Black Diamond Arc Gloves

Nice glove but has drawbacks for my needs
January 17, 2012

I bought this glove primarily as a warm-weather backcountry ski glove thinking that it should be light enough to use for skinning up but with a weatherproof exterior so as not to collect snow on the way down. Well it does work -- mostly anyway -- but not as I had hoped. First, the (XL size) glove does fit well once I pull it on and work my hand in "thoroughly" but it is fairly tight to get my hand through the "neck" even when my hand and the gloves are dry. Once my hand gets humid from exercise or the cuff from snow it gets very difficult to put on. Now I'm not a big guy -- 6' 1" and 155 pounds -- with long fingers but certainly not a bulky hand so this was surprising. So while the glove does not meet my needs very well I really don't want to bad mouth it as the build quality and dexterity seems very good and it may well work fine for other uses especially if you don't need to take it off and on very often. For perspective I did just find a better glove for what I wanted at my local brick-and-morter store -- a Marmot PreCip Shell which I think will work much better for my needs http://www.altrec.com/marmot/precip-shell-gloves

Excellent Waterproof Glove!
November 06, 2011

I just got these in before a trip to the Roan Highlands in NC and TN and really just took them along as a provision for bad weather. Once on the trail it rained for two days and the winds gusted up to 40 mph with temps in the mid 30's. These gloves never once leaked nor did my hands sweat. They kept my fingers warm and dry and a made a tough trip a little more bearable. The dexterity is outstanding with the softshell material on the backs and the grip pattern on the palms and fingers is very tacky and makes it easy to grasp stuff even when wet. The fit is true to size. These are oustanding multi-purpose gloves, I would highly recommend!