Product Review: Kombi Gloves

Margaret asks what gloves I liked for winter fun here in the Pacific Northwest. The warmest ones I've used are some Kombi brand women's gloves I got at a local sports shop (Big Five) in the ski section. I got the women's medium size in the heavy weight, and they are marked "Watergaurd". I remember paying over $25.00 for them, and they were on sale. It's been a good investment.

Here are the things I like about them:

• They fit my hands - I've had trouble finding gloves that fit well.
• They are light-weight and attractive. If I could find a second pair in camo, I'd be tickled.
• They are soft and flexible, which was a great help when bundled up for snowshoeing.
• The palms are thin leather which helps grip the poles.
• They have Velcro straps to tighten around the wrist so cold air and snow doesn't get in.
• They are toasty warm even for long days outdoors. In fact, my hands will sweat if it's not cold enough to wear them.

There is one thing that I found a little annoying, and the label inside the glove warns about it. You do have to be very careful when removing them. The instructions say to pull each finger off individually, holding the lining as well as the outer shell. It's really easy to invert the lining, and it's a real pain to poke it back. However, if they sewed the lining to the shell, it would ruin their weatherproof function. This is a bigger problem when my hands are sweaty, so I only wear them when it's cold. They are the warmest pair of gloves I've ever had, and they are well worth paying more for.