– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures

– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog

Banner
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures
   

Winter Trade Show Gear – A Short Take from Louie

by Louie Dawson March 10, 2011
written by Louie Dawson March 10, 2011

It’s never too late for more gear reviews, right? Just thought I’d share a few tidbits from the Winter OR show this past January.

Outdoor Research will be releasing a bunch of new gloves, the ones I was most interested in were their Firebrand. For my glove system I like to have a thin, water resistant liner glove, a glove shell that has a bit of insulation and also fits over the liner, and a big, warm, mitten shell. I can keep my hands warm with the gloves and liners in most conditions. The mittens stay in my pack, and are light, but provide a lot of warmth when needed, albeit at the loss of almost all dexterity. It’s hard to find gloves that work well for my system, as most don’t have a big enough gauntlet, removable liner, or aren’t waterproof. Most waterproof gloves (with the exception of OutDry gloves) use a Gore-Tex insert to make them waterproof. In my experience the insert always gets tangled up in the glove, eventually making the glove unusable, frequently at an inopportune or even dangerous time. OR has been making their Firebrand for the military for a few years, as a super warm glove for intense conditions. It is large, has a huge gauntlet (which is where many gloves fall short as well), and has a warm removable liner. It is also constructed with Gore-Tex shell fabric, and all the little seems are taped. It might be a little overkill for skiing, and might be too heavy, but I’m hoping once I take out the liner it’ll be fairly light.

OR Firebrand Gloves

Another interesting product was a new Camp harness. Lightweight (7oz) with gear loops, and adjustable leg loops that can be unclipped for bathroom duty or whatever, nice.

New ultralight Camp harness

I liked the Klymit gas insulated clothing. This is insulated by various “noble” gases such as argon or krypton (super), that you carry in compressed cylinders like the CO2 cylinders for refiling bike tires. The system is said to be lighter than down for equivalent warmth, as well as easily regulated (till you run out of gas, anyway). I can’t imagine it is very breathable, but like many technical problems I’ll bet a solution can be found for breathability . Klymit also had an interesting uninsulated sleeping pad, that had empty spaces where no weight is distributed. It’s stuff like this that’s going to continue the lightweight revolution.

Inflatable insulated clothing has been around for the last few years, but Klymit looked pretty slick, insulated by argon gas. It has a lot of potential but the problem of non-breathability is going to be hard to crack.

13 comments
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
previous post
Austrian Invasion — Part II
next post
PSA: What are you reading? Blog scams and other crud

13 comments

Greg Louie March 10, 2011 - 9:59 am

Those Firebrand gloves look interesting, but $320? Makes the Arc’teryx Alpha SV look cheap . . . also a mistake not to run leather on the sides of the thumb and first two fingers, IME

Mat March 10, 2011 - 10:47 am

Hey Lou,

What’s the “whatever” activity regarding the harness unclipping? Nothing comes to mind…

Steve March 10, 2011 - 11:20 am

@Mat – Putting on ‘hard shell’ trousers when the weather gets worse.

Jan Wellford March 10, 2011 - 12:43 pm

Or donning/removing the harness with skis or crampons on.

kevin March 10, 2011 - 12:46 pm

I know this is a nit, but is it really that hard to put a little patch of nose-wipe fabric on gloves these days?

Lou March 10, 2011 - 1:05 pm

Greg, I agree, the price is a shocker. I’d hope one could find them on sale as they really are excellent, due in my opinion mostly because they have gauntlet that actually fits over multiple layers. What a concept.

tony March 10, 2011 - 1:59 pm

how does the new CAMP light harness compare to the Couloir? It looks like it has two more gear loops? Is the leg strap system the same as the Couloir?

Robert Tangen March 10, 2011 - 3:57 pm

(I have no affiliation with the following company.) My favorite over-mitt / glove is waterproof, has a huge gauntlet, doesn’t use Gore-Tex or other WP / B membrane, has a lot of dexterity, and is called the “Vapor Trigg” from RBH Designs, $150. It has a thumb, a trigger finger, and the rest of the digits are contained in a mitten-like section. They say: “Our Vapor Trigg shells are constructed from laser cut super-durable Tweave bombproof stretch woven waterproof laminate w/DWR, combined with waterproof Pittards for thumb, box and palms. The removable lining is our VaprThrm laminate constructed with Polartec 200. Anatomic box construction reduces fatigue and increases warmth. Our top-quality hardware features: one-handed draw-cords for easy use, idiot cords and soft-polypro fleece nose wipe on back of thumb.”

Chris March 10, 2011 - 4:00 pm

$320 – government pricing I think. like the $600 toilet seat back in the day. pretty cool sounding gloves though

Ed March 10, 2011 - 6:49 pm

I picked up a pair of these up at Lou’s ski in Calgary – they’ve proven to be super warm – even on Rockies spring days at -30 degC! And for us aged and prone to forget, they come with a wrist strap thingy that keeps them hanging on when you take them off to stuff a sandwich down – super handy on the steep or in bottomless fluff:
http://www.hestragloves.com/#/us/handskar/alpine_pro/army_leather_heli_ski_threefinger/
Great mitts/ gloves – glo-mits?

Colin March 10, 2011 - 8:23 pm

@Ed, they’re known as “Lobster-style” gloves.

Nick March 11, 2011 - 9:56 am

Louie – why don’t you just use BD Guide Gloves? They fit your bill (guantlet, waterproof, revoveable liner, extremely warm, Gortex insert does not get tangled up, etc…) and are way cheaper than those OR gloves or the Arcteryx SVs.

Lou March 11, 2011 - 10:21 am

Last time I looked at the BD Guide the gauntlet was still too small, but they might have changed that. My main criteria is a big enough gauntlet and a breathable membrane that works and doesn’t get tangled. Balance of beef vs dexterity is a big one to me as well.

Comments are closed.

Recent Comments

  • OMR on Voluntary PIEPS Beacon Recall Issued in Europe, Plans for US
  • DK on Voluntary PIEPS Beacon Recall Issued in Europe, Plans for US
  • Frame on The Gothic Mountain Tour: Not Just a Training Race
  • Matus on Ski Touring Boots 2021-22 — Upgrades to Past Favs
  • Jack on The Gothic Mountain Tour: Not Just a Training Race

Gear Reviews

  • Light(ish) & Robust — 2021/22 Fischer Transalp First Look

    February 18, 2021
  • Skis From the Future — 2021/22 Is All About the Freeride

    February 11, 2021
  • An Education on the Ephemeral Glide — Bases, Wax and DPS Phantom

    February 4, 2021

Trip Reports

  • Making Turns and Skintracks at Bluebird Backcountry

    February 24, 2021
  • Celebrating the Low Danger, Low Angle Ski Tour

    February 16, 2021
  • Cooke City in Photos — Montana Trip Report

    January 29, 2021

Totally Deep Podcast

  • Drinking Beer with the Bench Girls — Totally Deep Podcast 84

    February 12, 2021
  • Griffin Post Stays Home — Totally Deep Podcast 83

    January 10, 2021
  • Risky Business — Zahan Billimoria on Solving for Z

    December 14, 2020

Tips & Tricks

  • Warm Toes for Cold Smoke — Tips To Keep Your Feet Toasty

    February 8, 2021
  • The Five Pillars of Skintrack Wisdom

    December 17, 2020
  • 10 Essential Mistakes for the Backcountry Ski Touring Beginner

    December 2, 2020

Ski Touring Stories

  • Envisioning a Friendly, Busier Backcountry — Shaun Deutschlander Q&A

    January 18, 2021
  • Giving Myself the Gift of Backcountry

    January 15, 2021
  • Six Who Dared — Elk Mountains Traverse & Richard Compton Tribute

    January 7, 2021

Newsletter Sign-Up

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • About Lou Dawson
  • Authors Page
  • About
  • Contact
  • Copyright & Legal
  • Website Security

@2020 - All Rights Reserved. Designed and Developed by WildSnow


Back To Top

Read alsox

A Tale of Two Gloves —...

February 10, 2021

An Education on the Ephemeral Glide...

February 4, 2021

High Pressure Kit Review — Ortovox...

January 25, 2021