Gloves For My Wife

[dirtball08]

Ok ladies, I need your help. My wifes hands get cold even on a warm day sledding. She'll have the warmers on high and still get cold hands. I've put wind guards on and no change. She has tried several different brands of gloves, layering gloves and still have cold hands. What are you using for gloves? Thanks

 

[DragonDiva]

I found that my hands get cold if I use my hand warmers on high. They start to sweat and then no matter what, my hands are cold. I do like my Klim gloves since they have removable fleece liners. I had the same issue with my feet and switched to smart wool socks and now I never have cold feet. The secret to them is having as much wool as possible since it will absorb the sweat. I am going to look for some wool liners for my gloves as I am sure it will help.

 

[Skadi]

Some people have REALLY poor circulation in their hands and will just BATTLE with this... How aggressively is she riding?? is she riding hard enough to be sweating inside her gloves, as dragondiva said this can often be the problem... however, sometimes... people just have cold hands!! I know a few people who have gotten frost bite and ever since then they cannot keep their hands warm...

Anyway, a few thoughts. My brother came out with a really cool technology a few years back that is getting sewn into some gloves.... Mostly they're made for ice climbers and people who are gripping cold things so the heating elements are on the inside (sledders would probably want them on the outside). but they still work FABOULOUSLY to keep your hands warm all day and the you charge them up at night. I think Mountain hardware is making them? outdoor research might too?? and I know he was in communication with one of the snowmobile clothing companies but I don't know for sure where that went nor could I say if I did know! silly politics! this is my brother's website ... might be worth looking in to.

Also, have you tested her warmers?? I know they make regular ones and high output ones... I also know if you put warmers on aluminum bars and don't spray some foam down in there at least you will loose ALL your heat!!

First thing is to find out if she's getting cold from sweat or from poor circulation to her hands. I personally don't have this problem and wear the thinnest possible gloves nearly all season so I can't even relate... sorry... but I do know some people who have passed on stories of this and it makes riding HELL for whoever is dealing with this issue and that is NO BUENO!!! We want our riding partners HAPPY!

 

[SledMamma]

I have a problem with cold cold hands as well. I have tried the best gloves on the market and still ended up with frostbite. Its the worst if the trail is long and the weather is cold, bcz the handlebar warmers can't keep up. Sooo, on a very cold trip to Elkford in February, I got fed up. My husband drove me to Fernie and parked the truck and sleds in front of the biggest granola-munching, earth loving, ski and snowboard shop he could find. Inside, I laid down $140 on Black Diamond mittens. NOT GLOVES.... mittens. (The inner layer is removable and has two-finger separation sewn in, so it is semi-glovelike). I wore these on the trail up the next day (and every trip since) and then once I was in the meadows and working harder in the powder, trees, etc., and my body gets warm and my hands follow suit, I switch them out for my Klim gloves. This has worked like a dream: I find the key is to not let the hands get cold in the first place bcz its so hard to get them warm again. And, like a few others have mentioned, switch them before your warm hands start to sweat and create moisture in the gloves. Also, the hubby found me some nice Dakota liners that I wear when I am eating, photographing etc., so that my bare hands are never exposed. I haven't had any issues since I went this route. (I should mention that the very same trip, my toe got frostbite, turned black and the end fell off... I guess I was so busy worrying about painful frozen hands, I didn't even notice that I couldn't feel my big toe. Ooops!!) Also... I have tried using handwarmers, but I find they cause my hands to sweat and create the dreaded moisture problem...

PS- Skadi: your brother's invention looks amazing! He must be some kinda genius...

 

[MOMMA]

awesome info girls. I wear Motorfist gloves.. Love them because they keep me warm and dry. I have multiple gloves that I wear throughout the day, each for different purpose. My riding gloves are a bit thinner, My digging myself out of tree well gloves are a bit thicker, and the gloves I wear on the ride out have a full gauntlet.
On a separate note, I have really low blood pressure, which can lead to crappy circulation. I can get cold quite easy. Sometimes women don't like to pee out in the great wide open causing them to omit hydration. Hydration is so important when maintaining circulation. I pack not only water but gatorade or some other type of electrolyte drink. Helps keep me hydrated and my circulation flowing, thus contributing to the warmth of my extremities.

 

[hcr ditch banger]

Viteman e with iron will also help . main think is keep them dry have a couple of pairs it's much extra weight. as for your feet the wool socks are a very good idea . also wearing a nylon helps also it dosen't let the moisture back to your skin.

 

[koby]

your gettin gloves for your wife?
now that's a good trade.............

 

[Skadi]

he is mamma... gotta hate an older brother who has inventions out the ying yang and patents and blah, blah, blah... I always feel so inferior! ha! But it is a pretty cool product on the heating, cooling AND light emitting applications! imagine a tent with a lighting panel sewn into it? how cool is that?? this stuff is just a tin y bit bulkier than your normal fabric. Little bit of weight gain but not a huge amount... pretty neat stuff...

anyway, GREAT recommendations!! I think that should get ya on the right path to keeping your wife warm and enjoying the back country with you!!

 

[Trax 2 Treadz]

I know this has nothing to do with gloves but has she seen a chiropractor? Your hands have lots of little bones in them and even one out of place can cause issues. Or even an issue not in her hands that could cause issues in her hands for example I have issues in my shoulders that refer to my hands sometimes from the excessive swimming I do. Anyways it may be something worth checking out.


Jan

 

[JaySimon]

I wind up packing out 3-5 pairs of gloves on a given day. Once one pair is wet, in the bag they go. Keep a super warm pair of mittens for the final ride out or any emergency.

Cold hands are the worst.

 

[powderpilot]

The most important thing for me is keeping the wind off the back of my hands... Especially on the trail. I like gore-tex because it's still breathable and will dry if you sweat a bit, but it blocks the wind great. Klim has a glove for women that has a moveable liner inside, so you put it to the back of the glove on the trail, and can switch it to the palm for more aggressive riding.

I personally just wear the Klim windstopper gloves. I find the thinner glove lets the heat from the bars come through better than a thicker, more insulated glove. I always keep an extra pair or two under my hood, so it dries out and warms up while I ride, then if my hands get cold, I just swap out with the pre-heated pair. When I need to take my gloves off, I always put them under the hood or under my armpits, so I'm not putting on frozen gloves.

 

[Sled Betty]

I go through a few sets a day - start out with a thicker water proof pair then often switch to a thinner water resistant pair when warmed up and riding off trail. Then back to the thicker dry one at the end of the day on the trail ride home. I like Kilm's Powerxross glove and for thinner pairs, I've got Klim's windstopper (think it's the inversion now) and Fox's Switch glove - I probably like the fox's best because they have some insulation but are pretty thin. One nice thing about the Powerxross gloves is that once I break them in, I can often wear them all day (their bulkiness breaks down after a few rides and gloves that are too bulky are hard to ride in unless its on the trail.)

 

[dirtball08]

Yup, if she is more comfortable sledding, i get to sled more. Pretty fair trade i figure.

your gettin gloves for your wife?
now that's a good trade.............

 

[ferniesnow]

Check out Stoic gloves/mitts; wind proof and have a wool liner. Doo a search on Backcountry.com: The North Face, Mountain Hardwear and Arc'teryx Skiing, Camping, Hiking and Backpacking Gear and check out Steep and Cheap: Stoic Welder Hi Softshell Jacket - Men's - $129.99 - 57% off

They come on sale and the $109 pair can go as low as $39

The wool liner is awesome.

PS Don't know about all the stuff in the link ie jacket, etc. That just came up out of the blue.

 

[0neoldfart]

My better half had had cold hands for years when sledding, and we've bought a lot of different gloves / mitts over the years. She used to wear a ski-doo brand glove with leather palm and nylon / leather on the back, but they quit making them. Now she wears True North Adventure gloves, but added a merino wool liner. I have to admit they work so well that I bought a pair to slip in my gloves for the trail down. Don't be scared to try a few different pairs - I know it gets expensive, but she's worth it, and you'll have a much happier riding partner.