UKH

What's the best gloves for your buck. Waterproof and warm and AFFORDABLE. Is it best to just use ski gloves? advice, recommendations ect 

Affordable is a bit of a 'length of string' thing, of course   

For the best bang for buck, I go for these:

https://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/collections/mens-gloves/products/guide...

For a bit cheaper, look at Trekmates whose range of gloves is surprisingly decent.

I quite like Alpkit's gloves, ukc review here - https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/clothing/hatsgloves/alpkits_new_glove_range...

Have used in Scotland and kept my hands warm, although they do get wet eventually (like all gloves)

I bought a pair of these the other day, very affordable and no complaints yet after a couple of days of ice climbing.

https://www.simond.com/cascade-glove-id_8331057

How expensive are dachsteins these days....

Mittens generally give you the best bang for the buck vs warmth. For mountaineering they are perfect.

Apart from the ones that have those ridiculous 'sleeping bags' for each finger.

What ever you get make sure you fit them with “ idiot strings”. 

I have no idea about current times, but ski gloves always seemed ridiculously expensive for what they offer; often a good example of fashion over form.

It obvoiusly depends on what and where you plan to use them , but I'm a big fan of a light softshell glove like the ME Super Alpine. They work well on 'alpine' winter days in the UK, for summer alpine, and by extension would be good for a lot of (drier) summer days in the UK hills. And they're not heinously expensive.

Dachsteins are also pretty fantastic for being on the hills mind. Hard to beat in the warmth and versatility department!

Another vote for Dachsteins. 

Thirded.

You can stick yer £90 Gucci gloves that eventually get wet and cold pretty quickly despite their advertisement. Sheep wear wool for a good reason.

i quite like dachsteins but the lack of waterproofing and their slippery nature would not want me to have them as my only pair of mountaineering gloves / mittens. They do make a great back up pair though, especially as they don't have a membrane so are very breathable. 

Yeah — I love them for walking around the hills, summer or winter, and they seem to remain warm (if sweaty) even when wet. I'd be less keen on them if hands-on-axes were involved though. Too young to be traditional, and I definitely can't open a Mars Bar* while wearing them.

* — who would take a Mars Bar out into the winter hills for food anyway? Break your teeth, you would!

Depends on your definition of affordable!

For moving I use Salewa Illuminati or Mammut Nordwand Pro and for belays and when cold Salewa Ortles Warm gloves. If it's really chilly some Rab liners 

The waterproof mittens I use in winter are no longer made but a quick google shows you can easily get a similar pair for under £25. I hear these gloves are quite good bang for the buck and can be made quite water resistant when treated http://shop.snowshepherd.co.uk/Snowshepherd-Leather-Ski-Work-Gloves

The answer really depends on what sort of mountaineering you're referring to. Summer alpine, winter, Scottish winter, all round mountaineering, technical climbing..etc. if it's an all round where dexterity is important then something like the ME super alpine is ideal. If it's proper cold or you're hanging around you'll want something beefier, if you're moving quickly you may get away with something lighter and cheaper, if you're not touching much rock then the leather becomes less important. 

I have the original blue ones but there are the new updated version, look epic for winter climbing.

https://www.showagroup.com/us/en/product/en/insulated-thermal-gloves-282-02

Is sheepskin waterproof and worth having as like an over cotton if it gets even colder?

What about going in a different direction and plumping for a tactical muff?:

https://www.wildthingsgear.com/collections/new-accessories/products/knuckle...

Possibly it doesn't quite qualify as 'affordable', but I've been intrigued by these for a while now. 

Might be difficult to self-arrest when using it, mind

These are crap (I've been givenm them before), because they really don't offer any more insulation than pockets. In pockets, your body heat combines to warm hands. In those, it's just two cold hands warming eachother.

Will Gadd (the american Ice Climber) has done a series on his IG about cold hands and cold feet. In it he goes pretty deep into strategies to combat thes problems. Largely he sees the issue being hands getting damp (be that rain, ice, or sweat) and then cold because the dampness conducts the cold - and so the classic scottish winter strategy of More Gloves not Better Gloves being generally a winner. Gloves for the walkin, gloves for each pitch, spare ones for belaying. Suggest reading all of his posts.

https://www.instagram.com/realwillgadd/

That does make them seem a bit limited. But I rather like the notion of Navy SEALs reviving Victorian ladies' fashion

For winter climbing? If so, another vote for the Simond Cascade ones Decathlon sells. Pair them up with a thin cheap pair of nylon running gloves. Great for the price. Dachsteins are warm but hard to do much in - better for walking than climbing, IMO. The leather ski gloves (typically yellow with a woolly looking cuffy) are good, but they soak up water over the course of a day until they're unpleasant at best and then take ages to dry (two days!).

 

Dachsteins - good for belays, bad for climbing....

As said, take a few pairs along

+1 for ME Super Alpine gloves - my favourite and most used winter climbing and mountaineering gloves. Comfortable and dextrous but they aren't very warm and a lot of people might want something thicker.

The 2 main things, I'd suggest are: gloves that fit and carry a few different ones.

My winter climbing selection is a pair of thin liner gloves, a pair of ME Super Alpine, a pair of BD Punishers for when it is climbing and a pair of pile mittens as a final back up.

BD punishers are where its at with mitts for belays and something thin to walk in wearing, unfortunately punishers are not cheap

I've got some British army extreme cold weather mits. Its two sets of gloves, a pile lined mitt, you can wear on their own. Plus, a lined goretex outer mitt, you can wear on their own, over the inner, or over a different pair of gloves. They come with a trigger finger, so you can fiddle and faff with kit, without taking your glove off.

Cheap, warm, versatile. But not light or small.

https://www.factsurplus.co.uk/product/786

Having searched for that link, it seems that other nations have cold weather gloves/ mitts with trigger fingers. It might be worth checking out if some cold weather nations have better kit.

Depends where you're belaying — they're pretty ideal on a sunny ridge in Chamonix in the summer! Alas the OP hasn't clarified which of the many varieties of mountaineering they have in mind.

I would second the Alpkit recommendation (if they fit you) and they've got a sale on.

The best gloves I've ever used are some Rab ones with Outdry. They are Uber dextrous, warm and waterproof.

I climb with two pairs of gloves: one pair worn and one shoved down my top to switch at belays.

If it's Baltic I'll wear big mitts for belaying or having lunch instead.

Just noticed a typo: I meant to write BD Punishers for when it is colder.

These gloves are waterproof and have decent dexterity.  They are not warm.  I pull these out for ice climbing on days when it's warm enough that ice climbing is very wet and nothing else will keep my hands dry.  

Otherwise, in cold, winter temps, the thin insulation on these gloves provides poor protection from the cold.  

ME Super Alpine gloves...yes good light gloves.

The key things with glovs are that they fit....not to big so you maintain dexterity and warmth, BUT, not so well fitting that they are difficult to put on when your hands are cold and wet (very different from when you are sitting at home / standing in a shop). Pile linings seem to work well for getting hands into gloves. Make sure you can hang them mouth down... filling your nice warm gloves with spindrift is ...well, disappointing. A pair of large single layer waterproof overmits is great to have for when the wind blows after you have toped out... and more than one pair of gloves (if you want a light backup, buffallo mits are pretty good).

Echo that. The Simond's gloves are good value. Generally speaking, these are work gloves. They get a good kicking every time they are out and rightly so. Spending £60-£100 for a pair is just not good value, in particular when you go through 1-2 pair a year or more. In my opinion the best gloves are the ones that adequately do the task whilst being cheap and frequently replaceable.

Not waterproof, but Rab Baltoro are warm and tough, pile lined with primaloft insualtion. You can usually find them cheap at places like GoOutdoors, especially if you can get extra discount with MS/BMC membership. 

Not amazingly dexterous but fine for the low grades.

I've found as long as you're moving, they stay warm even if soaked through. You need to swap out when you're static though.

Dachsteins. I’ve been using them (not the same pair!) for 47 years, walking and climbing. Gave a pair of snazzy orange ones to my daughter at Christmas. She thinks they are fab, and not just because of the colour. Try Needlesports.

David

Buffalo mitts.

Not waterproof, but not a huge issue with how Buffalo works.

Grip is a consideration too, and my favourite gloves allow me  a good grip on tools, rock and even ice, and some dexterity wih  gear. Mitts etc have their place, as do overmitts, but I think it's distinct from the role of a glove and more of a back-up, recovery or emergency role. Or ideal for hillwalking, of course.

I like the look of those Simonds, currently using Alpkit Rhombics (seem to be discontinued but their longer cuffed Shuga version is still around). I also use those £6 Skytech Argon freezer workers gloves when it's not too too wet. Not the toughest, but great while they last I lost one of my near-elbow-length SnoMo Cordura Goretex pile mitts a year or two back after 40 y service... they were great, almost like a belay jacket in themselves!

Has anyone any experience of the Montane Mantle gloves? They are marketed as climbing gloves and have no leather in them (important to me). Any views on these?
 

it seems the alternative for folks like me is the ME Mountain glove, which is fine but maybe not as warm as some others that have been mentioned.

I've had a pair for several  years, haven't  used them a massive  amount but they are fine and excellent  value

Didn't realise they're still available, looking at the website I would suggest that if you're not actually climbing, the light version might be good

You've  not got enough snot on them yet!