Reviews > Clothing > Gloves > Integral Designs Down Mitts > Steve Nelson > Field Report

Field Report: Integral Designs Down Mitts
February 1, 2004

Reviewer's Information

Name: Steve Nelson
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Weight: 158 Pounds (72 kg)
Email address: nazdarovye at y..oo dot com
City, State, Country: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

As an interface design and usability consultant by trade, I'm always excited by analyzing and improving designs and processes; backpacking provides a fertile and fun arena for that. I have been backpacking since I was a kid growing up in upstate New York: we backpacked and canoe-camped in all seasons, throughout the Adirondacks and nearby areas, ranging as far as La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, Quebec. As an adult, I've backpacked and hiked extensively in California, but also have taken trips throughout the West, from New Mexico to British Columbia, and return often to the Adirondacks.

Backpacking Style:

In the last year I began educating myself about lightweight and ultralight backpacking, and have been applying more and more of this philosophy to my outdoor jaunts and gear upgrades. I like moving fast, and lightening the load facilitates that. I also enjoy urban strolls, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and aviation in addition to hiking and backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions.

Product information

Manufacturer: Integral Designs
Product Name: Down Mitts
Manufacturer's URL: www.integraldesigns.com
Year of manufacture: 2003
Size: Small (available in S, M, L)
Color: Blue (available in Blue, Black, Red)
Listed weight: 3.2 oz (90 g)
Verified weight: 3.35 oz (95 g); 3.65 oz (103 g) including stuff sack (on a digital scale)
Listed dimensions: NA
Verified dimensions: Length approximately 11 in (28 cm) from tip to wrist opening; width approximately 5 in (13 cm) across the palm; thickness somewhat over 2 in (5 cm) fully lofted
MSRP: $50

Overview

The Integral Designs Down Mitts are lightweight camp mittens constructed of Pertex ripstop nylon shells covering baffled down chambers. I gave basic features and impressions in my initial report, which you may wish to browse for that information.

I've now had a chance to use the mitts over the course of several cold-weather trips, outside and in various types of shelters, on both the East and West coasts, and have found then to perform exactly as promised.

Field Conditions

My trips with the Down Mitts have been in the Adirondacks and Mohawk Valley areas in Upstate New York, and in the Santa Cruz and Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Altitudes have ranged from sea level to 8,000 ft (2,440 m). Temperatures have ranged from 15° to 70° F (-10° to 21° C); weather has ranged from calm and sunny to windy with intermittent heavy snowfall. Shelters have included a tarptent and cabins (including the Sierra Club's Ludlow Hut above Lake Tahoe), and I've often taken the Down Mitts on winter day trips as part of a safety backup system in case I have to make an emergency shelter for the night or an injured party. Early on in my field testing, I also used them several times in an unheated house, just to see how they felt while I was sleeping.

Impressions and Findings

The Down Mitts are so compact and light that I've carried and used them on all of my winter trips this year. Sometimes they've stayed in my pack as part of the emergency bivy kit, but usually I end up hauling them out at rest stops and in camp. The shells block wind nicely, and so far have proven to shed external moisture well—water beads up and is easily shaken off, and snow rarely sticks to the shell.

Overall comfort is great when I'm not actively using my hands. The mitts are large and puffy enough to make them awkward for tasks like zipping up a sleeping bag or shelter door, and I find that I generally slip them off for a moment whenever I need to do anything requiring dexterity. The inside lining is very soft and comfortable, though it sticks ever so slightly to damp hands when donning or removing the mitts.

Durability appears excellent so far—there are absolutely no abrasions, tears, runs, loose stitching, leaking down or any other defects so far (though, since they're camp and backup mittens, they're not getting exposed to strenuous use, and I do store them uncompressed when not on a trip, which I hope will contribute to the longevity of the down filling and shell).

I like the Silcoat stuff sack, into which they easily fit; I stack the mitts together, then roll them toward the wrist openings, making a compact cylinder that slips into the stuff sack. The stuff sack keeps them as a compact, convenient package that I can fit most anywhere in my full-size, day and lumbar packs.

My only complaints are small ones. First, since the mitts are designed to be rather capacious, and perhaps also due to the characteristics of the nylon lining and down, they don't feel warm to me as quickly as tighter-fitting mittens and gloves. It takes a few moments for them to warm up, though after that they're warm and stay warm.

Second, as noted in my initial report, the wrist drawcord and toggle are difficult to operate when wearing the mittens. I've gotten around this by setting the snugness of the wrist openings at home, then leaving them alone in the field while taking advantage of the fact that the cords are elastic. I stretch the openings over my hand and sleeve, and let them snap tight over everything, rather than trying to adjust the cord with clumsy mitten-muffled hands.

One other usage note: I've taken to bringing the Down Mitts along as part of an emergency bivy system for winter trips, even those on which I am just day hiking. Combined with the Integral Designs Hot Socks and a backup insulating jacket (or a light quilt), plus an ultralight bivy sack and a minimal pocket survival kit, they form a very compact and lightweight safety net for an unexpected bivouac or for protecting an injured person.

Long-Term Testing

I intend to bring the Down Mitts on all of my remaining winter trips this year (a combination of day snowshoe and cross country outings, overnight hut trips, and snow camping). I also intend to try using them a little more actively in camp—because they're rather large and puffy, I've not used them when setting up shelter, cooking, or doing other tasks, and I'd like to see if I can extend their use beyond simple stationary warmth. I also will be doing some snow camping, and will be wearing the Down Mitts while sleeping at night in those cold and moist conditions.

Finally, I also intend to get the Down Mitts thoroughly wet at home and see how well seams and fabrics protect the down filling when pushed to the limit, and how long it takes everything to dry out (if it seems safe to do this in the field—e.g., when I'm not counting on the mitts as my primary hand warmers—I'll also try it there).

Summary

I like the Integral Designs Down Mitts—they're well made and attractive, and they do what they're supposed to. Materials are high in quality and well-chosen. I wish the wrist closures were more easily adjustable in the field, but I found a fine workaround for that, and I look forward to continuing to use the mitts in a variety of conditions.

Things I like:

• High-quality construction and materials
• Warm and windproof
• Light in weight and highly compressible

Things I don't like:

• Wrist closures awkward to adjust in the field

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Integral Designs for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Clothing > Gloves > Integral Designs Down Mitts > Steve Nelson > Field Report