A Guide’s Review of the Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitt

Procrastinate no longer. If you can’t decide whether you want to wear mittens or gloves, split the difference and wear both. The Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitt combines an independent thumb and forefinger while the rest of your fingers are all cuddled up in a small mitten. Cover your digits with Nikwax treated leather cradled in a Gore-Tex lining and you have one heck of a functional Glove / Mitten / Gloven.

Overview

Material: Goatskin leather with a Gore-Tex Membrane
Insulation: Top: 200g PrimaLoft® Gold, Palm: 133g PrimaLoft® Grip
Treatment: Nikwax
Weight: 110 grams per Mitt
Size Tested: Medium
Country of Origin: Indonesia

Who is Pep Fujas and what is an Oyuki?

Pep Fujas is one of the most celebrated skiers of all time. I’m a snowboarder and I know who Pep is. His video series with Nimbus Independent, more specifically their movie about skiing Hokkaido that was released in 2013, En Route Hokkaido, put him on the map.

Having made movies in the days Hokkaido was gaining international recognition, it made sense that Pep would collaborate with Oyuki, a company born in the mountains of Niseko Japan in collaboration with the famous shop, Rhythm. The Kanji for Oyuki, 大雪, means Big Snow.

What are Trigger Mitts?

Trigger Mitts often get referred to as lobster mitts because of the claw-like nature your Independent Forefinger and thumb create. Rather than refer to these as lobster gloves Oyuki calls these Trigger mitts, presumably for pulling the trigger on skiing legendary Niseko Powder.

The idea behind a trigger mitt is that you have most of the warmth of a mitten with the functionality of a separate forefinger from a glove. Snowmobiling, doing up bindings, heck, even pointing at things makes more sense with an independent forefinger. You still can’t flip someone the bird, so if powder fever is your thing, these wont help.

Inside the mitten portion, your fingers are separated by a fleece liner. This means the warmth gains of the trigger mitt are not the same as a mitten that has all the fingers combined. Sure, your fingers are getting neither snow nor air between them, but there is still space. As a result, the three finger pocket on the mitts is not as warm as it could be. So, if gloves are too cold and mittens too hot, the Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitt may be your Goldie Locks.

Leather, Gore-Tex, Primaloft and Nikwax

The Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitts are made with Goat leather, one of if not the most durable leathers for ski gloves. This leather is treated with Nikwax to ensure it lasts long. Despite the GTX liner, you will still need to treat this leather as it is not naturally waterproof. The GTX liner is.

Insulation is handled by Primaloft. 200 grams of Primaloft gold (the highest weight to warmth ratio of all Primaloft insulation) on the back of the hand and 133 grams of Primaloft Grip, which is a non-slip form of Primaloft insulation. The liner of the Oyuki Pepo GTX Trigger Mitts is not removable so should you somehow soak through the treated leather and GTX lining these gloves will take a little longer to dry than gloves with a removable liner.

Wrist Closure

The wrist closure on the Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitt is part Neoprene, part leather all held closed with a hook and loop closure that closes over the top of the wrist. It holds closed well, keeps the snow out and keeps your wrists warm. What else could you ask for?

shows the Simple Hook and Loop closure goes over the top of the wrist of the oyuki pep gtx trigger mitt — Simple Hook and Loop closure goes over the top of the wrist

Flare

The back of the hands has a mountainous wave pattern. It turns out this is the skyline of Mount Ashland, Oregon. This is where Pep Fujas learned to ski. On the back of the wrist closure is a metal button letting you know this is in fact a Pep Fujas glove.

Overview

I’ve got about ten days on the Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitts and they’ve been super comfortable. I’ve worn them splitboarding, resort riding and a little bit of sled access. The separate index finger makes the mitt so much more versatile than a regular mitt. This was most noted while doing up binding ratchets and braking on a snowmobile.

They aren’t as warm as a full mitten since your index finger is separate from the other three but that’s alright. I always have super insulated mittens in case the mercury drops too low and so I prefer to maintain some dexterity. The trigger mitt does a good job of straddling warmth and functionality in a waterproof durable combo.

Who are the Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitts for?

The skier or rider who wants the dexterity of a glove with a slight bump in warmth by having the three fingers encapsulated in the same Leather and GoreTex Mitten pocket. If you want to pick up a pair, head on to Evo.

Disclaimer

BlackSheep Adventure sports was provided with a free pair of the Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitts to review. This in no way affected our opinion nor the review.