# I want a good pair of gloves. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554 "2007-11-23T23:39:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/1 "2007-11-23T23:39:26Z")
Every winter it’s the same story: my fingers are cold, I put on a pair of $7 Wal-Mart gloves, and they’re \*still \* cold. ☹ I don’t care how much they cost… I want a \*\*\*good \*\* \* pair of gloves, dammit! So can someone provide a link to a good pair of gloves? Ideally they would be warm \*and \* flexible, but I also I understand there’s a tradeoff between these two attributes. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/2 "2007-11-24T00:49:23Z")
If it’s your fingers that are cold, gloves aren’t the answer. Mitts are your friend. Less surface area = less heat loss. It all depends on how much dexterity you need. I usually wear “smoker” gloves (no, I don’t smoke. They’re the gloves with the cut-off fingertips, and the mitt-flap that goes overtop.) This lets be have the warmth of mitts, and if I need to press buttons or something (I’m a compulsive radio station flipper), I can stick my index finger out to do what I need to do, keeping mmy other fingers warm. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/3 "2007-11-24T01:51:45Z")
I’ve got leather (sued’ish) gloves with thinsulate lining. They work great! Actually, I had a pair just like this that lasted 20 yrs (NO SHIT). When they finally died, I asked for a pair just like them for Christmas (back when I needed things). I’m on my 4th year with the new ones. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/4 "2007-11-24T04:43:59Z")
Whatever gloves or mittens you choose, try to get a size larger than your hands really are. Cold weather gear just traps the body heat that you already produce so your hands will stay warmer if there’s more air around your fingers. Conversely, if your gloves/mittens are skin tight, your hands will be colder. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/5 "2007-11-24T04:59:43Z")
Look for a pair marketed towards snowmobilers. They’re usually waterproof, lined in fleece, and have velcro flaps to tighten the gloves around your wrists so no snow/drafts sneak in. My dad has a pair from either Arctic Cat or Polaris that he wears outside when he’s working. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/6 "2007-11-24T17:21:40Z")
[Here’s an article from Tools of the Trade magazine](http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=0&articleID=537046) dealing with gloves designed for professional trades persons. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/7 "2007-11-24T17:54:28Z")
I have a pair somewhere from back in my snowboarding days. It was a mitten with a glove inside of it. It was VERY warm. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/8 "2007-11-25T04:01:28Z")
$7? I have never spent less than $35 on a pair of gloves. Look for thinsulate. (40g is okay down to about -17 Celsius). Look for windproof material. And look to warm up your arms first. If all that fails, get one of [these](http://www.toasterz.net/index.html). Gotta love reusable pocket warmers! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/9 "2007-11-25T15:22:24Z")
Is it illogical to think, based on your posting history, that you need gloves rather than mittens because you need have a trigger finger handy? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Yag\_Rannavach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/858c86/32.png) [@Yag\_Rannavach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yag_Rannavach)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/10 "2007-11-25T16:06:19Z")
[QUOTE=Barbarian] Look for thinsulate. (40g is okay down to about -17 Celsius). Look for windproof material. And look to warm up your arms first. [/QUOTE] Thinsulate is nice, but, well, some people have fingers that suck the heat out of everything. People like me. Put any gloves you want on my hands and they’lll be cooled down to freezing after 10-15 minutes. Mittens are the only way for me to have even the possibility of warm fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/11 "2007-11-26T03:13:17Z")
I wear wool socks year-round. I know from cold. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-a-good-pair-of-gloves/427554/12 "2007-11-26T05:38:55Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] Every winter it’s the same story: my fingers are cold, I put on a pair of $7 Wal-Mart gloves, and they’re \*still \* cold. ☹ I don’t care how much they cost… I want a \*\*\*good \*\* \* pair of gloves, dammit! So can someone provide a link to a good pair of gloves? Ideally they would be warm \*and \* flexible, but I also I understand there’s a tradeoff between these two attributes. [/QUOTE] What do you need the gloves for? What kind of conditions? How long are you in the cold? And what do you need to do with your fingers? We are all very different. Gloves inside a good outer shell mit with a gaunlet is a good choice because it gives you options. Look to outdoor gear stores for this. [http://www.outdoorresearch.com/home/category/home/handtools/gloves/ascent](http://www.outdoorresearch.com/home/category/home/handtools/gloves/ascent)