Gloves

[Tonys]

I'd be grateful for any advice on gloves that work well for winter stargazing. Until now I've been getting by with ordinary lined leather ones but I really want something that reduces the risk of me dropping eyepieces etc. I thought about fingerless ones but don't want frost bitten fingers.

Thanks

[jambouk]

Get skinny fingerless ones and then when not needing to fiddle with anything, put another pair of fingered ones (or mittens) on top. Or get an astro-muff.

I find if the rest of my body (especially feet, head and middle) are warm, the cold finger tips is less of an issue. I wear a monkey onsie as one of my layers as the continuous material around the middle stops any cold getting in (heat getting out) when bending over. That's my top tip.

James

[ronin]

I have found that there is not a lot you can do. For warmth then decent mittens are the best, but they have almost no grip at all. I tend to use double layer thinsulate ones. Again not great on grip - there may be ones with grip material on them.

The problem is that warmth and dexterity do not go together well. You need padding and insulation for warmth and padding and insulation greatly reduce the dexterity and grip you require/want.

If your present set are OK for grip and big enough then consider a liner, you can get silk liners that have very little additional thickness. However you still lose some dexterity mainly because silk will slide inside the glove a bit.

I will say that I suspect the "solution" is to change handling the eyepieces and take greater care as in do not expect to hold one when swapping over. Take one out, place in a pocket, get next one, put new eyepiece in focuser. Really needs a change in discipline and approach.

One slightly easier option, and one I see quite a few in the US adopt, is to have your eyepieces in a good sized box/case, place it on a stand or low table, then move them one at a time between scope and box/case. In effect you do not hold an eyepiece in your hand very much.

[brantuk]

I use fingerless thinsulate gloves. Or sometimes I use woolen ones with a "half mitt" that velcros on the back of the hand when not in use, and hinges over finger tips when required to warm up a bit. I find that so long as my knuckles are covered the finger tips never get too cold. Hth

[LDW1]

I'd be grateful for any advice on gloves that work well for winter stargazing. Until now I've been getting by with ordinary lined leather ones but I really want something that reduces the risk of me dropping eyepieces etc. I thought about fingerless ones but don't want frost bitten fingers.

Thanks

Over here when it is acceptable cold ( - 25 C ) I use a pair of neoprene gloves that are used also for fishing ( hands in cold water ) and hunting and wear a loose fitting Hoodie with large warm pockets ! The gloves have a rough, rubbery surface that grip the EP's firmly and are made to protect from the cold, within reason ! In between replacing EP's / focusing etc.I keep my hands in the pockets with the EP's ! Under these conditions I generally only observe for a half hour max and then that' s enough, most times !? Any colder I do my observing looking through the window with my eyes ! LOL !

[russellhq]

I find pockets work well for keeping hands warm, but after a while it's the little fingers that suffer most. I think a normal glove with thumb and first finger removed would be the best of both worlds.

[M4lcs67]

There is a bit of a trade-off unfortunately over warmth (requiring thicker gloves) and the thin variety which are good for swapping eyepieces, handling items while at the scope and operating the controls of a goto or the knobs of a conventional telescope, but are less warm. I personally use Karrimor running gloves. They keep the chill off while being thin enough to handle things. If you can get some with those little grippers on the palms and finger then even better.

[lestergibson]

Brantuks idea for the win.  'Hinged' mitts are the only things that keep my hands warm unless you go for heated gloves like motorcyclists would wear.  I'm a total wuss; I can't stand being cold but having the right kit mean much more comfortable observing for me. Keeping your eps in a case and carefully swapping one at a time between the case and the draw tube is the way to go. 

[Tonys]

Thanks everyone for the benefit of your experiences and lots of good ideas. And If -25c is acceptable cold I will never complain again!

[nicks90]

I swear by my sealskinz ultragrip gloves. they are waterproof and windproof and have enough grippy rubbery bits on the fingers and palms to do anything you need without things slipping through your fingers and they are remarkably thin stretch knit. Very very warm. I just have to find them now, as I havent worn then since early spring.

But then I also have an old pair of ski gloves with the fingers cut off, so if its really cold i put those over the top of my sealskinz.

[Tinker1947]

Worksafe Gloves are my choice, there non slip, sold locally most builders merchants, there cheap and you can wear silk inner liners.....

http://www.plumbingplace.co.uk/Worksafe-Precision-Gloves-SEP9117-Large.html

[mitchelln]

Buy a Baader Zoom and an electric focuser. You just need to twist and push buttons for most of the night then

As previously suggested, I chopped the thumb and forefinger tips off a pair of wool gloves. Even normal fingerless gloves do make a big difference though.

[rowan46]

I'm another one for neoprene anglers gloves, they have a small slit in the thumb and forefinger which allows them to be exposed for a short time for fiddly bits

[Helite]

I use these fingerless mitts, http://www.tiso.com/shop/outdoor-designs/fuji-convertible-gloves/ Hard to see in the picture but are as Brantuk describes in his post has a "hinged" mitt section that  pulls down over the fingerless part, very convenient and very comfy.