I first used the 180 convertibles on some winter runs around the neighborhood. The convertible feature works like an old fashioned tonneau cover on a MG  ragtop. In the 180 glove the windproof mitten cover stores neatly under the reflective strip running just below the knuckles. A nice touch that allowed me to expose the 5 digit glove and nimbly grab the keys to lock up as I exit on a jog.  Outside I can easily pocket my keys and dial in the tunes for running. Then its time to unfurl my mitten cover to face the headwinds that are part of winter running. The cover does its job protecting against blustery winds while conserving heat loss.

If in mid-run you start to overheat you can always refurl the mitten covers and let your fingers fly. The “digitized” coolmax and lyrca portions of the glove provide warmth while they help wick away sweaty palms syndrome.  The cuffs are a soft pile that are great for swiping off sweat beads before they roll into my eyes.

I also found these to be good driving gloves, especially for managing windshield scraping. With the mitten cover on I swipe off a thin layer of snow and get the scraper going. Then I tuck in the nylon mitten cover, get out my car keys, punch up the heater then the radio and I’m on my way.

When a winter Noreaster blew into town, I stuck the 180 convertibles into my pocket as back ups on a cross country ski jaunt. Lisa had a slight case of the sniffles but didn’t want to miss out.  So she suited up and put on some thick mittens. It was windy and cold.  Ideal conditions for a bountiful dose of light, feathery snow.  Lisa and I walked out the door and stepped into our skis to hit the streets and slopes.

Ten minutes out and Lisa’s sniffles demanded attention. Lisa’s thick mittens made reaching for a bandanna a bit of a problem. So in my best Sir Walter Raleigh imitation I offered the 180 convertibles to her. The gloves made it much easier to negotiate zippers, apply red bandanna to nose and then return to pocket.

Mission accomplished the mittens come back out to shield against the driving snow.  The gloves are designed for aerobic activity and Lisa found they worked fine for light cross country poling.  If you were out for something more strenuous than you would probably want to step up to 180’s Terrain model which has reinforced palm grips among other features.

Lisa is also wearing a pair of 180 mortise sunglasses I had tested previously.   In keeping with the 180 theme of morphing with the elements these glasses have several sets of lenses. We put in the orange lenses that were better suited to the overcast, low light conditions we faced.  Note the reflective strip on the glove/mitten as it catches the camera flash. A nice feature for when we skied back onto the street and wanted to be seen by the few cars that were out.

About a year ago we told you about a company called 180s that made some pretty cool running gear (Exolite ear warmers and Convertible Running gloves).

When we started outfitting this winter's snowshoeing trip, the first place we went looking for gear was to 180s.  We decided on the ExoLite TI and the Convertible Training gloves.

In the FirstLook review, we will do a quick overview of the ExoLites and the Convertible gloves.  We expect to have a lot more to say about their performance after the Winter Outing.

For the FirstUse report, we'll take the ExoLite TI and the Convertible Training gloves with us on the snowshoeing trip to see how well they perform.

Reviews:

1. First Look

2. First Use

3. In The Wild Report

Review Summary:

Initial Impression- Great fit

Usability- Compact and thicker

Durability- Test in progress

Price- ExoliteTi $25, Training Gloves $30