Cold hands...

[Mick Fagan]

The possum fur stuff is incredible. I don't have personal use of the wool/fur blend, but I can vouch for very thin possum fur as terrific.

As a motorcyclist I have and use in winter, silk inner gloves. When on trips to Germany in winter I take the silk gloves specifically for photography. I wear a pair of normal winter leather gloves which I borrow from my in-laws, inside I have the silk gloves on. To take a picture I simply pull my hands out and the leather gloves hang from a thin leather string from my jacket.

Using this method I have quite successfully used my F3 bodies down to -26C and suffered no real problems. I do not attempt film changing with the gloves on though, I prefer to do this either inside a building or some other kind of shelter.

Just a small snippet on possum stuff. On a recent trip to NZ, the ladies were intrigued with the possum nipple warmers being offered at a specialist winter clothing place. As we are motorcyclists and this can be a more than uncomfortable problem for some people, one of the ladies bought a pair and tried them. Within a few days just about all of the ladies had purchased possum nipple warmers, they were that good at retaining heat!

Mick.

[Colin Robertson]

Jeez, just when I start to think I should maybe spend less time here, along comes a gem like this. Where else ???

[Frank Petronio]

Ash, just do what all those old school British hardmen gritstone climbers used to do, and keep alternating and sticking your hands in your crotch. It keeps pestering people away and if you do it right it can be kinda fun.

[Struan Gray]

The hardmen British gritstone climbers I knew would sit in the caff all day if it was cold enough for gloves. These days, they're all dry-tooling down the quarry.

The Black Diamond gloves are great, but not cheap. A more basic solution, adequate to the task at hand, are the Extremities range, sold in general outdoor stores like Blacks.

www.extremities.co.uk

I've used their polartec liner gloves cycling, hiking and inside Gore-tex mitts for winter climbing for many, many years, and although they are not as sexy as the BD ones, they work well.

I love the idea of possum nipple warmers: harvesting them must be a specialist job, and what do they do with the rest of the possum?

[Scott Knowles]

...Who uses what kind of gloves here?

I use a pair of wool or fleece fingerless gloves when I use the camera(s), but wear a pair of NF windstopper or Marmot gloves the rest of the time. I suffer from Reynaulds Syndrome so keeping my hands warm is critical. If I don't, they stiffen up within 15-20 minutes to where I can't move the fingers. And getting older it's getting worse, I can't even hold things from the freezer anymore for more 15-20 seconds. Damn, getting old sucks sometimes.

[jetcode]

bicycle racing gloves - with or without first two fingertips

[Michael T. Murphy]

X-C ski gloves with a thinsulite-type material built in. Very lightweight, but warm.

Or do what I do - give up on photography from November to April, except for warm-weather vacations: Mexico, Las Vegas, etc.

But then, you are still young - at least you are old enough to start wearing gloves!! I refused until I was 20 or so, stupid kids ...

I used to live in a tent in Marquette, MI (cold frozen north.) At least until January a couple of years. Now my whole body hurts with the cold. Now I am ready to join the old folks in Florida.

[Steve Clark]

Marquette in a tent in winter? Good god! You`re a hardy soul...My then girlfriend, now wife, called me to come rescue her permanently from Marquette after the snow was so deep she couldn`t see out of her apartment windows...

[Frank R]

There is a federal prison in Marquette. I was told that if a prisoner escapes during the winter, they don't even bother looking for him. It is so cold they end up turning themselves in.

[SAShruby]

We, Canadians, do not use gloves. It's a luxury item here. We're rough!!! Occasionally in Calgary, if temp goes down to -52.