Good gloves

Good gloves for fall fieldwork

Used right, these gloves are quite fantastic. The different brands I’ve tried have all been pretty much the same: fairly heavy stretch fabric for warmth and a snug fit, and a rough-textured latex coating for waterproof protection and a good grip. Perfect for fall field work, when the temperature is around zero, and everything tends to be damp and cold. They’re close-fitting and not too thick, so the touch is sensitive enough for hand-harvesting of root crops in moist soil when you have to feel around, coiling muddy hoses, picking up various field debris. They’re also tough enough to use as work gloves, to move stuff like damp wood and metal. The trick is that they’re waterproof, and they also breathe, so your hands don’t sweat and freeze they way they would if they were completely waterproofed, but the tradeoff is, you can’t use them in water, only to grip wet things, the minute the fabric gets soaked, well, the fun is over. Most of the time, I choose bare hands: getting nicked, freezing, whatever, it’s usually worth it for that direct contact, and gloves are one less thing to keep track of. When I do decide to use gloves, having the right ones for the job is a little pleasure, and these guys have their place. Nice!

6 thoughts on “Good gloves”

  1. OK, is there a reason you don’t show the brand name? I’m always looking for good gloves. I wear them constantly, because they take the punishment–first year farming I didn’t and thereafter I keep them everywhere and it’s made a huge difference in keeping infections at bay. Buy them by the dozen, and have found that more expensive ones are seldom better than the cheapies. The fingertips wear just as fast. I prefer the type that has waterproof palm and fingers, with the mesh backs, but NOT cotton, as those don’t dry, and get cold and slimy much faster. I have so many pairs that if one gets wet, I just lay them out to dry and grab a dry pair. So give up the brand, Mike. (I get mine at Princess Auto.)

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  2. Here’s a link to the gloves I like best: Nitrile-Dipped-Gloves 3 pair for $5.00. So I buy 4 packages and have a dozen gloves for $20.00.

    Just went thru my gloves box and washed everything on Stain Wash. Paired them up, and please explain to me why I have 4 left-hand gloves and no right hand matches? It’s a mixture of the nitrile faves, and some cheapo loss-leader leather gloves from Home Hardware that Husband prefers (Mens-Red-Fleece-Lined-Home-Hardware-Work-Gloves) plus some old old cotton ones with the blue plastic stuff on them that is flaking off or sticking the fingers together. The fingertips are still good on them, so I can’t bear to throw them out.

    Mike, you still haven’t told us the brand of gloves in your post. The cuffs look like they might stay tight…

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    • Not sure of the brands, in this case I was looking for the same style, assuming they’d all be similar quality, which they so far seem to be. I’ve payed $7-10 a pair far as I recall. (I’ll try to remember to check the brands, though, they’re not where I am right now – pretty sure Atlas is one.)

      I just bought a pair of Watson Stealth Cold War for $7 from the feed store down the road. Same idea but the nitrile part extends down the backs of the fingers to well below the knuckles and they have a heavier lining for cold weather. I’m not sure yet if I’d consider them in this same category because with that extra bit of waterproof coating, they’re more like waterproof gloves, which don’t breath and can get pretty sweaty inside, but I haven’t yet tried them in regular fall conditions. The link is to Home Hardware – I like that HH is selling them for $9.99, while the totally independent feed store near me has ’em for $3 cheaper (I’ll have to ask how they manage that.)

      And yeah, the cuffs on all of them stay tight! :)

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