What are your favorite water/snow proof gloves?
As far as snow gloves, I was a professional Ski Patrolman and a backcountry rescuer, and I have had many many pairs of gloves and destroyed all of them. There are outstanding gloves from people like Hestra, Marmot, Black Diamond, and I use them when I am going BC touring, ice climbing etc.
But for the money, the absolute best winter glove is from Kinco, and they are $10-$18 a pair workgloves. The key here is the treatment, buy one of these two gloves, and throw them in the dryer for 20 mins. Get SnoSeal, SnoSeal brand (its beeswax based waterproofer for leather, and there is nothing better). When the gloves are warm, put them on and squeeze snoseal into the palms and back, and rub it into the leather. Being warm, it will permeate all of the pores. Let them dry someplace warm over night, and you can do a couple more coats. They will be a little tacky at first but that goes away.
I have spent 14 hour days working outside in blizzard conditions with these same gloves and well below sub zero temps, and I can promise you nothing out there is better.
9 Answers
I don't know if they're still available, but I have a pair of Swany Toasters that are awesome. It's a mitten with a zipper to let my fingers out when I need them, but the fingers are inside of a glove inside the mitten, so skin is never exposed to the outside. Love 'em.
I just got a pair of Drop MFM II Leather Snow Gloves Have not worn them yet is real cold conditions but seem to be very warm and are already waterproof.
I really like J.Andrew's answer above. It's so easy to misplace gloves and mitts, so spending a fortune on them just creates stress. Getting a few sets of $15 Kinco gloves isn't a bad idea.
That said I just tested out my newly bought Outdoor Research Adrenaline mitts on two snow dumps up here in the Northwest. There's a nice outer shell that keeps out the wet and a removable inner fleece liner. On warmer days you can just use the shell. The liner itself is convertible, as in you can flip them open to expose fingers and thumbs.
~$40 at REI
http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/m_s_adrenaline_mitts.html
I've had a pair of Duluth Trading DTPro Winterproof Work Gloves for a while now. They fit well and I've literally dunked my hand in water while wearing them, and they are definitely waterproof. They are not lined on the inside with fleece or anything, so don't expect to cram freezing hands inside of them and get soft fuzzy warmth, but for $30 a pair they are winterproof, waterproof, and nigh-indestructable.
As far as snow gloves, I was a professional Ski Patrolman and a backcountry rescuer, and I have had many many pairs of gloves and destroyed all of them. There are outstanding gloves from people like Hestra, Marmot, Black Diamond, and I use them when I am going BC touring, ice climbing etc.
But for the money, the absolute best winter glove is from Kinco, and they are $10-$18 a pair workgloves. The key here is the treatment, buy one of these two gloves, and throw them in the dryer for 20 mins. Get SnoSeal, SnoSeal brand (its beeswax based waterproofer for leather, and there is nothing better). When the gloves are warm, put them on and squeeze snoseal into the palms and back, and rub it into the leather. Being warm, it will permeate all of the pores. Let them dry someplace warm over night, and you can do a couple more coats. They will be a little tacky at first but that goes away.
I have spent 14 hour days working outside in blizzard conditions with these same gloves and well below sub zero temps, and I can promise you nothing out there is better.
Kinco Lined pigskin gloves
Kinco Ski gloves