new gloves for the wet and winter - ideas?

Just came back from completing the Tongariro Northern Circuit the other day, and since it rained 2 days out of 3 it sure showed up which of my gear actually is waterproof and which was not. The positives were my Macpac Prophet AP jacket and Pertex pants combo which held up really well, also Salewa Rapace boots stayed dry all day (admitted hidden under gaiters) However gloves were a totally different story :( I had some waterproof Outdoor Research Riot gloves, which leaked like a sieve through the stitching. Very disappointed in them. Looking at a handful of the outdoors shop sites I can't see a whole lot of options that look any more waterproof than what I had. Seems it's mostly fleece gloves and ski gloves out there. Anybody have something that works well? I managed ok because it was summer, so wet hands wasn't too bad given it wasn't super cold. Keeping the wind chill off was the main requirement. But if I go again in winter I really really want to be able to tuck the gloves under the jacket sleeve and stay dry!

Hi Ben Have you tried gloves for wind chill, and lightweight rain shell mittens over the top for when it rains? I have OR touchscreen sensitive gloves (so I can take photos using the smartphone without having to take a glove off every time) and put the mittens on when it starts raining (when I'm less likely to be snapping away) http://www.bivouac.co.nz/clothing/mens-clothing/mens-handwear/outdoor-research-mens-pl400-sensor-gloves.html http://www.bivouac.co.nz/clothing/mens-clothing/mens-handwear/outdoor-research-revel-shell-mitts-1.html

ah. good plan. but how do you stop the rain coming down the top of the mittens? or can you fit those under your jacket cuff? Are they not a bit bulky for that? I really want a solution that is going to stay dry for hour after hour of rain :)

I am going to give you my 5c worth. Its pretty much impossible to get "waterproof" gloves. This is especially true when heavy rain is involved as water just runs down your arms and into the glove and it also gets in through the stitching which a fingered glove has a lot of. If your hands are wet but warm you won't notice it, so really want you want out of a glove is something that keeps your hands warm in the wind and/or rain/snow. Mittens are better than gloves at keeping your hands warm and really unless you are climbing are probably going to be fine dexterity-wise. Some people use waterproof over-mitts to cover fleece or wool gloves others use full-on insulated ones. I love the Dachstein style of boiled wool mitts. Virtually windproof and indestructible they kept my hands warm up many winter routes in Scotland. I've hardly used them in NZ though. Wool is a good insulator when wet and a good choice for an inner glove. I think the worst gloves I have used are the fleece-style windproof ones which were useless at keeping my hands warm in the wet. Anyway I will leave you with a post from Andy Kirkpatrick, a man who knows a thing or two about gear. http://andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/the_truth_about_gloves

Gear crossover tip : neoprene cycling gloves. They won't keep your hands bone dry (as stated above, no glove will - you'll sweat heavily in anything 100% waterproof), but they act like a mini wetsuit, creating a layer of warmth next to your skin. Also very warm in cold, dry conditions. I now have a pair for Winter riding and a pair for tramping/climbing. Best priced ones are on wiggle.co.nz

agree with ruahine, you cant keep your hands dry, but gloves without a gauntlet get wet the fastest and gauntlets with insulation on the gauntlets wick water into the glove faster.. go for warm gloves with a reasonable amount of synthetic insulation and a shell or as mentioned the neoprene are an option, i use OR adrenaline gloves, find them pretty good at keeping my hands warm.

Have a look at motorcycle gloves and ones for MTB. Plenty of forums and reviews to find online. As @hutchk said, neoprene blocks wind and rain well but are rather sweaty. My husband wears the Fox Antifreeze glove for MTB which has kept his hands warm and dry so far. They are clammy. I own OR Versaliner gloves which have a waterproof shell glove for wet weather. But the stitching of the shell gloves are not seam sealed so I rather doubt they would keep all moisture out.

Ok a question Everyone Ive ever heard on the subject says no ski gloves. Why? I ski as well as tramp and have never had an issue with cold hands skiing. This is even the case with cheap gloves where the only waterproofing is on the label that says waterproof. You can ring them out by lunch time put them back on and still have warm hands. For tramping I have the traditional wool glove with gortex overmit but Im not convinced its actually better

might be because not all ski gloves are waterproof. he advantage of waterproof ones is they can tend to be warmer, they reduce the rate at which cold water from the outside gets into the glove. the waterproof barrier helps with the insulation.

@Ben10 the mittens are very thin, and they have a strap which tightens over the glove. This makes it easy to then slip them under the jacket cuff