Good glove bad glove

[Conan The Librarian]

Winter just roared in, and I finally need to start wearing a coat and gloves when I go out. Here are some ideas on gloves I have loved and hated.


Loved:
Fuzzy wool knitted gloves with four full fingers and tipless index finger to allow shooting, and a pullover mitten flap. I had two pairs of those and wore them out. I could get them wet and they would still keep my hands warm.


Leather driving style gloves with fake sheeps wool inside. Just a good all around glove. Can't find them lately bud did find a similar pair with a different insulation and they are very good.


Chopper mits with wool mittens. The best when its really cold.


Hated:
Polar fleece gloves. I dunked my hand in the water to pick up a northern pike through an ice fishing hole. It was below zero. The gloves froze to my hand and i had to cut the glove and remove the fleece like plucking a chicken. Hurt quite a bit from the cold.


Anything made of rag wool. The stuff just doesnt keep me warm like a good pair of fuzzy wool knit gloves.


Snowmobile gloves. Bulky and relatively ineffective.




Finally, warm feet promote warm hands, and the best way I've found to have warm feet is to use anti perspirant on my feet before putting on a synthetic moisture wicking undersock on, then adding a high quality wool sock, then putting on my pac boots.

[Old Fart]

Conan,
 
Never thought about the anti-perspirant ideal before, but makes good sense.
 
Thanks! 

[Conan The Librarian]

It really does work. I've had a stick of antiperspirant for years and I just rub my feet with it. Great for in the deer stand, cross country skiing, small game hunting. It's the only thing I use antiperspirant for. It makes quite a difference in the comfort of my hands. A good hat and something around the neck is important too.

[Empty Quiver]

It really does work. I've had a stick of antiperspirant for years and I just rub my feet with it. Great for in the deer stand, cross country skiing, small game hunting. It's the only thing I use antiperspirant for. It makes quite a difference in the comfort of my hands. A good hat and something around the neck is important too.

I keep a can of spray Anti-Perspirant for just this purpose.
 
I will agree on the dense wool glove / mitts. I have found that since I started paying more attention to keeping my legs warm that my feet benefit from the insulated "pipes".
 
 Another thing I have found is that insisting on keeping the inside of my boots dry is a major improvement in foot warmth. Stuffing silica dessicant pouches into them does a wonder. I gave a couple of these to a hunting partner in camp this fall, he was very impressed with the results. It's hard to really dry things in a tent in the winter but this trick works wonderfully.

[ChungDoQuan]

Those are great ideas! I'm going to start saving the little packs. I know you can "recharge" them by drying them out in the oven or a dehydrator, too.

[Empty Quiver]

Those are great ideas! I'm going to start saving the little packs. I know you can "recharge" them by drying them out in the oven or a dehydrator, too.

The ones I use are huge compared to the ones you usually find. I bought them to throw in my gun cases. I believe they were designed for ski boots, hockey skates, and the like. Gander was closing them out when I found them near the gun safes. After reading the literature I found they were actually meant for athletic equipment and the like, they work very well.

[williamlayton]

This thread is making me way too cold---course now, I live in a climate that, most years, you can play golf in shorts at Christmas.
I don't use perspiration depressants.
My feet do get wet when it is any temp--I, normally, don't let it bother me.
Move farther South is a real good cold remedy.
  --and several jabs to the ribs.
Blessings

[bilmac]

You can make your own silica gel packages. They sell it in hobby shops in 5# bags to make dried flowers. It has some color coded beads so you can tell if it needs to be reactivated. I drill a bunch od tiny holes in pill bottles and put the silica gel in them.
 
I hardly ever get cold feet[I ice fish too]. I think it is because I am a sissy about keeping my legs warm.

[Sourdough]

As for gloves and mittens, I don't like gore-tex, dries out my hands too much.  Leather with real or fake wool lining is good, but I usually wear a light mechanics utility glove, (not the one with velcro) inside a heavy pair of wool lined leather chopper mitts.  If I have to take the mitts off, I still have the glove for protection.  At 25 below or colder, if you touch metal with bare skin, you get frostbit on your hand or fingers.  I went out and pushed the shed door closed last night.  In doing so I touched the hasp on the door, felt like I had touched a red hot poker.  Today I have a sopt on my finger that looks like I had touched something hot and burned my finger.
 
For just everyday running around, I wear Sweat pants under Arctic Insulated Carhart Bibs.  A mock tee or a sweat shirt under a wool sweater, and usually a Columbia Wool Jacket, with a Heavy Goose down vest over the jacket.  Wool socks, inside one size too big extra wide sneakers  A coyote fur bomber style hat. 



Dressing for 45 below or colder:  Cotton briefs and tee shirt, poly thermals just don't stay in place enough, and they dry out my skin.  Polypropoline thermals, they wick any moisture out of the cotton and away from your body.  Wool Socks, calf or knee high.  Wool or poly shirt and pants.  Wool sweater.  Columbia wool jacket with hood, with Cabela's heavy goose down jacket.  (I like the Columbia jacket because it's wool and iot has shell holders sewn into the pockets).  Or a heavy Carhart arctic insulated jacket with hood when it's really cold, 65 below or colder.  Or there is little chance of getting wet.  Arctic insulated Carhart Bibs.  A Coyote fur bomber style hat to keep my ears and head warm.  Nothing keeps you as warm as real fur.  A neck warmer or a Balacava to keep my neck and face warm under the hat.  Wool mitten liner or glove inside leather mittens.  And last of all my Bunny Boots.  Bunny Boots are made out of rubber.  They are white, and big big boots.  Heavy too, but they are the only thing that will keep your feet warm down to 65 below.  Once you have worn them when it is extreamly cold you will want nothing else.  And a face mask.  In an emergency duct tape will work, but a face mask is best.

[Empty Quiver]

You can make your own silica gel packages. They sell it in hobby shops in 5# bags to make dried flowers. It has some color coded beads so you can tell if it needs to be reactivated. I drill a bunch od tiny holes in pill bottles and put the silica gel in them.
 
I hardly ever get cold feet[I ice fish too]. I think it is because I am a sissy about keeping my legs warm.

I'm convinced the xtrta strength long johns are a factor. I rarely need more than mid weight smartwool socks and 400g thinsulate boots. I'm able to stay out on Lake of the Woods eight hours in a portable at 10 with no more than that combo. Use a Buddy heater, but that ain't melting any ice though.

[bilmac]

You used to be able to trade deer or antellope hides for real buckskin gloves. They were nice and soft and fit very well. They are also warmer than normal leather gloves.

[Conan The Librarian]

Those are still available retail seasonally. I do prefer that style of glove: Soft leather with some insulation. They have great utility. I use them for almost everything, including skiing and hunting and general wear.