Mountain Hardwear Masherbrum Mitten - 2008 BCS

I have extremely cold hands. I’m a rather large guy, that is extremely active, so you would think that the whole cold hands thing would happen. Not true. Anything under around 20 degrees with a slight wind, and my hands are freezing. I can be extremely warm with all the appropriate gear on, and still have extremely cold hands. I bought these on a whim, and have never looked back. Please note that I have not climbed Denali in them, nor have I summated K2 with these on. I’m a weekend warrior that goes to the California Sierra’s. I mountaineer during our cold months and backpack in our warm months. When on snowshoe trips in Yosemite, I use these while kicking back in a snow home, or at a base camp on Whitney or Shasta early season. When I’m climbing, there is NO need for these. They are much, much too warm.

In closing, these are extremely warm, and pretty darn awesome. Once again, thank you Mountain Hardware.

I ordered Masherbrums late thinking I would just put them away until next winter....however, Oregon's La Nina winter extended almost to the middle of May this year and I found myself with warm hands capable of gripping my ski poles flashing down a couple of the diamond runs on a nearby ski slope with the temps in the teens and 20's. I was impressed with the masherbrums ability and design. My hands were warm and still functional. I am not a climber, but I ski in all kinds of weather. These babies will do the trick.

If you don't have Raynaud's, I am sure that the Masherbrum mitten will keep your hands toasty warm. If you do, these mittens will be an absolute asset to your "trying to keep my hands pink" system.
To those of you with Raynaud's:
Like many of you I'm sure, the box full of gloves that didn't work totals many more dollars than these Masherbrums so just start with these and save some money. Until now I've avoided mittens because of their inherent limited dexterity, but I got one-size larger mitts and coupled them with a good pair of right-size glove liners. I've been able to pop the mitts off, do what I need to do, and pop them back on with hardly any recovery time needed.
Here is my system:
1) Keeping my body from shutting off circulation to my hands in the first place (a) Smartwool neck gater (b) snug fitting fleece layer to prevent drafts up my back.
2) Keeping what little heat is in my hands in my hands (a) Mountain Hardware's Masherbrum Mitten (b) REI's All Season Glove liners.

Great, warm mittens. They hold up very good in cold conditions. I like the fact that you can operate the tightness with the mittens on, lots of other solutions I have tested aint that easy to tighten with these kind of big mittens. Also the carabiner loop and the leather palms are great addition for those who like to use them for stuff involving climbing or rappelling. If you buy a pair of really thin inner gloves (like merino wool) you will never freeze on your hands, and you will still keep the warmth if you need to pull of one mitt to do stuff that require some finger finger actions.

I live in the Northwest Arctic of Alaska. I have been walking around and doing things outside at nearly -40. They have worked very well so far. Lots of insulation. This mitten is a million times better than the absolute zero mitten. The dexterity is pretty good too. The shell is kind of flemsy but will still work. I am wondering how the leather palm is going to hold up in semi wet conditions. If it keeps my hands warm up here they will definitly do the job for anyone.

Good for people that don't have great circulation in the hands and tend to get cold.
Well made mitten that keeps you plenty warm.

These are amazing mittens. They're warm enough for standing around camp in sub-zero (F) temperatures wearing just a thin liner underneath. They're also durable so far, meaning I haven't managed to slice them open while using my ice axe yet. I have no idea how waterproof they are, but I can say that at the temperatures I've been using them at, there's no liquid water around anyway. I had to loan them to a friend while climbing Mt. Washington last weekend because his hands were freezing, and he had rave reviews as well. As far as dexterity goes, don't expect much...or anything really. I can hold a shovel fine, and I can grip my ice axe in self-arrest position...with a bit of trouble. But it's worth it if your hands are freezing; you can't have both amazing insulation and amazing dexterity at the same time.

As far as sizing goes, get the size you normally wear in gloves. I have long skinny finger, and I normally wear a large in gloves. I ordered both the large and xl to test, and with just a liner glove underneath (and that's probably all you'll ever need, unless you're going -40), the large fit perfectly while my hand swam in the xl. The insulation inside also compresses a tiny bit with use.

these are absolutely fantastic mitts. Solidly waterproof so far as I can tell (though you'll not frequently choose to use theses when it's warm enough to have any moisture). Super Warm. Let me say that again: Super warm. These are the mitts you'll want to have in anything below 10deg F. Durable leather palm. Easy to put on and take off over a liner glove. Don't expect any sort of function in your hands other than gripping trekking poles or axes though.

About sizing: I usually wear a medium in gloves and mitts, in these, extra large fits well over a very thin liner glove. I agree that they are a bit tight in the "thumb crotch" though.

Dropped one of my old mittens getting on the lift. When I went back, it was gone forever. On the lookout for even warmer mitts, I found these. Usually wear a women's small/medium, so I bought a men's small. Just barely enough room for my liner gloves, but oh soooooo warm. Also have a pair of OR Alti Mitts and these are almost as warm (and a lot less $$$$). If I would have had these last year I would have bought 2 pair and skipped the alti mitt purchase.

I tried these out for an upcoming trip to Aconcagua. If I wasn't in the market for a mitten system (shell + liner) then I'd definitely pick these up. They're lofted full of warm insulation and fit amazingly well. They feel more dexterous than a 2-piece system since you don't have an inner mitten slipping around inside the outer shell. The gauntlets extend far and are large enough to get around he wrists of bulky parkas. I also liked the simple closure system and easily-adjustable wrist strap, something that seems to be missing from most of the other high altitude mittens out there which just have full elastic wrists.

MH claims on the packaging this is their warmest mitten and after trying it on I don't doubt that claim.

These are great mittens, i tried them in a recent trip to mt. aconcagua and they are very warm - definitely the best mittens i have worn in a long time.

I wanted my wife to have something warm, but knew she wouldn't like the bulk and lack of dexterity that I have with my OR Alti mitts. I still think my mittens are a bit warmer, but the Masherbrums are darn close and are much more flexible. And I accomplished my goal: With the new gloves I never heard another peep about cold fingers.

Picture the toy boxing gloves you had as a kid. Like the hulk hands. Now picture gauntlets the size of movie props. These things are warm! I used them climbing and was needlessly hard on them, they held up great. Had chunks of ice in them, they melted and were not only still warm but were quickly dry again. My friend owns the Hestra XCR Mitts and also had them on the mountain that day. Masherbrum for the win.

These mitts are very warm. They are very light, but bulky.

The gauntlets are very long. Personally, I could have done with them being a bit shorter but some will prefer that.