Name: Chad Fike
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 10” (1.77 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Email address: abnersdonkey@hotmail.com
City, State, Country: Oakland, Maryland, USA
Date: December 15, 2005
Backpacking Background: I have gone camping, usually very close to home, for over 15 years, but only started seriously backpacking about 3 years ago. I do mostly weekend trips and often take day hikes. My backpacking experience has been mostly in West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, including parts of the Appalachian Trail. Each trip has been a learning experience about techniques and equipment. I try to balance weight, durability, and cost with my gear choices.

Product information
Manufacturer - Outdoor Research
Year of manufacture - 2005
Website - www.orgear.com
MSRP - $49.00 US
Average listed weight (size large, per pair) - 2.9 oz (82 g)
Weight as delivered (size medium, using a kitchen scale) - 3oz. (85 g)
Lifetime guarantee

Product description
        The gloves were attached to a cardboard hang tag that indicates size and specifications. A small advertisement for Gore Windstopper and an Outdoor Research sticker were also attached. The hang tag describes the Talon as a “Warm, weather-resistant glove for hiking or skiing in cold weather,” and says that “Outdoor Research products are guaranteed forever”. The following technical features are also advertised:
    Gore Windstopper Soft Shell fabric blocks the wind
        *Stretch woven ripstop face is durable and sheds water
        *Fleece interior insulates hands from cold weather
        *Windproof yet breathable
    Boxed construction for maximum warmth
        *Allows fleece insulation to freely loft
        *Tapered wrist helps keep heat in, cold out
        *Suregrip palm provides excellent grasp
        *Anatomical curve for easy grip of ropes and tools

        Each glove is all black (the only color available) with the letters “OR” stitched in white on the back of each hand. Each glove has a small exterior tag located along the wrist that reads “TALON” in red letters. The right hand glove has an additional small exterior tag on the opposite side of the wrist that reads “WINDSTOPPER Soft Shell” on one side and “windstopper.com” on the other. The gloves have plastic hooks located on the wrists to attach them together. Each glove also has a small silver fabric loop about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long sewn into the interior of the wrist opening.

        The Gore Windstopper Soft Shell material has a stretch woven ripstop face. The Suregrip Palm has a somewhat rubbery feeling material that covers the palm, thumb, index and middle finger. The interior of each glove is lined with a very thin layer of fleece. The gloves are not very thick and I wonder how much insulation this will provide. The gloves appear well made with no loose stitching. I ran a little water from the kitchen sink over the gloves for about nine seconds. While most of the water beaded up and rolled off the shell of the glove, some of the water soaked into the Suregrip material. I could feel the water soaking through to my fingers. I am interested to see if the gloves will become soaked easily during field use. The gloves are only advertised as weather resistant, not waterproof.

        The fit seems reasonable if somewhat loose. I have rather thin slender hands so gloves often fit me somewhat loose. The circumference and length of my hand falls within the measurements for a medium glove on the Outdoor Research website. I think a smaller size would be too small since my thumb, index and middle fingers fit snugly when I flex my hand. There is some excess room at the ends of my other fingers. The thumb also seems somewhat pointed with a little extra material at the end. The un-adjustable tapered wrist fits snugly and takes a little work to get my hand through. The palm of the glove seems to have enough room for a thicker hand, but if my hand were much thicker it would be tight to force my hand through the opening. I have worn the gloves to work a few times and the tapered wrist fits nicely under the cuffs of my jacket. The wrist of the gloves extends past the base of my hand about 2 ¾ inches (7 cm). It took a little maneuvering to get the glove to fit over the thin watch I wear to work, but the glove would not fit over the top of my thick altimeter watch. The anatomical curve of the glove provides a very comfortable, natural feel.

Field information
        Testing will take place mostly in forested terrain of the Appalachian Mountains of western Maryland and West Virginia. The elevation ranges from around 2500 to 4800 ft (762 to 1463 m). I live in an area that receives plenty of snow. I expect temperatures to range from as low as 0 F to warmer days near 60 F (-18 to 16 C) during the test period. In January and February high temperatures often do not go above freezing. I have not done much winter backpacking, but I would like to try. I regularly partake in day hikes and cross country skiing in the fall and winter. I occasionally go snowshoeing. In addition to these outdoor activities I would also use the gloves for everyday tasks such as shoveling snow and walking to work. My hands get cold easily so I am always looking for good gloves.

I will attempt to ascertain the following from my testing:
Fit/Comfort- How well do the gloves fit? Does the tapered wrist make the gloves fit securely? Do they feel comfortable? Are the sizes provided for the product accurate? Does the design really promote natural hand movement? What temperature range are the gloves best suited for? Do they breathe well or make my hands feel clammy?

Durability- How well do they stand up to use? Do they seem well-made? Does the fabric resist abrasion?

Performance- What activities are the gloves best suited to? What degree of dexterity do the gloves allow? In what conditions do I find them to work best? How much do the gloves weigh? Does the Suregrip palm make a difference when handling wet and icy gear?

Weather resistance- How water resistant are they? Will they soak through if used in heavy snow or when handling wet equipment? Do they effectively block wind?

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Outdoor Research for the opportunity to test these gloves.