Outdoor Research Prophet Gloves - 2006 BCS

I have owned roughly 30 pairs of gloves during my climbing career. These just don't cut it. the fingers are too long and boxy for the size. They are tight around the palm but at least 1/2 inch too long in the fingertips, so picking up any small object is impossible. The water repellency is all right, but the leather on the gloves doesn't shed the water...it just sits there and becomes ice in cold temps, and the ice just builds off then cracks off. There is really no reason for OR to use real leather anyways...I received these as a gift and would never have bought them knowing they had dead animal hide on them. Finally, there is not enough insulation in them for temps lower than 20 degrees or so, and I have hot hands. They are okay if you are active but at a belay stance where you aren't moving, they are uncomfortably cold. They are way overpriced for the protection they offer. I have had gloves half this cost that were much better in fit and function. Buy something else.

I got these gloves on a super sweet pro deal from OR and was not expecting much from them. Now they are the gloves that can do it all. I really do not like big, bulky gloves and I don't like gloves that go past my wrist. I like to pull my jacket over them and be comfortable and warm, which is exactly what these do for me. They stay very dry due to the Gore-Tex and are very light weight. These gloves are also much warmer then they appear, I have found myself in 15-20 degree weather, on the mountain, and was taking them off because my hands where so warm. I am definitely one of those "never cold" people so I don't want you to think that they don't breath because they do. For under $100, in a light weight, super waterproof glove, you cannot beat the Prophet. I also think that Outdoor Research is an awesome company that makes sure their products are top quality.

I took the OR Prophets out snowboarding on a really chilly day, and they were great. Nice and warm, enough for my hands to sweat. The Gore-Tex liner worked like a charm. The minute my hands started to sweat, the glove wicked my hands dry. These probably wouldn't be the best glove on super cold days. But for semi-cold to spring conditions they're great!