Gloves

[Emma]

I'm after a pair of gloves, or maybe a system of gloves that is: very very warm, grippy, dextrous, windproof, definitely durable, and must either be waterproof or just as warm when wet. Obviously one pair of gloves isn't going to do all that, so I'm guessing a layering system of some description is going to be the best way to go. What are your ideas?
As I'm veggie, I do feel that I should avoid buying leather if possible, so solutions without leather would be appreciated...

I have read the shooting gloves thread, but it hasn't helped much.
My problem is (probably) Raynauds syndrome/disease/phenomenon, which for anyone who doesn't know about it, is damn annoying. Basically as soon as the weather starts getting slightly chilly, no matter how warm I think it is, the arteries (or is it veins?) to my fingers spasm and close. This obviously cuts off blood supply to my hands and is not good at all.
To give you an idea how bad it's affecting me now, I gave a friend a lift earlier, so I was in my car for half an hour, wearing whatever gloves it is that are current army issue. On me, I was wearing a t-shirt, two jumpers and a decent fleece. During that time, I lost circulation to all my fingers, right down to my knuckles. I've been inside for 45 minutes now (still wearing the jumpers and fleece and boiling under them), and I still haven't got any of my fingers back to normal yet.
The first time I lost circulation to my finges in autumn was after being outside for 10 minutes in September with no gloves on... it's absolutely ridiculous.

I do have some nice neoprene gloves, but they have no grip so I can't do too much with them on, and they're a bit thick so I lose a lot of dexterity. I'm planning to get some fleece shooter's fold-back mittens as well, but they'll be more for autumn and spring than winter.

 

[Brian]

Emma,

you could try seal skins, I've got a lot of friends who swear by them, I'm currently looking at getting some for myself to try them out. At the moment I'm using fleece inners that fit in a gore tex glove but they are a bit cumbersome although they are toasty warm.

Brian

 

[Toddy]

It's a miserable condition to suffer.
Has your doctor not offered any help? I have a friend who has Raynauds and she has been given heated gloves....basically fine knitted gloves with a heating wire knitted in, she wears them like the 'glubs' little kids wear with the string through their sleeves, but in her case it goes to a small battery pack in her pocket. E. said it was a real footer at first but she found them to be so effective that it's very simple now.
Failing that, I think you're right about the layers Silk, fine wool and then maybe something like Sealskinz
http://www.sealskinz.com/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/KJ581||~@c~@b|0|user|1,0,0,1|19|

If you're more vegan than veggie I think you'll only really have modern fleece as a suitable inner glove. Brushed cotton maybe ? Some of the ladies riding gloves might be good too, they aren't all leather.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[P Wren]

Hi there Emma,

I was due to be heading off to Nepal in couple of days and bought a superb set of gloves for the winter trek to the Himilaya. Bound to work for you here !

Like you I suffer with the cold, I have long thin fingers and feel the cold badly - so I wanted something that would keep my hands and fingers warm while still alowing me to grip trekking poles and fiddle withrucksacks, camerasand binocluars etc.

For Liners I chose a pair of Black Diamond Power Stretch Glove. These are made of a polartech fleece and have served me well this winter here in the UK. These were £20 from Peglers in Arundul

Then I decided to get a pair of Mitts which are better for insulating fingers against extreme cold since you are not isolating each didgit. I chose a pair of Outdoor Designs Summittpro Mits. These were £38 from Towerridge in scotland. These are windproof and waterproof gloves that provide insulation from snow wind and rain. The summittpro consists of an inner polartec mitt which goes over your liner gloves and the robust wind/waterproof outer mitt.

Three layers to keep your fingers toasty in even the most extreme temperature.
'Gucci' kit.

Have a word withthe guys at www.towerridge.co.uk - they provided me with great advice and quality kit cheaper than most other places. The usual disclaimer applies, I have no vested interest in the shop - just found them great value and great service.

The palm outers may be lined with leather but it might be artificial I can't recall.

Kind regards
Paul

 

[Goose]

There was a feature on "the 5'o'clock show tonight about battery heated kit, they had a heated pair of gloves priced at £19.99, and a gilet for 39.99(I think!).
Don't know how good they are but seemed a lot cheaper than I thought.

 

[Burt]

Emma,

I think I also have a problem with my circulation both to my hands and feet, howeverI, haven't been officially diagnosed with anything.


I need gloves for my work which offer all the same qualities as you require; the upshot of this is that I have tried:
Leather- not warm,
fleece-ok, probably the most practical, thick and windproof ones are ok.
sheepskin gloves- ok
down to about chilly,
Silk inners with wool outer gloves-warm, not windproof but the air circulation helps with insulation,
Wool mittens (Dachstein) which I take off when I need to do something- very warm but little dexterity and again not windproof but with silk inners they are very warm as long as you don't want to handle anything more than a small stick!
Silk inners with cheap acrylic outer gloves, warm but not waterproof.

Whatever you get don't get them too tight.

By the way the Dachstein mitts i mentioned are cheap, thick and they do gloves as well. Wool, when wet is still warm as opposed to man made fleece/acrylic.
Most of my options are limited owing to the price.

I still haven't found a pair of perfect all-rounders, I'd love to know were they are though.

If anything this may help you save money trying to go through each type.

 

[Abbe Osram]

Hi Emma,
the swedish "Lovikkavantar" are the warmest I know. The are woolen mittens and very very warm. I am using them and over them I use leather. If you dont want to use leather you could try to buy a big other kind of windbreaker. The warmth you will get from the wool, only get yourself a fitting bigger windbreaker for them if you dont want to use leather.

good luck
Abbe

 

[Grooveski]

A few of weeks ago I got a pair of Glo Mitts and they're pretty useful.

If I were to nit-pick I'd say that the thumb flap doesn't close very well and the rubber palm pad could have done with a few stitch lines to make it feel more secure. Neither of the above is noticable when you're actualy doing anything though, with the mit open or closed.
They're light, perhaps too light for what your after, but they do a good job for what they are. There's another pair with full fingers that look cosier.
It's just a thought, they're not moutaineering standard but they're alright, perhaps with an underglove as well....

What Abbe is describing sounds like what I know as Dashtines(sp) and they are what you put on when you don't want your hands to get cold.

 

[oetzi]

I have problems with my feet when biking in winter, too. After 45min they are white and numb, no matter what I am wearing. When one toe began to tickle for several days after a long ride I knew I had to do something.
My solution were heatable insoles (www.hotronic.com), because when circulation shuts down you need an additional source of warmth.
The best € 135,- I ever spend on this subject and I did spend lots more on winterboots, thick socks, neoprene overshoes etc. Which were all expensive and useless.
You can find something similar, for example:
http://www.motshop.de/shop/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/4_52/products_id/1411/language/en

Apart from this forget anything synthetik, its no good for feet and hands.
These products are the very best as an baselayer for frozen digits:
http://www.icebreaker.com/our-clothing/DisplayProduct.aspx?p=102
http://www.icebreaker.com/our-clothing/DisplayProduct.aspx?p=103
Together with a set of these, as Burt mentions, this is all you can do whitouth getting heatable gloves:
http://www.ortovox.com/typo7/index.php?id=63&L=1

 

[Lithril]

Extremeties make some fantastic gloves, same company that makes the Terra Nova and the Wild County tents etc.

Have a look at Extremeties

something like the Ice Gauntlet Climbing gloves or the multisport GTX gloves are good, they also do dedicated winter and waterproof gloves in another section of the website.

 

[Topcat02]

Hi Emma,

Have you considered seeing an Acupuncturist/Reflexologist with respect to your Reynauds Syndrome, sounds like you have an imbalance in your parasympathetic system / Chi.

Regards

TC

 

[BorderReiver]

I have a touch of Raynauds (in the family) and the only thing that's any good to me is down.Down mitts help in the coldest weather.

Seal skinz actually make my hands feel colder,as do a lot of knitted,fleece or lined leather gloves.

Try a pair of down mitts under a wind and waterproof pair.If it's really bad try a couple of those chemical or charcoal powered hand warmers.

Good luck,hope you find something that suits.

 

[Emma]

Thank you so much to everyone who's replied so far. :You_Rock_

I've been looking at SealSkinz, but keep shying away on a "too good to be true??" basis. Border Reiver, any idea why they made your hands cold? Was it the gloves themselves, or the fact that they weren't mittens? Did you wear liners with them?

About silk liners, where can I get them from? I've found the Patra website from some of Toddy's previous posts, but I was wondering if any shops do them so I can try some on? I'm currently in Southampton, if anyone knows of any local shops.

Toddy, did your friend get her heated gloves from the NHS?? I also found a reference you made in a past thread about linen glove liners - what were they like and have you ever found any more?

P Wren and Lithril, thanks for those links, looks like I'm going to have to start saving up!

Burt, thanks loads for that list! That's great, money is also a huge issue for me (poor starving student etc). What do you wear for windproofing?

Abbe, I've been trying to find a website for Lovikkavantar in English and there don't seem to be any, so how easily could I get hold of any? Do they do mittens or gloves or both?

Grooveski, those glo-mitts are fairly similar to the ones I'm planning to get for autumn and spring.

Oetzi, thanks for your links as well! I only lose the soles of my feet so far, but if they start getting worse I know who to ask.

Topcat- I know nothing about that. I've got to look at it from a financial viewpoint (starving student etc), so how expensive is that likely to be, and how likely is it to work, given that I don't believe it would?

 

[Toddy]

Hi Emma,
Eliz. got hers on the NHS, so they are available. The silk gloves are very good as are the socks if worn inside an outer pair of gloves or socks. Lambswool or cashmere works very well. I cut up an old lambswool sweater and made mitten and boot liners for my toddlers many years ago...if money is really tight find a bargain in a charity shop and make your own. If you wash the jumper in too hot water it will felt and that felt will make excellent mitts/gloves and the felted fabric won't fray either.
I can send you copies of my glove & mitten patterns if you do decide to make your own.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Emma]

Toddy, you're a genius! :You_Rock_ I bought a cheap wool jumper in a charity shop yesterday! I'd love your patterns, will PM.
I will try my luck with my doctor, but the last time I saw him he said it wasn't worth going through the bother of actually disgnosing me because he couldn't do anything about it except prescribe some drug or other which I don't want. It's got a lot worse since I last saw him though.

 

[hawsome34]

Hi Emma,

I have worked with a few people who suffer from Raynauds.

Mittens are much better than gloves as your hand shares its own warmth, as opposed to gloves where each finger has to generate its own heat inside its own section of the glove.

This in mind, there are several great brands out there. But the one I have sworn by myself is a combination of a thick merino wool mitten, worn inside a buffalo mitten (waterproofed with nikwak spray on). The buffalo are good on there own, but using with a nice thick merino mitt inside very snug.

Also as I sure your aware, wherever possible try to keep your hands moving, and contrary to popular belief, they dont get any warmer in your pockets when walking. It is better to have your hands well wrapped and gently swinging as you walk to promote the blood to circulate, at the same time you can gently clench your hands to give a little more help.

Hope this helps.

 

[anthonyyy]

This is probably a REALLY stupid idea; but I know, when Im kayaking in cold weather, that it helps a lot if i have a jacket very long and tight latex cuffs. There are a lot of veins and arteries on your wrist where heat can be lost and the latex cuffs cover these.
If your condition is very extreme a kayaking or sailing jacket might help, as well as gloves of course.
Some of these look just like normal anaracks (that is if an anarack ever can look normal).

 

[anthonyyy]

Something like this:
http://www.knoydart.co.uk/display.php?category=7&sub=semi-dry tops&id=766

 

[Alchemist]

Hi there, Im the guy who started the other glove thread.
I went with a pair of hatch leather sureshot shooting gloves. I know leather is out of the question but to let you know, they are great for dexterity but not warm.

Think about the 'system'. I have warm hands but I would have 3 gloves as a system in this country. But I would very rarely wear them all.

Base- Dextrous, grippy, thin, wind/waterproof, some insulation. this is a lot to ask for in a thin glove and I dont think it is possible. I have seen a good glove in millets recently at a good price. They are stretch fit, thin, grippy, thermal and dont look like they will be useless in the wind and rain (unlike the green Army issue glove contact). They also come in fingerless or full finger. They are called the 'sticky thicky glove'.

Main Glove- The base glove needs to fit inside this. This is the big ski type glove. Goretex, ripstop, thermal. If it is this cold then you wont be too bothered about dexterity.

Mitt- This goes over the whole lot. I have never had to use this layer but I am normally active outside. Stationary nature watchers will need this. Im talking the big things soldiers had in the Falklands.

Because you get cold quickly you probably wont bother with a base glove and go straight for a big boy.

This is just my method and it is based on a wide variety of tasks in the ever changing British climate. I have dexterity, a range of layers and a set of gloves that cover most trips out. You dont have to take them all with you of course!

Oh- neoprene is only good when wet remember. If dry it makes your hands colder. Remember those drink can sleeves used to cool down your beer. I have used sealskins before and I think they are really nasty.

 

[Topcat02]

Topcat- I know nothing about that. I've got to look at it from a financial viewpoint (starving student etc), so how expensive is that likely to be, and how likely is it to work, given that I don't believe it would?

The mind is the most powerful healer on the planet. From personal experience with my own clients I would say that 90% of any healing process is belief. Both reflexology and acupuncture work on meridians or channels of energy that encircle the body. Blockages of this energy cause dis-ease. The aim of this and other complementary therapies is to restore the natural balance, and allow the body to recover. However as with conventional medicine, each person reacts differently to treatment.

If I were you, I would try and see whether there are any trainee reflexologists who need Client studies, that way you would get between 6-10 free treatments, and they would benefit from practicing on you under their tutors guidance.

PM me for details of orgs that may be of interest.

TC