Designed for 8000 meter peaks and aortic expeditions, the Outdoor Research Men’s Alti Mitts are
a super warm, super durable option for the extreme tasks that lie ahead. Let’s take
a look at all of their features and their construction.
These mittens have a lot of innovation and a lot of rally great materials in play that
make them as good and as ready for those extreme conditions as they are.
To start we have got a fully waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex membrane that lines the en-tire mitten.
So it is a completely waterproof, windproof shell. It has got really good ma-terials there
and then Gore-Tex is, again, guaranteed to keep you dry without a lot of ex-tra weight.
We are using Primaloft gold insulation. It is the highest Primaloft insulation that you
can get, the lightest and the highest warmth to weight ratio that Primaloft offers. There
is 170 grams of that Primaloft in the actual mitten itself. And in the liner there is actually
340 grams of that Primaloft insulation. So there is a really ample amount of insulation
throughout the entire glove that is going to provide warmth in the most extreme condi-tions.
On the exterior we have got some nice rip stop nylon and in combination with a really
nice petards leather palms. So you have got really good weather resistance and awesome
durability with those leather palms. So they are going to provide grip, dexterity and sup-ple
feel while being really, really durable. So we have got really excellent materials, tip
of the line materials throughout the entire mittens here.
Some of the features on the mittens include a high loft moon pile fleece on the inside.
So there is a fleece on the inside of the mitten itself as well as the liner that comes
inside. Now the liner is removable. So you can actually take off the shell glove and
there is a nice, liner in there as well. And, as I mentioned, that liner is fully insulated
aw well with that 340 grams of Primaloft.
And this guy does have some extra grip function on the fingers and on the thumb there. So
you have got a really nice removable liner on the inside.
You can choose to wear just the liner or just the mitten. You know, the mitten is going
to give you some insulation and also have that fleece on the inside should you choose
to use it by itself. But they are designed to go together for those extreme conditions.
Now as you can see, we do have a removable idiot cord on the outside of the glove. So
in the event that the mitten shell comes off you can make sure you have it strapped down
so you don’t lose that. And there is a nice gauntlet feature as well so you get ample
weather protection all the way up to the... above the wrist so it works in unison with
the jacket. And it has got a really easy one handed adjustment so you can just pull that
to loosen it and then pull the little rubber tab there to tighten it back up. So there
is a webbing tab for loosening and a rubber tab for tightening it back down. So you have
got a really nice fea-ture there, one handed adjustment makes it very, very easy.
We do have a clip on the outside of the glove here, of the mitten here. So you can easily
clip that to a harness or a pack should you choose to do that. And there is a glove clip
as well. So on either one of the mittens you can clip them together when you are not using
them, so they don’t disappear on you. So a nice glove clip feature there.
An additional feature with the gloves, to insure that you get a proper fit every time
is that there is a nice Velcro attachment on the liner mitten that works in unison with
the shell mitten to ensure that it stays in place and it is not sliding around on the
inside of the glove. So they integrate, they work well together and they make sure they
are stuck to-gether when you have the, you know, the combination of them on.
Now the fit of the mitten is a fairly loose fit. I am wearing a large. I normally do wear
larges and I have got room for my fingers to move. So I don’t feel claustrophobic
or awkward at all. And there is ample insulation space around my hand. So I can tell that,
you know, I could b out in really cold temperatures and that cold air isn’t going to be able
to penetrate through because of the ample amount of insulation brought on by the liner
as well as the mitten together. So really nice room, really warm gloves. They are just
won-derfully warm while being super lofty.
Now because they are mittens, they are not the most dexterous gloves out there, but they
do offer more warmth and more insulation than you would find in a separated five finger
glove. So really ample warmth and just overall really great materials.
So there you have it. If you are seeking an 8000 meter summit or you need a mitten for
extreme cold climates, the Outdoor Research Men’s Alti Mitt is a great option for your
next outdoor adventure.