Outdoor Research (OR) Gripper Gloves Initial Report

Personal Biographical Information:
Bob Farrell
38
male
6'2" (1.88m)
175 pounds (79kg)
farmerbob48@hotmail.com
Berwick, Maine
12/29/03

Background:
I am an avid hiker and I hike up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire whenever I can.  I have hiked for over 13 years. I have hiked sections of the A.T. in New York, New Jersey, and New Hampshire.  I am currently working on becoming a member of the AMC's Four Thousand Footers Club of the White Mountains.  To become a member, I must climb 48 mountains in the White Mountains that are over 4000 feet (1219m).  I have climbed 29 of them so far.  I am also working on that same list in the winter.  I have climbed five mountains so far.  I have a web site for hikers working on the lists in New England.  It is called the "4000'ers Journals of the White Mountains" and it can be seen at http://4kjournals.20m.com/index.html

Style:
I am becoming an ultra light hiker.  I have been upgrading my old gear for ultra light gear.  I plan on taking less gear on day hikes and I'll try to get rid of some weight for backpacking.
 
Product Information:
Manufactured by Outdoor Research.
Manufactured in Fall of 2003.
http://www.orgear.com
Weight: Not mentioned on package.
Actual weight: 3 oz (85g)
 
Features:
"Gore Windstopper Fleece"

"Curved Fingers and Boxed Construction"

"Suregrip Reinforcements"

"Lyrca-Bound Cuff"

"X-Large"

Black

Field Information:
Weather in the White Mountains is unpredictable. It can snow any time of the year and it rains a lot. Temperatures in the summer can dip down to the 20's and 30's (-7C - -1C). Winters can be very brutal with temperatures in the –20’s to –40’s (-29C - -40C) with so much snow that blazes on trails are covered with snow.  Many of the mountains rise over 4000 feet (1219 m) with moderate to steep trails. Several trails are very steep with a lot of rock climbing and boulder hopping. There are many streams and creeks with several lakes. 

Initial Report:

I received the OR Gripper Gloves last Monday.  I just got home from a 10 mile (16 km), 10 1/2 hour bushwhack up Mt. Isolation in the White Mountains.  I opened them up and looked at them.  I set them down and jumped into the shower.

Due to the mad rush to finish up Christmas shopping and getting ready for the holidays, I forgot about the gloves.

On Sunday, I checked out the gloves.  I took them off of the OR card that they were attached to.  I tried them on and they were too big.  The ends of the fingers are about 3/4 to 1 inch (1.91 cm - 2.54 cm) too long.

I did like how the Lycra-Bound Cuff fit snuggly around my wrists.  The Curved Fingers did feel weird making my fingers conform to the glove.

I didn't like the way that the Suregrip finger reinforcements felt.  I could feel the overlapped stitching on the first two fingers and thumb and it's not comfortable.

I have let BGT.org know that the OR Gripper Gloves are too big.  Shane stated that BGT.org will be getting me the right size gloves as soon as Bex returns from holiday.  So I need Large OR Gripper Gloves so I can do a thorough test for BGT.org and OR.

I will include a first impression paragraph in my OR Gripper Glove Field Test Report. 

My test plans for the OR Gripper Gloves will include 5 to 6 hikes up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  I will also test the OR Gripper Gloves at work.  I am currently building a new cafeteria for a camp in Tuftenboro, NH.  It’s been very cold and it will be good to see how the OR Gripper Gloves work.