Keep Your Hands Toasty With a Pair of Winter Gloves That Can Handle It All

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Winter brings cold weather and plenty of seasonal fun, whether it’s hitting the slopes, hiking among the snow-covered trees, or skating at an outdoor rink. And just because it’s cold doesn’t mean that working outside and tackling projects come to a halt. Your hands turning blue can ruin any of these pursuits, not to mention being a health hazard. Your best defense is a warm pair of gloves that insulates and can handle seasonal precipitation.

Whatever your chosen activity, there’s a glove out there that will keep you warm for it. Here’s what you need to know to pick the best winter glove so you can spend less time researching and more time outside.

The Best Winter Gloves

• Best Overall: Carhartt Waterproof Insulated Winter Glove

• Best Budget Option: Mechanix Wear Utility Winter Gloves

• Best for Running: The North Face Etip Recycled Gloves

• Best for Winter Sports: The North Face Montana Ski Gloves

• Best Everyday Gloves: Hestra Wakayama Gloves

What to Consider

Shell Material

Leather is excellent for its durability and heat-trapping abilities. Because of this, it can be less breathable, making full-leather gloves best for low-intensity activities when you aren’t working up a sweat, like riding your quad or taking a walk through the snow.

Note that gloves that use leather in the palm or fingertips as reinforcement to other materials can remain quite breathable. A lot of manufacturers also use textured polyester for extra grip.

Nylon is durable and water-resistant but can be on the delicate side. It also doesn’t offer much warmth, so the gloves need to be well insulated to adequately protect you from the cold. Still, this material is ideal for a variety of outdoor activities and is used on our pick for Best Winter Sports.

Fleece—a type of polyester—is soft and warm on the skin, especially in the absence of rain or wind. Gloves made from this material are lightweight but not water-resistant, so fleece gloves are best for activities where you’ll stay dry. Alternatively, you can add another shell over them to keep the fleece dry.

Insulation and Lining

Down insulation is compressible, durable, and has a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than synthetic alternatives. On the flip side, it can lose effectiveness when wet and is typically more expensive than alternatives. Synthetic insulation, such as PrimaLoft or 3M’s Thinsulate, is water-resistant and hypoallergenic, but it’s bulkier than down, which can limit motion.

There are also uninsulated gloves to consider. These simply offer a layer of fabric between your hands and the cold air. Because these usually consist of just one layer, they offer excellent dexterity for activities like lacing up skates. They are also suitable for layering or wearing during high-intensity activities, like winter running.

Weatherproofing

Some winter gloves have waterproof membranes, such as Gore-Tex, that block water from entering your gloves while still allowing sweat vapor to exit for breathability. These will keep you dry in severe rain and snow, and ideally keep your hands from sweating.

Other gloves are treated with a durable water repellent (DWR) coating that creates a water-resistant exterior. Materials like leather and nylon are naturally water-resistant, preventing water from seeping through and making them a good choice for light showers and snow.

How We Selected

To recommend the best winter gloves, we compared the style, construction, insulation, features, performance, and cost of various models. We called in a few pairs that looked promising and those that we were previously familiar with to see how they would perform. We combed through thousands of reviews for the pairs we didn’t test to ensure their customer impressions matched ones we recommend. No matter how you enjoy (or survive) the cold, there’s a pair or two will be right for you.

We also used expertise from the original author of this piece, Déjà Leonard, who is a gear tester and journalist based in Alberta, Canada. She has first-hand experience in what apparel can hold up in Canadian winters. She spent nearly 15 years living outside the Rocky Mountains where temperatures can dip as low as −35°F. Over the years, she’s worn and tested a variety of gloves while snowboarding, splitboarding, cross-country skiing, winter hiking, ice skating, and wearing them in everyday settings.

Waterproof Insulated Winter Glove

This glove from Carhartt is excellent for both daily errands and working on job sites. It has a thin layer of insulation, so it's best suited to above-freezing temperatures. A waterproof membrane should keep your hands dry in wet conditions.

Whether you'll be walking, hiking, or even skiing and snowboarding, this is a go-anywhere, do-anything pair of gloves. The soft nose wipe discreetly manages a runny nose, and the textured palm gives you a firm, no-slip grip. An adjustable strap on the wrist gives you a secure fit that seals out the cold.

Utility Winter Gloves

These gloves are packed with insulation and have a water-resistant coating, providing weatherproof warmth. Reviews Editor Kevin Cortez uses these for winter in Easton, PA.

"I grabbed these Coldwork Winter Utility gloves last winter and they haven't failed me since," he says. "These lightweight gloves are super insulated, keeping my hands warm, even on windy days, and the added water-resistance makes them great for packing a snowball."

While he wouldn't recommend them for a downpour or heavy snowfall, he says they’re more than capable for most cold days and that the elastic cuff "provides an excellent fit".

The palms, fingertips, and thumb saddle are all reinforced, so you can use these on the job as well.

Etip Recycled Winter Gloves

The Etip gloves have a snug fit and are made of lightweight materials that make you forget you're wearing them. They don't hinder dexterity, and their sleek profile makes them easy to stash into a jacket pocket or pair of running tights.

The polyester-fleece shell has a textured palm, index and middle finger, and thumb so you don't drop your phone, and the interior employs a warm micro-fleece. These gloves wick moisture so your hands won't get weighed down with sweat when running or hiking. They're slim enough to use as a pair of liners.

I use these during winter runs and they're perfect for staying warm without feeling like I have Mickey mouse hands. They wick away sweat and I can navigate the Strava app without taking them off. I used them recently for a marathon and they stashed into my half tights when I warmed up. Gloves always feel cumbersome to me, so I like that these feel barely noticeable.

Montana Ski Winter Gloves

These gloves are made for the slopes, with layers of insulation and a waterproof insert to stay dry. Adjustable straps at the wrist and cuff allow you to fully seal out cold and precipitation. The fingers are touch-screen-compatible, but elastic leashes keep them close at hand in case you need to pull them off.

The interior features two layers of water-resistant insulation and a cozy sherpa fleece lining to keep your hands warm and dry. Faux leather panels on the palms provide grip when skiing or shoveling snow in the driveway.

The nylon shell can handle daily wear and tear but is delicate compared to a leather or denser nylon, so these gloves are not ideally suited for work.

Wakayama Winter Gloves

These are old-school gloves that rely on natural materials like wool and leather to keep your hands warm in winter. The hefty leather shell is wind-resistant and should prove durable over time. A paracord pull-tab lets you cinch the wrists to seal out wind and cold. The interior is lined in 100-percent wool, providing excellent insulation and wicking away sweat.

There's just enough neoprene on the cuff to give you a snug fit yet make these easy to pull on and off. They have an elastic leash that can be removed for a cleaner look if you don't plan to be pulling them off a lot. The leather construction is heavy-duty but will require a slight break-in period as most leather goods do.

Screentap Winter Gloves

These gloves have the sleekest profile on our list and can be worn by themselves or underneath a heavier pair when temperatures drop below freezing. The stretch fleece on the back panel gives a secure fit and makes them easy to pull on and off. The palm and fingertips are covered in a touch-screen-compatible fabric that also provides excellent grip.

These are meant to fit snug without much adjustment, so there aren't wrist adjustments or leashes, but there is a clip to keep your pair together. The streamlined silhouette makes them ideal for running or biking.

Dakine Diablo Gore-Tex Mitt

The warmest mitt in Dakine’s lineup, the three-piece Diablo comes with a waterproof shell, a removable down inner mitt, and a touch-screen-compatible liner glove that can be used independently.

The shell has a cinch gauntlet to keep out snow and drafts, and an elastic wrist leash to keep your gloves on your person if you take a spill on the slope. The mitten design does limit movement, but it’s still possible to grip things like ski poles.

4 Season Wax Coating Winter Gloves

The 4 Season glove from Give'r will keep has a rugged leather shell, a waterproof membrane, a heat reflector layer, and an layer of Thinsulate insulation to keep your digits toasty. The waterproof membrane keeps moisture out and the leather is wax-coated to bolster protection. The leather is thick enough to be abrasion and heat resistant.

These gloves are a great option to use for work. The rib-knit cuff hugs the wrist but is on the shorter side, and you might need more coverage on particularly cold days.

These fit snug at first but will break in over time and form to your hand.

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