Gloves are actually the first item I would bring camping, if I had to choose from the Baker’s Dozen list.
They protect your hands from hot items like the grill, or that can of beans on the campfire, and prevent blisters and splinters when collecting and chopping wood. They even keep your hands relatively clean from ash, sap and other dirt — and warm, in colder weather.
If you lose the use of a hand, or finger because of a cut, then you will immediately feel the impact of that in a survival situation.
You can get full grain, or split leather (suede) gloves pretty much anywhere. I prefer leather specifically over cotton, cloth, or rubberized gloves, like mechanic’s gloves, since leather does not burn easily or melt when in direct (temporary) contact with fire. Look for a wide safety cuff with a weak elastic around the wrists: it is easier to slip on-and-off when you are maintaining or cooking on the campfire.
For folks who want more details, here’s what I look in a leather glove:
The BEST all-purpose leather gloves for camping/survival are made of GOATSKIN.
Goatskin is a closed-cell leather, and you will spend premium money to buy a pair. Typically goatskin gloves only come in full grain. Goatskin gloves are superior to cowhide or even pigskin gloves because they contain natural lanolin in the leather, which makes the gloves partially waterproof and improves tensile strength (wear-and-tear).
All leather will eventually absorb water, but goatskin won’t shrink or become “solid” after it dries out — unlike cowhide leather gloves which will need to be broken-in again. (You could use a leather conditioner, but why spend the extra $$$). Goatskin is also one of the strongest leathers money can buy, so the gloves will usually wear longer than the equivalent cowhide or pigskin glove. Dearskin gloves are just too soft (and comfortable) to take camping — leave them back home for a night on the town. Both cowhide and dearskin leather tends to be a bit thicker (better insulating against heat from the campfire), than pigskin or goatskin leathers.
The Grainger website is an excellent resource for understanding the detailed anatomy of leather safety gloves. Look for a keystone thumb in the gloves you try on at the local hardware store. They are the most comfortable, and you’ll know it as soon as your hand fits into the glove.
You do not need to spend a lot of money on gloves, since they are disposable after they wear-out; which means you do not need a full top-grain all-leather glove. I typically get about 12 camping trips out of a pair of gloves before I sacrifice them to the gods, in the campfire. Considering costs, you can buy 2-3 pairs of suede cowhide gloves with cloth backing like in the picture above for less than the price of a single top-grain pair. This is the type of glove I usually buy (in yellow, so I can easily find it at the camp site). I also find that suede grips an axe handle a bit better than the smoother top-grain leather.
