Recommendations re: camping/wilderness gloves

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Kirk_Ferentz

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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In the market for some functional yet hard use gloves for camping/bushcraft/etc. Will be using them for chopping firewood, dragging logs around, grabbing hot or thorny things, and any any other function where I want to save my hands. I want them to be very rugged and durable so that they can withstand any camping trip and will not fail on me in a survival situation. I would also like them to last me a long time.

I'm thinking leather, but if you think otherwise, let me know. I don't want them for warmth, so it seems that any lining would just make them more bulky.

Doing my research in previous posts, it sounds like deer skin is a great option. Kangaroo skin may be better, but also more expensive. There is also buffalo and goat skin--not sure where these stand.

As of now, eyeing these, geier deerskin ropers. The longer buffalo gloves also offer some wrist protection, which might be nice (but might also get in the way).

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=418

Also, to save a future post, if you have any advice on maintaining the gloves to help them last, including how to clean them or how to deal with them when they get wet, please let me know.
 
Get yourself a good pair of leather gloves at the home depot for $10-$15. If they get torn up, then get another pair for $10-$15 bucks. Always worked fine for me.
 
I thought this over for a while, the ideal utility/performance/cold weather protection glove, and of course there is no 'just one' set. I bought a 6 dollar pair of riding style leather work gloves at an outfitter's shop in northern Idaho and spent 5 dollars on a pair of wool liners at Sierra Trading Post for cold weather applications. Since then I haven't packed anything else.
 
cnas122 said:
Get yourself a good pair of leather gloves at the home depot for $10-$15. If they get torn up, then get another pair for $10-$15 bucks. Always worked fine for me.
Click to expand...

yep what he said^^^^:thumbup::thumbup:
 
The problem with leather is that once wet they take forever to dry. Even treated leather, such as Pitard still do a poor job of staying dry. A hybrid of a synthetic body with leather palm and finger lining may work better for you. Flight gloves are pretty damn good. If you decide to go with leather, try pig, goat, or deerskin. They are far tougher than cowhide, and being thinner, give greater dexterity. Carry two pairs so that one can dry while wearing the other.
 
try mechanix gloves. Greenlee also makes a good quality pair that lasts well in hard use situations.
 
I think A member here was selling camelbak impact ct gloves for $17 last time I checked. They would work well.
 
Carhart Ranch gloves. Cow hide. I wear my Leather gloves daily for work, and have no problem with them if they get wet.
 
id say take 10-15mins in the gloves isle and find the par that work for you. i have long fingers so most gloves suck on my hands....although i did find a nice pair of leather gloves. my normal work gloves are just the nitrile coated ones.
 
I use belaying gloves that are meant for rock climbing. They have doubled palms usually, because they need to withstand the friction of rope rubbing them all the time. You can find them at most outdoor stores.
 
I prefere the iron clad construction gloves. They last a lot longer than the mechanix gloves and are only a bit more. I paid 15 bucks for mine and they lasted a 15 month deployment plus some.
 
I have a several pair of “tactical” gloves, however for my recreational outdoors use, I haven’t found anything better than kangaroo leather (by Geier); but boy, are they expensive!!! Measured against performance, I have come to the conclusion that they are worth it to me.

DSC03700.jpg


Here are the new driver’s gloves along with a pair of Nomex tanker gloves and the original Southwest Motorsports “vent” gloves (now affiliated with Camelbak):
Essentials1-1.jpg


I have the ropers and the driving gloves. It hurts at first to use these beautiful gloves, but I really prefer the driving gloves for backpacking. I have two pair and my original gloves have been used very hard! Not only on the trail, but around the house, weeding, working around water, cutting/hauling wood, cleaning out briars, etc. The unique thing about kangaroo leather is that it is extremely tough, even when very thin. After being soaked, it also dries quicker and doesn’t dry into a hard rock…and are still quite supple. I know Geier has some pretty expensive kangaroo leather gloves, but I haven’t found a better pair of un-lined, excellent dexterity, extremely tough leather gloves yet. The ropers are good with a little more wrist protection and the double palms. As tough as kangaroo leather is, I really don’t think it’s necessary. The stitching is top notch and I’m amazed I haven’t blown one on my original pair yet. They come true to size; I wear 9.5 for all my military gloves and Geier’s are right on the mark. I’ve heard goat-skin is supposed to be quite robust for a less expensive alternative, but no personal experience.

As to conditioning, I just use some quality leather conditioning, although I’ve used Sno-Seal in the past. I wash the gloves in warm water to get the dirt off and hang to dry. After dry, I’ll lay them outside for an hour or so to heat up and apply my conditioning and rub it in and let them stand for a while and they’re ready to go. Probably not the best, but my gloves have held up quite well for the past 6-7 years.

PayetteRucker brings up a very good point. It really depends on your hand comfort, season and location, but I really prefer a separate glove liner for insulation. Since my kangaroo leather gloves are so tight fitting, I can’t get my thicker wool liners under them, but I do have a few pair of very thin hunting glove liners that work well with the temperatures dip. Even when the temperatures dip to freezing (mostly a wet-cold), I’ll work without liners and when my hands get too cold or I need a break, I’ll replace the wet leather with wool liners and allow my hands to warm up for a while.

ROCK6
 
intheshaw said:
I prefere the iron clad construction gloves. They last a lot longer than the mechanix gloves and are only a bit more. I paid 15 bucks for mine and they lasted a 15 month deployment plus some.
Click to expand...

Another one for Iron Clad.:thumbup:
 
Personally my favorite gloves come from TSC. I have very long fingers and I find that they fit me perfectly. I get the leather ones and they are extremely durable, while working on a trial crew in Wyoming I only used two pairs of gloves the entire season, wore one out and brought the second home. Now this season was no joke we did fencing projects for a couple of weeks, cross cut sawing, lots of pick and shovel work, rock work and even used a Rock Drill once (a gas powered Jack Hammer). These gloves held up to everything extremely well. As far as getting them wet I don't worry about that anymore. I found that if they get wet just keep on using them and they will dry and break back in with no problems, they are usually more comfortable afterward anyways.

I guess basically I'm saying to get a set of good leather gloves that fits you right, that's what I have found as the best outdoors glove.
 
I used to be a hard core leather glove wear'r. I have elk, deer, bison, and kangaroo gloves that have all done their time in the woods.

But of recent, I've been wearing Nomex Flight gloves as I find they can fulfil a wider range of tasks. They have leather palms for hauling wood, working an ax etc. They can keep my hands warm if it get's cold and the Nomex on them is the bomb when working with hot pots, fires etc.

nomex gloves.jpg




ROCK, where did you get the tanker Nomex?
 
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