Reviews > Clothing > Gloves and Mittens > Gordini Vector Gloves > Test Report by arnold peterson

GORDINI VECTOR GLOVES
TEST SERIES BY ARNOLD PETERSON
LONG-TERM REPORT
June 13, 2009

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

Backpacking Background: Presently almost all my experience has been hiking in New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado USA, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia Canada using an 11 lb (5 kg) day pack. I have backpacked on Mt. Washington and at the Imp shelter located between North Carter and Mount Moriah mountains in New Hampshire. The gear I will be writing about has been used a lot hiking mostly all year around in New Hampshire. I have completed the forty-eight 4000 footers (1219 m) of New Hampshire. My day hikes have been as long as 12 hours covering almost 20 miles (32 km).

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Gordini Inc
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Model: Vector
Style: 4G1004
Manufacturer's Website: www.gordini.com
MSRP: US$90.00
Listed Weight: not listed
Measured Weight: 9 oz (255 g)
Size: L
Gender: M
Color: Black
Other details: from right glove label
Shell: 100% nylon face
100% polyester on back
Trim: 100% genuine leather
Palm: 100% genuine leather
Lining: 90% polyester 10% wool
Interlining: 100% polyester
Insert: Gore-Tex

Product Description paraphrased from manufacturer's inserts
Goatskin covers the palms and extends to the sides of the fingers, following sufficiently to cover the finger nails. The back of the glove and wrist area are made with nylon. The inner lining is made of Gore-Tex. The gloves are waterproof, windproof, and breathable. The interlining is made with Megaloft and Lavawool. Lavawool is a weave of wool and synthetic fibers. This combination is designed to provide the insulation properties of wool, with the wicking properties of synthetics, in a way to be warmer and drier for the user.

gloves and tags

gloves without tags

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The appearance is one of quality as evidenced in the various shapes of materials sewn together precisely in a manner to follow the contour of a hand. Features include a strap at the wrists that has a large enough tab at the end to enable adjustment with the gloves on. There is also a sliding clip to hold the loose end of the strap. There is a cord adjustment at the open end of the glove, allowing one to wear the glove either inside or outside the sleeve of the jacket. This adjustment can be cinched also. There is a loop about 6 in (15 cm) long which has a simple knot near the end for hanging the gloves when not in use. I will make use of this leash to hold my gloves on my wrist when I take them off to take a picture or do some other task requiring my hands to be glove free. The trim at the open end of the glove is leather. All the high abrasion areas are covered with leather for durability. A small clip is provided to attach the gloves to each other. It serves the function and is almost inconspicuous.

wrist adjustment

glove opening adjustment

the leash

small joining clip

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The instructions taken from the Gore-Tex printed material reads as follows:

Care: Hand wash. Check manufacturer's recommendation. Wring excess water from fingers to wrist. Tumble dry on low heat. For further information on care, check link for Gore-Tex care on web site.

glove tag

TRYING IT OUT

I could not wait to slide my hands into these gloves. I was impressed by their softness but they did feel a bit snug. There is a natural feel when the gloves are on. My hands don't feel warmer or cooler when I put them on in the house. I am looking forward to using these gloves on the trail where my hands have had trouble staying warm and dry. The leash will be very useful to me. I slipped my hand through the larger loop and into the glove. Then I took off the glove and let it hang from my wrist. After taking a picture or some other task requiring a glove free hand, my glove is handy and can be quickly slid on again. This greatly reduces the amount of time my hands are exposed to chilling temperatures and reduces the possibility of misplacing the gloves.

SUMMARY

These gloves look and feel really good. I am looking forward to using them for all my outdoor activities during the test period.

This concludes my Initial Report. The Field Report will be amended to this report in approximately two months from the date of this report. Please check back then for further information. I wish to thank Backpackgeartesters.org and Gordini for the opportunity to test the Vector gloves.

FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Backpacking

Middlesex County, backpacking: 33 F (-1 C) to 55 F (13 C); very little wind; dense young forest and a few mature trees.
I backpacked 2 times, each time for one night, in a forest of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. This forest is flanked on the east side by the railroad and on the west side by the Middlesex Canal (operational from 1793 to 1853). There is a small section of the canal that had been
restored but now has gone back to nature. Beyond the canal is a cranberry bog that has not been harvested in over 45 years. Between this and the canal there is a swamp used as an aquifer for the town water wells. The brush, thorny bushes and trees keep most people out of this area. Under certain conditions it is near ideal for radiational cooling, which means that the temperature drops lower just before dawn. The temperatures for these backpacks ranged from a low of 33 F (1 C) to a high of 55 F (13 C).

Rockingham County, New Hampshire backpacking: 19 F (-7 C) to 39 F (4 C); fairly flat with some rocky outcrops, several small ice covered ponds and a mostly hardwood forest with hard crusted snow. I backpacked in a forest east of Manchester, which is fairly flat with some rocky outcrops, several small ponds and a mostly hardwood forest. At the time I backpacked, the snow was compacted and crunchy under foot and the temperature ranged from 39 F (4 C) to 19 F (-7 C).

Day Hiking.

Locations in Massachusetts: temperature; time duration; weather; field conditions.

Middlesex Canal: 25 F (-4 C) to 35 F (2 C); 3 hr; sunny with light wind; mixed forest of mostly small trees and bushes with a few mature trees, relatively flat with wet areas.
Minuteman National Park: 34 F (-1 C); 3 hr; no wind; mostly open areas with large older trees, rolling hills.
Fresh Pond Reservoir: 62 F (17 C); 2 hr; sunny and no winds; mostly flat with puddles and muddy areas.
Middlesex Canal: 19 F (-7 C); 3 hr; sunny with light wind; mixed forest of mostly small trees and bushes with a few mature trees; relatively flat with wet areas.
Harold Parker State Forest 56 F (13 C); 2 hr; sunny no wind; rolling hills with a lake and pools of water.
Wilmington Town Forest: 40 F (4 C); 1 hr; cloudy and light wind; rolling hills with large pine trees.

Locations in New Hampshire: temperature; time duration; weather; field conditions.

Rockingham County, New Hampshire: 54 F (12 C); 2 hr; no wind and sunny; mixed forest with hard crusted snow.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

Backpacking

During the test I went on 3 one night backpacking trips. Previous times when backpacking in cold weather, I would use a pair of mittens and a pair of liner gloves. When it was time to set up the tent, I would change to liner gloves and pitch the tent. My hands got cold and I lost some dexterity. With the Vector gloves, I was able to take them off and let them hang on my wrists while pitching the tent. My hands still got cold, but since they were warmer to start with, I was able to pitch the tent in 2 stages. In the first stage, the tent was set up and staked. I put my gloves back on and then put my gear into the tent. Then I took the gloves off and set up the fly. I no longer needed to carry 2 sets of gloves or need space in my pockets to store the gloves when not actively using them. When I got into the tent for the night, I stored my gloves in the pockets of my parka. The jacket was then rolled up and slid under the head part of my sleeping bag, adding to the pillow height. In the morning it is so nice to put the gloves and get my hands warm before taking the tent down. The gloves come off and the tent is taken down and packed. The gloves, since they are hanging on my wrists, are put on quickly and my hands are warm in almost no time.

Day hiking.

During this part of the test I went on 7 day hikes ranging from 1 to 3 hours. The temperature range for these hikes was from a low of 19 F (-7 C) to a high of 62 F (17 C). The upper end of the range is warm to be wearing gloves. I was interested in experiencing warmer temperatures in these gloves. My hands did not sweat or get too warm. At the colder end of the temperature range, my hands did not get cold or uncomfortable. I did notice that if my grip was too tight on my trekking poles, my fingers did start to cool down. Within a short time after easing up on the tension, my hands would be warm again. When I saw the loop for hanging the gloves on my wrists, I did not realize how useful this would be for me. When I am getting ready for a hike at the trailhead, I slide my hands into the hang loops and the gloves are ready any time I need them. This means I have more space in my jacket pocket where I used to keep my gloves. I had no problems when I was hiking with the gloves hanging from my wrists. The best thing is that I did not lose them as I have done sometimes when they were stored in my jacket pocket.

Day Hiking: Minuteman National Park

Day Hiking: Harold Parker State Forest

Urban use.

I used the Vector gloves while driving to a dental appointment when the temperature was -8 F (-22 C). My fingers were cool, but not cold, but because of the bulkiness of the gloves, I did accidentally engage the turn signals a few times. My hands stayed warm while I scrapped the ice off the windshield. The gloves feel snug but are comfortable. I started wearing my gloves to drive every cold day. I don't start my car ahead of time so it is cold when I get in to start driving. Now with the gloves, I can be more comfortable while the car gets warm. One day when I woke there was about 2 in (5 cm) of snow on the cars in the driveway. I went out to remove the snow from the cars. It was warm enough that the snow was melting from underneath. I used my gloves to clear the snow. Then I walked to my daughter's house and cleared the snow off the 3 cars they have. When I was done, I noticed that the gloves were wet enough to drip. I could not feel any dampness or cold on my fingers or hands. When I removed the gloves my hands were completely dry. This is similar to what I might experience if I had hiked in rain or while it was snowing. I did use the gloves while shoveling the driveway while it was snowing. The snow did not melt on my gloves. I used a broom to clear a lot of dry powder snow off the cars another day. My fingers did get cold briefly, until I realized that I was gripping the broom too hard. Once I relaxed my grip, my hands quickly warmed up.

Slight problem.

At some point, I noticed a small loop of loose thread on the little finger of the left glove. Since it seems secure where the thread comes out of the seam of the glove, I am not concerned at this point.

Slight Problem: Loose thread

SUMMARY

The think what I like best is being able to slide my cold hands into the Vector gloves and have my hands warm up very quickly. Having the gloves at the ready on my wrists is second best. Third is that my hands have stayed warm and dry under a variety of conditions. The only down side is that the gloves are a little bulky, but that is getting easier to deal with.

I am looking forward to being in northern New Hampshire for the first week of May and using my gloves. There is still a lot of snow and ice on the northern slopes of the mountains.

This concludes my Field Report. The Long Term Report will be amended to this report in approximately two months from the date of this report. Please check back then for further information. I wish to thank BackpackGearTesters.org and Gordini for the opportunity to test the Vector gloves.

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

New Hampshire Trip

I spent a week in the Franconia Notch area of New Hampshire. Unfortunately rain conditions prevented me from getting to elevations where temperatures might have been below 60 F (16 C).


Urban Usage

The temperatures ranged from 35 F (2 C) to 45 F (7 C) in the morning while I was driving to the gym.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

New Hampshire

I was able to go on several hikes during my week stay in the Franconia Notch area of New Hampshire. Unfortunately, rain conditions prevented me from getting to higher elevations where it might have been cool enough to use the gloves, and at lower elevations, the temperatures were always above 60 F (16 C). I carried the gloves in my pack but did not get a chance to use them.

Urban Usage

At home I drive to the gym almost daily at about 8 am. During this period there were about 12 days when the temperatures were between 35 F (2 C) and 45 F (7 C) when I was leaving for the gym in the morning. I used the gloves on these mornings to keep my hands warm while getting to the gym. Later, on the way home, it was too warm to be wearing gloves. The gloves did make driving in the chilly air more comfortable. I have 2 cars: a Scion Xa and a Chevrolet Silverado. I discovered how bulky the gloves were while driving the Scion. The interesting part is I had few problems with my right hand engaging the windshield wiper controls while, I had a problem with my left hand engaging the directionals accidentally several times. This was mainly on sharp left or right turns that were 90 degrees or less. The Silverado was a different story since I had very few problems with the gloves engaging controls on the steering column. There is a lot more room between the steering wheel and the controls for directionals and windshield wiper.

SUMMARY

Even though the gloves are a bit bulky, I was very pleased with the ability of the gloves to keep my hands dry and comfortable during the test period. The Vector gloves held up very well against abrasion and did not acquire any defects. I will note that my fingers are short and stocky and that the gloves fit me snugly with very little space at the end of my fingers. The feature I like best is the ability to slip off the gloves and allow them to dangle from my wrists while I perform a gloveless task and then to be able to quickly put the gloves back on and feel warm quickly.

CONTINUED USE

I will be using these gloves in the fall when the cold mornings return. Then as winter approaches, they will be my glove of choice for my backpacking and hiking needs. I hope to be using these fine gloves for many years during the cold and wet weather of New England.

This concludes my Long Term Report. I wish to thank BackpackGearTesters.org and Gordini for the opportunity to test the Vector gloves.

Reviews > Clothing > Gloves and Mittens > Gordini Vector Gloves > Test Report by arnold peterson