# Why are mittens still made? Are there advantages over gloves? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666 "2024-11-23T13:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/21 "2024-11-23T16:20:51Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > > [@Telemark](#): > > > > I have a collection of gloves, mittens, and a few hybrid combinations. > > I guess everyone needs a hobby. I have a collection of left-handed mitts and gloves, and also a collection of right-handed mitts and gloves. My collections increase every winter. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/22 "2024-11-23T16:29:24Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > with separate spots for the thumb and index finger I first came upon this style as _teamsters mittens_ where, IIUC, the separate index finger was to allow for better control of horse reins. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/23 "2024-11-23T16:36:48Z")
They’re called “trigger mitts” in N&L because they were for hunting; the index finger could be used to pull the trigger. ---
**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, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/24 "2024-11-23T16:37:38Z")
I suffer from [Raynaud’s syndrome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-suffer-from-raynaud-syndrome-fingers-become-white-numb-when-cold/975766), and sometimes mittens aren’t even good enough for me. So a few years ago I invested in some [heated gloves](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYIHOD1/). Not cheap, buy worth every penny to me. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/25 "2024-11-23T16:42:04Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > It’s something he wanted to try his hand at. I won’t knuckle under to this kind of abuse. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/26 "2024-11-23T16:53:47Z")
I like these, but hate the velcro as it inevitably fuzzes over time. I have a great pair with sewn in magnets; those are awesome. And when coming in from the snow, if they are wet, I can just put them on the radiator cover and they hold themselves up while drying. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/27 "2024-11-23T17:04:29Z")
Just to add to the chorus, mittens are much warmer than gloves. I like to ski, and I don’t like to stop because of a cold (or even frigid) day. I have skied in temperatures as low as -10 deg F and windchills as cold as -40 deg F. Granted, that’s pretty unusual, but single digit days are not, especially up in Maine. I actually have a whole range of gloves and mittens for various weather conditions. Gloves by themselves are fine down to about 30 deg F. For temps in the 20s I use gloves with hand warmers. For temps below 20 deg F, I use heavy duty double-layer mittens with handwarmers. The mittens I had (with handwarmers) worked well down to about 10 deg F, but below that my hands started getting cold, especially during a ski run with high wind and my mittened hands holding cold ski poles. So last year I picked up these extra heavy duty mittens: > **[Hestra Army Leather Extreme Mitten - Accessories](https://www.backcountry.com/hestra-army-leather-extreme-mitten)** > > Buy the Hestra Army Leather Extreme Mitten online or shop all Accessories from Backcountry.com. I got them late enough in the season that I didn’t get a chance to try them out in truly frigid weather yet. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/28 "2024-11-23T17:07:02Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > They’re called “trigger mitts” in N&L because they were for hunting; the index finger could be used to pull the trigger. These were the ones I was issued by the Army. They were standard issue for decades. I don’t know if they still use them. There was a separate liner for the inside. I probably still have a couple of pairs around here somewhere. > **[US Surplus Trigger Finger Mittens](https://www.generalarmynavy.com/product/us-used-surplus-trigger-finger-mittens-with-liners/)** > > Get your US Surplus Trigger Finger Mittens here at General Army Navy Outdoor in Salt Lake City, Utah. Learn more about them here! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/29 "2024-11-23T18:17:33Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I also commute year round and during real cold periods, I put on a pair of Hippo Hands and can then wear my normal biking gloves but have that extra protection. This is a product I didn’t even know existed. The overmittens I wear were made by my mom. It looks like those Hippo Hands things remain attached to the handlebars? > [@beowulff](#): > > Somewhat hard to believe that the OP needed to ask the question… If they haven’t worn mittens since they were a child, they might not realize the answer, while the benefits of gloves are more obvious. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/30 "2024-11-23T18:19:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If they haven’t worn mittens since they were a child, they might not realize the answer, while the benefits of gloves are more obvious. Also, if memory serves, the OP lives in Arkansas, where the definition of “cold weather” is substantially warmer, in the absolute, than for those of us who live in places like the Upper Midwest, northern New England, or Canada. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/31 "2024-11-23T19:03:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It looks like those Hippo Hands things remain attached to the handlebars? Yep. They are easy to put on and take off. I only put them on sub 32 F periods or if I’m going for a long ride. I like to go out mountain biking in the channeled scablands a couple times a winter and they work great. I have a pair for my dual-sport moto as well. Heated grips would be preferable (have them on my Buell and love’em!), but I’ll stick with the low tech solution for now. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/32 "2024-11-23T19:43:21Z")
Another type of cold weather cycling gloves are these [Lobster Claw gloves.](https://www.pearlizumi.com/products/amfib-lobster-gel-gloves-14342006?variant=40647605846187) ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/33 "2024-11-23T19:45:58Z")
As “come from aways” living in Newfoundland, we called them “nose pickers.” Our neighbours including one who knitted them, called them “baymen’s mitts.” Baymen” were/are Newfoundlanders who live in outports rather than the urban areas. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/34 "2024-11-23T19:56:47Z")
“I would _love_ to help you out with that outdoor project, but unfortunately I am wearing mittens, not gloves, and you know how useless _those_ are dealing with projects like that.” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/35 "2024-11-23T19:58:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If they haven’t worn mittens since they were a child, they might not realize the answer, while the benefits of gloves are more obvious. I’ve lived on the Southern California coast for my entire life. I can’t remember having ever seen a pair or mittens let alone worn them and I was easily able to figure out the answer. It’s not like we recently figured out glove technology making mittens obsolete. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/36 "2024-11-23T22:52:42Z")
Because ‘gloves’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘kittens.’ ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/37 "2024-11-23T23:03:34Z")
Depends on your pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/38 "2024-11-23T23:37:19Z")
Sylvester Maddock was so dirty, that once when he was cleaning a carburetor in a pail of gasoline it dissolved so many layers of dirt that he came across a pair of mittens he’d been missing for two winters. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/39 "2024-11-23T23:52:56Z")
Mittens are far superior. If it’s really cold, I’ll pull my thumbs out of their place and let them cozy up to the other fingers. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666/40 "2024-11-24T00:28:47Z")
Hey, let’s not point fingers. I just picked up a pair of this style, knitted with alpaca wool: [https://www.etsy.com/listing/561708890/namche-hand-knit-convertible-mitten?click\_key=dcbffb2a428e2c4fe569e6df5ffc69cf8f3232ed%3A561708890&click\_sum=25f12363&ga\_order=most\_relevant&ga\_search\_type=all&ga\_view\_type=gallery&ga\_search\_query=knitted+hybrid+glove+mittens&ref=sr\_gallery-1-1&organic\_search\_click=1&pro=1&frs=1&bes=1&sts=1&content\_source=7ab2c8384f2fa40fec8ed83b35d7491545200f0e%253A561708890](https://www.etsy.com/listing/561708890/namche-hand-knit-convertible-mitten?click_key=dcbffb2a428e2c4fe569e6df5ffc69cf8f3232ed%3A561708890&click_sum=25f12363&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=knitted+hybrid+glove+mittens&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&pro=1&frs=1&bes=1&sts=1&content_source=7ab2c8384f2fa40fec8ed83b35d7491545200f0e%253A561708890) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-mittens-still-made-are-there-advantages-over-gloves/1010666.md?page=3)