The last rain mitt I am looking at is an option that’s durable, inexpensive ($5 / pr), generously sized for layering, go up the sleeve for a better seal, and highly weather resistant during cold and rainy or sleety conditions.
The Swiss Army vinyl rain mitts from the Army Surplus Warehouse are essentially a more durable version of the FroggToggs UL rain jacket.
At 4 oz a pair, they are not on the light side for three-season hiking, but they do make an excellent all-purpose four-season mitten when not handling technical equipment for such activities as skiing or climbing.
As I mentioned, they run large and layer well with both my size 5 liner gloves and an inner fleece mitten ( men’s L/XL).
Tellingly, Joan quickly found these mittens to work well for her and cold weather hiking. Joan suffers from Raynaud’s Syndrome and absolutely needs handwear that works. During our recent four-day weekend where we both backpacked and camped in cold/wet and cold/dry conditions, they held up well for her and quickly became a favorite. She used them on previous weekends but this weekend cinched the effectiveness for her.
As I mentioned at the start of this rain mitt series overview, my ideal mitten would be a mitten form of a kitchen chore glove. But I have yet to find it.
So I swap in different items depending on conditions, trip goals, or the time of the year.
These Swiss Army mitts make a very good cold and wet mitt when I want to layer and are not bulky. And at $5 a pair, excellent performance to price ratio. If anything, they are inexpensive enough to grab a couple of pairs to stash in a daypack or camping “go bag” as well.
Joan plans to use them more often than myself for reasons stated earlier. But I can see them adding another useful tool to my gear kit for personal use as well.
Disclosure: I paid for all the mittens and gloves mentioned in this article with my funds.
Are you saying these mitts breath a little? They sound promising. I have a shell mitt collection going as well. Could you do a review of that heavy weight Hestra mitt you mention in one of your mitt reviews? Thanks for the great blog.
Thx! Ah, sorry should have clarified better. I meant in terms of the material and feel. Good question, though! But, at least based on some use, they do seem slightly breathable at least how we used them. We tend to use them in colder weather vs. warmer weather too. The Hestra I kinda review in my ski touring articles. Maybe I’ll do a more thorough review when winter hits again?