Its very common for people to dress in layers during times of cold or inclement weather for various outdoor activities but most seem to forget about their extremities, specifically their hands. Your body might be completely comfortable, but as soon as your hands get cold, your experience and comfort can wane. In an effort to help others in their winter and cold weather outings, it’s fitting to detail my glove system that has worked well for me. Just like core body layering we begin with a base layer then build on to that with a middle layer and an external, which is typical some sort of water/vapor barrier.
Base Layer
A base layer should be that first level of separation of your bare skin to the elements. The intent is to have something light to help keep your skin relatively warm and dry without being directly exposed to the elements unless necessary. It’s preferable that this layer is something that breathes and wicks moisture away from your skin during activities. This is likely something you would also tend to leave on in cold to freezing temperature, so they should have decently utility when you don’t have any other layers on. Some prefer wool, others silk. You might want to have some sort of grip on these as well.
My Base Layer Setup
I utilize silk glove liners as my primary base layer when I go out, even in the transition seasons. They tend to keep my hands decently warm and breathe sufficiently to keep my hands dry. They add just enough to be comfortably cool but not heavy enough to be warm in brisk temperatures (40-50F). They have gotten saturated in moisture during intense activities (to be expected) but eventually come back to normal. I do prefer this layer to be form fitting so it doesn’t bunch up under my middle layer and doesn’t inhibit the movement of my hands and fingers.
Initially I’ll either wear just these or I’ll wear my middle layer, which occasionally is my base layer in terms of how I use them. This is a personal preference call based on how long I anticipate wearing each layer, but more common when the temperatures are solidly in the 30s. While camping, I’ll wear the silk liners in my sleeping bag as well, depending on how cold it is before going to sleep or how cold its anticipated on getting over night. It’ll help keep them dry and protects your hands when you have to get up in the middle of the night instead of fumbling around for them when you them.
At times I have skipped the silk liner and just used my middle layer gloves as my base layer but this really should be dependent on anticipated weather and temperature conditions. My silk layer does not have any grip on them so my middle layer is my next best thing for now.
Base Liner Base Liner and Middle Layer Base Liner and Middle Layer
Base Layer Review
My silk liners are Alaska Bear Pure Silk Thermal Glove Liners and I bought them for $9.99 back in 2015 (Amazon Referral Link). They have held up pretty well for moderate use. I am not sure how they would fair under intensive use. I will likely buy a different brand when these are no longer usable to really see how these compare. As of right now, they do what I bought them for so I am not sure how to define if these are great or just do the job. They are very light weight as well if you are concerned about gear weight. My main gripe is the lack of rubber or silicon grips to make them more functional when I just wear a base layer.
Middle Layer
The middle layer is supposed to provide a solid source of warmth on top of the base layer. You want to have plenty of dexterity for utility purposes (i.e. opening doors, opening your map and other gear, opening food items, etc.) without needing to remove this layer. This might imply that it has some grip associated with the fingers and palm. It It is quite handy to have touchscreen ability as well, but that is a personal preference. This layer should further wick moisture away from your body to keep your hands warm throughout your activities. Most of the time this is all the layering you need for most outings.
My Middle Layer Setup
For my middle layer, I look for something that can fit comfortably with the base layer on and still have sufficient dexterity to carry out tasks without needing to remove the layer. Having a middle layer that has touchscreen material can be quite handy if you are talking pictures with a camera phone. I also prefer this layer to have some grip to them so I don’t have to take them off to grab a hold of something or get into my gear. Different brands have different grip styles. The REI gloves I have have parallel rubber lines as you can see in the pictures above. I have noticed that they don’t always grip the way I need them to sometimes but I’m not sure any glove is 100% everything like that. This layer shouldn’t be too loose nor should it be too tight (especially with the base layer on).
My Outdoor Research Mittens (pictured below), are between being a middle layer and my main external layer, so I tend to think of them as a Middle+. They don’t have the water resistance and warmth of my Gore-Tex (or other similar waterproof variant brand) external layer mittens but they are large enough that I can fit my main middle layer gloves into for additional warmth when I know the weather is going to be dry but cold (mid-30s and below). The grip on those mittens aren’t the greatest but I also don’t have the dexterity so it doesn’t pose much of and issue for me.
Both my middle and middle+ layers fit inside my external layers, though I would likely not layer with two mitten layers because of the lose of utility when you take off the external layer.
Middle and Middle+ Layer Middle/Middle+ and External Layers
Middle/Middle+ Layer Review
I have had my REI fingered gloves since early 2015 and have used these very extensively. They keep my hands quite warm for a range of activities and temperature, though they aren’t as great when the temperature gets below 35-40F. The silicon grip on the hands and fingers are starting to deteriorate and the touchscreen fabric is not as functional as it was when I first purchased them. The elasticity of the gloves is also starting to wane but they still have a while left before I would need to get a new pair. These were quite basic and were likely under $20. Nothing fancy but have served their purpose rather well over the years.
I have had my Outdoor Research PL 400 Sensor Mitts since late 2015 and have used these quite a bit, ranging from walks with the dog, cold weather hikes (non-rainy) to cold (10-30F) snowy conditions. At the time I got these for $26.60. Worth the price and are very warm. (Amazon Referral Link)
External Layer
The external layer is a great place to implement mittens. Mittens do more for keeping your fingers warm in comparison to fingered gloves. The drawback to mittens is the lack of dexterity, which for most hiking and camping activities are not really much of an issue but this is were the middle layer comes in to help. You can easily remove this layer to gain additional dexterity, then reapply the mitten upon completion.
It is better to have something like Gore-Tex (or other similar waterproof variant brand) in this layer as well because the outer most layer is bound to be the most exposed to the elements, likely cold rain and/or snow. The dryer you can keep your hands, the better you will feel, the warmer your hands will remain and the more capable you will be when you need to remove your external glove layer to carry out a specific task.
For sizing, it would likely be best to make sure you can fit this layer over top your base and middle layers for optimal layering.
My External Layer Setup
For my main external layer, I use Gore-Tex mittens. They are warm, water-resistant, and breathable. The last part is important because of the layers below this working to wick the moisture away to keep your hands as dry and warm as possible. I have these sized (L) to accommodate my base layer (silk liners) and both my middle and middle+ layers. Even though they are sized for all the layers, I tend to use my base layer inside these only unless I foresee needing the additional utility during my activities. For hiking, snowboarding and snowshoeing, I don’t tend to need much dexterity.
Middle+/External Layer External Layer
External Layer Review
I have had my Gordini Gore-Tex Gauntlet Mitts since early 2016 and they have held up great (Amazon Referral Link). I have not had to use them intensively so they have maintained good shape over the years. At the time I purchased these they were $29.95. As I am writing this, they seemed to have increased to $40. I think they are worth the cost and have been a valuable asset in my outdoor recreation gear. I have not had any issues with adjusting or tightening the fasteners on each mitt with the gloves on.
Assessing combinations
When I am in the outdoors, I weight the balance between the weather conditions, temperature and activity(-ies) to assess how much layering is needed, both on my hands and in my pack.
At times I will skip wearing a middle layer and just wear a base layer (silk liners) and my external mitts layer. The middle layer seems to add too much warmth for me and I would prefer to reduce the amount of moisture and sweat produced during a given outing. For me to do this I need to assess how much work I’ll be doing starting out, what the weather is and how warm my hands are with just the base layer and the external layer. The best part of the layering system and carrying all of them is you can mix and match to best suit your needs.
Conclusion
Layering, is certainly a personal choice but there are more benefits than drawbacks in planning for multiple layers of gear to put on or take off as needed. Even though this article is geared toward winter activities, the same concepts apply to the rest of your body across all the seasons. The goal is to evaluate the conditions and plan ahead so you can be prepared and comfortable on any outing. Cold and miserable experiences can leave a bitter memory in your mind and might even sway your perspective and willingness to fair the elements down the road. Hopefully this has been useful to you. If you have any questions or comments please leave something below.
If you currently aren’t subscribed and you enjoyed this please consider subscribing to follow future articles.
