Warm gloves

[Cwadda]

Hi folks,

What is a pair of warm gloves for the winter? I have poor circulation to my hands and I really dislike when they get cold. Gloves tend to get lost or stolen so I'm looking for a good pair of warm gloves that don't cost a whole lot. I'd also like to have good finger mobility and be able to drive with them.

Thanks!!

[plainjane]

If your fingers never seem to stay warm, I'd actually suggest that you get a pair of gloves simply for driving and get a pair of good mittens for the rest of the time.  With gloves your fingers are all separated (obviously), so they can't keep each other warm.  With mittens, the air around your fingers will get up to temperature quicker and will help maintain a good temperature too.  For true warmth, I go to the camping supply stores, but that may be pricier than you want.  I don't lose gloves/mittens, so I'd rather get lasting quality (Vimes' law).

Not quite as good as mittens, but better than gloves solo are the flip top mittens that have full or partial fingers, and then a mitten top to flip over for true warmth.

How cold does it get where you live in winter?

[GuitarStv]

You can't get great mobility and warmth at the same time.  There's always a trade-off as insulation adds a fair amount of bulk.  I think that something like the flip top mittens are a reasonable compromise for driving though.

[Cwadda]

If your fingers never seem to stay warm, I'd actually suggest that you get a pair of gloves simply for driving and get a pair of good mittens for the rest of the time.  With gloves your fingers are all separated (obviously), so they can't keep each other warm.  With mittens, the air around your fingers will get up to temperature quicker and will help maintain a good temperature too.  For true warmth, I go to the camping supply stores, but that may be pricier than you want.  I don't lose gloves/mittens, so I'd rather get lasting quality (Vimes' law).

Not quite as good as mittens, but better than gloves solo are the flip top mittens that have full or partial fingers, and then a mitten top to flip over for true warmth.

How cold does it get where you live in winter?

The flip top gloves are a good idea. It doesn't get horribly cold in the winter (CT), but cold enough for extended periods of time. I don't normally see flip top gloves around for sale though.

I might also go with both because if I go ice fishing mittens are necessary. I'll never survive out on the ice with regular gloves.

[be]

This doesn't really answer you question, but my hands get cold, too.  So I wear my gloves and put a pair of mittens over them.  I keep the combo gloves/mittens together so it looks like I'm ready for the North Pole.

[Cwadda]

This doesn't really answer you question, but my hands get cold, too.  So I wear my gloves and put a pair of mittens over them.  I keep the combo gloves/mittens together so it looks like I'm ready for the North Pole.

That's not a bad idea at all, as long as you have sufficiently small enough gloves to fit in there. I'll look around at places like Goodwill and try different combos.

[FreeWheel]

I recently bought the Pearl Izumi Lobster gloves for cycling. They only have two fingers for the four which keeps them warmer, but unlike mittens still allows for dexterity. Riding for an hour in the low teens I was fine. On the way home in the 30's they were actually too hot!

Not cheap but high quality, and darn do they work. I found mine for $50. Plan to have 'em a long time.

[be]

Oh, I think I get what you're saying.  If you wear say a man's XXL pair of gloves, finding bigger mittens might be hard.  (I have small hands so I didn't get what you were saying, and I have to admit, I never even thought of that problem.) 

What about a stretchy pair of mittens?  Ok, this might not be really pretty like you bought it from Nordstroms, but what about making your own pair of fleece mittens?  Think fleece material, thread, and elastic.  Oh and a needle.  You could make a pattern big enough to fit the gloves.  Cut (ok, I forgot to add the scissors,)  and sew.  I would make the wrist part with a casing so you could use elastic.  I would think that would also give you a larger margin of error.

Also, making the mittens should be easier than the gloves.

[chucklesmcgee]

Making sure your gloves and your hands are warm prior to going out in the cold can be a big help. Put your heavy jacket and things on ten minutes before you step outside, with gloves in your pants pockets. If your core is overheating, your body will open up circulation to your hands to try and disperse the heat. Your gloves will be close to a toasty 98F as they go on. That could make even a pair of mediocre gloves perform very well.

I have poor circulation in my hands and have tried basically everything to keep them warm in -20--40 degree climbs. Even the best glove, Black Diamond Guide glove or a down-insulated expedition mitten can only do so much if your hands are starting cold. I can throw in two handwarmers and unless I'm absolutely working to near exhaustion my hands are usually somewhere in the "extremely-uncomfortable to danger of frost-bite" range. Starting warm and insulating your core can do wonders.

[Cwadda]

Oh, I think I get what you're saying.  If you wear say a man's XXL pair of gloves, finding bigger mittens might be hard.  (I have small hands so I didn't get what you were saying, and I have to admit, I never even thought of that problem.) 

What about a stretchy pair of mittens?  Ok, this might not be really pretty like you bought it from Nordstroms, but what about making your own pair of fleece mittens?  Think fleece material, thread, and elastic.  Oh and a needle.  You could make a pattern big enough to fit the gloves.  Cut (ok, I forgot to add the scissors,)  and sew.  I would make the wrist part with a casing so you could use elastic.  I would think that would also give you a larger margin of error.

Also, making the mittens should be easier than the gloves.

Yeah, I have pretty big hands. Also, I'm a pretty handy guy, but 99.99% incapable of making my own ones. Sorry to be hetero-normative and stuff haha.

I recently bought the Pearl Izumi Lobster gloves for cycling. They only have two fingers for the four which keeps them warmer, but unlike mittens still allows for dexterity. Riding for an hour in the low teens I was fine. On the way home in the 30's they were actually too hot!

Not cheap but high quality, and darn do they work. I found mine for $50. Plan to have 'em a long time.

I'm sure these gloves are fantastic but I'm at college and things like this inevitably get lost or stolen.

Making sure your gloves and your hands are warm prior to going out in the cold can be a big help. Put your heavy jacket and things on ten minutes before you step outside, with gloves in your pants pockets. If your core is overheating, your body will open up circulation to your hands to try and disperse the heat. Your gloves will be close to a toasty 98F as they go on. That could make even a pair of mediocre gloves perform very well.

This is a good point. Thank you.

[geekette]

Get your hands into a pair of thrummed mittens and they'll be warm very quickly (they aren't called hand ovens for nothing).  There are some on Etsy if you don't want to take up knitting.  Not to say they'd be great for driving, but they will get your hands warm quickly.

[Thegoblinchief]

I'd recommend something with a moisture/wind barrier. I have Dakine snowboarding gloves and they're too hot unless it's under 25 or so. I got mine on REI outlet for about $50 and they're awesome.

But if you spend long periods in the cold, mittens or just enough physical activity to get the blood pumping will be necessary.

Same goes for feet, in my experience. Mega insulation helps, but sitting still, you're still going to get cold eventually because you're not getting the blood pumping actively enough.

Also consider whether touchscreen capability is worth it to you. My warm gloves don't have it, and I occasionally miss it compared to the think high-dexterity gloves I use in slightly warmer temps for cycling and car work.

[sheepstache]

This doesn't really answer you question, but my hands get cold, too.  So I wear my gloves and put a pair of mittens over them.  I keep the combo gloves/mittens together so it looks like I'm ready for the North Pole.

That's not a bad idea at all, as long as you have sufficiently small enough gloves to fit in there. I'll look around at places like Goodwill and try different combos.

Maybe glove liners to avoid bulk.  They'll be cheaper than gloves, of course. Only downside is if you might need dexterity (and therefore take off the mittens) for something that's snowy/wet as liners won't have any waterproofing.

I have cold hands and honestly I've just decided to keep them in my pockets at all times.  Once in awhile I need to unload a truck in cold weather but I've got work gloves I'd wear for protection anyway.

Only other time I have problems out in the cold is biking since that doesn't really get your blood flowing (someone's going to disagree with me about this and I don't care) and my hands were too numb to shift out of low gears. What I have are huge, ugly gloves from K-Mart or something that a neighbor gave me when I was in highschool. These things are so thick and unfashionable no one would steal them. Anyway, the trick is that the thickness makes them windproof, so that's the characteristic I would look for. You could also get leather gloves.

And honestly, if you're at college, go for the hipster look and safety pin them to the ends of your sleeves. I'm sure it's the next big thing.

[The_path_less_taken]

Have something on the stove so can't look for a link, but the warmest gloves I ever had were woven with a silver filament threat...it reflects your body heat back and resists bacteria.

Second warmest are silk...you can use them as liners in regular gloves and sleep on the side of the road in the Yukon Territory...just saying. Way too warm for most stuff/heavy exercise.