Mountain Hardwear Epic Gloves

Summary

Great snowball gloves! Or slushy mild winter days in general.

I got these gloves for sugaring (ie. collecting sap for maple syrup). At the beginning of the season we head out and repair and replace all the tubing that has had tree limbs and snow falling on it all winter. This involves slushy wet snow, hot water and rigid and flexible plastic tubing. Typical sugaring weather is days in the upper 30s nights in the teens. My typical leather gloves are usually soaked before long and wont grip the plastic pipe to stretch it into place.

These gloves are comfortable with smooth inner seams all four fingers fit me perfectly, but the thumb runs a good half inch long. Maybe it's my thumbs. But if the thumb would fit me as well as the rest of the fingers that would improve dexterity. Now though I have enough dexterity for me to use nut drivers, a drill and grab connectors out of a bag. Plus I have to soak the rigid pipe in hot water to soften it to slide the fittings in. I can do all of that with this glove without taking it off all the time.  My hands stay dry and when I need to grip the tubing they dont slip like other gloves. 

They are in very good condition after one season and I will update if any problems occur after the upcoming maple syrup season.

Also great snowball gloves!

Summary

Good for wet, cool days

I need some gloves for when its wet and not especially cold. These are it. Though they are a bad choice for sitting still at temps near zero but they excel in the 20-40 degree range when it's wet. 

Construction

The waterproof breathable membrane is bonded to the exterior thereby preventing that wet outer layer that you see in Gore-tex gloves. They are tough and therefore sacrifice a little in the dexterity department but that's OK for my needs. 

Using them XC skiing they are ideal. When I am less active I slip a set of Lavawool liners inside the ample space inside and they are about right. 

Conclusion

These remind me of the modular jackets which have fleece liners which zip in and out. I just had to use my own liners since they are sold without. These are not the gloves to use on extreme cold or while holding cold metal tools all day.

They are a nice hard shell that stops wind and water while providing a little insulation. Add your own liners and these work for all but the coldest weather. 

Update:

After 1 year of use they wore thin from abuse at the rope tow but still kept me dry. I had to remove them a lot to adjust the kid's skis and my hands got wet from the snow. The lining sticks to fingers making them hard to put back on with wet hands.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and I get our year-round. It really does rain here, a lot, and the rains are often cold. 

Most waterproof gloves have design flaws. They may be made of waterproof materials but the seams aren't sealed and/or the waterproof layer is on the inside so that the outer glove gets sopping wet and this makes the hands cold. Since waterproof-breathable fabrics will all leak if the outer layer is wet then this makes the gloves not truly waterproof.

But Mountain Hardwear with this Epic glove that uses their proprietary OutDry technology has put the waterproof-breathable layer on the outside of the glove and the seams are sealed.

I've used mine during many days of wet snowshoeing, double-header soccer games in November, and just walking around town. My hands have never been wet.  If it's cold enough I'll add a liner glove. The Epic is cut large enough to allow for this.

Epic gloves are the thinnest and lightest of the OutDry line. There are 3 or 4 warmer and more heavy-duty models.

I have a pair of the Guajillo, the next warmer model that I found a great deal on.  I've worn them only once on a cold, windy, wet day of snowshoeing.  They were great but too warm when exercising so I went back to the Epics.  However, when we were sitting around during lunch the Guajillos were welcome.

I'm a Professional Dog Walker in Portland, Oregon. I bought these gloves because I need a reliable way to keep my hands warm and dry while I am out with dogs in the cold and wet Pacific Northwest winter, based on brand reputation and consumer reviews.

Unfortunately, I've yet to have a pair last an entire winter. I have returned my second pair, and am awaiting the 3rd pair to arrive in the mail from Mt. Hardwear Warranty Department. 

The problem is that the cuff material is thin and NOT durable, causing the material and seams to rip, thus compromising the waterproof membrane. The problem seems to be caused by repetitive on and off of the gloves, and not from extreme wear and tear.

I haven't done any overnighters in the mountains with these gloves in the winter, but have spent many outdoors with these gloves in wet and dry and snowy conditions. The gloves are pretty lightweight for the amount of protection they have provided. They come up above the wrist and have a good velcro strap to seal the wind/water out. The inside of the hand is made with a pretty good grippy material and does a pretty good job of grip when wet.

My major complaint is that all of the glove fits nice with the exception of the fingers, they are a bit long for me, so I would recommend trying them on before purchase is possible. My last complaint is that after extended use in snow/rain/sleet, the due tend to gain some water weight but they didn't seem to get wet inside, so that is good.

Overall a great medium duty (not alpine use) glove and would recommend to friends!