I was wondering if anyone has experience with the best photography gloves for winter in Fairbanks Alaska.
I was looking at these based on reviews and projected temperature range. Probably will not be doing any long hikes but plan to be out in the cold. Any other recommendations and even perhaps the best tours are welcome as well. Thanks in advance
Those are quite expensive, but anything really good always is.
I rarely get out to shoot anymore at 83 years old, and I live in the warmer Southeast now, where above zero F is considered a brutal cold day. Most of my shoots now take place in my small home studio now where it's always warm and comfortable. Years ago I had fought all night fires in NY State with many of them at temperatures below zero and one at 34 deg below zero F. So there have been times many years ago when I had wished that good warm gloves existed. Back then, even the electric gloves didn't exist. For the really cold Weather fires I wore gloves made from long underwear materials, sometimes two pair, under the waterproof fire fighting gloves, and still sought a place to warm back up frequently.
I usually might not reply to a post like yours since my Alaska experience is limited to a month there in the summer a couple of decades ago and some stories from relatives who were long-time residents of Anchorage.
But since so few are replying, I’ll offer some possibly dubious-for-your-circumstances thoughts.
Have you considered doubling up your gloves? For XC skiing and winter snow camping and similar stuff in the Sierra Nevada, I used to wear a pair of cold weather mittens with lighter full finger gloves inside. The mittens kept my hands warm when I wasn’t photographing, and the lighter gloves were enough to keep me function for short periods while handling camera gear.
I hear from friends/associates who live/work in very cold conditions that they like various kinds of heated gloves. Some insert the little warming packets into their gloves, while others use the battery-powered heated gloves.
That’s all I got. (At least I didn’t just tell you to use google… ;-)
I used a liner glove (wool) and overlying waterproof-windproof mitten which securely extended over my wrist. Disposable heater packets were placed between the mitten and liner gloves which provided a comfortable and prolonged degree of warmth. This system was employed in my trip to Antarctica when photographing on shore or via a Zodiac excursion. The heater packets lasted for a surprisingly long duration specifically for a morning or afternoon session. Very easy to remove hands from mittens and use the liner gloves when photographing or increased dexterity is needed. Replacing hands within the mittens and warmer packets restored the desired degree of comfort. I like the warmer packets because they are consistently reliable, disposable, and small. They also worked well in my boots to keep my feet nice and toasty. Given the Antarctica climate, precarious weather, and wind-chill factor, I believe the temperature range would be analogous to a Fairbanks winter.
Keep the liner gloves dry and you’ll do fine with this system. You can easily carry a second pair of liner gloves to exchange when and if necessary.
Enjoy your travels.
As those above have recommended, gloves under mittens. There are no gloves that will keep your hands warm when it's really cold except for perhaps heated ones. Grew up and still live in Minnesota.
Agreed, I haven't found a pair of gloves yet that will keep my fingers warm, carpal tunnel makes it very important. Tried a pair you pointed to and they didn't work for me. Also, the gloves started to deteriorate pretty quick and just a few months of heavy use.
I worked outside for nine years in temperatures from -30 to -40. You do not need expensive gloves, or mitten/glove combos.
Just get an inexpensive pair of wool mittens that have a flap that opens to bring your fingers out for the brief times when you want to take several shots. In the palm of your hand you have one or two Little Hotties Hand Warmers. They will keep your hands warm for hours. You can also use them to attach to the bottom of your camera to keep the battery warmer, or in your pockets to keep spare batteries warm and ready to go.
I climbed many telephone poles in those years at temperatures below -30 to work on telephone terminals when I had to take off my mittens to splice small wires.
First to clarify-- the search terms directly input onto the FM site -- did not bring up the threads mentioned. When I used Google they did.. so will do that in the future.
I grew up in Michigan but moved many years ago. When I was a kid I used to go to the Lions games and made my own heated socks. I wove some nichrome wire into the socks and used a battery. It worked well at the house but when I went to the game and had some boots-- well burned my foot. Should have patented the idea back then. That was ~60 years ago.
The two glove method sounds reasonable. I probably won't be using anything heavy usage though. I had ordered the gloves I mentioned above but can return them I guess. Thanks for the input.
mark1958 wrote:
First to clarify-- the search terms directly input onto the FM site -- did not bring up the threads mentioned. When I used Google they did.. so will do that in the future.
Don’t worry about Dear Dr. Google. He treats everyone that way. ;-)
BTW, my worst case scenario (snow camping in poor conditions) was to have a light pair of liner gloves, wool mittens (old-school Dachsteins were great), and a mitten shell over that for when things got really serious. Extreme, but when you can’t get in a truck to warm up and things go south, that’s pretty bomb proof.
mark1958 wrote:
First to clarify-- the search terms directly input onto the FM site -- did not bring up the threads mentioned. When I used Google they did.. so will do that in the future.
.........Thanks for the input.
Yes, the FM Search is cumbersome because you have to search year-by-year.
You're welcome, and just ignore Mr. Know-it-all who goes off on verbose tangents.
Chiming in from Anchorage, Alaska, which is definitely tropical compared to Fairbanks though! I use the 3-layer Heat System (https://theheatcompany.us), especially the bottom two layers that allows me to carry the camera with a wrist strap vs. neck strap over jackets which I find cumbersome. The second layer mitten fingers and thumb folds back with a magnet attachment to expose the base layer with touch-screen enabled fingertips, and on very cold days I add heat pads in base layer pockets. I use the outer Arctic shell on long hikes. Without multiple layers, my hands can get pretty cold, probably dangerously cold if they got wet, so I try to be ultra-diligent about hand protection. The z8 hand grip fits both layers while an A1 is too tight for me.
I haven't been to Alaska but I do own a pair of Vallerret Markhof Pro V3 gloves and can give a tidbit of info on them.
They fit nicely, they're comfortable, getting my two fingers out to press the trickier buttons is pretty easy and I can normally handle pressing the shutter just fine without taking my finger tip out at all. I like the textured palm a lot, it really makes it easier to get a good grip on things, camera as well as anything else you need to hold or grab a hold of like tripod, guard rails, hiking poles, water bottle, whatever. They do have a pocket on the back for a hand warmer but I rarely use those because I don't like creating trash, you can also use that pocket for a handy place to store an extra SD card or two. I've had mine for about a year and they have no sign on wear on them yet.
I've used them down to about 20f and at that temp my hands did get a bit cold, it wasn't painfully cold, but colder than I'd like them to be. So I've ordered the glove liner that Vallerret sells and will use those as well next time I'm in or under the 20s and see if that's enough.
The Tinden is ranked a few gloves higher than the Markhof's for it's warmth and I'd expect them to fare much better in 20f and below temps.
They are not inexpensive, sure, but I've read a lot of good reviews on them and they should last quite a long time from what I know. I'd much rather buy something that will last me 20 years than have to replace (and create trash) by buying something less expensive every few years.
Bruce and Kalani
THanks.. I did receive the Tinden and they seem to fit well. I have to go to Boston in a couple weeks and will likely wear them as a precursor for the photo trip to Fairbanks. I did also buy some electric hand warmers and will see how those fit with the gloves.
I had looked at the heat company but I just do not like mittens so much. Still have time and could order and compare. Will think it over
mark1958 wrote:
Bruce and Kalani
THanks.. I did receive the Tinden and they seem to fit well. I have to go to Boston in a couple weeks and will likely wear them as a precursor for the photo trip to Fairbanks. I did also buy some electric hand warmers and will see how those fit with the gloves.
I had looked at the heat company but I just do not like mittens so much. Still have time and could order and compare. Will think it over
Glad you got a good fitting pair.
Just a bit more info on my gloves + liners. I went out today in the snow in attempts to take a macro photo of a snowflake (wasn't so successful there) and it was around 10f. So I put on the liners and my gloves and the liners did help for sure, my hands were warmer. But I noticed it was quite a bit more of a pain to try and get my thumb/index finger in/out of the folding tips with the liners on and the liners made working the buttons on the camera a bit more of a pain too.
So, I ended up taking off the liners and I just used the markhof by themselves when I gave up on macro and went hiking looking for birds in the snow. My hands were actually mostly fine - just my finger tips were cold at times.
I think I'd like to also get the Tinden's for when I'm out in below 20f weather.
Hope the info helps anyone else curious about all this
mark1958 wrote:
Bruce and Kalani
THanks.. I did receive the Tinden and they seem to fit well. I have to go to Boston in a couple weeks and will likely wear them as a precursor for the photo trip to Fairbanks. I did also buy some electric hand warmers and will see how those fit with the gloves.
I had looked at the heat company but I just do not like mittens so much. Still have time and could order and compare. Will think it over
Glad you are taking the time to prepare, Mark, and I hope you have a successful and productive trip. One cautionary point is that Fairbanks weather is like, seriously, no joke in the winter. I've been out in -20F/-29C in Anchorage with 3 layers of Heat gloves and was still worried, while Fairbanks just had their longest -50F/-46C insanity where the city shut down garbage service and stopped plowing the roads since the metal in the plows fail at -40F. Definitely follow your tour, and beware of weird things like turning your car off without a block heater, since it then potentially won't start again, or touching any metal like an aperature ring with your bare hands since it can instantly stick. I've never come close to experiencing that kind of cold.
Seeing the Tinden with folding, exposed bare fingers, I would caution ever exposing bare skin if it gets too cold. It's not really freezing instantly or anything sensationalized, but once exposed it is *extremely* difficult to warm your finger tips again safely. So I never fold my base layer and always keep it on, and while I don't enjoy mittens either, it's simply sometimes necessarily warmer since your other fingers can help warm up your cold one(s). Once they go numb they don't hurt at all...until they try to warm up, and at -20F/-29C I've experienced that and gotten a bit worried.
Simple things like practicing taking your lens cap on and off with gloves, or using your camera if the LCD freezes and fails, might also be useful. Whatever you choose, just be aware of the temperatures and where anything above 0F/-18C is tropical, -20F/-29C is getting dicey, and below that where it's common in Fairbanks, is really, do you want to keep your finger tips (and nose) and it's hard to imagine. Stay warm and safe! Excited to see your photos from your trip if you post!
Thanks so much this is great advice. I have some light gloves that might fit inside the Tinden. Did you ever use electric hand warmers. The do fit inside the gloves. I tried today kalani_kane wrote:
Glad you are taking the time to prepare, Mark, and I hope you have a successful and productive trip. One cautionary point is that Fairbanks weather is like, seriously, no joke in the winter. I've been out in -20F/-29C in Anchorage with 3 layers of Heat gloves and was still worried, while Fairbanks just had their longest -50F/-46C insanity where the city shut down garbage service and stopped plowing the roads since the metal in the plows fail at -40F. Definitely follow your tour, and beware of weird things like turning your car off without a block heater, since it then potentially won't start again, or touching any metal like an aperature ring with your bare hands since it can instantly stick. I've never come close to experiencing that kind of cold.
Seeing the Tinden with folding, exposed bare fingers, I would caution ever exposing bare skin if it gets too cold. It's not really freezing instantly or anything sensationalized, but once exposed it is *extremely* difficult to warm your finger tips again safely. So I never fold my base layer and always keep it on, and while I don't enjoy mittens either, it's simply sometimes necessarily warmer since your other fingers can help warm up your cold one(s). Once they go numb they don't hurt at all...until they try to warm up, and at -20F/-29C I've experienced that and gotten a bit worried.
Simple things like practicing taking your lens cap on and off with gloves, or using your camera if the LCD freezes and fails, might also be useful. Whatever you choose, just be aware of the temperatures and where anything above 0F/-18C is tropical, -20F/-29C is getting dicey, and below that where it's common in Fairbanks, is really, do you want to keep your finger tips (and nose) and it's hard to imagine. Stay warm and safe! Excited to see your photos from your trip if you post!...Show more →
mark1958 wrote:
Thanks so much this is great advice. I have some light gloves that might fit inside the Tinden. Did you ever use electric hand warmers. The do fit inside the gloves. I tried today
I considered heated gloves when I first moved up to Anchorage and asked local friends, but they said they didn't bother with the hassle and warned that battery life in the cold could be drastically limited (also in your camera, so you can keep one spare warming up on the inside of your coat and swap them for the cold one in your camera if it runs low too quickly). Chemical hand (and feet!) warmers may be more reliable and you can easily carry spares, though it is true it feels pretty wasteful generating trash as another indicated in this thread.
We have small dogs and tried an electric blanket with them, but in actual cold conditions even in the back of an open trunk with no direct wind the blanket didn't feel like it did much. Maybe you can just give it a try while you're in town, and if it doesn't work out you can always purchase heavier gloves in Fairbanks, or the weather may be mild during your trip. Enjoy!
