Many in the ultralight hiking community repurpose items from non-hiking communities for their hikes.
The Showa Waterproof Glove was originally popular with Japanese fisherman then Andrew Skurka, a prominent hiker, talked about them on his blog.
Now they are a popular glove for the ultralight hiker.
I use them myself and love them.
There are two main options:
Showa Temres Gloves
Showa 281 vs 282: Layering Your Glove System
I personally use the 281 version because they aren’t insulated, which might seem counter-intuitive.
Because they aren’t insulated I can couple them with warm gloves and adopt a layering system for my gloves.
This allows me to seperate the warmth functionality and the waterproof functionality.
I would use the insualted 282 versions if I’m hiking in the winter or a place I know for sure is going to be cold.
For standard 3 season hiking the layering option is great.
If it’s cold and wet, I use both layers of gloves.
If it’s cold, just the warm layer and if it’s raining but still warm I just use the Showa waterproof gloves.
Sure, they look like you’re washing the dishes but when it’s raining hard fashion is the last thing on your mind.
Another handy use I’ve found for these is pulling my tent stakes and packing up my tent in the morning when it’s raining or after a rainy or snowy night. It saves me getting my hands super muddy just as I’m about to start my day.