A few weeks back, we told you all about an award-winning glove
from the chaps at outdoordesigns, well, now we have a pair right here
on out sticky mitts.
The Taku Stretch - not to be confused with Tarka the otter,
a semi-aquarian mammal - won a Polartec Apex Award for innovative use
of Polartec fabrics and design and as you'd expect, they're pretty
interesting.
For starters, the fabric is a new one, called Polartec Windpro
Stretch with Hardface Tecnology. Also used in their new ninja-look
fleece, more of which soon, it's a very close woven fleece which is
far more wind resistant than conventional fleece, rather like the old
Ultrafleece fabric.
The Hardface variety uses a soft fleecy inner combined with what's
claimed to be a more durable, smooth outer, the er, Hardface no less.
Finally, the palm, fingers and thumbs of the gloves are plastered
with grippy little silicone spot things in outdoordesigns logo shape, which
give great grip on ice tools, trekking poles and so on.
We reckon they're going to be great allround mountain gloves
offering decent wind resistance, but without the reluctance to dry
that we've experienced with membrane-based gloves and with better
breathability. They should also work well as a liner for modular
winter climbing shell gloves and mitts if you're one of those people
who dangles an outer mitt for fiddly stuff like ice screw
placement.
Appearing in shops some time about now, the new Taku Stretch will
priced at £20.
www.outdoordesigns.co.uk
