We spend a lot of time thinking about which layers to buy for our legs and torso, but often times the hands get left out of the mix. Since we layer our clothing on the rest of our body, it makes sense to do so on our hands as well. Here are a few options for layering a combination of gloves and mittens to keep your hands dry and toasty in the backcountry.

Although we use the word “layering”, we are really referring to the different glove and mitten layers that we wear throughout an adventure. Unlike our torso, we rarely add one layer on top of another. Why you ask? The answer is simple. Our hand is the one source of heat so the glove or mitten is doing it’s best to trap the heat and warm the air space around your hand. If you fill that air space with glove material, there is less air to heat and your hands will actually become colder.

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