Two out of Three Ain't Bad

By debmonster Ranked #269 - Mittens January 24, 2011

I've been using this glove/mitt combo for the past month in very wintry conditions while hiking in the Catskills mountains of NY. Temperatures have ranged from 5 degrees to 35 degrees and there has been anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet of snow. I've been hiking both on-trail and off-trail, so I haven't always had the luxury of a nice, clear trail to follow and sometimes need to use my hands to brush away snow-covered trees obstructing my path, or to help push myself up a hill. I find the softshell glove to be adequate warmth until down to about 25 degrees or so and then I need to add the outer mitten for anything colder than that. The combination of glove and mitt work very well together and the wrist leash of the mitt allows for me to quickly remove the mitt without dropping it, so that I can take a photo or perform some other function that requires more dexterity. The outer mittens will also work very well on their own in wet but warmer weather.Softshell Glove:One problem that I've noticed is that the softshell glove's palm is not waterproof and gets wet somewhat easily, either by my sweating inside the glove on a warmer day, or by my placing my hands on a snowy rock while trying to hoist myself up a steep section of trail. If the palm of the glove gets wet, it doesn't dry and my hands start to get extremely cold, so I end up having to carry an extra pair of warmer gloves to put on under the mitts after the softshell gloves get too wet.Mittens:The outer mitts, on the other hand, are excellent and incredibly versatile. They are very lightweight on their own and make a huge difference in warmth when layered over the softshell glove or another glove. They will also work very well in warmer weather when I need a waterproof mitt to use above treeline in alpine zones such as the Adirondack High Peaks or the White Mountains in New Hampshire.Conclusion:I probably should have just bought the outer mitts (the OR Endeavor Mitts) and used them with a waterproof softshell glove bought separately, since the inner glove that comes with these are only usable for a few hours before getting too wet for proper function in winter conditions. However, in cold, dry conditions they would probably be great.

View Details: Outdoor Research Latitude Mitten

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