Forums >Gears and Wears>Cold weather gear - gloves
Hey guys and gals,
I am a recently transported Californian to the Midwest. There is a winter here! My question is what do you normally do to keep your hands warm? Do you wear gloves, layers of gloves? I am just not comfortable with gloves at all and am trying to find alternatives. Thanks!
Feeling the growl again
For moderate temps/wind, cheap knit gloves from races or WalMart. For more serious winter, Yoko gloves meant for nordic skiing.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
My problem is that I just hate wearing them. It is fine for maybe a mile and then I get sweaty and feel confined and want to rip them off. Then I have no place to put them.
Ha! I remember my first winter here---you've got some weather-shock coming for sure. Part of the trick to dressing in Winter is to feel overly cold for the first couple of miles By the time you are into the run, you'll be fine without feeling hot.
(I have cold hands, so I probably need more protection than most. Also, like many, I find mittens more warm than gloves.)
I start wearing knit gloves around 40 degrees. I really like these: http://www.mizunousa.com/running/unisex/apparel/accessories/breath-thermo-knit-glove They are made of that material that generates heat from the moisture on your hands.
From 30 to 40, I layer with the Mizuno knit gloves (above) and these: http://www.brooksrunning.com/Utopia-3-in-1-Mitten-II/280233001.025,default,pd.html?start=11&cgid=access-gloves or use these: http://www.brooksrunning.com/Utopia-Softshell-Glove/280234001.025,default,pd.html?start=6&cgid=access-gloves
Anything below 30, I use these: http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Research-Highcamp-Mitts-X-Large/dp/B0059BJCI6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384397969&sr=8-2&keywords=outdoor+research+mitts
You can also use these inside the gloves when you are below 20: http://www.amazon.com/HeatMax-Hot-Hands-Handwarmer-Pairs/dp/B0007ZF4OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384398307&sr=8-1&keywords=hand+warmers (The OR Mittens above have a Velcro pouch that will accommodate these as well.
Good luck!
Latent Runner
I cheat; I wear my gloves for the first mile or two and then take them off, neatly fold them, and carry them in my hands. I do that because it is typically too cold around here to go without any protection for the hands, and by holding the gloves, my hands stay warmer than they would be if I was completely bare handed, and yet cooler than they would be if I had the gloves on.
Fat old man PRs:
Thank you very much! There seems to be a lot of options out there! I think the mittens would serve me best since I wouldn't feel so confined (maybe?)
I tried that once - made my hands cramped and extra sweaty in the palms.
I miss Cali lol
The other thing that might be helpful is when you start buying some long sleeve half zips, several of them come with rear or side pockets where it's pretty easy to stash gloves.
I've found the more I have on my arms the less I need gloves. My hands may be freezing at 30 degress with a short sleeve top and long sleeve half zip but with a long sleeve tee and long sleeve half zip they are just fine sometimes a little too warm.
Also, for me there is a point usually about two miles where I feel about 5 degrees warmer. I usually just go out feeling slightly chilled for the first couple miles and once I warm up I am fine for a good 5 hours.
some call me Tim
My brother gave me a pair of these last Christmas, and they're great:
http://www.amazon.com/Nathan-Trans-Warmer-Convertible-Light/dp/B0099LPWR2
Totally non-essential, but the super thin mitten things actually do help your fingers to stay warm and they tuck neatly into a pocket in the back of the glove for when your hands eventually warm up. They're not thick by any stretch, but they did fine for me even in subzero temps.
ME WEBLARG
My hands are always cold, so we likely have different needs, but I do have a pair of Asics mittens that have a mesh layer built in. So I can start the run with my hands in the mitten pocket, move them over to the mesh side as I warm up, then move them back into the mitten pocket towards the end of the run when I'm cold again.
Half Fanatic 12680
I'm pretty comfortable with gloves and find them a must when the weather gets cold. If I need to take them off, I either stash them in a pocket or slip them in the waist of my pants.
Many women's long-sleeved tops now have thumb-holes so you can pull them down over your hands like half-gloves when you start out and then just take your thumbs out of the holes and push up the sleeves when you get warmer. I don't know if there are also men's shirts like this, but you could do the same thing by either pulling down the sleeves or cutting small slits for thumbs.
It's hats that I hate. I'll keep my gloves on for an entire long run, but I can only stand wearing a hat for the first few miles unless it's under 35 degrees.
not bad for mile 25
Money saving tip: The $1 jersey gardening gloves from your hardware or garden store work fine in moderately chilly weather, say 35F. When it's super-cold, mittens are a lot better than gloves.
I've found the more I have on my arms the less I need gloves.
I agree with this. Last winter I got in the habit of wearing a long sleeve shirt with arm warmers under it, then my vest. When I did that my hands were always perfectly warm just wearing a thin pair of cotton/poly work gloves--those are generally all I wear on my hands even in single digit temps. I find that if my core is warm, all I need on my hands is some surface protection. That combination of the vest + long sleeves + arm warmers on my forearms kept my core warm without overheating and kept enough circulation going to my fingers that they were toasty.
I buy a package of a dozen cotton/poly gloves at the hardware store at the start of every cold season for $7.99/dozen.
Runners run
Proboscis Colossus
That's just nonsense. How will people know you're a "RUNNER!" if you don't wear gear that has "Brooks" or "Mizuno" or something on it?!??
Anyway, my hands get cold, too, even in fairly moderate temps. If it's around 50, I like my Mizuno "Breath Thermo" gloves. That material they use in that line is pretty cool - gives a warming sensation when it encounters moisture (read: sweat). If it's at night at that temperature, I've got some Brooks gloves that work about as well, but have lots of reflective detail (as well as the "flip-top thumbtip" for sending texts and browsing the internet while running on roads in the dark).
But for weather like the frigid 30 degrees we had this morning (I know - how can humanity survive, right?), I have these Brooks mittens - can't find exactly my model now, but these may be the current version. Fleece mittens with a polyester shell. I think mine are technically a size too big, but that's working out for the best - I believe the science is that having some air inside whatever covering you have on (gloves or otherwise) gives your body heat something to warm up and use for insulation. And it's also good news for your claustrophobic fingers - plenty of room for them to fing in there.
And yeah, when dealing with colder temps, layering really is best, especially for running. Also +1 to the advice that starting out feeling chilly will put you about where you want to be after a mile or two (depending on intensity).
"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people