Wool Mittens ?

[stu]

Hi, I have a pair of "double" rag wool mittens (possibly "Dachenstein?), which I absolutley love. Bought these well over 20 years ago and wish I had bought 3 pair. They have some small holes (possibly by moths ). Does anyone know where I can get these repaired (darned)? Are they still being made? Where can they be purchased? I know, a lot of questions . Thanks, Stu

 

[Peakbagr]

Stu:

Dachstein mittens.

http://www.sweatersintl.com/store/woolmittens.html

 

[nietzschescat]

I have a pair of double knit wool mittens that I knitted quite a long time ago and when they got a few little holes I just used some wool yarn and a big needle (they make them for knitting) and sewed up the holes. It's not that complicated.

I love them for hiking. Your hands stay warm even if the mittens get wet.

 

[stu]

Not so complicated for you! I don't even sew my own buttons on my shirts. Cheers, Stu

 

[stu]

Peakbagger, thats it! Now I can order a new pair, not cheap but worth it. Thanks for the link. Stu

 

[TEO]

Fox River makes a double-layer, rag wool mitten, and it is very warm. However, the Dachstein mitten, which is a single layer of boiled, or 'felted,' wool has a much denser weave and is incredibly warm, not to mention water and wind resistant. $32 isn't a terrible price when you consider how much more expensive the name-brand synthetic mittens and gloves go for. The Ortovox 'Dachstein-style*' mitten goes for $50 at the Mountaineer--that makes $32 sound pretty good, no?

*The Ortovox mittens are made in Germany, not in the Dachstein region of Austria.

 

[Maddy]

Hi, I have a pair of "double" rag wool mittens (possibly "Dachenstein?), which I absolutley love. Bought these well over 20 years ago and wish I had bought 3 pair. They have some small holes (possibly by moths ). Does anyone know where I can get these repaired (darned)? Are they still being made? Where can they be purchased? I know, a lot of questions . Thanks, Stu

If you have a knitting store in your area, not a chain craft store, bring them in and I think one of the folks there will fix them for you. My knitting teacher would in Northampton.
PM me is you need assistance.

Just ordered a pair of those mitts for myself. Haven't seen them around for a very long time.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Stu:

Dachstein mittens.

http://www.sweatersintl.com/store/woolmittens.html

Excellent resource, Alan - thanks. Notice they also carry those superb socks ($23). And the prices seem reasonable, especially since it includes shipping.

 

[stu]

TEO - Thanks for the link, those look identical to mine. I'm going to order several.

Maddy - I do have a knitting store near me that i'm going to check out. You are going to love the mittens. My fingers have never been cold with them.

Cheers, Stu

 

[TEO]

Stu, note that OGE/GearX.com only has smalls available. I grew up on the Fox Rivers and have a pair for around town, but don't kid yourself, they don't hold a candle to the Dachsteins. The Dachstein mitts are much warmer, more durable, and thinner. It's the original, and arguably still the best, cold weather mitten.

Kevin, it's Chip and myself that you shold be thanking. When Chip originally posted the link to the Dachstein mittens at Sweaters International, they just referred to them as boiled wool mittens from Austria. A call to Sweaters International and their checking with the supplier confirmed that they were indeed Dachsteins. I suggested to SI that they would sell many more if they referred to them as Dachsteins on their website. My understanding is that sales picked up immediately with the change.

 

[Maddy]

Fox River makes a double-layer, rag wool mitten, and it is very warm. However, the Dachstein mitten, which is a single layer of boiled, or 'felted,' wool has a much denser weave and is incredibly warm, not to mention water and wind resistant. $32 isn't a terrible price when you consider how much more expensive the name-brand synthetic mittens and gloves go for. The Ortovox 'Dachstein-style*' mitten goes for $50 at the Mountaineer--that makes $32 sound pretty good, no?

*The Ortovox mittens are made in Germany, not in the Dachstein region of Austria.

The Ortovox don't keep my hands warm. I didn't think they held a candle to my old Dachstein mitts.
My blood does run cold with Raynaud's so that changes everything.

 

[pedxing]

I love my Dachstein Mitts (learned about them here a few years back) so now I'm wondering are the Dachstein socks suitable for winter hikes? Any experience with them?

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Kevin, it's Chip and myself that you shold be thanking. http://vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33221

Well, in any case the important thing is that there's a source of them now available in this country. Many years ago you could get Dachstein's mitts and socks thru Climb Highs retail store on Shelburne Road in Shelburne, VT which was in keeping with their business as it got it's start by importing German and French climbing gear and became US distributors for several lines of European gear. I used to get a discount from them for the students of the NH Chapter's winter hiking series, and picked up many a pair of socks and mittens for students. But, when Mammut bought Climb High all that changed and Dachstein items became harder to find. For a time you could get them thru Campmor.

FWIW - Gear Exchange is very near the location of Climb High's downtown Burlington store which I read in the Free Press closed recently.

Perhaps if we help throw some business to Sweaters International we can help guarantee a source of these fine mittens and socks for years to come. If you've never tried their socks - they're simply amazing in terms of their warmth and cushioning. So pedxing - I can give a huge thumbs up to them. If there's a downside to them - they're THICK socks, so you almost have to size boots to fit them. If they make your boots a bit snug, try a thinner insole liner.

 

[Peakbagr]

I have 2 pr of Dachsteins that I've worn for 30+ winters. I always keep them in a shell to prevent them from being ruined. Picked up another couple of pairs but the originals are still going strong.
Dachsteins are the warmest mittens anywhere and stay warm when soaking wet.

If you have cold hands or like to be out in very cold weather, you owe it to your hands to buy a pair.
Love 'em.

 

[DougPaul]

I used to wear Dachsteins while ice climbing. On occasion, water would stream down the face and through the mittens. Of course my hands would get cold, but they would be warm and dry within 10 or so minutes. Small ice balls would form on the surface hairs of the mittens, but they too would be gone in a little while. Had I been wearing fleece mittens, I would have had to change them...

FWIW, there are at least 7 prior threads discussing Dachstein mittens...

Doug

 

[stu]

Thanks all!

Ordered a pair of Dachstein mitts and received them today via snail-mail, only took 3 days. Nice quality and very tight weave. Also going to order a pair of the double mitts to replace mine, (when they get my size.) Cheers, Stu

 

[The Sikes]

re wool mittens

Make friends with a knitter!

 

[Maddy]

Ordered a pair of Dachstein mitts and received them today via snail-mail, only took 3 days. Nice quality and very tight weave. Also going to order a pair of the double mitts to replace mine, (when they get my size.) Cheers, Stu

I got mine to. What double mitts are you referring to? My hands are always cold . Do you mean the outer gortex mitt and the fleece liners?

My new Dachstein are just big enough that I can fit my windproof fleece mittens inside and they are not too bulky.

Looking forward to winter again.

 

[TEO]

I got mine to. What double mitts are you referring to? My hands are always cold . Do you mean the outer gortex mitt and the fleece liners?

My new Dachstein are just big enough that I can fit my windproof fleece mittens inside and they are not too bulky.

Stu's referring to these:

Fox River makes a double-layer, rag wool mitten, and it is very warm.

But, they're not as good as Dachsteins.

I would suggest that you try wearing the Dachsteins as your base layer and then putting a shell over them, if necessary.

 

[MadRiver]

For my Dachsteins I do the following. I put a thin pair of glove liners inside and pair of OR overmitts over them. I also place a pair of hand warmers in each one before the hike. Once I reach the ridge and switch from my snowshoes to crampons, my hands are usually really cold, so I put on the Dachsteins until my hands warm up, which only takes a few minutes. If the temps are in the minus range I will leave them on. If it is above 0 I will switch to a different pair because the Dachsteins are way too warm to hike in. Or, I will take out the hand warms and take off the overmitts, and just hike in the Dachsteins. Whatever I do, they are always in my pack.