Best Warm Gloves?

[bluetick]

One of the side effects of a medication I take is cold hands. Last winter was pretty rough, and I'd like to get recommendations for gloves that will keep my hands as warm as possible this year. My outdoor activities include carrying buckets of water, feeding domestic and wild birds, carrying in firewood, shoveling and/or snowblowing snow, etc. It seems that last year I had to run into the house after 10 or 15 minutes to thaw out stiff, white fingers.

A certain amount of dexterity is needed, so I am more interested in gloves, rather than mittens at this time.

Naming brands and/or particular fabric would be helpful. Thanks!

[insanity]

Look in the hunting fishing section of Wal mart.They carry a neo-prem (sp?) glove for fishing that is great, nice tight slim fit.And water resistant to i think.Very warm from what i hear! Down side is there soft and might tear if caught on something.

I usually get the insulated (looks like sheeps skin inside) leather gloves for working with ruff stuff.

[bluetick]

The fishing gloves sound interesting. I have fleece-type mittens that fold back when you need to use your fingers. My current glove liners aren't very warm, but the fishing gloves might work. Thanks!

[deberosa]

I have a pair of ski gloves that are the warmest I have. You couldn't do real detailed work with them, but for what you describe they may work fine. Mine are lines with a cotton like material. Sorry, I've had them so long I don't remember exactly what they are made of!

[Judy in IN]

You need a glove called Hotfingers. They are the warmest glove I've ever used, and are pretty tough. The first pair I bought were for my daughter, and I still have them 9 years later. I found them at the local Galyan's (sporting goods store) and they were a little pricey, but DANG--warm, and they've lasted! You can't beat THAT!

[agmantoo]

I have some mangled fingers on one hand that are very sensitive to cold. I agree with deberosa that ski gloves are the warmest gloves on the market.

[Yvonne]

Ski gloves with thinsilate [sp?] along with Hot Hands, hand warmers. When not warming hands carry in front pants pocket next to the femoral artery. They will help keep the whole body warm. Keep a dry pair of gloves handy. I like to keep a pair inside my shirt so I don't waste body heat warming them up.

[Jena]

Ski gloves work, but I found I tore them up pretty fast. The best thing I have used is a pair of wool knit gloves inside a pair of insulated leather gloves. I use the hand warmers on occassion, but rarely need them. The leather gloves can take the water and if the wool gets wet, it doesn't matter.

I also found that if I kept my body warm, my hands suffer less. A scarf really helps. If that cold air hits my neck, it sets my hands off.

Jena

[MorrisonCorner]

I have "hand issues" too, and if you get numbness the hand warmers can be dangerous because you can't feel if you're being scalded.

There is a product used in the ski industry which absorbs heat, stores it, and then releases it... you see it in gloves and thinner ski jackets. If you can, get down to a high end ski shop and try on gloves. Make a note of the brand names (and the size that fits you)... these things are usually pretty pricy. Make a note of the brand name(s) of these miracle fabrics... then shop around and see if you can find it less expensively online. Couple of years ago I found a pair of these gloves for my husband at Costco for a fraction of the ski shop price. The "stuff" in his is called "Outlast."

Then.. because you and I have no pride.. duct tape. Duct tape the wear spots. The thumb and the finger tips. The palm if you're likely to wear the palm. As the duct tape fails, retape. Your gloves will last way longer.

[henk]

hey,

In the outdoor adventure stores (and alike) they should have thin undergloves, if i recall correct their silk, and stimulate the bloodflow in the hands. As for the gloves , the best i ever had were leather skiing gloves, their far more durable than the nylon ones. Also you could try winter working gloves; leather on the outside, nylon inside and relatieve cheap, so you can alway have dry ones spare.

good luck,

Henk

[Thoughthound]

I've found that a cheap pair of plastic gloves (like what they wear at a sandwhich shop or what you wear to stain wood) as a first layer is excellent at retaining body heat.

Just like putting bread wrappers in your boots!

Also, rubber gloves as an outer layer to repel moisture does wonders. I recently put on heavy duty household chemical gloves ($7 at Menards) over cotton jerzees. The gauntlets went up over my coat sleeve. I felt a little like an idiot until I went out and worked in the cold rain.

Food service gloves, layers of cotton jerseys ($1 per pair) and then rubber gloves. Best I've found so far.

Don't cut off the circulation though.

[Windy in Kansas]

I second the use of ski gloves as Yvonne suggested. Jenna, I don't know why yours didn't last if you got good ones to begin with.

As a letter carrier that was out in the weather for hours at a time I used ski gloves. The ones I got in 1983 are still in good shape and I use them when I need to keep my hands really warm. They were of a good brand, leather, and I keep them treated with leather balm. The original cost back in 1983 was around $35. Expensive, yes, but you get what you pay for in most cases. Sporting goods stores are where you will need to look, not a discount store.

On the days when the wind chill dropped to below -40º I would add a chemical heat pack inside of the gloves. Only after the bundles of mail had lost the residual heat from being sorted inside.

[Ozarkquilter46]

Neopreem gloves. I have seen them in the hunting row at Wal Mart. neopreem is what they use in making skin diving clothes. Use the thin silk gloves under so they are easyer to get on and off

[momofeight]

Originally Posted by Ozarkgal42

Neopreem gloves. I have seen them in the hunting row at Wal Mart. neopreem is what they use in making skin diving clothes. Use the thin silk gloves under so they are easyer to get on and off

I'd like to thank the poster of this thread...my mom and I suffer from Reynaud's syndrome, and this is very helpful!

[mpillow]

WE have Reynauds as well.....my cheap solution to this is to wear the thin stretchy knit gloves under a pair of hubbys work (leather/denim) gloves. When I need to do latches on doors I just slip off exterior glove and quickly put back on. You can get the stretchy knit glove 2pr for 1.49 and work gloves I use about $2pr at Walmart. I have also known folks to sprinkle a little cayenne pepper in socks and gloves for increased circulation. Polar fleece gloves are actually quite nice with mitten over when its real cold.

[fordy]

...............I have a pair of "Walls" gloves that are somewhat insulated but still allow enough manual dexterity to work with both hands and individual fingers . Don't remember the origional cost but probably around 15 or so , fordy

[Haggis]

The warmest gloves for winter use are those they must be worn inside the house and near the fire; at least it seems to be more of a rule since I passed 50.

I always did notice that a really good hat keeps my hands and feet warmer than any gloves or boots on the market.

[longshadowfarms]

I never had much luck with the Neoprene gloves but I'm not sure they were water proof and all my work involved duck water pans. I'd be freezing my fingers off in no time on the below-zero days. I prefer the thin wool or nylon gloves under really heavy leather mittens. As someone else mentioned, take the mitten off briefly to do the careful work. I go with the thin nylon gloves under heavy wool gloves if I know I will be doing a lot of careful work on below zero days. Hands switch back and forth into my arctic lined Carharts (bibs and jacket) when not in use to warm up again. I have a pr of leather mittens for cold weather and an even heavier suede pair of mittens with natural fleece lining for the below-zero weeks. I agree with the others about keeping the rest of the body warm to help. Layer, layer, layer. I spend a lot of time outdoors even in the below zero temps so this is familiar territory. Each person seems different. I need to keep my ears and feet warm and for the most part, the rest of my body will follow. I too go with the scarf in the really cold weather. By the time we're bundled up to go out in the below zero temps, all you can see is eyes.

[kjerckie]

At work, I handle keys and locks in an outside enviroment. I also used to use the thicker gloves and always had to take them off to work the locks. A company truck driver told me he uses thin lightweight knit or nylon gloves with rubber gloves over them, works great for both warmth and dexterity. The trick is, if you can keep your hands dry that's 90% of the battle and the lighter gloves underneath hold in the warmth. Works great for me now, work and home.

[Freeholder]

When we lived in Alaska I had trouble with my youngest daughter getting cold hands. It was a serious problem as she's mentally handicapped and couldn't tell me when she was cold (she's 24 and still doesn't tell me if she's cold). My aunt gave me a pair of local Indian-made mittens for her. They were leather with felt lining, fairly thin felt, not thick like Sorel boots. I'd put wool mittens on my daughter, then those leather ones with the felt linings, and she never had cold hands again. We were outside a lot in temps way below zero. The leather mittens had a yarn harness so you could take them off and not lose them.

Kathleen