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Down Mittens

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    • Down Mittens

      It’s time to upgrade my winter apparel and I want to try down mittens. I finally found some on sale and used an REI gift card so out of pocket cost was about $20.

      These are Outdoor Research Transcendent Mitts MSRP, $65. Stated weight is 4.8 oz (not sure what size). Measured weight for small is 4oz. 650 fp.

      They are really warm and comfortable but are bigger and bulkier than I expected. Rolled up, each mitt is about the size of a thick pair of large socks.

      They are advertised as being useful as a base layer under a shell. My plan is to wear them over a base layer glove, like you’d wear a down jacket, and to use them for stops and camp.

      (just had a thought... they probably fit perfect under the tyvek mitts that JJ gave me.)
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      Lost in the right direction.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Traffic Jam ().

    • Muddywaters wrote:

      Look good. I got blackrocks. Weigh about 2 oz so not hesitant to bring in sub 40 weather. Strictly a camp thing. Keep hands warmer while dinner soaks is about it.

      If it's cold my fingers are near numb by that point anyway.
      I’ve been looking at blackrock down hats for several years, the last time I checked they had nothing in stock.

      I go back and forth with wanting a down hat...is it really going to be warmer than a wool beanie? I probably wouldn’t hike in it so that’s two hats to carry. My down jacket is hoodless which is how I like it.

      Probably the warmest combination is a fleece-lined wool hat (which I’ve made) but they are heavy.

      The same thing for down booties...I like the idea of them but will they make much difference? Will I wear them around camp or be too concerned about damage?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • My wife got the OR down hat about two weeks ago. We were hoping to get a blackrock hat but they are going out of business. She’s been wearing it for walks around her place of employment in the mornings. She was wearing a serious fleece hat but said it wasn’t warm enough. She said her OR is perfect. I want one more like the blackrock, with more down and no elastic on the bottom edge. Hopefully I can find one or I might pick up an OR till I do find one.
    • Dmax wrote:

      My wife got the OR down hat about two weeks ago. We were hoping to get a blackrock hat but they are going out of business. She’s been wearing it for walks around her place of employment in the mornings. She was wearing a serious fleece hat but said it wasn’t warm enough. She said her OR is perfect. I want one more like the blackrock, with more down and no elastic on the bottom edge. Hopefully I can find one or I might pick up an OR till I do find one.
      I wondered what was up with Blackrock. Dang, wish I had pulled the trigger a long time ago. Honestly, it was the color choices that I liked. :)

      I’ve been looking at the OR hats too, thanks for the feedback.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      I’ve been looking at blackrock down hats for several years, the last time I checked they had nothing in stock.
      I go back and forth with wanting a down hat...is it really going to be warmer than a wool beanie? I probably wouldn’t hike in it so that’s two hats to carry. My down jacket is hoodless which is how I like it.

      Probably the warmest combination is a fleece-lined wool hat (which I’ve made) but they are heavy.

      The same thing for down booties...I like the idea of them but will they make much difference? Will I wear them around camp or be too concerned about damage?
      Have you considered fur? I got this at a church bazaar for a buck years ago. It has a quilted lining, made in China from rabbit (I think). It's amazingly warm and performs great in wet conditions (heavy snow, snowblowing).

    • I had some leather gloves that were lined with rabbit fur when I was growing up. Those were the softest and warmest gloves I've ever had. Can't find any like it now. All the ones I've seen only have fur in the palm and cloth in the fingers.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • I have Eddie Bauer down mitts. I love them. When I go out on my walks, I wear smartwool gloves with the down mitts over them. Then as I warm up, the mitts go in my pockets. This week I've been walking in weather in the teens with a lower windchill. I also wear them as I drive to work in the chilly, well way below freezing, weather. I wish someone, hubby/daughter, would buy a gift for me to put on my steering wheel to make it comfortable to hold with only a pair of gloves on.

      As far as hats, I bought a Sherpa cap at the Kristkindel market in downtown Chicago about 4-5 years ago. I love it! Incredibly warm even in single digit weather. I don't know if I bought it from an actual Sherpa but the gents manning the booth were from Tibet.
    • Trillium wrote:

      I have Eddie Bauer down mitts. I love them. When I go out on my walks, I wear smartwool gloves with the down mitts over them. Then as I warm up, the mitts go in my pockets. This week I've been walking in weather in the teens with a lower windchill. I also wear them as I drive to work in the chilly, well way below freezing, weather. I wish someone, hubby/daughter, would buy a gift for me to put on my steering wheel to make it comfortable to hold with only a pair of gloves on.

      As far as hats, I bought a Sherpa cap at the Kristkindel market in downtown Chicago about 4-5 years ago. I love it! Incredibly warm even in single digit weather. I don't know if I bought it from an actual Sherpa but the gents manning the booth were from Tibet.
      It sounds like you've got the cold figured out pretty well.
    • Trillium wrote:

      I have Eddie Bauer down mitts. I love them. When I go out on my walks, I wear smartwool gloves with the down mitts over them. Then as I warm up, the mitts go in my pockets. This week I've been walking in weather in the teens with a lower windchill. I also wear them as I drive to work in the chilly, well way below freezing, weather. I wish someone, hubby/daughter, would buy a gift for me to put on my steering wheel to make it comfortable to hold with only a pair of gloves on.

      As far as hats, I bought a Sherpa cap at the Kristkindel market in downtown Chicago about 4-5 years ago. I love it! Incredibly warm even in single digit weather. I don't know if I bought it from an actual Sherpa but the gents manning the booth were from Tibet.
      I have a heated steering wheel (and seats) in the truck. Never had it before. I'll never buy another vehicle without it.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference