Mittens for really cold hands

[adkayaker]

For discussion at next MD physical-I find my fingers increasingly sensitive to cold temps to the point of becoming painful. For winter snowshoeing, hiking, etc. I'm trying to find the best mitten/glove option.

Although I could buy it all and change as needed it seems I can either get

a heavily insulated mitten/glove with down or primaloft, perhaps with a Gore-tex exterior. (Marmot, EMS, etc.)

or

layered approach with a synthetic liner glove, thick fleece or wool inner glove and then a waterproof shell such as those made by OR.

Suggestions?

 

[RollingRock]

I'm in the same situation. I've tried almost everything. I'm using a liner glove and a down mitten. Above treeline I'll put on a shell over the mitt however with all this insulation the use of my hands becomes limited.

My best solution is to always carry chemical hand warmers and use them.

I also find that using poles limits the blood circulation in my hands so sometimes I place them in the pack for a while until my hands warm-up.

 

[mookie]

i would just stay home......
having cold fingers and toes stinks.

 

[J.Dub]

For discussion at next MD physical-I find my fingers increasingly sensitive to cold temps to the point of becoming painful. For winter snowshoeing, hiking, etc. I'm trying to find the best mitten/glove option.

Although I could buy it all and change as needed it seems I can either get

a heavily insulated mitten/glove with down or primaloft, perhaps with a Gore-tex exterior. (Marmot, EMS, etc.)

or

layered approach with a synthetic liner glove, thick fleece or wool inner glove and then a waterproof shell such as those made by OR.

Suggestions?

Both of these options have there adherents. One factor (perhaps the deciding one) is how often you'll need to pull your hands out of the mitts/gloves to do things like take pics, get into your pack, clip a jumar onto a fixed line, etc.

I tend to run hot, so much so that on a hike in the single-digits or low teens you'd prolly see me in softshell pantz, a mid-weight tech top, fleece headband and thin polypro liner gloves.

For ice climbing, I'll add a pair of GoreTex shell gloves over the liners whilst climbing, swapping over to a pair of insulated mittens at the belays. I carry an extra pair of liners in case I sweat out the first pair.

My mitts are BD Mercury's, which I got for about $50 online a few years back and have been EXTREMELY pleased with. The Cadillac of insulated mittens is, of course, the OR Alti Mitts, but their price tag of $100-$125 was too steep (not cheap ). If I ever schedule that Denali trip, I might pick up a pair at that point...

A friend of mine who's fingers run cold bought a pair last year and said it was the best gear investment he ever made. IIRC, Marmot just introduced an insulated mitt to compete with the Alti Mitts, so you might wanna check them out as well.

 

[jniehof]

How big are your hands? I'm very limited by not being able to put anything larger than a fairly thin liner glove under a mitt. These are pretty close to the warmest mitts you can get and, well, they're cheaper than a new pair of hands. If you go up a size, you should be able to wear liner glove, heavier fleece glove, and then the mitts. (But in that case, the cheaper Cornice mitts would probably be sufficient.) The all-in-one single thick mitt approach is pretty hard to tune for conditions or to dry out if they get damp.

I also wear nitrile exam gloves under my liners as a vapor barrier. My fingers look like prunes at the end of the day, but it makes a big difference for me in staying warm.

 

[Stash]

Layers - Just like everything else

layered approach with a synthetic liner glove, thick fleece or wool inner glove and then a waterproof shell such as those made by OR.

This one works for me. I rarely wear just gloves if it's really cold. Shell mitten over fleece gloves with the option of a thin liner covers almost everything. Different combinations for different temps/levels of activity.

 

[Maddy]

http://www.warmers.com/Category.asp...ber+Warmers&pval=0|1&pIds=Showcase|CategoryID

These have worked miracles for my icy cold hands.
None of the expensive mitts have worked for me. I have a drawer full, including the big mountaineering overmitts.
I even have Black Diamond Mercury Mitts. My hands still froze.

You can buy these at Walmart for cheap. Several companies make them and some work for 7, others for 10+hrs. They also have body warmers which a bit larger that I carry as emergency gear in case I start to ge hypothermic.

I don't leave home without them and carry extras in my truck. I have them in my pack already for the season.

The true testimonial is that I wore them 24-7 on my Outward Bound course in No MN. Temps down to -40 at night. I went thru two sets a day and my hands were never cold. We wore choppers because we needed the dexterity to work all day. They are leather with a lining but very flexible. They look like this.
http://www.henrysshoerepair.com/moosehide chopper mittens.html

I wouldn't waste another dime on mittens.

I have Raynaud's and over time I have to wear extra clothing also because it seems to eventually affect your entire body. My feet haven't had much problem staying warm with -40 boots and excellent sock system.

 

[--M.]

Layers (like ogres)!

I've had this problem, with variability: start cold, warm up, overheat.

So I use several layers of varying strength and change the mix as the day goes on. This also helps with varying external conditions (like snow, rain, etc.).

I also have trouble with the compression of wrist straps and/or a strong grip on the poles and adjust for that, too.

There are lots of entries in previous threads that should help you (search is your friend).

Good luck!

 

[Peakbagr]

Have you been tested for Reynaud's? Nefedipine, the short duration doses works wonders.

Dachstein inner mitts with a shell is the next best thing.

PM me if you want to discuss Reynauds.

 

[TrishandAlex]

Alex's hands become painfully cold in very short order, even if the rest of her is warm.

We use layers, but for us, chemical hand warmers are the only thing that makes winter hiking possible. I carry many on each hike, since every once in a while we get a dud.

 

[Chip]

I have several combinations (gloves, mittens and "shooter" mittens) that all involve wool and a waterproof shell. I avoid fleece gloves generally as they are useless once they get wet, or even damp. Try something like these or these under something like these. Cheap enough to try.

And many people swear by the chemical warmers but I'd prefer not to count on them.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Have you been tested for Reynaud's? Nefedipine, the short duration doses works wonders.

...

PM me if you want to discuss Reynauds.

Or me. All of the above are good suggestions. Make sure to keep your hands dry. Take short breaks, and snack, instead of eating a large amount at once. Also, windmilling your arms will provide some (temporary) relief.

 

[michaelb]

Snowshoeing and hiking (up a mountain) can be so warm and sweaty, I think you have to go with a layered approached. I have several options, but I am not sure I have the perfect system either (too cheap maybe to buy all the options). So a shell mitt, a fleece liner mitt, light liner gloves, and something else for a liner that is really, really warm. The wool mitts may be good. I think I want to order this primaloft option:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302698935&bmUID=1258408831943

I don't know of other primaloft liner mitts like this one, and this is reasonably priced and reasonably light. Bringing handwarmers is a really good idea; we use them skiing all the time.

 

[Snowflea]

I have pretty bad Raynaud's. These things, along with lots of chemical hand warmers, helped me immensely on Denali:

http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=832&CFID=1406451&CFTOKEN=45898653

If you're handy with a needle 'n thread, you could probably make a pair pretty easily.

Moving to a warmer climate helped a bunch, too!

 

[Pulker Pete]

Mittens for Cold hands

I agree with Peakbagr. I've used Dachsteins for years. They are made in Austria. They are shrunk down so they are very tight. I use a set of OR's shells and pull the Dachsteins out if my hands get too warm and just use the liners. When the hands get cold I put the liners back in. WOOL can keep your hands warm even when wet. My 2 cents

 

[stu]

Chemical handwarmers......don't leave home without them! Seriously though, I have several frost-nipped finger tips that go numb very quickly. Since I started using these things I have not had a problem. I bring one in each pocket and several extras on each trip.

 

[Neil]

Hand knit and felted mittens that fit you really well under a gore-tex shell outer mitt.

I couldn't find Dachsteins last year and anyway, I find the cuffs way too tight and long so I started knitting my own.

Here are some pics of my fisrt project: felting an icredibly warm mitten.

I have since knit 2 other pairs using different needle and wool sizes.

 

[Chip]

here you go; get a set of these with the chemical packs and use under something like these ! No way would your hands be cold with that set up. If they are, well, winter's not an option.

 

[Tom Rankin]

As a sufferer of this condition, let me point out that once this happens, no amount of layers will do any good - unless you get heat into your fingers and hands. This can be internally in the form of increased blood flow, or external heat, from a hot water bottle, chemical hand warmers, or whatever.

For that matter, I do not believe extra glove layers really helps prevent this condition. For me at least, it is mostly a reaction by my body to conserve heat by restricting blood flow to the extremities. That is why I advocated snacking and short rest breaks. Both of these things keep me on a more even keel.

But as Chip says, "ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY: IIRC. YRMV. IMHO. FWIW. HYOH. NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE
THAT INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS POST IS ACCURATE, RELIABLE OR APPROPRIATE FOR ANY PARTICULAR SITUATION."

 

[Chip]

As a sufferer of this condition, let me point out that once this happens, no amount of layers will do any good - unless you get heat into your fingers and hands. This can be internally in the form of increased blood flow, or external heat, from a hot water bottle, chemical hand warmers, or whatever.

That's a really great point and it's one that's lost on those of us that don't have that condition.