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Just curious for those scrappers up here in the north, what would be your recommendation for the best gloves for working outdoors in winter that will keep your hands warm but that aren't too bulky that you can't work with them on. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I use generic all leather gloves. No insulation.
I work outside 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. Temperatures get down low as 10F during winter.
My Red Wing work boots aren't insulated either. ( having sweaty feet in cold temps is a very bad thing ) .
Thanks for your input. I guess I just haven't quite found the right gloves. Usually I wear my ****ies Steel Toe Boots but if I'm going to be outside for an extended period of time I wear my Sorels.
Thermax glove liners are nice to have on under any gloves. They are made out of many materials, I am just partial to the Thermax. They move moisture away from the hands, provide a lawyer of air for insulation, and easy to work with on the smallest screws. On top of these I usually wear cotton chore gloves (yellow with the red wrist bands.) They are cheap, easy to wash, and easy to put on and off, especially with the liners. There are about a dozen of these in any truck so when the get wet they go on the defroster and a dry pair is used. I also wear leather gloves without insulation over the liners for rough materials. On really cold days I like the military shooting mitts (wool covered by leather) with the index finger free. When it is really cold I do not mess with the small stuff. Many times broken in welding gloves do a great job in cold weather.
Since I wear the glove liners as soon as I leave the house, my favorite gloves are the ones I find in the truck that starts first.
I like the leather driver gloves when i'm doing firewood. They fit close to the hand and will take quite a bit of wear.
For everything else i like the 5 mil thick blue disposable nitrile gloves. They seem to act the same way a wet suit does. Your hands sweat a little and that makes a thermal barrier. They're good down to about 30 deg.
When it get colder than that i put wool gloves on over the nitrile.
They have knitted wool gloves at the hardware store. You know the kind that are made with the very ends of the fingertips missing ? Wool is nice because it's one of the few things that will keep you warm even when it's soaking wet.
When it's below zero it's just too cold to be doing any of the fine pick up work that you would need a thin glove for anyway. I go with the heavy gloves instead.
The best all around winter boot that i've found is a rubber fisherman's boot that has a steel toe built in. It's water proof and chemical proof. A good deep tread. They're inexpensive. They come almost all the way up to the knee.You rarely get snow in your boots or wet feet. I used to plow the roads and was always working around the sand/salt pile. The salt would quickly ruin a leather boots but it didn't bother the rubber in the least.
For socks .... the first pair are absorbent cotton with one or two pair of wool blend over top. When it's REALLY cold ( -20 deg f. )wrap your feet in heavy duty aluminum foil between the layers of socks.
It doesn't get that cold here in Houston, at least not for more than a couple days at a time, but when it does I use the Hardy Cold Weather Work Gloves from Harbor Freight Tools. They're maybe $12 with a 20% off coupon.
I know, I know, HFT is not known for it's quality products, but those gloves are highly rated for a reason. They have a Thinsulate lining that works very well at holding in warmth. Obviously there's the annoying slack in the finger tips that most winter gloves have, but there's no getting around that for the most part.
Only thing with those gloves is that they are good for holding in warmth but don't store them out in your cold truck or shop or else it will take a lot longer to warm them up with your body heat. Bring them inside so they're warm or room temperature and then put them on when you go out. They're far more comfortable that way.
I wear the bulky insulated leather gloves... And a small magnet in the end of a finger
I generally wear the normal summer work gloves I get at work with the addition of adding those thin cotton not very durable gloves you find at places like tractor supply as a glove liner. they do get in the way sometimes but you can just take off the liner and suck it up for a bit until you don't need the freedom of movement as much. If I'm just going around curb shopping or what ever I just throw the gloves on the floor and turn on the heater in the truck to warm em up before I get out.
My thought would be the regular split leather work gloves. While you are working, they protect your hands and keep them warm. As long as I am working, they seem to keep my hands warm. I don't think they would be my first choice for warmth riding a snowmobile or ice fishing, but for work, as long as you are moving, they seem adequate for cold down to 10? 20? degree F