# Mittens!



## mtw (Nov 5, 2012)

Hey guys,

I was wondering what everyone thought the best mittens are? Do you guys prefer to go the traditional style or the 3-finger/trigger finger mitten style? Any particular stand-out brands/models of mittens? Do we prefer Gore-tex or eVent or {insert fabric here}...

The Loki Access Mitt looks interesting, although I've never seen one in person and as such haven't had a chance to see how good they actually are.

The Hestra 3-finger gloves look interesting also, but same kind of story as above. Have not had an opportunity to try them out as yet.

Anyways, lets have some discussion 

Try to keep it mitten related, but I suppose it can't hurt to have some glove comparisons too.


----------



## mitch19 (Jul 27, 2011)

I personally like mittens, however I see you are from Australia (I grew up there) 90% of the time I found my hands getting reeeaaalllyyyyy hot and I ended up riding bear hands and slipping them on when I got to the bottom or something. Though I now live in Whistler and can say that I love my mittens over here, the amount of times we have been sitting there and my buddies are all bitching about cold hands while mine are so nice and warm :cheeky4: Tho I will stick swap over to come park gloves when its a sunny day and the temps rise a bit. I generally go for gore-tex gloves because theres nothing worse then having wet hands all day


----------



## Cycle4Fun (Feb 22, 2012)

I have a good set of mittens and a good set of gloves. Mittens for normal winter days. Gloves for the late season.

I have cold hands so mittens are my standard below -2C


----------



## bseracka (Nov 14, 2011)

I use regular mittens and have both over and unders depending on my jacket. I have found dakine and burton are usually the best value. Typically I can find a pair of the previous season's goretex mit for around 40. In my mind mittens/gloves are a disposable item given the chance of edge cuts and rope abrasions, so I have a hard time dropping big cash on them.


----------



## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I go for bigger/longer over the cuff/sleeve gortex mitts shells because if in deep poo...swimming or digging yourself out, they are better for keeping the snow out...also easier to take on/off...pull up over the cuff and cinch the string and done. I also use fleece/wool liners for cold days or lighter wicking liners for warmer. And/when the liners get damp/wet, say after lunch, an extra pair to use to be dry and toasty. Extra liners are lighter and easier to carry than another set of gloves or mitts.


----------



## almostheaven (Sep 30, 2012)

I have rocked a pair of Pow mittens the last two seasons and have really enjoyed them. Maybe not the best for the warmest of days, or if your the kinda person who is always messing with a phone or ipod while riding. 

As someone else mentioned its good to have some liner gloves to put on under alot of the time too.


----------



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I actually have a pair of the Loki mitts. Won them at a movie premier several years ago. Probably used them less than a dozen times. My hands just don't get that cold. They work well enough in the cold. It's pretty easy to flip them up to expose your fingers and put back in place. In wetter conditions they might get soaked. Though you are probably not wearing mitts when it's that warm anyway.


----------



## Sassicaia (Jan 21, 2012)

I way prefer gloves to mits. I own a set of both because ill wear the gloves until it get to cold. You have more mobility with gloves, but more warmth with mits. Of course mobility ranges within gloves and of all the ones I tried on nothing beats hestra.


----------



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Sassicaia said:


> I way prefer gloves to mits. I own a set of both because ill wear the gloves until it get to cold. You have more mobility with gloves, but more warmth with mits. Of course mobility ranges within gloves and of all the ones I tried on nothing beats hestra.


I agree Hestra is one of the best at making gloves.


----------



## mjd (Mar 13, 2009)

Candy Grind Handbags

Incredibly tough, high quality.


----------



## FacePlant4Free (Oct 19, 2011)

i bought some candygrinds last year. They wore out pretty quickly I thought.

Those do look kinda cool though.


----------



## Sassicaia (Jan 21, 2012)

The only problem with Hestra is although it says "Both design and development is done at the headquarters in the town of Hestra." They are in fact made in China.

Keep that in mind. Paying a premium for clothing that is made in china pissed me off especially since i read this prior to buying them and didnt find until after that even their top end models are made in china.

I emailed their head office saying its very misleading that their sites says "development" is done in Hestra. Their reply was "almost all fabics products are made in china". I said replied saying BS i have plenty of top end cloths made in Italy, Canada, and Germany. While it may cost more to make their its simply reflected in the cost in the product i.e. $200 for a pair of gloves 

Is what it is, but the verbiage on their site, and reply to my email pissed me off a little.


----------



## mtw (Nov 5, 2012)

mitch19 said:


> I personally like mittens, however I see you are from Australia (I grew up there) 90% of the time I found my hands getting reeeaaalllyyyyy hot and I ended up riding bear hands and slipping them on when I got to the bottom or something.


I almost never go to the snow here in Australia . Normally go to Canada or Japan. For the last 3 or so years I've been using some Dakine mittens + inners which were great (although got a bit too toasty quite often). However they finally gave out earlier this year and I'm now in the market to get something new.

I'm thinking I'd like to get a pair of gloves and mittens simply because mittens are not appropriate 100% of the time. But that makes choosing even more difficult, twice as many products to look at.

I was not aware Hestra are made in China, that kind of makes me question the quality a bit...


----------



## rob7289 (Nov 14, 2010)

+1 for dakine mitts

i have the mitt plus liner combo.. riding out here in so cal its usually around 40...lowest at like 10

found myself riding just the liners most of the season and i liked them a lot. kept my hands perfectly warm. when it got colder i slipped the full mitt over and was very toasty. good made gloves also. recommend these for sure

my buddy has the same style but in the glove form and also just rode the liners for much of the season


----------



## binarypie (Nov 29, 2009)

I used to swear by my Burton AK mittens .... but now I have a set of Hestra and they are fantastic.


----------



## matty19 (Nov 19, 2010)

I've got a buddy who swears by his Hestra trigger finger mitts. He absolutely loves them. I don't care for gauntlet mitts, so I'm using Celtek Radar mitts. Good luck so far, although I know that some people have had less than stellar things to say about Celtek...


----------



## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

i got burton gore mits wiht about 3 seasons on em, burned through a few sets of liners, but otherwise they are holding up suprisingly well (i've had several low-medium end burton products absolutely shred to nothing) and look basically new. If I can ever destroy them I will happily move to Hestra.

Last year I started wearing pipe gloves, and I'm pretty stoked, I tend to run hot and they provide all I need unless its like under 25 degrees.


----------



## mtw (Nov 5, 2012)

I'm leaning towards Hestra for my mittens so far. What are the go-to models?
- Seth Morrison Pro 3-fingers
- Army Leather Heli Ski 3-fingers
- Kaj & Sverre Pro Model 3-fingers
- Army Leather GTX 3-fingers

In regards to the pipe gloves, are there any particular brands that make a 'better' pipe glove?


----------



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Not 100% sure, but I think every glove is made in China. Same with almost if not all outerwear. China pretty much has the lock down on that market. 

The Hestra Heli Ski 3 finger is a good compromise over mittens. Just about as warm and gives you some dexterity to operate bindings and such. If cold hands are a problem, those are worth giving a try.

snowklinger, buddy, I've got a lot to show you about Colorado. Hestra's US Head quarters are in Golden. Every year come April-May they have a sale to get rid of excess product they have for the season. Their shit is at least 50% off, usually more than that. Heli gloves for $40 and such. I didn't do it this past season, but I usually stock up on Hestra gloves at the end of every season. You can bet I am doing that this year. There are deals like this going on all over the Metro for everything outerwear. Look for Go Lite, Sierra Designs, Fly Low, and even Burton to name a few that do this on a regular basis. You can get great gear on the cheap. Steep and Cheap can't touch it...


----------



## mtw (Nov 5, 2012)

I actually found my Dakine mittens a bit too hot quite often, so 3-fingers being a little cooler would probably be better.

Maybe I should move to Golden....


----------



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Man if Dakine Mittens are getting too hot, I am pretty sure that you would be roasting with Hestra lobster gloves. I generally try to get the heli glove and generally speaking Colorado is one of the cold places in the states. Mostly due to the high altitude. The Heli glove usually works for me well over 90% of the time. There are some rare days where I have to go mitten, but we are talking one or two days out of a 50+ day season I get. 

You might look at the Heli Glove instead. Keep the Dakine mitts for the days when it's really cold. In fact you might look at a slightly lighter insulated glove from Hestra. I've got a pair of Guide Gloves I bought two seasons ago from Hestra that are still rocking. They have become my glove of choice for splitting actually. Leather, well insulated, good dexterity once broken in. Holding up great so far. I think I'll get this season out of them, which I rarely get more than one season out of gloves most years.


----------



## binarypie (Nov 29, 2009)

I prefer mittens to gloves for a style reasons.

I've been doing it since 1996 so I don't know why anymore. :dunno:

Although I'd love to get a set of tiger gloves but no one makes a good set that I've been able to find.


----------



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

binarypie said:


> I prefer mittens to gloves for a style reasons.
> 
> I've been doing it since 1996 so I don't know why anymore. :dunno:
> 
> Although I'd love to get a set of tiger gloves but no one makes a good set that I've been able to find.


Whatever mows your lawn...:laugh:


----------



## mtw (Nov 5, 2012)

Anyone used the Dakine Baron Gore-tex mitten?

DAKINE Eric Jackson Team Baron Gore-Tex Mitten | Backcountry.com
DAKINE Baron Gore-Tex Mitten | Backcountry.com


----------



## warlord (Feb 19, 2011)

I am also looking for a pair of mittens, i usually do a lot of spring time riding because im in las vegas and it never gets that cold here but i have poor circulagtion in my hands and they are always cold. I spent 120 bucks on a pair of level pipe gloves and wish i would of gotten mittens. 

So now i am looking for a pair of warm mittens. How much warmer are they compared to a standard pair of gloves? I've never had mittens before so not sure what kind to get.

So on a scale of 1 to 10 for warmth and level pipe gloves are like a 5.... What is an average mitten? an 7,8? and the warmest mittens being a 10?


----------



## Treegreen (Mar 16, 2012)

I have worn a similar mitt by dakine to the baron in the past and liked it just fine, but since my family got me DAKINE Dakine Titan Mitten - Men's | Backcountry.com I use them as my every day glove at the resort unless it's warmer, and then use gloves or an older version of Burton Spectre Mitten - Men's | Backcountry.com that I found for $15 locally. I have terrible circulation in my fingers or something and find that I more or less have to use mittens to keep comfortable.

To answer your question Warlord, I'd say in my case the nicer mitt is like a 7 (minus the liner) and the pipe glove is more like a 4 if I'm not wearing the liners with them (which I never do).


----------

