Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Gloves for -20F to -30F

Hi all,

Just wanted to get some input on what would be appropriate handwear for Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec, where temperatures can go below -30F.

After using manzella gloves for a season, which I hated. They made the index finger tighter and more dextrous for shooting, but that made the whole glove much colder, and therefore couldn't handle even moderate winter temperatures. I wouldn't recommend them to my enemies.

I feel my best bet would be some sort of mitten shell with a nice wool or synthetic liner glove inside. What should I be looking for? In terms of materials, thickness, features, and anything that a novice hunter wouldn't know to think of.

The wool glove will be close fitting enough for me to be able to shoot after quickly removing a mitt. I would also probably attach the mitt on a string, so I don't lose it when I take it off. Seems like a good idea, but really I wouldn't know.

Thanks for reading,
F.

If your not moving around a lot (stand hunting), then some really warm insulated gore tex mittens (something that blocks the wind) combined with a liner fleece glove is what I wear. Throw a handwarmer in the top of each mitten and your good to go. If you hands gt cold just hold on to the handwarmer inside the mitt. For the moment that you need to squeeze the trigger on something, just pull the mitten off. Got lots of friends up here that have gotten frost bite, even some missing parts of several fingers. Having cold hands sucks azz! I was Caribou hunting this past week in -10 and had a buddy get frostbite on 4 fingers on one hand, and now they are all swelled up, but at least they arent white anymore. Go for comfort in those temps not for ease of use.

I'd go with a OR Alti mitts with a glove liner if you can put up with a mitt.
On Denali climbs, I have used this system. I also bring a similar pair of gloves and switch off between them. But always wear a liner so you can pull the main glove or mitt off quickky and still be able to touch things without your fingers freezing to them.
Good stuff...

Black Diamond gloves,

With my expedition mitts I can easily wear my Sitka Shooting glove as a liner - but I can't fit them in with the Patrol Gloves.

They were the first thing that popped into head when I read the thread title. I've not owned the alti mitts but they feel nice/well made and I trust OR in general. I'd like to have a pair in my quiver one of these days.

I don't think you'll find a glove, mitten, or glommit that will handle -10 or -30 and fit in a trigger guard. Ultimately, you'll likely find a glove that will keep your hands warm until the shot, and you'll just go to a liner glove. I'm still shopping around for a good glove for those temps, but not for hunting. I work outside on an air cargo ramp and it hits -20 sometimes in January. I've been eying the Ironclad Tundra glove lately.

Wow, that's good info guys. Just to clarify, I'm definitely looking for a mitt with a glove liner (for shooting), so all the suggestions so far are spot on.

What about full grain leather mitts, would they work well? I've got my eye on these wool glove liners that seem would work fairly well.

Thanks,
F.

Just getting back from kyrgz hunting ibex in cold temps.i used a smartwool liner.then hestra lobster claw mitten.Great combination with a lot of mobility.

I have used lots of the high-tec gloves and mitts from OR, BD, Marmot, Lowe, RBH, etc and the best I have found, the one I keep going back to are my sheepskin mitts from High Plains Sheepskin.

I wear them with a thin liner glove and they flat out work!

Made in the USA by a really great guy and fellow hunter.

Give Gary a call with any questions.

http://www.hpsheepskin.com/mittens.html

In those temps I'm wearing mittens. Mine are a pair of military surplus mittens. I'll wear a lgith to mid weight wool or fleece glove under them when really cold and don't have any problems.

I'm sure there's much lighter, more flexible options out there now, but in those temps I wouldn't be gamling on my fingers with something I didn't have 1st hand experience with, and a warm known back up at the ready.

Good luck.

Mike.

My hands sweat a lot, so I'd pick a good mitten and a couple of pairs of liners. Nothing worse than putting your hands into cold wet mittens or gloves. I'd rotate the liners, so one was always dry.

FoldersUnite, I have never been where your going to hunt, but it is on my short list. I can only comment on what I've read or heard recommended by people that live in or frequent the area.
I think you should be looking at this from the perspective of what do you need to live there, to survive with all your appendages and digits intact. Trigger pulling is the least of your concerns. How long are you going to staying? Are you hauling your gear in a dog sled or a toboggan behind you?
I know I may be preaching to the choir, if so please excuse. Per "The Winter Wilderness Companion" by Garrett and Alexandra Connover, boiled wool or Dachstein mittens with a wool or silk or synthetic liner glove, with a leather "chopper" mit or plunge mit over everything with breathabillity paramount. Mittens and liners are dummy corded to you.
Regards, Jim

These folks have a mitten system with trigger finger.

http://www.northernoutfitters.com/

I have a pair of all leather mitts I got from Mark�s Work Wearhouse got the extra large and bought a pair of Fleece Mitts (MEC makes a double fleece mitt that looks interesting) and have a pair of Patagonia Windproof gloves. This system works for me and I like the ability to remove the fleece mitt when it's not overly cold out. I treated the leather mitts with a wax to make it more water resistant

If I were going to do it again I would probably go to the army surplus store and get a Pair of Canadian forces cold weather mitts and use the Patagonia Windproof gloves.

Because I don�t hunt in extreme temps for extended period of time, days on end I got a basic pair of leather over mitts and paid more for the gloves as they are an everyday use item.

The mitts and mitt liners are now in a emergency kit in my car it pays to be prepared.


Here is the MEC double mitt that looks interesting
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302698935&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442617627

Here is the Patagonia windproof glove
http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/pro...SORIES&style_color=34553-155&ws=

I can't seem to locate the mitts on the Mark's site but they kind of look like the mitts Ed T is talking about except have the longer cuff like the OR mitts pictured.