Staying Warm

winter wear

I don’t what it is like where you are, but it is freezing here. To add to the chill my trusty gloves have sprung a leak. Time to replace.

I generally wear a ragg wool gloves. I like the style, they work well with my duffle jacket, and they are fairly cheap. All of that still holds true, but they are becoming harder and harder to source. I used to be able to walk into any sporting good shop and walk out with a pair. This year that has proved to be challenging.

Men's Ragg Wool Gloves

While it is challenging to find ragg wool gloves it is not impossible. In fact, I spotted a pair at L.L. Bean. I stopped in the Bean store to check them out and was very disappointed. The finger holes were stubby and when I sized up to an XL to accommodate my fingers the wrist area was exposed. To top it off the gloves were so puffy I could not even hold a coffee.

O'Connell's Deerskin Gloves with Polarfleece lining - BrownO’Connell’s Deerskin gloves with Fleece lining $59.95

Tweed Trimmed Suede Glove

Tweed Trimmed Suede Glove $79

Now its not the end of the world as there are other gloves out there. It might mean that I have to stray from my usual. I now have two pairs of gloves on my list. These are the O’Connell’s Deerskin gloves with Fleece lining and Orvis’s Tweed Trimmed Suede Glove $79. I think that both would work well with my navy duffle, but the real question is will they keep me warm. Oh, and how long with they hold up.

O'Connell's 2-ply Fair Isle Lambswool Gloves - Charcoal GreyO’Connell’s 2-ply Fair Isle Lambswool Gloves $42

I also saw a nice looking pair of fair isle lambswool gloves at O’Connell’s. They are 2-ply, but do not have any lining. I am concerned that they would not be very effective under 25 degrees. However, they look great.

Remember it is important to stay warm. It makes the cold a whole lot less miserable. If any readers out there have a good source for ragg wool gloves or if there are gloves that you swear by please let me know. Either way stay warm and safe out there. Happy New Years! I wish you all the best!

oxford cloth button down
Jerrod Swanton is a simple man interested in simple, classic, and traditional style.

11 Comments on "Staying Warm"

  1. HerrDavid says:

    Fox River’s ragg wool gloves (w/thinsulate) still seem to be readily available. They’re what I’ve worn the last couple seasons.

  2. oxford cloth button down says:

    HerrDavid – Are they available off-line anywhere? Thanks for the recommendation!

  3. HerrDavid says:

    I’m not sure (bought mine online). I see that REI’s website sells them, but they’re not showing up as in-stock in any locations near me. Maybe your zip will yield better results. In any event, if you’re tempted to risk it online, know that in my experience they ran a bit on the large size.

  4. Eli says:

    I swear by the boucle-lined ragg wool gloves from Newberry Knitting (http://newberryknitting.com/). They are not reliably available offline (though Newberry does a lot of white label work for retailers so you might stumble across them). You want the ones with the “Newtech” liner which is just a synthetic boucle that is unreasonably effective at keeping the warmth in (I just got back from a two-hour walk in 14 degree weather and my hands were toasty the whole time). Here is one with some alpaca in the mix: http://newberryknitting.com/product/alpaca-wool-blend-gloves/. I don’t see the basic lined wool gloves I have right now but their website changes all the time so it’s worth checking back if you don’t like the alpaca. Brad at Well Spent covered these a while back: http://well-spent.com/newberry-knitting-lined-wool-gloves/. They’re just as solid now as they were then.

  5. Woofboxer says:

    This Christmas my wife bought me a pair of cashmere woolen gloves from Johnsons of Elgin, an item I have always eschewed because of the cost, however she is less mean than me. I have to say after a couple of wearings that they are amazingly warm, far more so than ordinary wool gloves, and they are less bulky. How hard wearing they will be remains to be seen.

  6. Journeyman says:

    In cold weather I use to layer my gloves. I use a pair ovf mittens that look good (but are not so warm) over a pair of hideous looking (but warm) stretchy synthetic jogging gloves.

    You will find really nice hand knitted mittens at resonable prices on Etsy.

  7. Pat says:

    I second the Fox River. They are about $10 a pair on line. I have small hands so can’t say
    about how they would fit you. I also had a pair from Vermont Country Store that I got as
    a gift but lost one. They still carry them.

  8. John says:

    I picked up a really nice pair of lined ones at J.Crew this year. They are a rag wool glove but they call them wool smartphone gloves. They are a perfect thickness and finished with a leather that is smart phone responsive so you can use your phone without having to take them off.

  9. Gamma68 says:

    I’ll second the recommendation for Fox River ragg wool gloves. Mine have deerskin palms (which helps with gripping a steering wheel or snowblower in frigid weather), are very warm and fit well. I bought mine in-store at a place in Ann Arbor, MI. They’re available on Amazon, so returns/exchanges should be easy. Please let us know what pair you opt for!

  10. Paul says:

    Check with your local fly fishing shops. Fishermen are fond of ragg wool gloves because they continue to insulate even when wet. I buy mine every few years and that’s the best source I’ve found.

  11. CT says:

    How was the sizing on the VT Country Store version? Fox River’s four layer glove is awesome but the Large is too small for me. VT’s Large is 9.5-10″ while FR’s is 9-9.5″, granted my issue is finger and palm length. Still seems crazy to me that gloves are sold based on only one measurement…

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