In order to perform well in the outdoor activities under varying climatic conditions, you definitely require additional gear. Of course, gloves are one of the important pieces of gear which will complete your day hiking kit.
Fingers are the parts which will face frostbites and hence protecting them from the worst climatic conditions will help you to enjoy your hiking even at very low temperatures. This is the part where wearing a pair of good quality and breathable gloves come into action.
A good pair of hiking gloves will help to maintain dryness and warmth along with providing better comfort for your hands. Since the gloves vary in its weather resistance and warmth properties, it is highly important to choose one based on the temperature, precipitation etc. which you are expecting to encounter.
Quick Comparison: Top Hiking Gloves
- Columbia Men's M Fast Trek Glove
- SealSkinz All Season Gloves, Unisex, All Season Gloves
- Outdoor Research Men's Pl 400 Sensor Gloves
- The North Face Pamir Windstopper Etip Gloves
- REI Co-op Fleece Gloves - Women's
**Below, you'll find our expert's reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
How to Choose the Best Hiking Gloves?
There are wide choices of branded and mind-blowing hiking gloves available in the marketplace. You can choose right from the light polyester model gloves to something which is full on ski glove. Keep in mind that the functionality of each glove varies.
You can pick those models which come with features such as touch screen friendly, waterproofing, and so on.
However, prior to choosing a model, think about the place where you are planning to do your hiking. This will help you to settle on the functionality which you need to think about. Below mentioned are some of the most important factors which should be considered while choosing a pair of hiking gloves.
Hand Size
First and the most important factor are to find out the right size of hiking gloves for your hands. If you are not sure about your hand size, then you can easily get it done from any stores nearby. Normally, the sizes which are available may include small, medium, large and extra-large.
Insulation Material
Gloves which are used during winter seasons have got synthetic fill insulation and are made with fluffy polyester fibers. These fibers will be creating loft and this, in turn, will trap the body-warmed air well.
Polyester is a material which helps to absorb the little amount of moisture and hence gloves which are made from synthetic fill insulation will retain warmth even if they are used in wet climatic conditions or exposed to water or snow.
On the other hand, lightweight gloves are designed using wool or fleece. However, wool and fleece won’t be providing insulation like the synthetic fill since they are having a lower warmth-to-weight ratio.
Waterproof
It is always better if you can buy gloves which are having features like waterproof. There are wide ranges of options available and certain gloves may perform better when compared to others in this area. Nevertheless, remember that it won’t be 100 percent waterproof as you think.
Breathability
It is good if your hiking gloves are having good breathability as well. During hiking, there are high chances that you will sweat and in tandem with being the gloves waterproof, if hiking gloves are having wicking capacity, then it would be a great choice ever.
Features
Majority of the gloves are now coming with special features which will attract every hiker. Some of them are loaded with features such as single-pull adjustable system, removable layers, designated nose wipe area and carabiner loops.
Most of the hikers prefer to go with touchscreen compatible hiking gloves as this will let them use their smartphones easier. The glove liners are specially designed with this technology.
However, try the gloves before you buy and make sure that these features are useful to you before you make the bill payment.
Durability
Choose that hiking glove which will last for more seasons. Your hands are important and hence choosing the one which is highly durable will help to maintain the warmth in your hands while you are deep in the backcountry.
For checking the durability, try to analyze the type of the material used for manufacturing and for the seam-lock stitching feature. Those hikers which are planning for a long hike during wet or snow climatic conditions should opt for a pair of gloves which is loaded with durable palm design.
Gloves which are of high quality will be having palms that are made of silicone, or even leather. Both are durable and provides good grip for your all outdoor conditions.
Shell
The shell of the gloves is made with waterproof together with breathable materials like Pertex as well as Gore-Tex. In addition to this, it offers weather protection and is abrasion-resistant. There are certain models which are having a removable shell. Choose a model based on your requirements.
Lining
The next important part of the hiking glove to be checked for is the lining. This will help to wick away the moisture content which is present on your skin, thereby lowering the conductive heat loss.
When compared to the dry garments, wet ones will transfer more amount of heat at faster rates and hence you will be prone to get cold. To avoid these situations, choose the lining wisely and enjoy your trails.
Layering
Similar to that of the cold weather hiking clothes, there is a need to choose layer for your hiking gloves too based on the conditions or seasons. Majority of the winter hiking gloves are made with a removable liner which can be worn alone or else like a system during warmer conditions.
On the other hand, you can even design your own system using fleece liner together with a waterproof glove for better results.
Dexterity
Hiking gloves should always offer the best dexterity so that you will never need to take them off from your hands.
For example, if the dexterity is good enough, you don’t need to remove it while putting on your snowshoes or crampons or for taking something out from your backpack.
Mobility
Good mobility will help to ease your work while on the trails. It even helps to handle your compass while you are on the way. Certain gloves are found to be more restrictive when compared to other models. So, pick a particular model based on your hand movements and other hands.
Style
Some of the common styles of hiking gloves may include classic five finger design or the mitten style. For better warmth, choosing mitten models are the ideal choice. However, they are not so good while considering versatility and functionality while your hand is inside.
Three finger gloves are yet another model which is referred to as lobster gloves. This is mostly chosen by winter time hikers who are going to use trekking poles.
How to Wash and Care hiking Gloves?
The first and the most important thing to take care are to look for the instructions which are mentioned by the manufacturer. In most cases, your hiking gloves can be either hand wash in warm water or to machine wash it.
For removing excess water which is present in the gloves, squeeze the gloves gently from the fingertips to the wrist. Make sure that you don’t twist it.
You should not iron it. Another important factor to be noted is that you should not use any kind of bleach to clean the gloves. It will damage your hiking gloves and loses its performance. Once the cleaning process is over, drip dries the gloves by facing the fingers in the upward direction.
Review of Some of the Best Hiking Gloves
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Our Recommendation
Columbia Men's M Fast Trek Glove
The Columbia Men’s M Fast Trek Glove is the best choice for those who are in search of lightweight gloves. It will keep your hands in good warmth condition all through the hike.
However, these are not packed with any special features and are more a kind of basic winter glove which you can use for your easy hikes as it may help to protect your hands from the outer elements.
They are designed using polyester material and hence quite soft as well as quick drying. In addition to this, they are coming with abrasion resistant palm patch, which in turn helps you if you are using hiking poles or if you are hiking on tricky terrains.
Elastic straps are present on the wrist and this will help to secure the gloves in position. There are even clips for attaching them or you can even clip them to your backpack it the temperature is too warm out.
Major Features:
- Imported
- Machine Wash
- Abrasion-resistant palm patch
- Soft and sleek fashion
- Security clip
- Elastic at wrist
SealSkinz All Season Gloves, Unisex, All Season Gloves
The SealSkinz All Season Gloves Unisex all season gloves are coming with all the special features which you are looking for and hence keep your hands warm throughout the cold seasons. The super combination of nylon, wool, and the elastane fabrics will help to maintain the warmth, durability as well as flexible.
This light in weight hiking glove is windproof and waterproof along with maintaining the breathability. They are a close fit and hence you don’t need to adjust it at times. The tabs which are present on the index fingers will make it usable touch screen ones and hence you can use your smartphone with removing the gloves.
Major Features:
- Waterproof
- Windproof
- Chevron printed palm and fingers
- Touch screen compatible
- Anti-slip lining
Foot Note!!!
Choosing the right gloves which fulfill your requirements is not at all a frustrated or complicated task. There are wide ranges of collections or models to choose from and you can pick the right model with little effort and time.
We believe that the list above will help you to narrow down your choice and come up with the right pair of glove for your hiking needs.
Happy Hiking!
Image credit: amazon.com, amzon.in