Dorfman Pacific G809 Ski Glove

While probably not the glove for the hardcore skier, the Dorfman Pacific G809 Ski Glove is a surprisingly good deal. It is a solid glove for those who only occasionally venture out into winter activities and do not want to spend a fortune on occasional-use gloves.

The Dorfman Pacific Company is known for hats, not gloves. I would not have even known about these gloves, except that when my wife and I went to Rocky Mountain National Park last October, I forgot to pack gloves. A local gear shop in Estes Park, left me the option of paying $70/pair for Burtons or $23/pair for these. Knowing I had gloves sitting at home, I opted for the cheaper DPC gloves.

Because of the price, I was not expecting much from these gloves, but they surprised me and have served me well through a mild winter of hiking with trekking poles. 

Wife wearing hers, I'm holding mine in my left hand. Temps were around 28°F at the time of this photo.

Fit & Adjustability:

The Medium-Large glove runs true-to-size and allows for the addition of a liner glove when weather is a bit colder. The Thinsulate lining is soft and comfortable. The glove climbs high enough on the wrist to keep it warm. The adjustable strap keeps snow from creeping down into the glove.

Warmth:

I have hiked with these gloves in temperatures down into the upper-20s without using a liner glove. My hands have remained comfortably warm in each of those situations.

Wind & Water Resistance:

I am no skier. So I cannot comment on how these gloves would do after a full day of skiing in wet snow. However, I have worn these in some pretty windy conditions and found they keep the cold wind out. Regarding water resistance, on a sub-freezing morning I needed to filter water, and I was not going to take off my gloves to do it... 

My hands remained completely dry and warm as I filled a Sawyer Squeeze bag. 

Abrasion Resistance:

DPC advertises their "Sure-Grip Palm" on these gloves, which is marketing hype for "an extra piece of material is sewn across the palm." I do not know how long these would hold up while skiing. However, more than 10 miles of trekking pole use has left little mark on the palms.  

10-12 miles of hiking using trekking poles.

Availability:

Finding these gloves online is a chore. You can look them up in DPC's 2016 Winter Catalog, but there is no ordering information on their website. Googling these gloves brought up no listings for them, except on eBay. At eBay, you can get them cheaper than what I paid for them.

Final Thought:

I almost didn't review these gloves, because they are so hard to find. But then I thought about a budget-conscious guy like me--standing in a gear store in Estes Park, kicking himself for leaving his gloves back in Illinois and wondering if these gloves are worth buying before taking the wife into RMNP. Maybe he'll pull out his phone, Google Dorfman Pacific and find a helpful review on Trailspace.com. 

If you're that guy, then it's okay to buy these gloves. You will get use well beyond the vacation, and you won't feel like you threw your money away.