All weather warmth and protection for tasks involving a need for some dexterity.
I recently bought some Rab Ridge Gloves as I wanted something warm, water/weather resistant and suitable for dexterity based tasks without having to remove them often. Just simple tasks like buckles and zips and operating watches, GPS devices and holding tools.
Standard wool/knitted gloves wear out fast on the hill especially if scrambling over stuff or working with tools or axes. I saw these when perusing my local go outdoors store and thought they looked like they would fit the bill quite well.
Design and Construction
Made from a mix of tightly knitted and woven fibres, a mixture of wool, polyester, nylon and some elastane. They have leather facing on the palms and fingers for durability. The have a leather Pull tab on each wrist for pulling on and even a small snap fastener on a small leather tab to attach them securely when not using. They also have a fleece lining for added warmth and wind proofing.
Function
They fit well and feel warm though I have not tested them in any rough conditions yet, the index finger and thump on each glove have tips that work with touch screens and seem to work well. This means no removing gloves each time you need to use a touch screen. They are flexible and stretchy so should do well.
( I will update after more extensive use)
UPDATE 21/11/22
I have used these for a couple of week now in Scotland whilst up there on a training course, it was wet, windy and getting down towards freezing temps. The gloves performed very well. They do eventually over a period of an hour or so get wet all the way through but stay relatively warm even though damp inside. They are comfortable and the touchscreen tabs on the finger and thumb work well for scrolling and unlocking phones to use a camera or similar. Obviously they are quite thick for typing or fine selection but they would not need tp come off for use oof a touchscreen GPS device or anything with buttons.
Looks
I think they look great and are certainly different than the standard black or greys and materials used for gloves made for winter use, time will tell how they stand up to hard use this winter.
Fit
They fit really well with all fingers and thumbs fitting quite snugly, sometimes I have trouble getting gloves to fit well as my fingers can come up a little short and leave the tips a little empty. These fitted really well with my fingers going all the way to the end.
Comfort
They feel really comfy and once broken in should be really nice to wear, I will update once I have had them for a while and have given them more use over the next few weeks.
Durability
With them being new and not really used in anger yet I can’t vouch for them but they certainly seem well made and sturdy of construction. I would expect this of Rab Stuff.
( I will update after more extensive use)
UPDATE 21/11/22
After a couple of weeks of use they show little signs of wear and damage, the finger and palm leather facings seem to help protect the softer fleece material from wear when holding, grabbing or lifting tasks are done.
Weather proofing/Resistance
They should stand up to all but the worst weather, tightly knitted and woven fabric with a good fleece lining and leather protection means they should shrug off cold, wind and light rain. In fact water beads up on them quite well with only minimal amounts soaking into them. I have not had them out in serious rain yet so will update when I have given them much more bad weather use.
Value
These cost £34 at Go Outdoors at the time of writing this and with my MTA 15% discount they come out at just under £29 which is pretty decent for a good looking quality pair of gloves in my opinion.
Summary
A good looking, warm and weather resistant glove for walking, hiking, mountain work and general winter use.
Where can I buy?
Direct from Rab online or at retailers such as Go Outdoors, Blacks and similar shops. The price will vary between £34 and £40 from what I have seen.
Have a pair of these? Let me know your views.
Other questions or want me to review something else just ask.