Reddit reviews Outdoor Research Shuksan Mitts, Black, Large

> Convertible mittens

Those are not warm. I find convertible mitten to be the worst of both worlds - the warmth of a glove, the dexterity of a mitten. If I'm not doing any rope work, I find that I can do most things in a mitten without removing it.

If you have the money, go with the the OR Alti Mitt. When it's super cold, it's what I wear. I can remove skins without taking them off, too. Alternatively, a shell like this or even this, with these as liners is as warm, but more durable, but bulkier, and heavier.

I have an 15 year old pair of OR mitten shells with a $20 pair of ragwool mittens as liners that I use and abuse all winter long. (I save the fancy, down-lined Alti mitt for the worst fo the worst, - Denali, Alaska Range in March, etc.)

Wither either approach, make sure you have them sufficiently large. Your hands will stay warmer with more airspace to circulate, particularly if also using a chemical hand heater. Which is also more convenient in a larger mitt because you can move them around.

Do not try wear a glove liner as the primary source of insulation. If you find that you occasionally need to remove a mitt and need something on your hand, wear a very light liner glove such as these under the mitt. I've even experimented with wearing a latex or nitrile glove. It doesn't insulate and feels a bit weird, but if the concern is wind when you have your mitts off, they work well.

Finally, look at your poles. Are they conducting heat away? I've never bothered with poles, but I've wrapped areas of my mountaineering axes with insulating tape to reduce conductive heat loss. Also, use good wrist straps will touring. If you're gripping onto the poles, you reduce blood flow. If you can have a nice, light grip assisted by wrist straps (I prefer the rubber ones to nylon), your hands will remain noticeably warmer.