Hestra mittens

 

I was in Austria a few weeks ago, was in local shop with Hestra mittens, I have wide palms, I couldn't even put my hand in none of the sizes 8-11, it's so thin, so beware if you have wide palms.

 

black diamond sparks.....make both mittens n gloves

 

Oyuki Pep/Hestra Fall Line lobster mitts. Same thing.

 

My solution is two pairs: Hestra Army Heli mittens for cold weather and GTX gloves for warmer/slushy days.

 

I'm not a Hestra fan: too much bling for me. Black Diamond Mercury Mitts are my current choice. They've a broad temperature range but you can obviously switch out the liners (or leave them out entirely) if it's particularly warm.

 

If you’re hesitating about loosing the liner, definitely don’t do it. I bought some expensive goretex mitts and they were way too hot for me to wear most of the time. They get sweaty, and there’s no liner to wash and they take forever to dry.

I bought a pair of regular Burton Gortex mitts last year and usually wore them without a liner. Over 50 days and they’re starting to look a bit ratty around the seams, but still fine. I just bought another pair in a different colour. I wish they had more leather around the finger tips.

I’m not really a knuckle dragger though… no freestyle, no eurocarve.

 

On one hand, if you are riding in the rain, how comfortable do you feel about wearing leather gloves/mittens that don’t have any kind of gore tex or similar kind of membrane? If there’s not a membrane of some kind in there, the moment the gloves wet-out, if there’s not a membrane of some kind, what happens to the inner layers when the outer material is soaking wet, heavy, and cold?… Does the water continue making its way in?
On the other hand, if you are riding really cold conditions with dry snow, do you feel that waterproofing is the main concern or warmth is the main concern? If warmth is the concern, then you might want to make sure cold ass wind isn’t going to make its way in through seems.
Two different situations that each have reason for a membrane… gore Tex, for example, has a membrane that’s used in some gloves that’s for wind and not for waterproofing. So pay attention to which product you are looking at. Also, Hester and other companies also have their own versions of membranes in some of their gloves.
As I’m sure you already know, none of this means anything if you get snow/water inside your gloves from taking them off and putting back on.
Lastly, I personally always travel with two pair. I have some really warm mitts and then I have some gloves that I’ll wear if it’s wet or just don’t need as much warmth and would rather have the dexterity. Either way, I have a backup if one gets wet.

 

In wet conditions and not too cold, spring and so on, neoprene gloves are fine.

 

... riding in the rain, how comfortable do you feel about wearing leather gloves/mittens that don’t have any kind of gore tex or similar kind of membrane?

I try not to ride in the rain, but now and then it happens. If there's leather [I try to minimize it...] it needs to be protected with something like Nikwax. Seams ought to be taped, including logos and "bling" features. Which is why I like simpler construction, it's just more reliable.

I would also suggest synthetic linings for riding in the rail, and expect to end up damp.

I tried completely leather-free "mountain mitts" from a well known company, and they were great, except it turned out that I did need the protection of leather [or similar] in one or two key places.

 

I’m right there with you! It seems like it’s kind of like everything else, depends on the needs of the gloves/rider for which is best.

 

Hestra, Black Diamond, and Truck have been the gloves I have been using the last few seasons. I like leather gloves for the most part. They seem to work best for bc riding, snowmobile access stuff, that sort of thing.

 

Kinco is as high end as I see myself going. Every glove I've spent more on has quickly fallen apart from the abuse they receive from my carving lifestyle. Most of them haven't lasted a full season even. If the goal is to stay dry and warm for the long haul, I've yet to find better gloves than kincos. I spent thirty bucks on mine three or four seasons ago and they're still going strong. I guess it's pretty dry and cold where I ride. I can't even imagine snowboarding in the rain.

 

Kincos are great to a point. I use them all the time for the sled where I have heated grips. The pigskin gloves are warm, but damn they are as stiff as bricks. I tried for 2 seasons to break them in and they still feel the same as when I first bought them.

 

This is me as well. Keep an eye out for sales and I snag a few pairs of Kincos in various models (mitts, heavier and lighter weight gloves too). They stand up to tons of abuse - I add some new seal every year and good to go. My kids use them on those cable tow ropes that tear up everything when they ride the park and they even standing to that activity.

 

I add some new seal every year and good to go. ...

sno-seal ?

 

I’m a big proponent of leather gloves. I have a pair of dakine from about 2003 that still get used on warmer days because the insulation has degraded. My go to is a pair Hestra trigger finger mittens. I’m about 3yrs in on them. On extra cold days an under glove is recommended.

 

GORE-TEX to seal out the moisture and Leather for durability. High end Gloves/Mitts like everything are not cheap any more. If you ride in colder climates then look at the right level of insulation in the them as well.

 

Oyuki held up really good with midwestern flow bindings, got a few years out of them. If you ride midwest and Flow bindings every minute or two you are disconnecting and reconnecting the highback. Lots of wear and tear on gloves. Always blow out the index finger used to lift the level to lock the high backs.

That said I bought a pair of Hestra Army Leather Goretex and they seem to be a step above the Oyuki. I usually go through gloves really quickly because I'm always strapping into flows on 400 foot hills. We'll see how the Hestras hold up but they seem to be built a bit better than the Oyuki, and those were good gloves that lasted a long time for me.

 

Oyuki held up really good with midwestern flow bindings, got a few years out of them. If you ride midwest and Flow bindings every minute or two you are disconnecting and reconnecting the highback. Lots of wear and tear on gloves. Always blow out the index finger used to lift the level to lock the high backs.

That said I bought a pair of Hestra Army Leather Goretex and they seem to be a step above the Oyuki. I usually go through gloves really quickly because I'm always strapping into flows on 400 foot hills. We'll see how the Hestras hold up but they seem to be built a bit better than the Oyuki, and those were good gloves that lasted a long time for me.

Hestra makes the highend Oyuki stuff, or same factory.

 

I'm shopping for some waterproof spring 'pipe' gloves, short/minimal/light

Sierra just opened a store near me, I got these random wacko Toko's for $15
I like offbeat items, from recognizable brands, that somewhat fit snowboarding steez
always bought normal priced good stuff, now I'm looking for cheap and effective
these are only windblockers, no snow play, buty looking to test em out

and I snagged these Leather Scout's too, $40

they had these butter soft Burton mitts for $40 but I don't really do mitts, but I picked up some 686 Seinfeld mitts for fun

I still plan to shop in person this winter for that one perfect fitting (decent price) waterproof glove

for now these are some fun contenders

carhartt, $39.99, waterproof, breathable

dakine, on sale $55, GTX

flylow $55, triple baked w/ sno-seal

 

Leather in the fingers is mandatory for me. Synthetics fall apart quicker and leather has dramatically better tactile feel.

I prefer not having inserts, Goretex or otherwise, even riding in relatively wet snow conditions in the Sierra-- breathability's more important to me than waterproofing for gloves. My hands are get wet from sweat exertion, I'd rather they dry out as quickly as possible.

I've been running Free the Powder RX3s, which I like and are half the price of Hestras. They're not built as burly, but they hold up fine as long as I keep up with leather condition. And between lack of inserts and soft shell construction, they breathe better than any other glove I've ever used.

I have heard good things about BAIST, which I believe is also insert-less, but they have truly obnoxious branding. If not for that giant logo patch in the middle of the backhand, I'd have tried a set.

I wish I liked Kincos, I have a set of 901s and I really hate those gloves. They are durable and cheap, but they're hot and bulky, they feel like shit, and I hate that knit cuff. I only wear them on tow ropes because I don't care if they get destroyed.

 

I've been rocking Swany X cell mittens for 4 seasons, my first pair last 250 days before having a tear in the tip of the glove. I'm a big fan though would like a removable liner. Personally i think they are the right combo of warmth and comfort/flex though on the coldest days I slap a handwarmer or two in the warmer pockets

 

Have y'all reproofed your gloves? How do you do so?

Using downproofing or txdirect?

 

after shopping gloves a lot recently, seems like the 'ski' gloves with funny brand names that you'd prefer not to wear are the best out there

you certainly get what you pay for, right now im trying some waterproof membrane leather guide gloves I got cheap from sierra, but the msrp was decent, any low msrp glove will be worthless IMO

I feel like our gloves need to have tough fingers for binding work and bushing icy snow off the footbed, my right index is the one that gets most abuse

seems leather is king and waterproofing is a must, i just dont like leather gloves that have goofy flexibility like an oven mitt

ive used sno-seal and nikwax ... sno-seal is more 'hardcore' but I like the ease of nikwax

 

I ride kinco mittens, swany x-cells and oyuki icho gore tex gloves.

1. Kinco Mittens - Best combo of warmth, cost and toughness. Downside being waterproofing and dexterity due to one large chamber

2. Swany x-cell - Excellent toughness aligned with out of the box waterproofness and dexterity due to the separation between fingers internal to the mitten + softness of the leather inside the mitten. Downside is cost, best deal I've found on them in around $100 that said my previous pair lasted 3 years of 80+ days per season, bonus for best powder guard and lovely top of finger pocket for hand warmers/pass

3. Oyuki Icho - Lovely light weight glove for warmer days. Cheap at $25 a pair but with tough palms & backs. Goretex is fine for waterproofing but the gloves will definitely be sodden on slushy/warm days. Cool patterns and I also like the light weight neoprene + velcro cuff along with light wrist straps

 

Best snowboarding gloves for warmth, durability and wrist safety are hands down by a motorcycle safety and clothing gear company, that is, the Dainese D-Impact 13 D-Dry Glove Snowboard Gloves D-Impact 13 D-Dry® Glove - D-Garage - Dainese (Official Shop) | Dainese
And you can get it in XXL - I have large hands and XL with most ski glove brands do not cut it; the Dainese easily last 6 to 7 seasons of major abuse, and I have two pairs just in case I get soaked and need an extra pair, which I can carry in my backpack

 

Highly recommend Reusch lobsters, same features are typically available in gloves or full mitts. Euro brand that has a smaller presence in US. Crazy warm, durable and extremely well made. Really happy with them. Hestras have always been good to me and I also had better luck with TNF Futurelight gloves waterproofing than the Futurelight shell/bibs.

 

Hestras are great.

Lots of different models

 

I need large wrist clearance due to my large wrist guards and have found Gordini's XXL size to be doable. They are similar to Hestra size 11's. A lot of other brands don't have the same width in that size range.

 

My hestra wakayama mitts(green/cork) were my favorite purchase of the season by far. Never have my hands been soo dry and comfy.