Marmot Expedition Mitt
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November, 2005-- The
Marmot Expedition Mitt is said to be the warmest handwear Marmot
produces and offers for sale. They utilize a waterproof, breathable
Goretex-like "MemBrain" fabric shell, with a DriClime
wicking liner. They have a leather palm and lots of PrimaLoft
synthetic insulation. The liners are not removable, but these
mittens have a generous gauntlet cuff and a drawstring to keep
snow and weather out. A nose wipe panel is built in as well.
Just like Big Tim before he pulled out
a hundie one day for our test pair while we were on the road
filming an event, when you slip your own hands into Marmot's
Expedition Mitts you'll likely want a pair too for those really
cold days at the area or in the backcountry. We highly recommend
you resist the urge. Simply put, the durability of these mitts
is a big question mark as far as we are concerned. In fact our
Marmot mitts fell apart faster than any handwear we have
owned or tested in more than four decades of combined experience.
Not just high end handwear, any gloves or mitts ever, even the
cheap chain-store models we have used were far more durable.
The problem with these mitts was apparent
right away: poor workmanship, specifically not enough seam allowance.
This could be a problem with either the pattern or in assembly,
but the result was frayed material on the inside and multiple
split seams by the end of the first two full days of normal use.
And no, this is not an exaggeration... two days!
These are hundred dollar mittens for gosh
sakes. There is absolutely no excuse for this kind of shoddy
construction in a high-end pair of technical gloves or mittens.
In fact there is no excuse for this kind of workmanship in a
twenty dollar pair of gloves. Makers of outdoor wear, backpacks
and other goods made out of synthetic materials and built to
last figured out how to deal with this problem a very long time
ago.
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The solution is generous seam allowances
and overlock stitching, hot cutting of the fabric, or an application
of coatings to resist fraying, often a combination of these approaches
is used. But the most critical factor is always seam allowance
and close inspection of these mitts showed there to be very little
on our test pair. Recent reports on our Telemark Talk Forum lead
us to believe that our experience may not be an isolated one
either.
The Marmot Expedition Mitts get a very
rare two tips fully down from us for their incredibly poor durability
and lousy craftsmanship. |
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