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Cold Weather Handwear


LabRatKing

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Hello Gang,

 

I'm in the market for some serious cold weather overgloves.

 

I wear Arc'teryx Merino wool 'gothic" liners which I wear under standard Mechanix for a general chill or while hammering and digging.

 I also have some Oakley Trigger 2 hybrid over shells and some Outdoor Research Southback over mitts that I use for the hikes to work and between sites. However the Oakleys are useless on windy days below 0C, and the Southbacks are only good down to about -10C. Neither is very  water resistant.

 

I'm in need of some overgloves or mittens that are water resistant and windproof and goon down around  -20 to -30C, preferrably with a zippered access for getting the fingers out without having to don and doff all the time. 

 

Any suggestions much appreciated. (I have a cold weather, higher altitude trip in the near future, hence the questions!)

 

 

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Well snap! I've rarely been in temps that cold (if ever), let alone quarried in that kind of temperature. Good luck keeping all your bits intact.

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I’m with @sharkdoctor. I have never been in temps that cold. The gloves I mainly use are fingerless so I get some blister prevention while hammering, but still have the feeling in my fingers for more tactile work.

 

Maybe @AK hiker has an idea? He flies the skies of Alaska. I hear it gets pretty cold up that way. ;) 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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Yeah, Those sorts of temps are pretty common here by January and the near constant winds make it worse. A -20C “real feel” is not abnormal. 
In this case it is our last chance at a site and frozen roads are easier than mud. But even after the drive, it’s still a solid 5k to the quarry. The landowner is selling the land so future access is not likely.

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Ack! Sounds like a real challenge and a worthwhile one at that. I wonder if the hunters among us have some solutions. The don/doff problem + water resistance sounds a bit like back country hunting. I sure hope you have someone documenting your upcoming work. Sounds like one to tell the grandkids about :) I'm looking forward to the trip report :popcorn:

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On 10/7/2020 at 1:51 PM, LabRatKing said:

Hello Gang,

 

I'm in the market for some serious cold weather overgloves.

 

 

Hello, did you ever get any useful suggestions or figure it out on your own?

Perhaps you can help me with a slightly different version of the same problem

My "sharking" as my wife calls it is in Big Brook in New Jersey.  We rarely get temperatures like you do BUT i have some sort of circulation issues and having my feet and hands in the water, even this time of year, leaves me numb.

Do you know of any waterproof gloves which are really thin?

I would only be able to wear something on my left/pan hand and not on my right hand because the teeth can be so small i wouldn't be able to pick them out of the pan

good warm luck to us both

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3 hours ago, butchndad said:

Hello, did you ever get any useful suggestions or figure it out on your own?

Perhaps you can help me with a slightly different version of the same problem

My "sharking" as my wife calls it is in Big Brook in New Jersey.  We rarely get temperatures like you do BUT i have some sort of circulation issues and having my feet and hands in the water, even this time of year, leaves me numb.

Do you know of any waterproof gloves which are really thin?

I would only be able to wear something on my left/pan hand and not on my right hand because the teeth can be so small i wouldn't be able to pick them out of the pan

good warm luck to us both

Nothing much as of yet. However, waterproof gloves that are good for dexterous work I can do! There are lots of different options, but I prefer the brand name "Sealskinz"- you can find them on the web. They aren't cheap, about 100$ a pair, but I have two pairs, one for cool weather and one for cold weather. They aren't much good for extreme conditions, say windy Nebraska in January, but they are excellent otherwise. I use the Cold Weather Work Glove with Fusion Control model for cold weather fish sampling and plankton trawls. These are so warm and waterproof, that I wear cotton liners with them to change out regularly as my hands sweat!

 

The warmer weather versions are really nice too, waterproof for those days your fingerprints try to fall off from working in the wet, I use their all-weather ultra grip gauntlet model. I bet you can grab teeth with these- I am able to open 200uL vials of preservative with them on! (and run a disposable lighter too, something I can't doo with most gloves.

 

I prefer this brand over the "hallowed gore-tex" junk as the liners and insulation don't slide around and bunch up. (I'm not a fan of gore-tex anything to be honest it always fails when you need it most)

 

However the arcteryx merino wool glove liners I mentioned previously can turn just about any glove into a winter glove and, they do a good job of keeping you warm even when wet. However they are liners only, so the durability isnt there if you use them and nothing else.

 

As for antarctic grade over gauntlets, I have three pairs chosen through the big A, that I'll order once the weather turns to try before I buy  before this expedition.

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3 hours ago, LabRatKing said:

Nothing much as of yet. However, waterproof gloves that are good for dexterous work I can do! There are lots of different options, but I prefer the brand name "Sealskinz"- you can find them on the web. They aren't cheap, about 100$ a pair, but I have two pairs, one for cool weather and one for cold weather. They aren't much good for extreme conditions, say windy Nebraska in January, but they are excellent otherwise. I use the Cold Weather Work Glove with Fusion Control model for cold weather fish sampling and plankton trawls. These are so warm and waterproof, that I wear cotton liners with them to change out regularly as my hands sweat!

 

The warmer weather versions are really nice too, waterproof for those days your fingerprints try to fall off from working in the wet, I use their all-weather ultra grip gauntlet model. I bet you can grab teeth with these- I am able to open 200uL vials of preservative with them on! (and run a disposable lighter too, something I can't doo with most gloves.

 

I prefer this brand over the "hallowed gore-tex" junk as the liners and insulation don't slide around and bunch up. (I'm not a fan of gore-tex anything to be honest it always fails when you need it most)

 

However the arcteryx merino wool glove liners I mentioned previously can turn just about any glove into a winter glove and, they do a good job of keeping you warm even when wet. However they are liners only, so the durability isnt there if you use them and nothing else.

 

As for antarctic grade over gauntlets, I have three pairs chosen through the big A, that I'll order once the weather turns to try before I buy  before this expedition.

Thank you

just bought both nitrile gloves which are supposed to be waterproof and extend 26 inches up the arm which is good since I’m often up to the elbow in water and also some alpaca wool socks

we’ll see

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1 minute ago, butchndad said:

Thank you

just bought both nitrile gloves which are supposed to be waterproof and extend 26 inches up the arm which is good since I’m often up to the elbow in water and also some alpaca wool socks

we’ll see

Those alpaca socks will treat you well. I bought about a dozen pairs while I was in Peru years ago, and my dad and I wore them out during deer season in Pennsylvania over the course for a decade.

 

I have had issues with some nitrile gloves over the years as they didn't hold up well to abrasion, but then again, I was using dry suit gauntlets so they weren't really up to the task.

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You have the right idea with a two glove system, that is a lighter liner type glove where you can do the fine work protecting your fingers better than bare hands with an over mitten to stuff your frozen hands back into to warm back up. Also helps to put hand warmers into the over mitts and one in each shirt pocket so some part of you feels warm. It also helps to have idiot strings on the mittens so they hanging off each arm ready to put back on while thawing your hands again. I prefer a wool or synthetic liner as they will keep you warm while wet, the SealSkins are nice in the wind but must be loose fitting or will compromise circulation.

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Well, the good news is, we got an early blast down here, so I have been able to do a bit of testing on the ones I ordered to try out.

 

One pair is going back ASAP as they are not even windproof, let alone waterproof.

I was cold right away and it was only around -4C with winds in the 40 kph range...not good in a pair of 250$ over mitts supposedly rated for Antarctica...not good at all. (Black Diamond Absolute) Also, these didn't have the "sniper flaps" or "trigger zippers" I would prefer.

 

Pair Two needs more testing. The wind and water resistance is there for sure, however they feel like the insulation is not restrained properly which likely means they will bunch up when needed most. Price was better around 135USD. (Marmot 8000 Meter mitts) More testing is needed.

 

Pair Three is a win for warmth and wind resistance so far, however they also sacrifice the sniper access. But these are already a two layer design with water and wind proof outer mitts AND water and windproof inner gloves. Even without my usual Merino wool liners, these were very warm and dry. In fact, I wore one these on my walk to work this morning and the Marmot on the other hand. (Outdoor Research Mt. Baker) Price is acceptable at 145$. More testing is needed, however I am not a fan of Gore-tex anything.

 

I have to do some Dry Ice and  Cryo work this week, so in lieu of winter weather, I think having to dig through the -80C and -20C freezers at the labs and prepping a few kilos of dry ice should be a good test.

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Milwaukee power tools sells a USB rechargeable gloves. I've thought about buying a pair for winter snow shoveling. May not be what you need or under an outer water proof shell? Local lumber yard say's thieve sold several and get good reports. 

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On 10/26/2020 at 3:45 PM, Bob Saunders said:

Milwaukee power tools sells a USB rechargeable gloves. I've thought about buying a pair for winter snow shoveling. May not be what you need or under an outer water proof shell? Local lumber yard say's thieve sold several and get good reports. 

I have had nothing but trouble with battery operated cold weather gear- either it fails when needed most or it gets so cold the battery fails!

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On 10/30/2020 at 2:28 PM, LabRatKing said:

I have had nothing but trouble with battery operated cold weather gear- either it fails when needed most or it gets so cold the battery fails!

In my case my right hand breaks out in the winter and my finger tips get very cold while shoveling the driveway on a windy winter day. So the gloves may do well for the hour or less as it need it. We ca get 10 inches or more and drifting daily here on the lake shore. The used to sell D cell battery heated socks and I may have an unused pair. I have had so good results with the "JON E" it think pocket warmers in the kidney belt., however your clothes may smell. 

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