Karrimor are probably better known for their vast range of rucksacks which have evolved over the decades, but they have also produced all kinds of clothing over the years; these two pairs of mittens being excellent examples. We reckon they date from the 1970’s, a time when Gore-Tex was yet to be invented and oiled cotton was one of the best waterproof materials around. It was widely used by the motorcycle fraternity but not so much by mountaineers since it was quite bulky and heavy, fairly expensive and any clothing tended to restrict movement; certainly in winter when it would freeze in temperatures around 0 C. So this type of mitt had limited sales, were used by British climbers, but not much! These ones are actually overmitts, needing something else inside. Climbers often used finger gloves inside so that they could slip the mitts off to use a compass etc.