Tourfolio

A pair of good winter gloves is a necessity no matter where you live considering mother nature has been dropping snow in places it rarely is seen (e.g., Florida, The Grand Canyon, Texas, London, etc…). The folks over at Kombi Sports were kind enough to let me do a product test and review of their Dorey Gloves (named after profession freestyle skier Justin Dorey) from Kombi’s signature series product line.

Dorey Gloves by Kombi Sports

First Impressions

First off, the silicone print design is pretty sick and a much better change from the average black gloves that I’ve worn from other winter sport companies. The outer shell is composed on neoprene with some goatskin leather trim that outlines the fingers and wrist. Typical with most winter gloves, a nose wipe is on the thumb to let you easily take care of your dripping nose instead of fumbling around for tissues in your jacket pocket. The palms of the gloves are made of a synthetic suede to make it a bit easier to grip ski poles, a beer bottle, or comfortably hold the hand of some snowbunny (hopefully in that exact order). The velcro strap seemed to be a bit flimsy at first as I thought it wouldn’t stick well but never once did it come undone.

Testing on the Ski Slopes

As always, I’m going to be honest here. I’m pretty sure the only thing that can keep your hands warm on a day when it’s -23 Fahrenheit (with the wind) is holding molten lava in your palms. Surprisingly, the gloves did a decent job at keeping my hands warm even though my finger tips were a bit cold. I was still easily able to wear thin glove lines and put one of those hand warmers in each palm. When I had to warm my hands up – which seemed to be every two runs down the mountain – I had no problem opening my jacket pockets to get out a small retractable ski lock. I was beyond grateful for the gloves being this usable without removing them as most other gloves I’ve owned required me to rip them off my hands just to get anything out of my pockets. The only thing that I personally wished on these gloves was for them to be a just an inch or half inch longer on the wrist to help protect from the wind. This was truly the only thing I didn’t like about them but it was completely mitigated by having a jacket sleeves that wrapped around the wrists.

There are a few other things about these gloves that I didn’t get to test out because of time and the frigid temperatures. The gloves are made with Microban® which is an anti-microbial protection that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew. That means less stains and nasty odors! On top of that good stuff, there is also a Waterguard® Flex layer in-between the neoprene outer shell and the lining of the glove. This membrane was designed by Kombi to keep the wearer’s hands from getting wet on those warmer winter or spring days.

Overall Thoughts

The Dorey Gloves did an overall great job in keeping my hands warm and dry. As mentioned before, I loved the fact that I could easily access my jacket pockets because nothing is worse then taking your gloves off on a cold winter day to get a camera, a ski lock or a cell phone. I’d easily recommend these gloves to anyone looking for a pair of stylish gloves but they should be a must have for any of your skiers or shredders on the slopes. If you are looking for other winter gear, check out Kombi’s website (http://www.kombisports.com) for more gloves, hats and base-layers!

Technical Specs

• 100g Thinsulate® (rated for light activity levels or very cold conditions)
• Kombi’s WATERGUARD® Flex Layer
• Microban® Protection
• Accu-Dri® Polyester Lining.

Giveaway Rules

The rules are simple for entering the free giveaway for a brand new pair of Kombi Dorey Gloves (Mens Large);

1. Become a Fan of Tourfolio on Facebook
2. Leave a comment below with the initial of your first name and full last name (example: B. Cassidy)
3. Optional: Share the link with your friends!

Note: I’d love to have this contest open to everyone – however, I can only offer it to those residing in the United States as Kombi will be shipping the prize. The contest ends on 2/11/2010 at 11:59PM EST. This post will be updated on 2/12/2010 to reflect the winner!


Update: The winner is W. VanHatten who was chosen by using Random.org! There will be more giveaways in the future so keep checking in or you can subscribe to our e-mail/RSS feed.