What are the warmest mittens? (Brewer: school, shop, design)

[genmomto5]

What about those little heated packs you stick in your gloves?

[emu742]

I suffer from this as well - I get 'chilblains' and I know the feeling you describe. Wish I could use those little warm packs but its not advised for poor circulation- it causes blood vessels to break and worsen the issue. I have to be very careful in my sock and shoe choices for winter but I just discovered something that works a hundred times better than my thick wool socks did last year. I now wear a coolmax or silk thin sock and then a thin/med wool sock. It does wonders. It keeps my feet perfectly warm (not hot) and works better than even my wool slippers do. I find that half the part of the trick of staying warm is making sure to wick away all possible moisture and keep a double barrier - wearing the two layers does the magic So I'd go for some silk or polyester thin gloves (those materials work better than cotton at moisture wicking) and then a leather wool lined glove on top!

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Bydand

My DW has Raynaud's also and is one of the reasons we left Aroostook County. It was getting worse as the years of cold went by and her hands were bluish from Oct until May most years and hurt all the time. As a RN she couldn't have that. She found the best thing was a pair of light jersey gloves, then a set of the ragwool mittens from LLBean or Cabelas over them, or a set of their top of the line regular mittens if it was windy. The cotton jersey made it so the Wool wouldn't bother her hands (Also like you the wool bothered her in direct contact.) On very cold days she would also use a pair of my Military Surplus USAF extreme cold weather mitts over the ragwool mittens.
(USAF Flyers )

With that combination she was able to do quite well, but her hands just kept getting colder every year. Another thing that helped warm them up, was a hand spa thing I found that you put on protective liners over your hands like gloves and immerse them in a low temp melt wax substance. The heat was about 120F and would warm her hands up after her drive home in the evenings after work. She would do that just before going out when it was bitter cold (-25F and below) then quick put on her mittens and that way she had a head start on heat loss. Worked wonders for short trips to town so her hands wouldn't be blue and stone cold when she got to work.

Good Luck!

That is very nearly what we have.

Large over mittens with attached gauntlet-like cuffs, worn over wool mittens.

They work well.

[ProdigalLobster]

Thanks so much for all the great answers & info!

Coastal, *yeowch!* for your fingers! Good call on the mitten trend... I half expect to see them mentioned in People Style's winter edition. Maineah, what Elcarim asked: what snowmobiling mittens do you use? Amazing that there's so much warm gear, even though I hope I won't often be sitting in snowbanks at -15 for over an hour & a half. It's nice to know that should the need ever arise, I can stay warm.

Bydand, thanks for sharing your DW's experience! I remember reading about the paraffin dips being helpful, & think one is going on my wishlist for Christmas. When I first found out about Raynaud's, I thought twice about moving back to Maine, but I'm hoping I can find ways to manage it up there. And down here, the freezing AC everywhere can set it off, too (& people look at you funny when you wear mitties in the summer).

I'm going to Bean's site tonight & looking for those double-thick wool mittens & cotton or silk (thanks, emu!) liners; they seem to be the crowd favorite!

El, YES to legwarmers!!! They're back in style now, so there are all sorts of fun options. Also mad about armwarmers! They may look pointless to some people (no fingers?! wth?), but to me they look divine... they'd keep my arms & hands cozy, but I could still type or turn pages. Check out this site, very cute armwarmers & legwarmers: Sock Dreams ~ Arm Warmers

Ranger, LOL! Gen, I think I shall get some mini heaters, even if only for emergency use. If I were ever stuck someplace without heat for long, I'd probably be very glad for them. Maybe I could put them in between the liner & outer mitten, to prevent tissue damage. Forest, those cuffs seem vital for sealing off any potential draftiness. Glad to have this info!

[MRVphotog]

Smart Wool isn't itchy cause they wrap every wool thread in the sock with polyester/nylon. Many mittens and gloves have little compartments for the little heater packs. BTW they should be placed on top of your hand, that's where the major blood vessels are, in the mitten, not your palm.

I also like Scott mittens. You can get ones with fingers inside or fingerless. Ones with inner gloves are the warmest. Having a Gore-Tex shell will keep your hands drier.
check Sierra Trading Post - Save 35-70% on Famous Name Brands for a good selection of good mittens at a great price.

[island mermaid]

I used to buy those charcoal "heater hand" and sock packets by the case for snowmobiling and ice fishing. I've also been known to stick them in other places. I have something I like to refer to as "cold butt syndrome".
Careful though, as sometimes if you have no direct vent - they can burn your skin!

The gauntlet mittens and gloves are great for some outdoor activities. There are many brands that can be found most anywhere. However if you're just using them for quick trips outside they can be a pain to get on and off as they go over your jacket sleeve cuffs. The more loft you have in your sleeves, the harder they are to get on and off.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

Maineah, where do you buy your snowmobiling mittens? What brand?

They are probably all made in a factory somewhere and rebranded but the ones we had were Arctic Cat. We just bought them at an online dealer. You can get good deals on that kind of stuff on ebay.

Snowmobile clothing or ski clothing is the way to go if you want warm stuff.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by genmomto5

What about those little heated packs you stick in your gloves?

They work pretty well. I throw one in my mittens and boots when I plow snow. Buy them by the case on ebay!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

I used to buy those charcoal "heater hand" and sock packets by the case for snowmobiling and ice fishing. I've also been known to stick them in other places. I have something I like to refer to as "cold butt syndrome".
Careful though, as sometimes if you have no direct vent - they can burn your skin!

The gauntlet mittens and gloves are great for some outdoor activities. There are many brands that can be found most anywhere. However if you're just using them for quick trips outside they can be a pain to get on and off as they go over your jacket sleeve cuffs. The more loft you have in your sleeves, the harder they are to get on and off.

Agreed! We have a steamer trunk filled with umpteen pairs of gloves, hats, mittens, neck warmers, scarves and masks. We have closets filled with light coats, heavy coats, down coats, snowmobile suits, slip on boots, felt lined boots, overalls, snowmobiling boots, LL Bean boots, snow sneakers, ski pants, waterproof pants. We also have drawers filled with long underwear,union suits, wool socks, sweaters, fleeces, wool shirts, flannel shirts, chamois cloth lined jeans (my favorite) etc,etc.
You will need a good variety of winter clothing for a Maine winter. Some days you'll have to change clothes several times. You need lighter coats in the fall and spring or warm winter days. You'll need the long underwear and heavier coats for January and February. Some you'll wear much more often but you need a good back up incase stuff gets wet.

[island mermaid]

At least a steamer trunk, better yet an entire walk-in closet so you can sort and find it all.

Especially with little kids trudging through snow all day, you'll need plenty of extra snow pants, warm socks, mittens & hats. Buy cheap ones so you can easily dry the wet ones near the wood stove and throw the kids back outside again in a hurry!