Gloves

I use trekking poles and on a recent trip totally wore through my good old woollen mitts. Mittens are now almost unobtainable, well they are in Motueka and Nelson anyway! None of the outdoor shops had any except for lightweight possum and wool blends which didn't look as though they'd last 5 minutes. So I tried 'Hunting & Fishing'. The only ones they had, are ones which are finger-less with a flip over 'lid' to form a mitten. $35 I think. Decided to give them a go and they are GREAT! Very well insulated so I had to flip them open, to cool my hands down, every now and then. They've got 'wear pads' in the palm, presumably for holding a rifle or whatever, so shouldn't wear out with the trekking poles. My wind proof over-mitts will fit over them but haven't tried them 'in anger' yet. And, of course, you don't have to take them off to deal with any 'fiddly' stuff - very handy! The only problem I can see is that I wonder how long they will last with the frequent swapping from one mode to the other. That said, the benefits are so good I think I'd be happy to replace them every now and then. Just discovered Oringi do these in wool with a leather 'wear patch'. Probably would have preferred these to the synthetics. Same price at $35 http://www.oringi.co.nz/Products/Gloves/Fingers-Free-Mitten.aspx