Our favorite things: Cabela’s GORE-TEX Pinnacle gloves

You need shopping help. My colleague, Aislinn Sarnacki, and I are chipping in. And while we won’t buy your gifts for you, we are offering a few suggestions of outdoor gear that we have relied on in the past. Throughout the month, we’ll continue to do so. Stay tuned, and please consider passing along your own “Favorite Things” to us via email at jholyoke@bangordailynews.com or asarnacki@bangordailynews.com.

Today’s entry in “Our Favorite Things” is one I’m happy to share with you: Cabela’s GORE-TEX Pinnacle gloves.

For years, I looked for winter gloves that would make me happy. As it turns out, I’m a bit picky when it comes to winter gloves. In fact, I had begun to resemble one of the fairy tale three bears: The gloves I bought would always be too hot or too cold, too bulky or not bulky enough.

Finding a pair of affordable gloves that were versatile proved to be a problem. One year, I broke down and bought a pair of not-so-affordable gloves, dishing out more than 70 bucks on some expedition-quality (or so they said) mitts that I thought would work for ice fishing, skiing, and all-around winter play.

The gloves were awful.

Cabela’s GORE-TEX Pinnacle gloves.

A few years back, however, I happened upon the Cabela’s Pinnacle gloves, and have been happy-handed ever since. The fact that I found those gloves in Cabela’s wicked-cool, on-line Bargain Cave (for less than $30, as I recall) made the purchase even better.

Paying full freight, you’ll get your hands into a pair of Pinnacles for $49.99. They come in two different color combinations; both have deerskin leather palms and fingers. And while the gloves are pretty bulky, they’re also very flexible. Add in the 150-gram Thinsulate insulation and your hands will stay warm for hours.

I’ve fished Aroostook County’s Long Lake in 10-below temps … and my hands have stayed warm. I’ve skied Sugarloaf for hours … and my hands stayed warm.

They also dry out quickly, and the GORE-TEX makes all the difference on wet days.

How confident am I in these gloves? Well, I’ll put it to you this way: When I lost one glove a few years back, I knew exactly what I was asking for the next Christmas: An identical pair of Pinnacles.

In previous installments of “Our Favorite Things,” I offered up the tried and true Coleman stove, which has served me well over the years. My colleague Aislinn Sarnacki countered with her high-tech alternative that’s perfect for hikers, the Jetboil stove.

Now we’re waiting for your favorite things. Get writing!

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.