THERM-IC 8K ULTRA WARM MITTS REVIEW.
WHEN YOU FIND GOOD GLOVES, BUY THEM.
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY GOOD GLOVES AND THE EXPENSE IS ALWAYS JUSTIFIED, AND ANYTHING THAT REDUCES THE CHANCE OF ENDING UP WITH FROSTBITE IS MONEY WELL SPENT. SAVE YOUR DOLLARS ELSEWHERE (TITANIUM SPOONS ARE FOR SUCKERS), BECAUSE FAILING ON A $15K TRIP BECAUSE YOU SCROOGED ON GLOVES IS JUST DUMB. IF YOU MUST HAVE A FETISH, MAKE IT GLOVES.
WE FOUND THESE IN THE NEVER-ENDING SEARCH FOR MORE EFFICIENT INSULATION, AND DIDN’T HESITATE TO GRAB THEM AND USE THEM ASAP. THERM-IC IS A BRAND WITH GOOD PEDIGREE, AMONG THEIR PRODUCTS THE SILAS FOOT BEDS, AND WE KNOW THE ENSEMBLE FROM THE NORTH FACES ADVANCED MOUNTAIN KIT RANGE, THAT NEVER GOT MUCH ATTENTION BEFORE IT FADED INTO OBSCURITY. WE TAKE INSULATION SERIOUSLY, WITH MALACHOWSKI AS OUR STANDARD, SO EXPECTATIONS WERE HIGH WHEN WE TOOK THESE INTO THE COLD.
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THE BASIC CONCEPT IS SIMPLE; A PUFFY DOWN MITT WITH A REMOVABLE RUGGED SHELL. INDIVIDUALLY EACH PART HAS A BROAD RANGE OF FUNCTION, THEN COMBINED FORMS THE EQUIVALENT OF A DOWN JACKET FOR YOUR HANDS. THE SHELL OF COURSE CAN GO OVER ANY GLOVE AND THE MITTS ARE DURABLE ENOUGH TO STAND ALONE, AND IF SUMMIT PUSHES ARE YOUR THING THESE WOULD BE A CLEAR CHOICE.
OURS WEIGH 150g FOR THE PAIR AND EACH GLOVE CRUSHES DOWN TO THE VOLUME OF A BASEBALL, AND THEY MAKE VERY NICE HOT WATER FLASK COVERS THAT SIT INSIDE THE STASH POCKETS OF A HI ALT JACKET. AS PART OF AN EMERGENCY SYSTEM, WARMED WITH A FLASK THEY WOULD HELP MITIGATE FROSTBITE, AND FIT OVER YOUR FEET PRETTY WELL IF THINGS COME TO THAT.
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OTHER THAN THE EXTINCT AMK SET (THAT SOLD SEPARATELY) THIS IS THE ONLY VERSION OF THE CONCEPT WE KNOW OF, AND COSTS ABOUT HALF WHAT THE AMK ONES DID. BOTH PARTS ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL (WEIRDLY SO, JUST SAYIN’) WITH THE SEAMS AND DETAILS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME DOWN TO THE TEXTURED MATERIALS, AND ONLY THE COLOURS REVERSED. WHAT FEW DIFFERENCES THERE ARE WE THINK THERM-IC HAS DONE BETTER, NAILING DETAILS THAT ESCAPED THE NORTH FACE.
THE DOWN’S FILL GOES UNSTATED (NEVER A GOOD SIGN) BUT THESE FEEL LIKE EURO 800f, AND THEY ARE BAFFLED EXCEPTIONALLY WELL TO ALLOW FULL LOFT. THE PERTEX SHELLS SLIDE NICELY OVER, NOT CONSTRICTING THE DOWN NOR HAVING EXCESS SPACE, AND THE 3D SHELL DESIGN HAS A LITTLE STRETCH THAT KEEPS IT FROM MOVING.
THESE DON’T DO WHAT A FULL SPEC DOWN MITT DOES, THAT HAS A BURLY PALM FOR ENDLESS WORK WITH TOOLS, AND BEST FIT INTO A SYSTEM AS ADJUNCT MIITS OR RESERVED FOR VERY FAST ASCENTS. WE THINK THEY FIND THEIR BEST NICHE HAVING THE DOWN INNERS KEPT ALWAYS INSIDE YOUR JACKET FOR IMMEDIATE WARMTH, WITH THE SHELLS WITHIN REACH IN CASE LIGHT WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE. CHUCK THESE ON AT BELAYS OR BETWEEN SECTIONS REQUIRING DEXTERITY AS PART OF A ROTATION OF GLOVES, AND THEY TAKE UP MINIMUM SPACE IN A SLEEPING BAG AS YOU SLEEP.
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WE THINK THESE ARE PART OF A CURRENT SPATE OF INNOVATION THAT IS REWORKING WHAT CAN BE DONE REDUCING LOADS AND INCREASING EFFICIENCY. THE ‘NEW’ FAST & LIGHT IS EMERGING THAT IS KILOGRAMS BETTER THAN BEFORE, WITH MANY SOLUTIONS TO THE WEIGHT EQUATION WEIGHING HALF WHAT THEY DID ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO. THE BEST PACKS, TENTS, INSULATION, HARDWARE AND TOOLS ARE ALL FAR LIGHTER AND MORE THERMALLY EFFECTIVE, AMPLIFYING THE OLD EQUATIONS ABOUT WHERE HI ALT CLIMBING CAN GO.
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*TO BE CLEAR, WHILST THERM-IC IS KNOWN FOR THEIR BATTERY HEATED GLOVES, SOCKS AND FOOTBEDS, THESE MITTS HAVE NO ELECTRIC COMPONENT AND ARE COMPLETELY ANALOG.