Originally Posted by
OwenM
Hardly know where to begin, since I do short trips year-round across a huge variety of conditions(may hit 11 states this year, in spite of a relatively low number of nights on the trail).
Much like the rest of me, my hands seem to need far less insulation than most, and "don't get cold"...until they do.
Unlike the rest of me, when that tipping point is finally reached, they become unusable, and are very hard to get warm again.
My "system" is based on that, and would not be suitable for most people, temp-wise.
I typically use Mechanix Fastfit gloves until it gets below 40F in the daytime, then silkweight Windstopper gloves for hiking, and 100wt fleece ones in camp. Those get me down to the teens, which is usually as low as it gets anywhere I'm hiking.
For rougher use that requires a more durable glove, I use an old version of Marmot's Gravity, a softshell with thin fleece lining.
If any of the above isn't quite enough, I have a pair of Powerdry liners that'll fit under any of them, and MLD eVent rain mitts that'll fit over them(though I rarely think to bring them in cold weather).
Those all work well for me, as long as there's no high winds, and my hands don't get wet from gathering water or something, which is where trouble starts.
My newly acquired solution for when my hands finally get cold is the 300wt liner from OR's Meteor mittens. I borrowed my friend's to warm up after letting my hands get numb in the teens with 40mph wind. They were great, so I got my own.
The shell is another option, but will probably be limited(due to bulk and weight) to rare and intentional excursions into conditions that combine very low temps and very high winds where they can actually be worn most of the time. I caught them at a low price, and really bought them for the liners, goofy as that may seem.
For rain, in temps above 40 or so, I just wear the Fastfit gloves, and let them be wet, or no gloves at all. Below that, if it's really coming down, I use the MLD eVent mitts. I had those for years before even bothering to get them out and seal the seams, which I regret, especially after experiencing torrential rain a couple of times since. Now I wonder how I lived without them!