I actually tote around several pairs of gloves:

1 pr. goatskin for holding onto rough objects, ropes, moving debris (the Stanley brand in the US sells a very nice product that can be easily found--lightweight but very durable and can stand water without stiffening)

2 pr. nitrile gloves for handling chemicals/dirty things and such

2 pr. latex gloves for first aid

1 pr. heavy duty paint stripping gloves (again, Stanley brand, the orange ones) in another standby kit. These are also very good for dishwashing, so I always have a few pairs around the house...they are much more durable than your garden-variety dish gloves.

1 pr. heavy duty neoprene gloves (again, Stanley) in vehicle kit, good for dealing with auto repairs and petrol/gasoline/oil/etc.

and when the weather calls for it:

1 pr. SmartWool liner gloves

1 pr. SmartWool wool fleece gloves

and when I'm skiing/outdoors for fun:

1 pr Burton AK mitts, the warmest mitts Burton makes.

1 pr. Burton AK fleece/leather gloves for apres ski.

As far as torches, being a Yank, I thought you meant a torch as in welding, not a torch as in flashlight! But I carry the Petzl Zipka, a few Photon 3 lights, and a Victorinox Midnite MiniChamp II on my person, and I have various larger Mag-Lite's (D Cell) stashed in the vehicles. These also make good weapons, should that be necessary--and with road rage in the rise here in the US, it has been a couple of times. Nothing like a big metal stick to shut up a bad driver who thinks attacking you because *he* did something stupid/discourteous is a good idea...

Of course, now that I think about it, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to toss a butane cartridge soldering iron and torch in the vehicle kit.