Integral Designs Down Mitts, Long Term Report

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: Carol Crooker

Age: 44

Gender: Female

Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)

Weight: 160 lbs (73 kg)

Hand circumference: 7.75” (19.7 cm)

Hand length: 8” (20.3 cm)

Glove size: Although my hand measurements indicate I’m between small and medium gloves/mittens, most of my gloves and mittens are size large, with a few medium.

Integral Designs Down Mitts size: large

Email: cmcrooker AT att DOT net

City, State: Phoenix, Arizona

Date: May 18, 2004

Backpacking background: For the past 7 years, I've backpacked about 30 days each year. Most of my trips were three to six days long, and were in Arizona, the High Sierras, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Pennsylvania and New York. My three-season base pack weight varies from 12 lbs (5 kg) to 8 lbs (4 kg). I use a tarp for shelter in all four seasons.

PRODUCT SYNOPSIS

The Integral Designs Down Mitts are simply constructed insulated mittens. The palms are insulated with Primaloft Sport, the rest of the Down Mitt with down. The shell is Pertex Endurance which is described on the Pertex hangtag as windproof, extremely water repellent, and very breathable. There is a bungee with toggle to cinch the wrist opening. The wrist opening extends along the arm so that it can be cinched over jacket sleeves. For a more complete description, see my Initial Report.

Manufacturer: Integral Designs

URL: http://www.integraldesigns.com

Year of manufacture: 2003

MSRP: $50 USD

Listed weight: 3.5 oz (100 g) for size large

Weight as delivered: 4.1 oz (116 g) for size large

Listed packed size: 3” x 5” (8 cm x 13 cm)

Packed size as delivered: 3.5” x 7” (9 cm x 18 cm)

Weight of stuff sack: 0.4 oz (11 g)

SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS

The Integral Design Down Mitts did an admirable job of warming my chilled hands and of keeping my hands warm. The Mitts limit dexterity significantly, but they are not designed to be used for anything but keeping warm. I didn’t wear the Mitts for camp chores and never got them wet from snow, so I have no field observations about their water repellency. I ran a full strength stream of water over them at the end of the test period to see how the Pertex Endurance shell material reacted. Water beaded up on the backs of the Mitts and rolled off. Water hitting the palm surface of the Mitts stopped beading up within about a minute and began to wet the fabric. The palms are insulated with Primaloft Sport, so that was not much of a concern to me. I inspected both Mitts at the end of the six-month test period and did not find any worn fabric or open stitches.

The Mitts performed as advertised. They were very warm. I plan to take them along on all my future snow camping trips. At 4.1 oz (116 g), they are light enough to have in my pack for occasional use and for the reassurance of having a super warm pair of mittens should I need them.

What I like:

- Very warm!

- Lightweight.

- Can be used as a cozy for a 1.5 quart (1.5 L) Nalgene Canteen or a Snowpeak 600 titanium pot/cup.

What I don’t like:

- Very limited dexterity.

- It was difficult to cinch down the wrist opening, particularly when one hand was already mitted.

- The Down Mitts did not stay put on my hands, but slipped partially off. This may have been partially due to the Down Mitts being a size too large for me.

- Although the Down Mitts are not intended for camp chores; ideally, they would be just as warm as they are now and allow more dexterity.

OBSERVATIONS

Since my Initial Report, I’ve gone on four backpacking trips with the Down Mitts along. See the Field Information section below for more information about those trips and my Field Report for more detailed observations on the first two trips listed.

Northern Arizona

The weather was warmer than I expected on my first backpacking trip with the Integral Designs Down Mitts; lows barely got below freezing.

They fit nicely over my Windstopper gloves and over the sleeves of my thin down jacket. The Down Mitts were warm!

It was fairly easy to get a Down Mitt onto one hand and cinch down the wrist snugger cord. It was more difficult to get the second Down Mitt on and snug it down.

Once I had the Down Mitts on, I lost most of my dexterity. They were so big and puffy it was impossible for me to do any tasks requiring fine motor skills.

My hiking poles have a long, simple strap. I was able to get my Down Mitted hands through the pole straps without much trouble. I hiked for a short time and, besides being too warm, the Down Mitts felt good while using the poles.

I noticed that the Down Mitts are just the right size to serve as a pot cozy for my Snowpeak 600 titanium pot/cup.

Northern Arizona, winter

The weather was much cooler during my second, three-day trip with the Down Mitts. Evening temperatures were 10 to 20 F (-12 to -7 C), mostly in the lower half of that range. I pulled on the Down Mitts in camp and my cold fingers quickly warmed up.

I wore wool liner gloves on both hands and usually a mitten on the left hand as I performed camp chores. I’d stick my right hand into a mitten to warm up in between chores. The Integral Designs Down Mitt kept slipping off my left hand. I may not have had it cinched tightly enough. I had preset the cinch cord and didn’t tighten it during the trip.

I noticed I spent far more time wearing Windstopper mittens I had along, rather than the Integral Designs Down Mitts. I could “do” more with them on and they stayed on my hands. I sacrificed warmth for dexterity in choosing the Windstopper over Integral Designs mittens. Of course at the temperatures I was experiencing, I had that choice.

I believe the next smaller size of Down Mitts would be a better fit for me. I requested size large and felt they were a perfect fit as I indicated in my Initial Report. My bare fingertips barely brushed the Down Mitts when my fingers were out straight. I ordered size large Down Mitts to ensure I had room for thick liner gloves even though my hand length indicates a small to medium sized mitten. The Integral Designs sizing is such that I didn’t need to “size up” for the Down Mitts to accommodate thick liner gloves.

Eastern Arizona, winter

This was a three-day backpacking trip on snowshoes in January. Evening temperatures only got down to the low 20’s F (-5 C). At those temperatures, it was a luxury, rather than a necessity, to wear a Down Mitt on my left hand to warm it up while I was eating. I wore a glove on my right hand to make it easier to handle my spoon.

I successfully used a Mitt as a cozy to keep 2 cups of water from freezing overnight. The water started out lukewarm in a 1.5 quart (1.5 L) Nalgene canteen. The overnight low was 15 F (-9 C).

Montana, spring

On this four-day snowshoeing trip in the Beartooths, temperatures reached the low 20’s F (-5 C) one evening. The Mitts were very nice to pull on in camp when my hands got too cold in my gloves. My hands warmed up quickly once they were in the Mitts.

FIELD INFORMATION

Northern Arizona

Four-day backpack trip in early December in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness in northern Arizona. Elevations from 6600’ (2000 m) to 4,600’ (1400 m). Temperatures were unseasonably warm, with highs into the low 70’s F (low 20’s C) and lows to just below freezing.

Northern Arizona, winter

Three-day snowshoe backpack trip in late January on San Francisco Mountain in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness near Flagstaff. Starting elevation was 8000’ (2400 m) and turn around point elevation at Doyle Saddle was 10,800’ (3300 m). The terrain was snow covered with day time temperatures up to the 60’s F (16 C) and night time temperatures down to near 0 F (-16 C).

Eastern Arizona, winter

Three-day snowshoe backpack trip in late February on Mount Baldy in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Elevations from 9000’ (2750 m) to 10,000’ (3050 m). Temperatures ranged from 60 F (16 C) to 12 F (-11 C).