HELP!!! - My Hiking Gloves SUCK

I'm finally fed up with my possum down gloves! Although I've been using these for years and love how warm they are for their weight, it's finally time for me to move on to something new. BUT I NEED YOUR HELP! I have no idea what hiking gloves to buy, so I'd love to hear your suggestions!
And for anyone interested in where I've been buying my possum down gloves, I've been getting them from Zpacks (zpacks.com/pro.... Zpacks doesn't make these gloves themselves (they just import them), so I don't blame them for the issues I mentioned in the video. I've had possum down gloves from other companies and experienced the same problem.
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Filmed on a Google Pixel 2 with Purple Panda external mic
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Welcome to my random musings on all things backpacking. If you haven't already guessed, my name is Dan. I was bit by the backpacking bug in 2014 and since then haven't gone one day without thinking about my next adventure. I'm from Chicago, a great city but...not so much known for its bountiful backpacking opportunities. Nevertheless, I haven't let that stop me from enjoying the outdoors. Hope my videos leave you with one or two takeaways, or even better, inspire you to head out on the trail. Thanks for watching! Have fun out there!
Dan

[@DanGoesHiking]

Help me out!!! What are some winter hiking glove suggestions you have? Let us know!

[@Ruckanonymous]

My recommendation is not one I have personally used, as I'm a warm hiker who wears just fleece liners for gloves. Andrew Skurka uses Showa 282 and 282-02 gloves (which look ridiculous but who cares) for winter gloves as they are meant to be used in freezers, fish markets, etc. They aren't crazy expensive either, usually between $20 and $25. Best of luck in your search!

[@DanGoesHiking]

Thanks! I remember seeing these! Yeah, they look like I'm about to do some serious gardening 😂 Does anyone know how breathable they are? They claim to be breathable, but I see the whole thing is coated in PU. Is this the same way rain jackets pretend to be "breathable"? Or is it the real deal? Thanks again, HikerX!

[@KUEHLKUEST]

Well, we are in the same boat....we have amazing winter gloves/mittens we use with snowshoeing and winter camping but are in need of the in between too. We are headed up to the Porcupine Mountains in the UP Michigan in two weeks and the forecast is COLD!! First one to find out some gloves...let’s share...cheers!

[@jordankeller6613]

Have you ever tried simple military surplus wool liners? I’ve ran with these for years and they work great. They are generally about 70% rag wool and 30% nylon and can be had for about 5 bucks a pair. They are slightly thicker than standard thin merino liners (so warmer) but they maintain really good dexterity. I use them almost daily in the winter and get about a full year out of a pair before they start to get thin in heavy use fingertip areas. They definitely won’t fall apart within a single use, but even if you have to buy a new pair every year they are way cheaper than the possumdowns

[@DanGoesHiking]

For $5 bucks I'll definitely have to give those a shot!

[@chadnorth9945]

If you want to stick with natural materials, Dachstein's boiled wool gloves/mittens are legendary. I usually wear a very thin Smartwool merino liner glove. When it gets colder/windier I slap a pair of Zpacks vertice mitts on top of that and am usually fine below freezing while hiking. If colder than that, I put a pair of Dachstein mittens over my liner gloves and my rain mitts on top of that (or some combo of the three).

[@DanGoesHiking]

I was considering Dachstein! I see they make a less warm 3-ply and even 2-ply glove, which I feel might be more appropriate for me since I've heard their original 4-ply kitten is super warm (probably too warm?). Any thoughts on Dachstein in terms of being TOO warm?

[@NOBO61]

I have a pair of ragg wool gloves. They were made for deer hunting and are fingerless on the thumbs and index fingers. They also have rubber knobbies on the palms. They stay warm if they get wet and something like your rain mittens would work with them. Added bonus is that they have long wrists and go well up under your outer layer. Only durability issue is that trekking pole use wears off the knobbies, otherwise I'd say that they were 'bulletproof' if not for their given purpose. I bought them about 20 years ago at a gas station on the way to God knows where.

[@DanGoesHiking]

Thanks! Now I just have to find that gas station...

[@hanskirk-hiking9697]

Hi Dan - I don't think there's one great glove for winter hiking. I use some cheep fleece gloves when I hike. They dry out quickly and some times I carry 2 fleece gloves. When one gets wet I put it in my pocket. Fleece gloves are very light and they are warm, also when they are wet. If you are in cold and dry conditions you can use all kind of gloves and mittens - I have some times carried my down mittens for hiking but never found them useful even in deep winter hiking trips. In inclement weather I hike or stay in my tent 😊☃️🏕🇩🇰

[@DanGoesHiking]

Fleece never gets enough credit! Like you said, very cheap and warm. I like the multiple layers approach!

[@leootp22]

Dan Goes Hiking I like the multiple layers approach too. For your listed criteria, you didn’t mention lightweight, but I am guessing you want to keep the ounces down. If that’s not the case, I use a cheap pair of the REI winter gloves, with more of that hard shell fabric and synthetic leather like stuff on the palms and finger tips, in a larger size and a slightly thicker liner glove from Costco. Will pick up some mitts for camp.

[@cancerhikes3685]

Merino wool with showa...281 work's good together and merino gloves are cheap

[@brianl9944]

I highly recommend "Sensatec" gloves from Head. I bought a pair at Costco for just over $10 and couldn't be happier... excellent dexterity/grip/comfort/breathability

[@douglaslisonbee6667]

I use these gloves also. I disagree, last weekend I went through 4 pairs when it was raining hard. When one pair would get soaked I would change them for a new pair.

[@hikerdoc6771]

Get yourself over to Farlow's at 9 Pall Mall, London, gentleman's country sports shooting and fishing outfitter where the business motto is, in the words of Shakespeare’s Polonius “Clothes maketh the man”. Gentlemen who shoot in the UK in the Winter months, such as myself, need gloves that keep the hands warm, dry and able to maintain function to load the gun (although my bearer does that mostly) and pull the triggers. Also, don't forget to pack the walking pole away and put your hands in your jacket pockets close to your body as often as you can when walking. This is the best way to keep your hands warm. The latent heat of vaporisation from wind blowing across the surface of wet glove material is the quickest way to freeze your hands and fingers. Keeping them in your pockets prevents this and also the warmth of your body helps to keep your hands warm. If your private jet can't get you to London UK any time soon, is there a similar outfitters in USA?

[@DanGoesHiking]

Yeah unfortunately my private jet has been grounded 😆✈️ Thanks for the tips! What gloves do you typically use?

[@hikerdoc6771]

Hi Dan, I have a few different types, depending on the anticipated conditions. I do genuinely have some shooting gloves which are Goretex and called Swedteam (presumably Swedish design) with a thin index finger rather than a slit or cut-off, so I think from memory can still operate my phone's touch screen with them. They are superb, were expensive, but a little bulky, so if it's wet but not too cold I take some neoprene gloves instead. I have some cheap ones from ALDI (fishing gloves with finger slit) and some neoprene cycling gloves with a finger tip L & R that can operate the phone's screen. I don't use leather or fleece because they are no good in the UK wet weather. The other gloves mentioned above work surprisingly well, but I do find its best to keep my hands in my pockets as much as possible and only deploy the walking poles when terrain is difficult. I generally keep hands reasonably warm, especially if I'm exerting myself and keeping my body warm. Circulation to the extremities is compromised the moment your core temperature drops and if you are unlucky enough to have a degree of Raynaud's disease then the effect on the digits can be severe. Always keep head and body warm and you'll find the hands don't get so cold.

[@DanGoesHiking]

Thanks again!

[@SeniorHiker77]

Dan I'm still looking for the ultimate winter glove 7 years later. As for the possum down gloves this is my 3rd year but know they are very delicate to say the least but I only use them for sleeping because it doesn't matter how cold it gets i sleep with my hands outside of my sleeping bag. Lol

[@DanGoesHiking]

Maybe I'll have to switch to your method. For all the durability problems, possum down is damn comfortable and really do make excellent sleeping gloves.

[@b.k.691]

Sensatec gloves made by a company called HEAD. You can get them at Costco for under ten bucks And they are pretty durable. They work well for me your mileage may vary.

[@douglaslisonbee6667]

I use these gloves also. I disagree, last weekend I went through 4 pairs when it was raining hard. When one pair would get soaked I would change them for a new pair.

[@Talon17177]

I’d suggest checking out the defeet duraglove. I’ve had mine for several years, and they yet to wear out. I like to pair them with a rain mitt for wet weather, and this combination also provides additional insulation. In contrast, the Showas are great for really cold weather, but they aren’t as breathable as you might hope. Interestingly, they are releasing a black Showa soon at Skurka’s request. I tend to use these over the duraglove/mitt combo when I start getting into “freezing rain” territory.

[@DanGoesHiking]

Thanks, Zach!

[@jordankeller6613]

@@DanGoesHiking for what it’s worth, I’ve tried the duraglove and found that while they are tough and slightly more wind resistant due to a very tight knit, I didn’t care for them. They don’t have much stretch to them making them kinda tough to get on and off quickly, and the tight knit in such a thin glove backfired for me because i felt like they don’t trap much warm air and my hands felt colder with them on in low activity than if I had no glove at all. Good if you are simply concerned about a slight buffer for conductive heat loss, but something to consider. Anyway, different strokes...

[@Dm-ih8hl]

Merinos liner + polyurethane or nitrile working gloves.

[@pgreenx]

Cheap 100 weight fleece gloves. Stay warm when wet, never rip and lightweight. 200 weight if you run cold.

[@DanGoesHiking]

Thanks! Do you (or anyone else) have thoughts on fleece vs. merino wool gloves in terms of warmth?

[@pgreenx]

Dan Goes Hiking is go with fleece. Very durable. You can layer lighter weight merino underneath when colder. NO silver bullet here.

[@alantheloneranger]

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