Waterproof Winter Gloves – Picking Good Quality Protection For Your Hands

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Waterproof Winter Gloves - Picking Good Quality Protection For Your Hands

Do your hands end up numb with the wind, cold and rain? Even with gloves on?

Waterproof winter gloves can be the answer. Nowadays these are fully waterproof, windproof, breathable / wick away moisture and warm.

When the weather is bad or you are at high altitudes there is nothing better than warm hands. Without quality protection, the mountain and winter elements can numb your hands, the cold spreads through your body and will sap your strength. Doing things becomes mentally harder. Map reading becomes difficult as your fingers are aching in the cold and with a below zero windchill or freezing temperatures you are at risk from frostbite.

As the Scouts say…

The moral of the story is always be prepared. Whatever time of the year. Even in summer with the valley lovely and warm, adverse weather and windchill on the mountain can create its own winter.

So always carry high quality waterproof winter gloves or mitts, ideally with at least one backup. The backup also gives you a chance to alternate to suit, so this could be fleece or winter gloves or thinner windproof gloves if your hands are getting too warm.

Gloves or Mitts?

Before we look at the materials that do the best job, there are some considerations around whether you want gloves or mitts.

Gloves win the dexterity round
The main benefit of gloves is that they give your fingers more dexterity than mitts. Though, with any winter glove, your fingers are now probably too big to tap buttons on your phone or GPS. In waterproof mitts you will be able to grip your hiking poles but as with gloves you will need to take them off for certain actions.

Mitts win the warmth round
The main drawback of gloves is that they are far less efficient at retaining heat. In "winter mitts" your fingers and hands share and retain more heat and are much warmer. This will help to dry moisture quicker and again this adds to their overall warmth.

Winter Gloves - The Marmot Crestline Mitts

John uses Marmot Crestline Mitts (left) as warmth wins for his waterproof winter gloves. They do have a thin inner liner glove for best of both worlds as the outer shell is removable. See the ‘Modular Gloves and Mitts’ section below for more information on removable types.

Outer Shell Material

For the shell we want water resistance materials that stop the wind. Modern synthetics do this job the best, such as Gore-Tex, MemBrain and DriClime or similar shell. Their qualities are waterproof, lightweight, breathable and windproof. Therefore, they are just great for winter mountain hiking.

Inner Liner Material

For the liner we want warmth and moisture handling. So aim for an insulating material that has wick away properties to remove moisture from the skin. Wool (including its composite blends) has good wicking and thermal properties, however Primasoft beats other material hands down and is commonly used. Primasoft (aka Primaloft) is a US military developed super synthetic down. It is soft, lightweight, very compressible, warm even when wet and has good wicking properties. You’ll find it used in a whole range of different types of outdoor gear nowadays.

Modular Gloves and Mitts

Modular gloves essentially provide removable inner liner gloves, similarly with mitts. Some mitts now have inner liner gloves, so that the heat is retained in the mitt but take the outer shell off and you have more dexterity.

The main purpose of modular gloves and mitts is to give you flexibility. In summer rain and wind just use the outer shell glove or mitt, when it is very cold or in winter use both inner and outer for maximum warmth.

If you would prefer a mitt as a liner, with a mitt shell over, have a look at the Mountain Equipment Pinnacle mitt. This combines the highly advanced insulation properties of Primaloft with the unique properties of Fibre Pile and features a mitt insert with gore-tex and XCR technology making it waterproof and breathable. The mitts have Schoeller Dryskin Extreme overlay on the back for improved dexterity and the Pittards Armortan Goatskin leather palm is durable and water resistant.

The mitts also have an extended gauntlet design with an elasticated wrist, and an elastic wrist leash so you can not lose them in a gale force wind!

Alternativeley a cheaper option is to buy as separate items fully waterproof over mitts or gloves and wear inside them a "base-layer" glove for additional warmth.

A thin base-layer glove is also a useful all year round option for wearing under any type of glove to provide extra warmth or just as protection from the sun and/or biting insects!.

Summing up…

Having good gloves or mitts is probably the most undervalued piece of hiking equipment. In our opinion, avoiding numb and aching hands avoids walks you just want to get to the end of. They allow you to enjoy it as you should.

Spending $100 / £60 or more for the best waterproof gloves does sound a lot, but they are worth it, should last you many years and pay you back hike after hike.

If you need new gloves and want to find an online deal have a look at Gearzone. or check this out

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