Outdoor Research

Revel Shell Mitten

Wow, the grip on these things

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

M

Height:

5' 9"

Weight:

140

I bought these one size up, to fit over the inner mitt of the OR Alti Mitts. They fit perfectly and the grip on the hiking poles is phenomenal. Of course wind and waterproof, so actually added a bit of noticeable warmth as well. First test up Tucks on Mt Washington to the bowl and these were perfect in “mild” conditions - 15mph winds and 20d F. Above this, put the Alti outer mitten on.

Great shell mitts

These mitts are lightweight but do a great job of blocking wind and water. I use some flurry gloves underneath them in the cold weather or just use the shells by themselves for shoulder seasons.

Inexplicably bad design

Familiarity:

I returned this product before using it

Size Bought:

M

They chose a mechanism for cinching the cuff that requires two hands - and I only have one hand available to use! My old shell mitts (REI) are a very similar design and only require one hand to cinch. I'm returning these due to the baffling design fail.

Not Water Proof as advertise

Wore this on top of my Sureshot Heated Softshell Gloves and after a day of skiing my globes were wet.

Water resistant, not waterproof

I bought these mitts to use over my gloves when ski patrolling and digging dog holes. They definitely kept my gloves drier than if I didn't use them, but are not waterproof. I will continue to use them to reduce the number of pairs of gloves I soak through in a day.

Perfect, versatile glove

The primary reason I bought these mittens was to go over my OR heated gloves (the style I bought aren't waterproof). They are awesome and work perfectly in that mode. I also use them to cover liner gloves when I'm running or XC skiing in the winter. They provide great wind and water protection. I have raynauds, so it's hard to find gloves/mitts that keep me warm and that I can also use when I'm working up a sweat. These with or without the heated gloves depending on what I'm doing are five stars all day.

I will buy more of these soon!

I have only used these 3 times during a backpack trip so far, they will come into a heavier rotation this winter. I have had some vintage light OR Gore-Tex shells for over a decade. They are an essential part of my kit to pull over gloves or mittens when it gets windy or wet but they were delicate with a woven nylon fabric in the palms. As they started to wear through I bought these to keep in my SAR 24 hr pack and they are much more robust without being any heavier. I may pick up a few more pairs to be sure i have them whenever the wind blows which is does quite a lot here in the Wind River Mtns.I find them absolutely essential as hands get damp from sweat even when its -40 F out and then the wind makes its way through even windstopper gloves. When its truly cold I may stick a hand warmer pack inside, I have some double knit wool mitts that cna also fit under if the gloves aren't' enough.

Why are all my mittens OR?

It's totally by chance but I've found that all my mittens are OR. I bought these Revel Shell Mitts to replace an old pair of OR gore-tex overmitts that started fraying at the thumb hinge and one of the elastic cords broke (after many years of use). I use these Revel Shell Mitts all winter long for BC XC skiing and snowshoeing over a pair of OR Sensor Mitts. I also have a pair of OR Meteor Mitts. I often carry all three pairs in the winter, using the Sensors as my base layer for both pairs of outer mitts (I don't use the fleece liners that came with the Meteors because that liner cuff doesn't fit under my jacket cuff). If it's real cold (20 below up to maybe zero) I'll start with Sensor Meteor. If my hands warm up with the exercise, I'll switch to Sensor Revel. On warmer days (teens and up), depending on wind, I'll start with Sensor Revel, and when I heat up I remove the Revels. The Revels are nice and light, very packable. My main reason for owning them is to cut the wind and add warmth to my Sensor mitts in the winter. I have not used these in summer/for rain. They do seem a little pricey, but the gauntlet-cinching cord as very well designed and all the seams are taped, so it seems the quality is very good. I would like a tad more air space in the thumb to help prevent cold thumbs, but it's OK.

Outer Shell Mittens

These replacements are for an older version of an OR Shell set I wore out. So far so good on the new ones. I use these with heavy wool mittens. I spend two to three hours at a time on a tractor plowing snow. These fit the bill. Can't figure out what the long cords inside are for but these can be easily removed. I would recommend them.

Great lightweight mitten shells.

I use these as part of a lightweight layering system when I'm moving in the mountains. Just these and a pair of liners. Works great. Especially in the Cascades where it's prone to be 35 an raining.