Almost by default, Wool Mittens are the best pick due to their low Weight, competitive Warmth rating, decent Waterproof rating, and a small bit of Protection. The Ski Gloves do have redeeming qualities which make them stand out, but gloves in The Long Dark leave a lot to be desired. Therefore, I’m immediately eliminating the Gauntlets, Rabbitskin Mitts, and Ski Gloves. I’m not concerned with Weight-to-Warmth ratio, but gloves are not a place to waste precious inventory space in The Long Dark. What I value here is Warmth, Windproof, Waterproof, and Protection so long as it doesn’t come at a big Mobility loss. The Hands slot is not a place to give up Mobility due to us doing plenty of that in other categories. This is where I believe players could disagree with my ratings, but that’s why they’re subjective. This would give a 4☌ Warmth bump, 3☌ of Windproof, 30% Waterproof per item, 7% Protection, and all with zero Mobility loss and only 0.6 kg of weight. Personally, I’d be looking to wear the Balaclava on the inner slot and the Rabbitskin Hat on the outer slot.

We don’t need to consider Mobility since none of the headgear will alter this stat. Because all head gear in The Long Dark is fairly light, we don’t put as much emphasis on Weight-to-Warmth ratio, and instead focus strictly on Warmth, Windproof, Waterproof, and Protection. The Balaclava can only be worn on the inner head slot, while the Rabbitskin Hat can only be worn on the outer head slot, so each must be combined with another item. The three items given an A were the Balaclava, Rabbitskin Hat, and Wool Toque, and I would rank them in that order.

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The long dark condition