 As above...
Which mitts would you advise?
James
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 A nice wooly pair on strings, young man. Or failing that, Buffalo.
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 I got a pair of Buffalo mitts last week. Haven't been able to test them on a hill yet, because I've been at a course for the past three days, but I can tell you they've transformed my whole evening dog walking experience. 
Seriously though - I've got a (hopefully temporary) circulation issue and I'd been struggling a bit with unpleasantly cold hands even doing day to day stuff, and the Buffalo mitts have made a huge difference.
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I've got the montane extrem smock, are they of a similar style?
Are they waterproof ?
Had looked at the resolute mitts?
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They are pertex and pile, so yes. Not waterproof, but warm when wet and dry fast. The Resolute look like an over-engineered more expensive version to me.
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 Mitts range from 3 layer monsters for standing around at the poles doing nowt to thin, simple shells, so what do you have in mind? I'm eyeing up the new mitt version of ME's Randonee glove as I've been very impressed with the fingery ones. I relied on dachmitts for years and the only things wrong with them are they take an age to dry and putting them on wet is like having your hands rasped, but they're Toast Factor 8, still warm when wet and are remarkably good value for money. Put a thin shell over the top and you'd be ready for anything (tropics excepted!). And it's easy to sew wrist loops on... I've superseded them with Thermal Pro fleece/Goretex double mitts mainly as they have a comfort edgebut thetwo-layer aspect makes them more flexible. It's very handy being able to pull the waterproof shell over gloves as well as the "proper" inner mitts. Pete.
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They're going to be used for keeping me warm whilst standing around on dartmoor/exmoor/Snowdonia etc over the winter months. Just need something to keep me dry, but the mitt needs to have a removeable liner.
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 Buffalo mitts and Extremities Tuff Bag combo...
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Bwaoh why a single pair to do all? Doesn't work that way. First layer windblocking, quickdrying liner gloves. Second layer thinsulate insulated gloves, third layer windblocking and waterresistant over mitts of for example pro shell. Such a set makes you capable to handle almost anything in most cold conditions (except polar maybe)
I have Xtremities power dry gloves for first layer. Ideal for short fine work in cold. Next layer are mammut Kompakt gloves. excellent for longer work in cold. And the last layer (overmitts) to block wind and water out when you're walking in combination with only the liners or only the mammut's or both.
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| Edited: 04/12/11 11:02 |
 I got a pair of Buffalo mitts ... Haven't been able to test them on a hill ... (but) they've transformed my whole evening dog walking experience.
Similar story here. Saw Buffalo mitts recommended on here by OM-ers, bought a pair (from Cotswold Outdoors with a decent discount) and have found them very light and warm on lowland walking in cold winds (though not yet in freezing tempratures). Looking forward to testing them in sterner conditions. As others have said, the mitts are quite tight across the knuckles but quite long from thumb to ends of fingers so a slightly odd fit - try before you buy.
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Tried out my first pair buffalo mitts today walking in the Black Mountains. Yes they do all OMers say, very toasty. Only problem is when they get wet and you have to take them off for some reason, they're a bu**er to get on again. Always a problem with fleece gear - it don't slide....So I'm going to get a nice thin pair of silk gloves to wear under. Should slide on nicely then.
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 You won't get much cheaper than these North Cape Skye overmitts, £5. Then find a liner from somewhere; gloves, pile/pertex, wool, etc. Ignore the bit about the Pertex liner; they're just 3-layer waterproof fabric with a grippy palm. They only have L and XL left, though.
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I got extremities super inferno mitts. They were £30 but now £40. Still a bargain for the fact they are toasty (primaloft insulation) and the design that is usuallyonly found on £80+ mitts. The leash, the webbing wrist strap, the gauntlet cuffs that extend up your arm and have a two cord locking system where one (at the bottom of your wrist as you look at it) tightens and the other (top of wrist cuff) with a very biteable fake leather tab loosens it. All in all the wrist and cuff tightening just works so beautifully to keep your hands warm and dry. I got them because I was between sizes in the buffalo and just couldn't get a size that was comfortable. These mitts fitted me nicely. I also have an expensive pair of BD gloves and these mitts are a lot warmer and drier too. I will be into my third winter season in mine. One reason for the £10 price increase was a switch from a generic or non-main branded synthetic insulation to primaloft. That should IMHO make it even better. Of course there is a lot to be said for a layered system like others have suggested like you'd layer up your body. Well i don't personally believe any one system is better for everyone hence I often use a two layer winter system on my body and that is exactly what I do with my hands. I have a thin liner glove for dexterity (this can be switched for thicker or thinner liner gloves as needed) and these insulated mitts over the top. Afterall it is less to get blown away and IMHO for the hands a simpler system is better as you are likely to be taking the mitts off to use the greater dexterity that the liner gloves offer from time to time so having to put two layers back on is hassle IMHO.
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 "The leash, the webbing wrist strap, the gauntlet cuffs that extend up your arm and have a two cord locking system where one (at the bottom of your wrist as you look at it) tightens and the other (top of wrist cuff) with a very biteable fake leather tab loosens it"
my super inferno mitss do not have a leash or gauntlet cuffs etc. though they are super toasty!
I bought some combined pile pertex/primaloft gloves for the gauntlet feature and to aid with dexterity issues of mitts.
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of course if you want to stay warm and not replace mitts every few years you could try Dachsteins.
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Footnote: I've been wearing my Buffalo mitts most days during the current spell of chilly weather for walks of between five and ten miles. While on the move I frequently put them in my pockets as my hands get uncomfortably hot and sweaty. When standing still, even in the wind, the mitts are very warm indeed. Temperatures have been in low single figures round here.
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