I'm grippy, have good dexterity, and am windproof, warm, and waterproof. What am I?
December 31, 2012 10:44 AM   Subscribe

I need recommendations for gloves for walking dogs in bitterly cold, relentlessly windy weather. My apparently unreasonable criteria, in order of importance, within.

1) GOOD GRIP. I just bought these OR Versaliner gloves, put them on my hands on the way out of the store, and my keys slipped out of my hands four times between the door and my car. I worry about a leash slipping out of my hand if a dog should get startled and bolt. I need something way grippier.

2) Good dexterity, again, for leash wrangling purposes. This seems to be at odds with #4, as anything warm is also bulky.

3) Windproof.

4) Warm.

5) At least somewhat waterproof.
posted by HotToddy to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Have you tried neoprene gloves? The kind duck hunters use for example?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:53 AM on December 31, 2012 [1 favorite]


You might want to look into gloves designed for horsebackriding - they will be grippy because riders have to hold the reins.
posted by radioamy at 10:56 AM on December 31, 2012


I use these latex-dipped winter work gloves, and have given them as gifts to other dog owners who were after the same attributes you are. They were designed for use by workers in commercial freezers; they have no style quotient whatsoever, but they are durable and warm. They are grippy enough to open plastic poop bags, which I always found difficult with other gloves. They aren't completely windproof, but can be worn with a liner underneath. I do put my leash handles on my wrist before putting on gloves, always -- leashes should always be on the wrist as well as held in the hand.
posted by vers at 10:59 AM on December 31, 2012 [3 favorites]


Motorcycle gloves! Modern winter motorcycle gloves have leather palms, are waterproof, windproof, insulated and have decent grip 'cause, you know, handlebars. When it's really yucky out I wear FirstGear Explorer gloves to walk my dog.
posted by workerant at 11:14 AM on December 31, 2012


This isn't a direct answer to your question, but I just saw some leashes that you actually wrap around your wrist. The attach with velcro. It might help with the safety part. Plus you can still stick your hands in your pockets while walking (if the dogs aren't pulling, of course).
posted by Vaike at 11:37 AM on December 31, 2012


My brother just gave my dad some deerskin gloves for xmas. They both live in cold weather and go hunting a lot, and they swear by them.
posted by exceptinsects at 11:39 AM on December 31, 2012


I have never been able to find gloves that were both windproof and allowed for good dexterity. In my experience, you can get warm+dexterity, but not windproof+dexterity.

Therefore, I recommend you find gloves that fit your other criteria -- and wear them with a pair of glove liners, which will make them windproof. I have these ones from Land's End, and I love them. They are like long underwear for your hands.

I wear them under a pair of thinsulate-lined leather gloves, which are water-resistant, have ok dexterity, are warm, and have a good grip.

This means I have three layers on my hands -- from the inside out: glove liners, thinsulate lining, leather -- but since each layer is thin, the whole arrangement is not too bulky.

If I have to take the leather/thinsulate gloves off for some reason (they are too bulky for me to get stuff, like poop bags, out of my pockets), I still have the liners on, so my hands don't get totally frozen. However, I can still hold my keys, start my car, unlock the door, push the button on my iPhone, etc. while wearing them.
posted by OrangeDisk at 11:55 AM on December 31, 2012


Response by poster: OrangeDisk, I don't understand how a liner that's not windproof will make the whole arrangement windproof. Is it just these particular liners or is that a quality of all liners? I've never worn them before so I have no idea.

And while I'm butting in I want to thank everyone who's answered so far, these are all great ideas and most of them things I never thought of!
posted by HotToddy at 12:04 PM on December 31, 2012


If you really want warmth, mittens are the way up go. Maybe with glove liners if you have to do a lot of work without the mittens/gloves on.
posted by leahwrenn at 12:31 PM on December 31, 2012 [1 favorite]


@HotToddy, I'm not sure why the liners make the whole arrangement windproof. I suspect it has something to do with having an extra layer of warm air trapped around your hands, in between the liner and the glove, so that when the wind goes through the glove there's still a buffer zone of warmth there. But I don't know for sure if that's why, it's just speculation.

I just know that when I wear those same gloves (or any gloves) without liners, the wind absolutely kills my hands.

I've had many different pairs of glove liners (I tend to lose them) from different companies, but they've all been 100% silk. It might be that the windproof-ness is an effect of the silk, not of glove liners in general. I never considered that before.
posted by OrangeDisk at 1:02 PM on December 31, 2012


What I usually do is wear a pair of cheap magic gloves under some leather gardening gloves. The double layer is good enough protection (for me, ymmv), and the gardening gloves have grip.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 1:43 PM on December 31, 2012


I really like my North Face gloves; the equivalent women's gloves seem to be these.
posted by axiom at 3:02 PM on December 31, 2012


I use regular bicycling gloves (not even the cold weather ones!) + smartwool liner gloves, I have only tested this to 2 C riding bikes in the rain but this combo is wind and rain proof enough. If you had winter cycling gloves this would get you down to even colder temperatures. Cycling gloves are great for dexterity because you have to shift gears and brake in the rain. Go to a bike shop and look at your options.
posted by crazycanuck at 4:51 PM on December 31, 2012 [1 favorite]


I have a jogging leash that clips around my waist and then I can keep my hands in my pockets!
posted by dottiechang at 8:28 PM on January 1, 2013 [2 favorites]


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