Submitted 9 years ago

By Cyril

From Canadian Rockies

Verified Reviewer

Reviewed at

For those trying to decide which one of several mitts you want to buy, let me give you a bit of personal experience with three BD mitts, each of which I own and use for different types of trips. I work in the mountains of Western Canada and spend a lot of time in the Canadian Rockies (renowned for the occasional arctic/polar outbreaks in winter, especially this winter 2016/17 where we have already experienced a 21 day cold snap with more to come)! The Mercury mitts have been my backup pair in my pack for a while now. They are not too bulky and you still maintain a reasonable amount of dexterity for those cold days at the resort or the unexpected chill while ski touring. They are the lightest and least pricy of the three pairs of BD mitts I own and are a suitable choice a huge proportion of the time. I recently stepped up and bought a pair of Super Light Mitts. WOW! They seem a bit warmer but that may be a function of my Mercury mitts being a bit older now. They also pack down nicely and I am thinking that they will replace the Mercury in my pack for all of my backcountry outings, whereas the Mercury will be kept for cold days at the resort. I can't speak to the longevity of the Super Light as I haven't used them much, but for warmth they are certainly a thing of Beauty! They are more expensive than the Mercury but I think the warmth justifies it for me as I hate cold hands. For expeditions I would suggest that the Absolute mitts are the ticket. They are 50 percent heavier than the Super Lights and a lot bulkier and expensive but they are MEGA warm. I also bought a pair for Christmas for my brother in law who works outdoors in Security. Yeah baby! Bring on the cold! The bulk makes them impractical for a day to day mitt but the next time I go for a week onto the Columbia Icefields I will tuck these babies in the bottom of my pack. No more suffering while melting snow for drinking water on those frigid mornings. (Note: I have posted this review under all three mitts so don't bother reading it three times!)

Submitted 9 years ago

By Cyril

From Canadian Rockies

Reviewed at

For those trying to decide which one of several mitts you want to buy, let me give you a bit of personal experience with three BD mitts, each of which I own and use for different types of trips. I work in the mountains of Western Canada and spend a lot of time in the Canadian Rockies (renowned for the occasional arctic/polar outbreaks in winter, especially this winter 2016/17 where we have already experienced a 21 day cold snap with more to come)! The Mercury mitts have been my backup pair in my pack for a while now. They are not too bulky and you still maintain a reasonable amount of dexterity for those cold days at the resort or the unexpected chill while ski touring. They are the lightest and least pricy of the three pairs of BD mitts I own and are a suitable choice a huge proportion of the time. I recently stepped up and bought a pair of Super Light Mitts. WOW! They seem a bit warmer but that may be a function of my Mercury mitts being a bit older now. They also pack down nicely and I am thinking that they will replace the Mercury in my pack for all of my backcountry outings, whereas the Mercury will be kept for cold days at the resort. I can't speak to the longevity of the Super Light as I haven't used them much, but for warmth they are certainly a thing of Beauty! They are more expensive than the Mercury but I think the warmth justifies it for me as I hate cold hands. For expeditions I would suggest that the Absolute mitts are the ticket. They are 50 percent heavier than the Super Lights and a lot bulkier and expensive but they are MEGA warm. I also bought a pair for Christmas for my brother in law who works outdoors in Security. Yeah baby! Bring on the cold! The bulk makes them impractical for a day to day mitt but the next time I go for a week onto the Columbia Icefields I will tuck these babies in the bottom of my pack. No more suffering while melting snow for drinking water on those frigid mornings. (Note: I have posted this review under all three mitts so don't bother reading it three times!)

Submitted 9 years ago

By Johnny

From Johnny

Verified Reviewer

Reviewed at

I purchased these after having the Mercury Mitt last season in hope of finding a true mitten to keep my hands warm while backcountry skiing and mountaineering on cold days. After receiving these I was disappointed to find these also have split index finger slot. I will be returning them. Note that it is not mentioned in the description that the absolute mitten has a split finger liner. Hopefully I can find a true mitten out there, or has everyone forgotten that that the idea of a mitten is that all your fingers are in the same space for warmth?

Submitted 9 years ago

By Johnny

From Johnny

Reviewed at

I purchased these after having the Mercury Mitt last season in hope of finding a true mitten to keep my hands warm while backcountry skiing and mountaineering on cold days. After receiving these I was disappointed to find these also have split index finger slot. I will be returning them. Note that it is not mentioned in the description that the absolute mitten has a split finger liner. Hopefully I can find a true mitten out there, or has everyone forgotten that that the idea of a mitten is that all your fingers are in the same space for warmth?

Submitted 11 years ago

By Bryan

From New York, NY, USA

Verified Reviewer

Reviewed at

I bought these for my wife who has small hands and they are always cold. She had the Mercury Mitt prior to this. She just could not grip her ski poles properly. They were warm as advertised in 4 degree weather in VT. We are returning these and are hoping black diamond will accept them and exchange them for a new pair of Mercury mitts. I'm still giving a 5 star because the product seemed very well made and functioned properly for warmth. If you do not require the dexterity and just need the warmth this is the perfect option for you. If you need the dexterity and a little less warmth then the Mercury mitt would be a better option.

Submitted 11 years ago

By Bryan

From New York, NY, USA

Reviewed at

I bought these for my wife who has small hands and they are always cold. She had the Mercury Mitt prior to this. She just could not grip her ski poles properly. They were warm as advertised in 4 degree weather in VT. We are returning these and are hoping black diamond will accept them and exchange them for a new pair of Mercury mitts. I'm still giving a 5 star because the product seemed very well made and functioned properly for warmth. If you do not require the dexterity and just need the warmth this is the perfect option for you. If you need the dexterity and a little less warmth then the Mercury mitt would be a better option.

Submitted 11 years ago

By Marc

From SLC, UT

Verified Reviewer

Reviewed at

My wife gets cold VERY easily and she's constantly looking for a way to stay warm enough to enjoy the outdoors during wintertime. I purchased these gloves for her and ended up getting a pair for myself as well. They are very well made and comfortable. Although a little on the large size, they aren't overwhelming when you consider what they do. These are warm gloves that take the bite off of really cold days (0 degree range.) We use them mostly for snowshoeing and hiking in the winter where you generate a lot of heat going uphill but then cool off coming back down. I would not wear them for a climb because how warm they are but they really make the 10 degree and colder days more enjoyable. Easy to pack as well!

Submitted 11 years ago

By Marc

From SLC, UT

Reviewed at

My wife gets cold VERY easily and she's constantly looking for a way to stay warm enough to enjoy the outdoors during wintertime. I purchased these gloves for her and ended up getting a pair for myself as well. They are very well made and comfortable. Although a little on the large size, they aren't overwhelming when you consider what they do. These are warm gloves that take the bite off of really cold days (0 degree range.) We use them mostly for snowshoeing and hiking in the winter where you generate a lot of heat going uphill but then cool off coming back down. I would not wear them for a climb because how warm they are but they really make the 10 degree and colder days more enjoyable. Easy to pack as well!

Submitted 11 years ago

By Charlie

From SLC

Reviewed at

I found these to be too warm for anything I'd use them for. I started calling them little microwaves, whenever my hands got cold, I would stick them in the microwaves, but eventually I had to take them out and let them cool down. Unless your at high altitude, have raynaud's, or expect to have a very low heart rate in very cold weather, consider buying a less warm mitt.

Submitted 11 years ago

By Charlie

From SLC

Verified Reviewer

Reviewed at

I found these to be too warm for anything I'd use them for. I started calling them little microwaves, whenever my hands got cold, I would stick them in the microwaves, but eventually I had to take them out and let them cool down. Unless your at high altitude, have raynaud's, or expect to have a very low heart rate in very cold weather, consider buying a less warm mitt.