Posts Tagged gloves
Mountain Hardwear Zeus Waterproof Winter Gloves
Want some winter snow gloves that will take anything you throw at them? Waterproof gloves that stay dry on the outside but wick away any moisture on the inside?
These Zeus gloves from Mountain Hardwear perform well on those standards, but are flexible enough to do more than hold onto a ski pole. They’re outfitted with OutDry, which is one of the many breathable waterproof membranes out there competing with traditional market leader Gore-tex. In my wholly unscientific but real-world tests, the combination of OutDry and the waterproofing coating on the fabric did a great job. My tests are putting my gloved hands underwater for several minutes and making sure no water gets through, then putting a wet hand inside the glove and seeing if it dries eventually from the wicking properties. On both counts, these Zeus gloves from Mountain Hardwear passed with an A, so you can be sure they’ll come through for you on the slopes or in Iceland in the winter.
I wore these around in windy weather in the mountains last February (before they hit the market), then recently in Utah during a slushy snowstorm. Snowball throwing and all.
These gloves are bulletproof tough, with Kevlar stitching, Cordura nylon fabric, and goatskin leather at the stress points. They come down far enough that snow won’t get in past the cuff. They have loops to help pull them on and clips to hold them together for carrying. Despite the toughness and fleece lining, they come in at 7.5 ounces and smash down pretty flat, so they’re no burden to pack.
The Zeus gloves come in black or red and list for $95 at the Mountain Hardwear site. You can also check prices with these direct links to Backcountry.com, Altrec, or Moosejaw. No, that’s not cheap by any means, but these are guaranteed for life against defects and they could last you a lifetime—or at least enough winters that you’ll get tired of looking at them.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on February 1st, 2012
Freehands Gloves for mobile hands
Brilliant! Simply brilliant! We have all been there. It’s freezing cold, but we need to text someone to tell them that we have arrived at the airport, or it is the perfect crisp evening to sit with your iPad or Kindle on the terrace, but it’s too chilly to keep those fingers uncovered.
These gloves are the perfect solution for business travelers and those spending time in the brisk outdoors. With clever openings in the thumb and pointer fingers on each hand, it makes it easy to type on mobile devices while keeping the rest of your hands warm. You simply flip back the caps on the fingers to expose your fingers to text, email, play games, or turn the page. The tips of the caps stay out of the way thanks to clever magnets that keep them pulled back until you close them back again.
The gloves come in a variety of patterns and styles with wool, leather, and cotton among the choices plus a host of colors and thickness versions. Gripping beads allow you to grasp items easily without worrying about dropping smooth-lined devices like mobile phones or iPods.
Gloves come in men’s and women’s sizes plus a unisex collection with additional style choices. Ski gloves are also available, which are perfect for applying lip balm or sunscreen during a lift ride or for finding that tissue or piece of candy in your pocket. There are even ribbed cuffs to keep the warmth locked inside.
Imagine all the times you have tried to do things with your gloved hands and have become frustrated at the lack of dexterity. These gloves solve all of your problems while saving time and keeping you nice and toasty. Another great feature is that they are extremely lightweight making them simple to stuff into a pocket, briefcase, purse, or carryon bag.
They are available at FreeHands’ website or Amazon for an affordable price and make the perfect stocking stuffer.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on December 12th, 2011
Women’s Texting Gloves from Cire by Grandoe
I am admittedly addicted to my Droid. That is, for better or worse, I’m constantly checking my email, Facebook and Twitter feed whenever I’m on the go. The thought of being able to slide icons on my smartphone’s touch screen while wearing gloves…. well, that got me a little excited when I opened up my review sample of Leto Women’s Texting Gloves from Cire by Grandoe. Then, when I actually tried on the pair of red cable-knit gloves and found that they actually worked…. let’s just say there were plenty of grins.
These gloves use “knit fingertip technology” (aka SensorTouch InfiKnit) where conductive material is weaved throughout the glove for complete connectivity. I can use any part of the glove to activate a touch-screen device — not only my phone, but an iPad, GPS, ATM or fuel-pump screen.
On a recent shopping trip to a big-box sports store, I tried on some other “sensor” gloves that had hard, round, mini magnet-like pieces on the fingertips. Not only are these more awkward to use, I found that they couldn’t even activate apps on my smartphone screen half the time. My Leto Women’s Texting Gloves indeed work beautifully on my phone. (Yay for being able to text my husband while I’m sitting in the car outside — in the cold — waiting for my kids to finish up this practice or that rehearsal!)
I like the look of these gloves that resemble a ragg wool style (they’re actually made from lambswool, polyester, cashmere and cotton). I appreciate the leather patch on the palm that allows me to confidently grip a steering wheel, while driving in sketchy winter weather.
However, these gloves are far from perfect. I’m not sure if it’s the leather patch — or the lack of a stretchy fabric such as Lycra — but these gloves have very little “give,” and they feel quite tight across the palm and in the fingers. I have the small-medium size, which sounds ideal for my diminutive hands (I think a large-extra large would be way too big for my short fingers). Still, I think there’s not a lot of ability to move in these gloves.
I do like that they are thin enough to stick in the pockets of my winter jacket (or in a purse or carry-on) and not take up a lot of space. While they are not waterproof, and I won’t be wearing them while snowmobiling or skiing, they’ll likely be my go-to driving gloves this winter, and I’ll pack them for my upcoming urban vacation in New York City. The red pair I have adds a lovely splash of color when paired with my long black quilted winter coat!
The Leto Women’s Texting Gloves retail for $40 on the Cire by Grandoe website. Just for PracticalTravelGear.com readers: 15 percent off any full priced luxury handwear purchase from Cire by Grandoe. Use online promo code SLELEVEN before December 31, 2011.
More gloves we’ve reviewed:
Posted by Kara in General Gear on November 15th, 2011
Striking Lightweight Gloves from Manzella
I had never heard of Manzella gloves before they showed up in a goody bag I got at a trade show party in mid-January, but I’ve been wearing this pair of Sprint Reflect ones on the left ever since.
If you’re bopping around Southeast Asia or Central America for months on end, you don’t need to worry about gloves, but if you’re going to somewhere in the northern hemisphere in the cold months, you’d better be packing a pair. You don’t want some bulky pair of ski gloves that you’ll probably lose halfway through your trip, however. The ideal pair for travel is something stretchy that you can stuff into any corner of your bag, in your purse, in your daypack, or in a pocket.
Manzella makes some bulky ones too, but this Sprint model and the sleek Vapor ones with the yellow pictured at the top list for $15 and $20 respectively. For that price, they’re not all that technical, with one main layer of synthetic material. The big extra feature would be the grippy pads on the palm, which are great for bike handlebars or just holding onto what you’re carrying on a blustery day. They’re reflective too, so drivers can see you when you’re on the move or they’ll give you an edge when you’re hailing a taxi at night in New York or London.
These gloves are quite stretchy and fit snug against your hands, to the point where you almost forget they’re there—like a second skin. They come in identical models sized for men and women. Manzella makes other models where you can pop off the finger part to tie your shoes or shoot photos. Different models are designated as warm, warmer, and warmest. See the whole line at Manzella.com.
Manzella Sprint Gloves for Women or for Men at REI.com
Get the Vapor gloves at Amazon
Related post: Stow and Go Pocket Gloves from Trailheads
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on February 24th, 2011
Warm Accessories from Icebreaker
I’m a sucker for merino wool just about anything. It washes up nicely, wears for a very long time, doesn’t itch, and doesn’t get the weird smell that synthetics and synthetic blends can have after a good sweaty workout. I was psyched to pick up a couple of little extras for an upcoming trip to Antarctica (I’m blogging for TravelWild) — a headband, some glove liners, and a pair of super fluffy socks.
A headband takes up hardly any space in your luggage (or on your head, for that matter. I suffer from cold extremities — my ears complain a lot when I’m cycling on even slightly chilled days. The Icebreaker Quantum Headband fits well under a bike helmet, a baseball cap, a knit cap that doesn’t cover quiet enough, or a perfectly ridiculous exhibition hat. Essentially, it’s a base layer for your head.
The Glove Liners have fast become a favorite piece of gear. They keep the chill from getting at my fingertips right away, but — and this is a key benefit for me — they’re cut tight enough and light enough that I can work all of my camera controls without taking them off. (No, you can’t work your touch screen gadgets with them on.) They take up next to no space either — they fit in the wallet pocket of my jacket. My biggest fear is that I’m going to lose them because they’re so small, but I’ll be keeping an eagle eye out — they’ve become an essential piece of gear in my cold weather kit.
I like a big fluffy boot sock as much as the next person. The Mountaineer Mid Calf is a cushy, warm, well designed sock with thicker padding where you’d expect to want it, a bit lighter material where you don’t. While they’re a bit bulky in the bag, they felt great inside my wellies on a cold day — definitely worth giving up space for if you’re heading somewhere cold.
New Zealand based Icebreaker makes other high quality outdoor gear out of merino wool. Get yours on Amazon: headband, 19.99, glove liners, 25.00, socks, 18.95.
Posted by Pam in Adventure Gear on February 4th, 2011
