 Poster: A snowHead
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Was disappointed to end up with very cold fingers last week in Courchevel after getting the Hestra Army Leather GTX XCR. Paid silly price in resort for a crap pair of inserts and would welcome advice on the best solution. Has anyone tested / got views on the relative merits of merino (eg icebreaker) v silk v polartec v something else?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I too suffer from cold fingers. I bought some Icebreaker merino liners and they have helped but unfortunately, not enough. I still get painfully cold fingers so I'm now looking at buying new gloves - probably Hestras.
I did find that the liner helped absorb any moisture and my outer gloves were never wet or cold in the morning and the liners dry easily.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Same here (cold finger sufferer). I have tried all sorts... I think the main problem is not so much the gloves themselves but the gloves getting damp from sweat - gloves that are very warm to starrt with can end up giving you cold hands by the end of the day because of this. So, my solution now is this:
If I have a rucksac I carry a spare pair of gloves and change if they get a bit damp.
Always wear liners, if I have to take you gloves off to fiddle with something I almost always leave the liners on so still have a bit of protection. Carry spare liners in case they get damp too.
If at all possible do not sit outside if you stop for lunch / coffee / beer, go inside where you can warm your hands and dry your gloves a bit. Even if they don't dry at least they won't be freezing cold when you put them back on. If you do sit outside stick the gloves down your jacket to keep them warm.
Dry your gloves at night. This is pretty bad for nice posh leather gloves, sticking them on a radiator will ruin them:(
I now wear fleece lined goretex (or similar) gloves with a pretend leather palm, the fleece comes out very easily for drying at night and in warm weather or when touring I can just wear the outers with thermal liners.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I use silk liners and a pair of sonwlife mittens, they have kept my hands toast warm and dry in northern finland when skiing in -20
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Marino wool is supposed to be the best! and get mitts not gloves!!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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'Supposed to' is why I bought the Hestras: they're 'supposed to' be the dogs boleros but they aren't warm enough and were a 2nd pair to address the lack of serious warmth in the first!. (I'd actually wanted a Heliski glove which is warmer but they didn't have my size and I took the offer of the XCRs for the same price). Still pricey and after the expense, cold fingers would be the least of my concerns if the missus knew I'd messed with mitts! The Hestras are otherwise good and certainly no problem with damp or sweat.
Have recently seen reviews saying the icebreaker's aren't very durable. There's also Smartwool - but not tried. Silk is nice but doesn't feel as warm as merino or polartec. Hestra do a variety of inserts so think I'll ask their advice.
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Blimey - they were quick. This is an edited response:
The XCRs are not the warmest in the range but offer a good level of dexterity, versatility, durability and warmth for most people in many but not all conditions. The 3 Finger version or mitt would offer more warmth as your fingers would be able to share body heat. Gloves can only trap heat produced by the body which must have fuel (food) to do this in the first place - if you're not 100% the first place cold is felt is the extremities (hands/feet).
Merino Wool liners are ideal as they are not too bulky, can be worn inside most gloves easily and provide good warmth and an extra layer of air which can boost overall warmth significantly. Silk and the other polartec liners tend to be more about moisture management. In some cases perspiration can exceed the breathability of even Gore-tex and saturate insulations reducing their ability to trap warmth.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sat 16-01-10 17:30; edited 1 time in total
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As a fellow previous sufferer of cold hands I would advise mitts, Fingers need to keep each other warm. Isolating them in gloves is always going to be a struggle as you just aren't going to get enough insulation between the fingers and they haven't got each other to keep warm. Yeah, sure a million people will come on here and say they get cold hands and that gloves are fine, well if they were then they wouldn't still be claiming they got cold hands. I used to get cold hands in Europe in a variety of gloves plus liners. I now ski Canada in pretty cold conditions with mitts plus liners and only get cold on chilly days (lower than -20).
I wear liners under my mitts- silk at the moment but when I see ice breaker or smart wool I'll buy those if they are thin enough, as changing my base layer to merino has been good this year. Silk works well as a liner, but doesn't provide that much protection when mitts are off, I reckon.
Other things are those jackets with wrist warmers and making sure all of you is warm so there is no need to retract blood to the core.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Outdoor Research (OR) make some pretty serious glove liners. Bought a pair a few weeks ago, and will give them a try in St Anton next month.
The trouble with silk or icebreaker is that you really need to keep them away from velcro - they snag and pill.
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I like Icebreaker best having tried silk and plenty of others. It only makes about 10% difference though. You have to get Mitts if you get cold hands, and not the stupid 3 finger mitts. You want all 4 fingers together. On very cold days I put heat pads - the ones you can buy for a couple of euros - in first thing in the morning. They last all day and ensure hands stay warm whatever the conditions. Good luck!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Similar discussion going on over at http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=59292
I have experience with the Hestra army leather model and found the insulation sub par. Added merino (Icebreaker) liners and chemical hand warmers but my hands still got cold. I now have mittens insulated with Primaloft, which definitely keep my fingers toasty. The Hestras were great for spring skiing last season, so I'll keep them for this season's spring trip. And yes, Icebreaker liners are quite fragile. The tips on my right-hand liner glove were shredded to bits after only a few encounters with velcro - my own fault but be warned.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I found the insulation in the Hestras packed down a fair amount. I found a pair of Hestra inners for 20 Euros in St Anton last year that work very well. Haven't seen them for sale over here though
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The plus side of the Hestra gloves (true for mine, at least) is that you can remove the insulation layer and wash them.
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