Review: Lomo – Mountain Walking Gloves

As I had gotten older, I am now in my mid 60’s, I have found that my fingers get very cold when the temperature starts to move below 12C. This is apparently due to circulation issues! As a result, I tend to wear gloves from early autumn through to late spring.

So, what do I want in a pair of walking gloves

For the most of autumn and spring when the temperature rarely drops below 0C all I am looking for is a thin glove that can provide warmth without being too thick or cumbersome. In addition, if they are water/shower proof, so much the better.

They need to allow me to be able to use my trekking poles in the same way that I would without gloves. I do not like having to keep adjusting the wrist straps on the poles.

What does Lomo UK say?

Our mountain walking gloves are lightweight and were designed to keep the wind off of your hands while hill walking or mountaineering.
These gloves have a microfleece inner making them warm and comfortable, plus the outer material is windproof and showerproof.
A great feature of these walking gloves is that they can compact to a smaller size, making them ideal for storing in your rucksack when not in use as they don’t take up much bulk.
We used a textured grip on the walking gloves palm which will help grip your walking poles. We also made sure the wrists were long enough so they can be tucked under your jacket sleeve to help with the wind.
Lomo UK

First Impressions:

On first opening them, I was impressed with how light and thin they were. They felt comfortable and I still maintained the tactile sensations in my fingers (something missing in other gloves I have tried).

If I had one minor reservation, it would be the sizing chart. I measured my hand in accordance with the instructions at 8.5 inches which put me in the centre of the Large size. However, I found the gloves to be a slightly tight fit.

In Use:

It was fortunate that the first day that I could get out to try these new gloves was a ‘crisp’ autumnal day with an air temperature of 8C. If fact it was the first day that it had been cold enough to have to put on long trousers and a base layer. The forecast was dry in the main with the risk of the odd light shower.

The first thing I noticed on getting out of the car and putting on my boots, was that my fingertips had already gone numb and felt cold to the touch. However, within a minute of putting on the gloves, my fingers had warmed up and the cold pain had gone away. A good start!

Despite the tight fit, the gloves went on well and I immediately noticed that they were thin enough that I did not have to adjust the wrist straps on my trekking pole. Whilst adjusting the straps is no great deal, it was good later in the walk to be able to remove the gloves and carry on without having to stop to readjust.

A downside for me is if I wish to remove and stow my gloves, I have to stop and put them into my rucksack. Once I am into my stride I do not like to stop! Fortunately, the compact design of the Lomo Mountain Walking Gloves means I can roll them up and store in my trouser pocket without causing any discomfort.

As I said earlier, there was a risk of light showers, and sure enough it started to rain towards the end of the walk. Not a problem, quickly redonning the gloves, my hands remained dry and I could actually see the rain drops rolling off of the fabric of the material.

Verdict

I am very impressed with the quality and performance of the Lomo Mountain Walking Gloves. They were comfortable and certainly kept my hands and more importantly, my fingers warm. The additional length of the wrist of the gloves meant that there are no gaps between glove and sleeve and hence no cold wrists.

In the light shower that we experienced the gloves remained waterproof and protected my hands against the cold wind that blew all day. The compact size was a great bonus, allowing me to use my trekking poles without having to constantly adjust the straps. In addition, when I took them off they could easily roll up into my pocket.

As I said at the outset, you may need to go up one size if you do not like a tight fit. However, that is the only adverse comment I have. At their price (£14 at time of writing), these are excellent value and a very practical glove. I look forward to trying them when the temperatures start to drop below zero!

I highly recommend the Lomo Mountain Walking Gloves.