Outdoor Research Stormtracker Glove 2012/13

I have a pair of OR Stormtrackers from 2010/11 that I really love – they’re my favorite glove ever. The softshell material keeps hands warm, but not too warm, in most temperatures we encounter in the Cascades. The Windstopper keeps things dry, at least until the DWR wears out. The old pair is now worn out/holey after two hard years of use, so it’s time for something new.  What better to replace Stormtrackers than Stormtrackers? Found a minor winter/spring sale and bought a pair.

This year’s pair is red, which is nifty. The fit at the wrist isn’t as close as before, but the zipper closure does a better job of sealing at the wrist. Not sure which I’ll prefer. Dexterity is comparable. After some break-in, it may be equivalent.

What about weight? With the usual caveats regarding assessing uncertainty from two measurements, I measure 63.1±1.5 grams per glove, for size XL, or 126.1 g for the pair. The packaging claims 168 g/pair in size L, but the current OR website claims 116 g/pair for size L.

My old pair climbed rock well, as I discovered on the very first outing, but the dextrous leather of the fingers doesn’t wear all that well. Tiny holes/wear that appeared on that first trip took two years to broaden sufficiently to make the gloves unusable. For most bushwhacking and scrambling they’re great, but angular abrasive stone did wear them substantially.

Typing with gloves on works, but my error rate is ~20%. Using the mouse is no problem at all.

Reviews:

2/25/2013 – Two days with them now. Fit is definitely larger than my old pair. If it were a little more trim across the top of the wrist, my fingers would be more snug in the glove’s fingers. Material is great – stayed dextrous and impressively dry throughout the weekend. Snow was dry, but even rooting around in pits, the gloves didn’t seem to wet out. Great glove, but the fit has changed; try before you buy.

3/13/2013 – More days, don’t notice them anymore. Light, dry, dextrous. The new gauntlets seem to be better at keeping my hands dry than my previous pair. Digging in super soggy snow will wet them out, but they dry fast.