Originally Posted: December 2022
Updated: November 2023
Columbia Ascender II Softshell Gloves
Outdoor Research Chroma Full-Finger Sun Gloves
Sunday Afternoons Solar Curtain Neck Cape
Arcade Ranger Elastic Clip Belt
General Comments
Summertime backcountry sports—whether hiking, backpacking, scrambling, or climbing—typically involve long, warm, sunny days interrupted by periods of unsettled weather. All mountain travelers have certain items of clothing and gear that make their summer outings more enjoyable. This review covers a few of my own favorite summertime comfort accessories.
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Affiliate Disclosure: My gear reviews may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something that I’ve linked to, I might get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Be assured, though, that my reviews are unbiased and involve only gear that I (or a mountain partner) have used extensively. For all items, I discuss the cons as well as the pros.
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Gear Review Summaries
Columbia Ascender II Softshell Glove Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Nicely contoured cut provides good dexterity.
- Softshell fabric on back effectively sheds wind, snow, and light rain.
- Fuzzy liner adds an appropriate amount of warmth.
- Suede-like palm with silicone print offers good grip.
- All five fingertips are touchscreen-compatible.
Cons:
- Low-stretch fabric makes gloves a bit more difficult to put on and take off.
- Palm material not durable enough for extensive rock scrambling or rope work.
Bottom Line: An excellent trekking glove for use on cold summer days and mild winter days.
Product Link: Columbia Ascender II softshell gloves
Similar Products & Links:
REI Wind Pro Fleece 2.0 gloves (a lightweight glove with more stretch but less resistance to snow and rain.)
Arcteryx Venta softshell gloves (an expensive lightweight glove made with Windstopper fabric and excellent contoured fit.)
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Outdoor Research Chroma Sun Glove Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Lightweight fabric provides sun protection while maintaining good ventilation in warm weather.
- Suede-like palm gives good grip on trekking poles, ice axes, and ropes.
- Snug fit provides good dexterity
- Index fingers and thumbs are touch-screen compatible.
Cons:
- Suede-like palm is easily abraded by rock or other rough surfaces.
Bottom Line: An excellent glove for protecting hands from sunlight on trails, snowfields, and glaciers during warm weather.
Product Link: Outdoor Research Chroma full-finger sun gloves
Similar Products & Links:
Outdoor Research Chroma fingerless sun gloves (a fingerless version of the full-finger Chroma glove, providing good sun protection but better fingertip dexterity and is more suitable for rock scrambling)
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Sunday Afternoons Neck Cape Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Provides adequate sun protection for ears and back of neck.
- Light and compact enough to stuff into a pants pocket.
- Can be worn alone or under any hat/helmet or over any billed cap.
- Built-in sweat band and sunglass pockets.
- Available in several colors.
Cons:
- Does not provide much sun protection for side of face and neck.
- Tends to flap in windy conditions.
Bottom Line: An elegantly minimalist design that offers unrivaled simplicity and versatility along with good sun protection where it is needed the most.
Product Link: Sunday Afternoons Solar Curtain neck cape
Similar Products & Links:
Outdoor Research Sun Cape (a larger cape that provides more sun protection and wind stability but less simplicity and ventilation than the Sunday Afternoons Solar Curtain)
Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap (a billed cap with a removeable Sun Cape included)
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Arcade Ranger Elastic Clip Belt Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Strong elastic band holds up trousers while allowing body movements.
- Thin and soft band eliminates uncomfortable bulk under a backpack lumbar pad.
- Clip-style buckle is super-quick to attach and release.
- Low-profile buckle fits nicely under a backpack hipbelt or climbing harness.
- Buckle allows micro-adjustment of band length.
- Plastic buckle is airport-friendly.
- Band and buckle are machine-washable.
- Available in dozens of colors and patterns.
Cons:
- Band adjustments are a bit difficult compared to some other belts.
Bottom Line: A top-notch option for keeping shorts and pants in place during any adventure sports, even when wearing a backpack or harness.
Product Link: Arcade Ranger elastic clip belt
Similar Products & Links:
Arcade Slim elastic clip belt (a slightly narrower version of the Ranger belt; suitable for trousers with smaller belt loops)
Kuhl Resistor elastic clip belt (very similar to the Arcade Ranger belt but less sleek and more expensive)
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Full Gear Reviews
Columbia Ascender II Softshell Glove Review
Summertime in the mountains often involves periods of chilly weather that necessitate a pair of lightweight gloves to wear while hiking, trekking, snow climbing, and other fairly non-technical activities. What I am referring to here is just a general-purpose mountain glove, in contrast to a more specialized glove for belaying, rappelling, ropework, and rockwork. My current favorite model for this application is the Columbia Ascender II softshell glove.
Ascender gloves are made with a softshell fabric that is virtually windproof and moderately water-resistant. You wouldn’t want to rely on these during a serious rainfall, but they will shed sprinkles and short spells of drizzle. A thin, fuzzy liner in each glove provides a nice bit of insulation and next-to-skin comfort. The warmth and snow-shedding ability of this layered fabric also makes the gloves suitable for wintertime use in mild weather. Compared to the ubiquitous Power-Stretch gloves on the market, Ascender gloves resist all forms of weather more effectively.
The underside of each glove consists of a suede-like material, and the palm is printed with silicone dots. This combination provides a pretty good grip on trekking poles, water bottles, ice axes, and other items. Although the suede-like material seems to be plenty durable for general mountain use, I don’t expect that it would hold up to extensive scrambling on rough rock. All five fingers are touchscreen-compatible, allowing me to use a cell phone without removing the gloves. Carabiner loops on the hem and pairing buckles on the side-seam complete the feature set.
In this category of handwear, the cut is every bit as critical as the materials because a good cut provides the dexterity that is essential for lightweight softshell gloves. The Ascender glove has nicely contoured fingers that gives them a natural feel and good dexterity. Cuff styles are clearly a matter of personal preference, and I greatly prefer an “open cuff” style such as used on Ascender gloves; I find them easier to put on and take off than gloves with a snug elastic cuff. Considering that the softshell material composing these gloves has much less stretchiness than Power-Stretch gloves, this cuff advantage becomes even more important.
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Outdoor Research Chroma Sun Glove Review
Summertime snow climbs and glacier climbs require gloves to protect hands from UV radiation and from abrasion by sharp snow crystals (such as when doing an ice axe arrest or a sitting glissade). However, most gloves tend to be unpleasantly hot and sweaty in warm weather. For this reason, I have been using a pair of Outdoor Research Chroma sun gloves on all of my warm-weather snow and glacier climbs over the past several years.
Chroma gloves are made with a lightweight, stretchy material called “ActiveIce,” which reportedly provides SPF 50+ sun protection. I can state that they are adequately thin and ventilated to be comfortable on even the hottest of summer days. The gloves are also snug enough that I can perform dexterous tasks, such as operating a camera, unfolding a map, tying a knot, or jotting in a notebook. My gloves have a high-visibility yellow-green color that, sadly, is no longer available; the current color options are heather blue and pale gray.
The palm of each glove consists of a perforated synthetic suede material that offers added abrasion resistance while maintaining adequate ventilation. This material also improves the glove’s grip on trekking poles, and ice axes. Sensor patches at the tip of each index finger and thumb provide compatibility with touch-screen phones and other devices.
My only complaint about the Chroma gloves is that the palm material is very susceptible to wear. After several years of what I would call “gentle” use, my gloves exhibit a moderate amount of abrasion. Granted, this is more of a cosmetic issue and has not affected their functionality; however, it does indicate that these gloves are most definitely not intended for any amount of rock climbing or other rough use. For the benefit of people who might want a sun glove that accommodates some rock scrambling, Outdoor Research makes a fingerless version of the Chroma gloves.
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Sunday Afternoons Neck Cape Review
Ears and necks are particularly vulnerable to UV radiation on long, summer days. There are numerous brands and styles of hats that are designed to protect these body parts, but most of them are not compatible with climbing helmets. Lightweight “sun hoodies,” which offer excellent UV protection for ears and necks, have become extremely popular with mountain guides, climbers, and hikers in recent years; however, they can be uncomfortable on hot, calm days, and their head protection relies on wearing a full garment.
For the past 20 years, I’ve used a Sunday Afternoons Solar Curtain on nearly all of my sunny mountain trips. This little item is incredibly simple, compact, and versatile. I can put it over any billed cap and under any climbing helmet, regardless of what shirt or jacket I happen to be wearing at the time. When I don’t need it, it can be stuffed into a pants pocket. After a trip, I can toss it in the laundry with my other clothing items.
The Solar Curtain is designed with an elastic sweatband that fits snugly around my head or around the crown of my cap. Non-prescription sunglass wearers might appreciate the handy little sunglass pocket on each side of the sweatband, but these don’t provide any benefit for my prescription sunglasses. The poly-cotton cape, which is available in several colors, provides adequate sun shielding for my ears and the back of my neck without obstructing my peripheral vision or becoming an annoyance.
Glacier climbers and other people who desire maximum sun protection for the face and neck will likely find the Solar Curtain to be rather skimpy. These people would appreciate the extra coverage provided by an accessory such as Outdoor Research’s Sun Cape or Sun Runner Hat, both of which have more fabric and a chin drawstring. For the vast majority of my summer trips, however, I find that the Solar Curtain does the job nicely.
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Arcade Ranger Elastic Clip Belt Review
Although millions of teenage boys might not understand, I personally hate the feeling of having my trousers slide down over my hips. Backpack hipbelts are especially effective at pushing down trousers, so I have always worn a belt on my hiking shorts and pants. The problem, though, has been finding a belt that meets my needs with a minimum of shortcomings. Some of my previous belts were a hassle to fasten and unfasten, others were difficult to keep snug, and many of them created an uncomfortable lump between my tailbone and my backpack’s lumbar pad.
Several years ago, I discovered the Arcade Ranger belt, and it satisfies all of my requirements. I now own six of them, which I keep permanently loaded onto my various mountain shorts and pants. After a hiking or climbing trip, my trousers can go through the laundry with the belt still attached—it’s convenient and hygienic. Arcade offers numerous colors, patterns, sizes, and weaves, so I also own one of their fancier woven belts for use on my casual trousers. (You might think that I’m a paid Arcade Ambassador; I’m not, but I wish I were!)
What makes Arcade Ranger belts so superior? To start with, the 1.5-inch-wide band consists of very strong elastic, which maintains constant tension around my waist or hips while still allowing a little bit of “give” to accommodate body movements and garment layering. Furthermore, the elastic band is quite supple and thin, so it does not create a noticeable lump between my tailbone and lumbar pad. I find these belts fit on almost all of my garments, but for the few that have smaller belt loops (such as my Fjallraven Abisko shorts, which I reviewed here), Arcade makes a slimmer 1.25-inch-wide belt.
The other great feature of all Arcade belts is the plastic clip buckle. It connects and releases almost effortlessly and instantaneously, with no threading necessary. Also, it has a very low profile (only 6mm thick), which makes it completely unobtrusive beneath a backpack hipbelt buckle or a climbing harness. As a little bonus, the lack of metal parts on the buckle means that I don’t need to remove my belt when passing through airport security systems.
Micro-adjustments to the belt length are made by pushing and pulling the elastic band through slots in the buckle. The tolerances here are very tight, so these adjustments are not exactly quick and effortless. Fortunately, though, it is typically necessary to adjust the length only before the first wearing and then rarely, if ever, again. Once the length is set, I’ve found that it becomes locked in and never inadvertently slips.
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As a final note, I should mention that I always wear my Arcade belts upside-down—not because I’m a rebel but, rather, as a simple matter of buckle-trouser compatibility. Because all men’s trousers are made with a left-over-right closure at the waistband, a belt lies more cleanly against the waistband when the thicker part of the buckle (the doubled-back part of the band) is on the right. This requires that an Arcade belt be reversed, which inverts the logo and label but does not affect the function. Hmmm…perhaps I could start a new fashion trend!
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Autumn 2023 Update: If I secretly held one tiny grudge against the Arcade belts, it would be the fact that the male and female parts of the buckle need to be aligned rather precisely in order to clip them together. It is easy enough to do when I can see the buckle, but not when my view is blocked by, say, a puffy coat. Anyway, I was extremely pleased to see that Arcade recently redesigned their buckle such that the male part is now tapered in a way that makes it almost self-aligning. The photo below clearly shows how this functional improvement was accomplished. Two other relatively minor changes to the buckle are that it now has a slight curvature (a nice little esthetic improvement) and that length adjustments are now made on the female part rather than the male part. All in all, a great product just got a bit better.
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