands. Central body insulation and heat production are also factors. (The old saying "if your feet are cold, put a hat on" also applies to your hands.)

Kevin is also correct in noting that Raynaud's Syndrome could also be a factor. There are treatments--Dr. Murray Hamlet's classical conditioning technique is one that you can try on your own. References to it have been posted in several previous threads:
Cold Hands
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10853
Frostbitten feet
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5432

Might also be some useful info in:
Cold, cold hands
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4419

Doug

 

[sli74]

http://www.rei.com/product/725078

I use these ones and they are SUPER warm. Mine fit me perfectly and I don't wear liners under them so you might want to buy a pair one size larger than she needs if she will fit gloves under them. Sometimes when I am hiking, they are so warm, I take them off until my hands cool down.

sli74

 

[giggy]

has she tried hand warmers??? - if just day hiking - might do the trick.

A rookie mistake I made when first starting to winter hike was using layers - that were actually too tight. I was wearing liners and a heavy glove - it restricted the circulation enough that my hands would get cold, but not enough to think it was restricting - ya know

- finally, someone said take the liner off - and that worked!

when ice climbing - tough to keep hands warm to to gripping metal tools, not moving as fast as hiking, etc.. On the real cold days, I do use hand warmers and they work good.

 

[HikerAmiga]

Keeping your hands warm requires more than just warm gloves/mittens--it also requires that your body be warm enough to allow excess heat to go to the hands. Central body insulation and heat production are also factors.

I don't have any special glove type suggestions but need to ask, does your wife, in fact, like to hike? I ask because I have a teenage, girly-girl daughter who doesn’t and this is her first complaint when we have hiked, “my hands are cold!”. If she is ok with it and barring any medical conditions that might cause cold hands, let me suggest, as DougPaul implies above, that she overdress when starting to hike and wear several layers on her body including a warm hat and gloves. My theory is that if she builds good core body heat initially, she may be able to stay warmer longer to include her extremities especially if you remain in pretty constant movement throughout the hike.

This works for me though I have a naturally good core body heat and in the winter, about 10 minutes into the hike, the gloves come off entirely and stay off for the longest. But I recall many years ago before I had babies and was able to build up that body core heat , that I often had cold hands and feet that just couldn’t warm up. My favorite compensating quote then was “cold hands but a warm heart”.

Good luck!

 

[erugs]

I used to have trouble with cold hands, though. And my ears used to hurt like crazy if the temperature was below 50 degrees. Now my gloves/mittens are always coming off and going on when I hike and I rarely wear more than a cap and maybe headband (love Buffwear bands!) on my head. Don't know if it is my attitude or my phsiology that has changed. My favorite pair of gloves came from EMS -- they have Primaloft, and it's like putting my hands into pillows, except that I have great mobility in them. They are a little large for me, but that's because I can't stand anything tight around my fingers. I also have a pair of LL Bean mittens that are Primaloft filled and some Mountain Hardware down mittens that are really, really warm.

 

[MadRiver]

Is she on any meds? The side effects of some medications can be cold hands and feet. I had to switch medications for that very reason.

 

[timmus]

I spent winter 2006 hiking with cold hands, and I solved the problem in 2007, wearing the same set of gloves/mitts that I had the year before.

I just learned when to take them off (before sweating too much), and when put them back on. I use my chest strap to keep them accessible, and I always bring 4-5 pairs (1 liners, 2 mediums -fleece and wool, BD Mercury Mitts for summit/breaks and one extra fleece with shell).

Another thing: I don't use hiking poles anymore, and that I believe is the first reason why my hands are not freezing as much as they did before.

 

[SkierSteve]

Two of my regular hiking partners both have Raynaud's and are extremely susceptible to chilled hands and feet. They both swear by the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt. I have a pair myself and they are totally bomb proof and incredibly warm. Hope this helps.

 

[una_dogger]

In brutally cold weather I use liner, then handwarmers, then a big ski type overmitten. The handwarmers REALLY help!

In normal winter weather I wear liners plus a windblock fleece over-glitten.

 

[marty]

If she wears glove liners, I recommend the Smartwool glove liners. They are much warmer than synthetic ones, IMHO.

Marty

 

[LittleBear]

I have had a LOT of problems with cold hands. I have tried several different solutions; however, none of them have totally solved the problem. Last year, I finally found a fairly suitable combination of hand warmers, glove liners and overmitts. What I must do is break out the hand warmers before I begin to hike, while getting ready at the trail head. I slip them next to my skin (even tho' it says not to) and use smartwool glove liners (I agree with Marty that these work much better than the synthetic ones). Then, depending on the temps, I may wear my double fleece mittens, or OR overmitts. This has kept much of my problem at bay.

However, this year, I have discovered something else that has made a huge difference. I am taking two whole food supplements (one of which is designed to improve circulation) and my cold hands have all but disappeared. Even when they do get cold, I don't have any problems warming them up again pretty quickly (it used to take more than 20 minutes of hiking uphill to warm them up before). Several weeks ago, my hands even "overheated" and I had to take off all my mittens/glove liners and hike barehanded - something I have NEVER done in winter and sometimes can't do in 40 or 50 degree weather. I won't go into the details here, but if you are interested in learning more about these whole food supplements, please PM or email me.

 

[dvbl]

I don't have any special glove type suggestions but need to ask, does your wife, in fact, like to hike? I ask because I have a teenage, girly-girl daughter who doesn’t and this is her first complaint when we have hiked, “my hands are cold!”...

After re-reading the first paragraph in the original post, I can see how you got that impression. It was a small (failed) attempt at humor on my part. But yes, she likes to hike. I don't drag her anywhere. If it's too cold to hike, she kisses me goodbye and says, "Have a good hike." I'm just simply looking for a decent pair of mittens.

 

[DougPaul]

I'm just simply looking for a decent pair of mittens.

A bit hard to find these days, but take a look at Dachstein mittens. Made of boiled (preshrunk) wool. Put a shell over them and they should be [cold] bombproof.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Dachstein+Mitten&btnG=Google+Search
Campmor seems to carry them:
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/s...6&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1

Dougal Haston wore two pairs in a storm on the summit of Annapurna and retained all of his fingers...

I used to wear them ice climbing--ice water could drip down the face and soak through the mittens and my hands would be warm 10-15 min later.

And as Giggy suggeted, make sure the mittens (and jacket sleeves) are roomy enough that they do not inhibit circulation.

Keeping your handwear dry will also help.

Doug

 

[dms]

Outdoor Research Alti Mitts are incredibly warm, they are designed for expedition use, but if your wife wants warm hands she'll have them no problem with these. They are pricey, but worth it if you have a problem keeping your hands warm.

 

[dirt]

As others have replied, core body temperature has a lot to do with the temperature of hands and feet. This may be very dependent on the person in question however. I'm not too familiar with cold weather hiking and keeping hands and feet cozy warm, so I can't make a good suggestion for gloves or mitts.

I did, however, see a special on Discovery Science channel about cold weather endurance and they did an experiment with a guy in a cold chamber with "normal" winter gear minus gloves. His dexterity and hand temp were monitored, which quickly deteriorated in even modest wind. Then they plugged in a heated vest which kept his core nice and toasty, and even without gloves on his bare hands they were "comfortably warm" throughout the experiment, even in negative temps Fahrenheit. As soon as the vest was turned off, his fingers started getting colder. Very interesting experiment.

Typically my biggest problem, from the little cold weather hiking I've done, is keeping my perspiration to a minimum, which usually means stripping layers close to the core. Now I probably could wear better clothing which would minimize this, but we all know how expensive these layers can be.

So I'm sure it's finding the ideal combination of gear: hat, mitts, liners, core layers, fabrics, etc. For a quick fix I'm sure the suggestions given for liners/gloves/mitts are great, but after watching this special I will certainly pay closer attention to core layers first when I become more serious about cold weather hiking.

 

[TomD]

I have a pair of Sno Claws from Heat Factory
http://tinyurl.com/2dnb3x
They will take a small warmer in a zippered pocket on the back of the hand. I wear mine with OR PS150 gloves under them and they are quite warm. I sprayed them with Tectron Wet Guard to beef up the waterproofing-they really aren't without it.

 

[HikerAmiga]

Help: I Need a woMan... ;^)

(I love your thread's title!)

Another possibility...While I am not an expert on the nutritional factors for winter hiking, I do know that winter hiking requires a much higher caloric intake which generally is important to keep our bodies warm (core especially). Good hydration is also key.

Might your wife be getting enough fuel prior and during hiking?

 

[Frodo]

These are the best gloves that I have ever owned (been thru 2 pair, and still get remarks about the duct tape) Grandoe

I also own the $100 OR mitts and gloves, and though they are quite warm, I find the "Volcanoes" to be right up there with them... Awesome value for the $$$$