suggestion to/from foresters (not loggers) in the North woods regarding gloves

[Geoff Kegerreis]

So it gets cold this time of year up here...Who has found a great pair of thin, lightweight gloves that are warm, but thin enough to comfortably pick pencils out of your vest pockets and sneak prisms out of their cases while they are out and about?

[Gary_C]

Sorry, I can't help you as I am, among other things, a logger!   

[Geoff Kegerreis]

Sorry, I can't help you as I am, among other things, a logger!   

Thanks for nothing, but I already have some good gloves worked out for logging work.  THAT wasn't the request.

JUST SO EVERYONE IS CLEAR FOLKS, I DIDN'T PLACE THIS REQUEST FOR EGO BUSTING, I POSTED THIS REQUEST BECAUSE I REALIZE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN WHAT CLOTHING YOU WEAR BASED ON THE JOB YOU DO.

[beenthere]

Geoff
Then...maybe you wanted to know about good gloves for foresters, not for loggers...

Not how I read the title ....  so remain calm, if you will....its the FF way we like...

[Corley5]

Sorry, I can't help you as I am, among other things, a logger!   

Thanks for nothing, but I already have some good gloves worked out for logging work.  THAT wasn't the request.

JUST SO EVERYONE IS CLEAR FOLKS, I DIDN'T PLACE THIS REQUEST FOR EGO BUSTING, I POSTED THIS REQUEST BECAUSE I REALIZE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN WHAT CLOTHING YOU WEAR BASED ON THE JOB YOU DO.

No need to YELL 

[Brian Beauchamp]

In the colder weather I've worked in, I wear mittens/gloves...the kind that fold away and have the fingers exposed. You can sew in a pocket inside that'll hold a handwarmer.

[thecfarm]

What about those gloves that fit real snug?Most I"ve seen have velcro around the wrist.Craftmans sells them,maybe they are called mechinics gloves?I wear a pair when I'm welding and buiding things.I have no idea how warm they are right out in the cold.

[Sprucegum]

I like working bare-handed but I DO NOT like cold fingers so I wear big fat mitts that I can slip in and out of easily. When you start out real warm you can work several minutes in minus temps before you start to freeze up and wimper - then , like Mom said - PUT YOUR MITTS ON

[Texas Ranger]

The CFarm has my answer, not as cold down here, but cold enough to work in the woods with metal tools, machetes and such.  I have two types, leather full finger with the Velcro and the same in half fingers for fine work.

[Michigan Mike]

I'm not a forester but have worked construction work all my life. Some outdoor work requires some pretty fine touch (small nails and other small fasteners). In those situations I would wear an silk  underglove  and whatever overglove needed to keep my hands warm when I wasn't doing the fine work. Sportsmans Guide catalog has the best prices on silk long johns and gloves I have found.

[beenthere]

MI Mike
I agree with the silk..much better than the poly against the skin for me. Something about natural fibers..
In silk, I like socks, undershirt (short sleeve) and glove liner under wool. Wicks the moisture away from the skin and keeps me warm.

[Geoff Kegerreis]

Thanks you all - please don't stop offering comments.  I found a pair at MC sporting goods from the company Seirus that are liners/super thin but somewhat insulative gloves.  I'm going to give them a shot in the field tomorrow.  Meanwhile, I'd still like to hear from anyone who has a solution that they are very happy with.

I have tried all kinds of different gloves/mits, etc.  I have poor circulation in my hands (tried to solve that too, unsuccessfully) and when in the middle of a plot, the problem seems either that the gloves are too bulky to get tools out of pockets, they get cold spots in them, etc...  It just seems to be a challenge to solve a seemingly simple problem.

[SwampDonkey]

If the temps are in the 20°'s and 30°'s I can use Mechanic Gloves with Thinsulate ^TM liners. When she dips to 0° or colder I have to put the wool/Thinsulate ^TMgloves on or Military gloves, with Thinsulate ^TM liners on. In the above freezing temps I use those nylon gloves with rubber webbing over them. Keeps my hands from being eat'n by bugs and scraped up by brush. The cold weather mitts make it a challenge to retrieve the pencil, stylus and prism at times, but I'm fairly dexterous that way. My hands and feet have to be warm or I'm going home though.

[Texas Ranger]

Cold hands and feet send you home?  Come to Texas, NOT a problem.  Heat will send me home, when the tally man asks me what I thought I just called.

[Geoff Kegerreis]

Cold hands and feet send you home?  Come to Texas, NOT a problem.  Heat will send me home, when the tally man asks me what I thought I just called.

Hey, I'll spend a day down there when it's over 100/90RH if you'll spend a day up here when it's -20/60RH.    Neither one is worth a nickel for fieldwork.  The last time I was administering a logging job at -20F, the crew had a fire going in the snow and were just trying to stay warm while the battery on one of the hydroaxes was getting charged due to forgetting to keep it running during the cold temps.

Weather extremes suck, but they're just a part of life and managed right, they almost fail to be much of a problem.  The toughest thing is changes - hot weather early on - like 80F (High RF) in early spring a day after a week's worth of 50F...It's just brutal when that happens.

It looks like the next two days are going to be fieldwork days (although they are forecasted to be mild) and thus I will be able to try out these gloves. 

[SwampDonkey]

The last 3 days she's snubbed right up tight. Down to 20° at night and up to about 31° in the day. Makes for better walking in wet soil and will be great if we get another 5 days of it. The ice will be 5 inches thick instead of 2. 

Good luck with the gloves.


Now where's my wool blankie. 

[Phorester]

Nowhere the extreme cold you have up there, but I use a combination of a light pair of deerskin gloves and insulated mittens over them.  When I need to use my fingers, I slip off the mittens and still have a gloved finger so as not to get stuck to cold metal, but the deerskined fingers are pretty sensitive to touch and feel. The deerskin does occasionally grab onto cloth pockets, but I just be patient and wiggle my fingers in.

Works even better with the mittens that have the slit in the middle of the palm so you can slide your fingers out without having to take off the entire mitten.  I use that combination when I'm hunting.

[Michigan Mike]

I have used the mittens with the slit when hunting also.  First time I used them in the excitement of the moment I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get my finger on the trigger. By the time I figured it out the little buck was gone.

[treecyclers]

Personally, I like the mechanics gloves that are snug fitting.
They're OK in the cold, and as long as I stay moving, my hands and digits stay warm.
I can pick up pennies from tabletops with them, and they're durable enough that I can work as hard as I need to.
Superdave

[letsgetitracing]

you are prolly going to laugh but if you put a pair of latex rubber gloves your (proctolgist has a few pair) under jersey gloves you hands won't get cold or wet.

 i learned this from a old guy i thought he was half crazy until i tried it it really keeps your hands warm