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Which gloves for Scotland?

Written by Neil Battersby, January 2017

The Scotland season in now underway and as I get a lot of questions about gloves, I thought it might be useful to provide a few pointers to help you prepare in case you’re heading north this winter.

Gloves are a very varied and individual piece of kit, so this is general advice on what I would take for a general mountaineering day in Scotland, in winter.

With any glove most important thing is the fit. You need to be able to complete small tasks in your gloves - zips, getting a drink out of your rucksack, clipping a carabiner etc. If you can’t do this because you have too much space at the end of your fingers, then you will end up taking your gloves off all the time and you will get cold wet hands.

The first pair of gloves I think about are the smallest and lightest pair. These are what I use for the approach when I am walking uphill and generating quite a lot of heat. I find the Extremities Lightweight Guide glove fits the bill perfectly. These are a soft shell, uninsulated, Windstopper glove, which are very breathable and dexterous. They have a grippy palm which works particularly well when using walking/ski poles.

Next I am looking for a general insulated glove to cover most conditions and activities. For this, the Mountain Equipment Guide Glove is ideal. These are a lightweight, waterproof and insulated glove with good amounts of dexterity. They are ideally suited to most general mountaineering tasks. I would usually carry these or another similar pair as a spare pair.

If conditions get particularly bad or for emergency use I like to carry a pair of mitts. I’m not a fan of mitts in some situations, but that said, no gloves are as warm as a mitt and if my hands need warming up, then popping a hand warmer in some mitts always does the trick. The Outdoor Research Phosphor Mitt works well here.

Some glove variations that I might make;

If I’m expecting particularly cold conditions, I might swap a pair of the Mountain Equipment Guide Gloves for the more insulated, Outdoor Research Arête gloves. They are slightly more bulky, but still offer high levels of dexterity.

For more technical climbing I use a pair of Outdoor Research Alpine Alibi II gloves. These are one of the best-fitting gloves on the market and provide an incredible combination of dexterity and warmth, with a super-grippy palm. They are without a doubt the perfect glove for pushing your winter grade.

I hope having an insight into what gloves I use in Scotland will help you prepare for your trip up north. All of the gloves that we stock in our on-line shop have been handpicked by us, having spent a lot of time trying lots of different gloves.

Neil Battersby, Jagged Globe Shop Manager

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