24 december 2011

Gear: Extremities Lightweight Guide Glove

Most activities have their own requirements for gloves, which will be influenced by weather, activity, terrain and temperature; even on a short trip you'll probably take more then one pair.

I'm always looking for the perfect 'light' glove, for when it's not too cold. One that fights off that first chill. One to fend off the wind. One to wear hiking, scrambling and crossing a glacier. It would be nice if they're lightweight too, and don't break the bank.

I had high hopes I had found that perfect glove when I came across the Extremities Lightweight Guide Glove

Extremities Lightweight Guide Glove

They're  light: my size XL's weigh only 58 grams.
They're windproof, because of the Windstopper fabric on the back. They're durable, because of the Pittards leather palm. They're dextrous, because of the thin fabric and the way the gloves are sewn, an example are the roll-top fingers. They look clean, because of the neoprene wrist cuffs. They're a tight, '2nd-skin-like', fit, but are true to size.

During my recent trip to Spains Sierra Nevada mountains, I encountered high winds, with 100+km/h gusts. With a base-temperature of around 0 degrees C, the wind-chill temperature was around -10C, maybe even a bit colder. Apart from only a few times when they felt a bit cold, my hands were perfectly protected from the wind. Holding the occasional boulder or bit of sharp rock left the gloves (and my hands) no worse for wear.

Although this is not exactly a long-term report, and as such I can't comment yet on long term durability (they probably won't last for lots of seasons, because the leather is a bit thin-ish), I'm very enthousiastic about these gloves. They'll definately be coming on my next alpine trips. They'll be used to replace liner gloves, which I don't need if I bring these, and will be used as replacement for my 'light climbing gloves' - the other pair of gloves I would wear when scrambling and crossing glaciers.

If you have questions about these gloves, please post a comment.

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