Topic: Great gloves (Read 7162 times)

Rich.H · « **on:** February 24, 2014 »

Having had a pair of these gloves now for a few weeks I figure I would offer up some praise for them. Last month I was needing some new gear for higher energy outdoor activities such as trail running etc. My local outdoor shop had some 100% merino gloves for £8 so I figured I would take a punt of them.

They are a tight fit and being merino barely add much to the overall size of your hand when worn. I have even worn them as a liner glove under a set of soft shell gloves without any real problems. I have known about merino wool for a long time now but up until now it has always been out of my price bracket for kit and so haven't had a chance to play with it, but can now offer nothing but praise for the stuff.

As I said to start with my main use for these are for high energy activity, and in that they work so well it's hard to believe. On a run in the hills and forest trails of two hours I found that not once did I suffer from the issue of hot hands and cold fingers you can sometimes get when going bare skin. Any time where my pace slowed down such as long hill climbs or even reducing pace to walking I again suffered no problems from the cold. While I would not say they are wind proof they are certainly wind resistant and I put this down to the close knit of merino compared to standard wool items. On the flip side of this the breathability of this stuff is remarkable. I have always been skeptical of breathable fabrics due to a simple problem with them all.
No matter what the label says a fabric can only allow a set amount of moisture to escape a given cm2 area during each minute, and as soon as you start producing more moisture in that area that the fabric can handle it becomes useless. This tends to mean you need really expensive very high tech fabrics to make any real difference as such more often than not I tend to just get wet and allow it to dry off quickly rather than try to stop it all from happening.

Merino solves this basic problem in two ways, first the knit of the material allows for plenty of ventilation and second being wool it keeps you warm even wet. So in this sense you never end up with sweaty hands no matter your activity, on runs of two hours I return to the car and find my hands are bone dry when I take my gloves off. For me this is the first time I can honestly say a glove has not left any moisture on my hand. This means my hands function as normal capacity no matter the conditions.

I have also used them as liners when out during the recent cold nights and found even after taking off my outer glove to operate a scope or access a bag I hardly noticed any temperature drop for 10-15 minutes.

So all in all I cannot find any real issues with this fabric type and completely recommend it for anyone needing base layers for extreme cold or great light outer for high activity. I don't have enough cash to burn to let me go out and purchase one of the many £25-£35 waterproof/breathable brand gloves out there but I honestly think they would be out performed by merino wool.

Now I need to start saving for the £100 odd it is going to cost for a full set of merino base layer.

For anyone interested these are the gloves I have. http://www.trekmates.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=157_160&product_id=168

Fred · « **Reply #1 on:** February 24, 2014 »

Thanks for sharing that with us Rich.
Its easy to spend fairly large sums of money on fancy gloves, often with mixed results and overlook a more basic but effective alternative. For £8 I don't think anyone can go wrong.

Fred

RedLeader · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2014 »

I could do with a new pair of gloves. I did get a Regatta pair from the outlet in Portstewart which are pretty good but at £8 I'd like to try the Merino.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Merino baselayers? I hear great things about them.

Kayakgirl · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2014 »

Yes they are great, I own 3 merino base layers now and would highly recommend them. No pong so you can wear them for long expeditions. Keeps you warm when cold and cool when warm.

RedLeader · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2014 »

Pricey?

Quote from: Kayakgirl on February 25, 2014

Yes they are great, I own 3 merino base layers now and would highly recommend them. No pong so you can wear them for long expeditions. Keeps you warm when cold and cool when warm.

Fred · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2014 »

Some friends of mine used merino base layers on a Greenland expedition a few years ago and had nothing but praise for the material. I believe they obtained them from Marks and Spencers and they were cheaper than the outdoor shops.

Fred

Rich.H · « **Reply #6 on:** February 25, 2014 »

Quote from: RedLeader on February 25, 2014

Pricey?

Expect to realistically pay around the £100 mark for a full set of base layer and upwards if you go for things like smartwool. You can get merino cheaper that is true but look very carefully as it's composition, the majority of the cheaper stuff is cheap because it is often 70% or less merino and made up with other fabrics. This is fine in the high end expensive brands as they other fabrics are high quality technical parts that add to the ability of the garment, in the cheaper stuff it tends to be made up of nastiness such as polyester etc. The whole point of merino is rendered somewhat moot when any of it's functions are sacrificed for cost.

Try to think of it like boots or technical outer jackets, we have all probably had our share of cheap gear that just didn't do the job because too many sacrifices were made during construction for cost savings.

Ed · « **Reply #7 on:** February 25, 2014 »

My top and bottom baselayers are both 100% merino wool (except for the waist band which obv contains some elastane)

It's more comfortable, breathable and odour resistant by a country mile, than any synthetic or blend I've tried to date. Odour resistance is a pretty big plus for someone who has to get a bus home after four days in the mountains lugging a full pack around

Kayakgirl · « **Reply #8 on:** February 25, 2014 »

TK Max were selling Merino base layers, which I bought one for £23 - same weight as the heaviest Icebreaker, but obviously not the price of £100

polroger · « **Reply #9 on:** March 03, 2014 »

FYI

Climate ski have 40% off all stock including Icebreaker. Check online or on Lisburn Rd.

I got a couple of items today as well as new ski boots!!

Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

Useful Links

Follow NI-Wild

Author Topic: Great gloves (Read 7162 times)

Rich.H

Great gloves

Fred

Re: Great gloves

RedLeader

Re: Great gloves

Kayakgirl

Great gloves

RedLeader

Re: Great gloves

Fred

Re: Great gloves

Rich.H

Re: Great gloves

Ed

Re: Great gloves

Kayakgirl

Great gloves

polroger

Re: Great gloves

Bottom Sponsor

Recent Topics