Outdoor Research is a company better known for its commercial outdoor gear than it is for Military contracts, but that doesn’t change their use of cold weather outerwear making appearances in the right Military circles.  The Outdoor Research FR Swoop Mitt Shell is an example of one of those products which fits a certain niche.  This Swoop Mitt is three-fingered, and looks like a hybrid between a traditional mitten and glove, taking assets from each to create a level of warmth higher than traditional gloves, while giving better overall dexterity. 

I think most people are familiar with fine motor skills, especially when it comes to important ones like trigger control.  Heavy gloves make shooting a disaster in most cases, but thin gloves seem to work better for protecting skin from abrasion than actually keeping hands warm.  The FR Swoop Mitt Shells cradle the thumb and  index finger, while keeping the last three fingers together for warmth.  This works well for generic tasks like grabbing items in which mittens would prove to be too cumbersome.  However, this isn’t going to allow fine motor skills, and for this, the FR Swoop peels its largest section back allowing for fingers (either bare or with liners) to do whatever needs to be done.  In addition to setting fingers free, the FR Swoop opening is large enough for the entire hand to go outside the opening.  While this may seem strange, I will say its a lot easier to stay warm, not drop, or not lose an item if it never comes all the way off. 

Outdoor Research points out the FR Swoop Mitt Shells are part of an overall system, including a liner, and was originally designed for flight crews.  With its FR rating, Goretex and seam sealed layers, I can see why guys would want this. While I can think of fewer things colder than being at altitude up in the mountains in the back of a bird as a crew chief or gunner, I can think of my own time humping a belt fed and laying in the cold and snow for hours on end waiting for bad people.  Yeah, the aircrews might get this before anyone else, but I can think of other MOSs that can use it as well. 

I’ve started a long term review on these, and they work just the way the pictures show.  However, they are so warm that I’ve found I need colder weather to really get a solid review up.  Check back in another month or so, and I’ll let you know how they do when the weather gets extra nasty.   Click the picture for specs from the manufacturer.