Best winter gloves for 2024: Say farewell to freezing fingers

From the very first moment you slide your hands into the Extremities Torres Peak glove you notice just how warm it is. It utilises a high-loft fleece lining and a decent amount of PrimaLoft insulation to make it among the most comfy and warmest gloves on test. The lengthy cuff ensures this warmth makes its way up your forearm.

Simply put, it's great in full-on winter and sub-zero conditions, but you may find it too warm on milder winter walks.

The brand’s in-house membrane proved waterproof in light rain on our test hikes and kept the wind away from our fingers well.

Adjustability is decent thanks to a toggle at the base of the gauntlet, while there’s also a compression strap on the wrist, though this is somewhat basic.

Fit proved true to size and the cut has a nice shape to it, but dexterity is middling. It’ll be fine for most walks, but if you’re doing more with your hands you may want better.

There’s also no wrist leashes or pull tabs, but then at this price (£70) it’s not really a surprise.

All in all, a great-value set of winter gloves that offer impressive warmth.

Read our full Extremities Torres Peak Glove review for more.

If you’re after a winter glove that’ll act as a brilliant all-rounder, the Montane Supercell is a great option.

An RRP of £75 ($85) is very reasonable and the glove has proved warm, weatherproof and comfortable.

You won’t find any PrimaLoft insulation here, with a lot of high-loft pile fabric delivering the warmth, which is comfortable down to around freezing. That’s not as good as some others tested here, but it’s not bad.

What’s more, the grip and dexterity it solid, there’s not excessive bulk and the glove feels reasonably nimble.

You also get wrist leashes, while it’s easy enough to use the single-hand adjustment on the opening of the glove’s gauntlet, even when wearing the gloves.

Additional features include hanging loops on the middle fingers, which is handy for drying on a hook, plus loops at the base of each gauntlet to help you get the gloves on and off.

There’s no nose wipe or way to clip the gloves together, though, nor any adjustment at the base of the wrist.

That all being said, this is a solid all-rounder, and one which will perhaps offer more versatility than others here.

Find out more in our full Montane Supercell gloves review and find the women's version here.

The Rab Guide 2 GTX is a premium glove, so it comes with a premium price point (£135/$170). For that money, you get some great materials, including Pittards leather and a reliable Gore-Tex membrane.

Meanwhile, the warmth comes from 100% recycled PrimaLoft Gold insulation and a high-pile lining. It’s impressive and more than up to the task when temperatures drop below zero.

Despite being fully featured and a little on the heavy side (121g per glove, size small), the Guide 2 GTX doesn’t feel excessively bulky. Dexterity is decent for a gloves of this type, while the grippy palm was another positive.

Features-wise, you get a clip to fasten the gloves together, removeable wrist leashes, pull-on tabs and a soft material on each thumb for wiping your nose.

The Rab Guide 2 GTX is clearly an impressive glove and is one that won’t let you down, even in the depths of winter. If your pockets are deep enough, it’s a wise choice.

See our full Rab Guide 2 GTX review for more detail.

The Stormtracker is an excellently priced, ultralight, versatile glove, weighing just 61g per glove, with touchscreen compatibility. Its mid-weight design suits various activities, from hiking to skiing.

Many winter gloves are so thick and warm you only end up using them on the coldest of winter days, meaning you spend a hefty chunk of cash for a product you rarely require, which feels inefficient.

But the Stormtracker strikes a lovely middle ground – just about warm enough for most wintry outings but streamlined enough for the milder shoulder seasons.

However, it may lack warmth for extremely cold days and doesn’t offer full waterproof protection, performing best in light rain rather than downpours.

Lacking wrist adjustability, it also may not fit as snugly as some users prefer, again reducing its ability to hold onto heat.

Despite these drawbacks, the Stormtracker is a great all-rounder: dexterous, comfortable and grippy, with a balanced design. For those seeking a single glove for October to March, it’s an excellent, budget-friendly choice.

See our full verdict in our Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor Windbloc gloves review.

Looking for a pair of warm winter mitts specifically, and fine with the drawbacks, such as reduced dexterity? The Black Diamond Mercury Mitt ticks all the boxes.

It uses a clever removable liner that uses thick PrimaLoft Gold insulation and a waterproof shell of its own. You can wear this on its own, but the outer glove adds a layer of additional warmth, protection and durability, with goat leather used on the palm.

In use, waterproofing proved reliable and comes from the brand’s in-house membrane and a durable water repellent finish on the outer.

Breathability is reasonable, but don’t be surprised to overheat in milder conditions. Mitts are typically warmer than gloves, which proved true in this test, and we’d be comfortable wearing the Mercury Mitt well below zero degrees.

It’s worth noting there are no finger slots here, unlike you’ll find in some other mitts. This helps deliver exceptional warmth, but dexterity is the price you pay for that.

Needless to say, the Mercury Mitt would be overkill in milder winter conditions. As expected from a mitt, dexterity is also poor, but the grip from the goat leather palm proved decent, and works well enough with an ice axe or walking poles.

There’s no adjustment on the inner liner, which could be an issue for some, but there is drawcord adjustment on the outer shell at the base of the gauntlet.

A weight of 127g per glove is also on the heavy side, while we’d have liked to have seen a greater mix of features.

Get a more detailed verdict by reading our full Black Diamond Mercury Mitts review. You can also buy the women's version here.

PHD is a niche brand known for its expertise in insulation, with a small but cult following, and many mountaineers swear by its products.

The Kappa is exceptionally warm, impressively lightweight (72g per glove) and very comfortable. For anyone prone to cold hands, the Kappa will halt your suffering instantly.

It’s thickly-insulated with high-quality PrimaLoft Gold synthetic insulation and it can be paired with a liner glove for even more warmth.

Excellent features include a wrist leash and strap adjustment at the wrist, as well as a durable outer shell. However, it’s overkill for many trips in the UK, proving far too warm for milder days.

The mitt-style delivers poor dexterity and grip is average. Some of the design features – such as the tape-and-buckle strap and the wrist leash – feel a little basic compared to more established brands. Plus, the HS2 outer is not taped, meaning the mitts are not technically fully waterproof, and the price is rather expensive at £177 ($224.91). 

In our eyes, however, the PHD Kappa Mitt is an excellent glove and if you can afford it, why not opt for maximum warmth and comfort? For more serious mountaineers, or those who prioritise warmth over everything, it’s a top-tier option.    

Find out more in our detailed PHD Kappa Mitts review.

Black Diamond’s Glissade Glove is part of its Ascent series – filling the gap as an ‘entry level’ winter glove. Entry level is subjective because the Glissade Glove is a brilliantly versatile, durable and quite highly featured glove that we found suits a swathe of winter activities.

The Glissade Glove is constructed by employing a snug fleece liner, wrapped in Thinsulate insulation, protected by a BD.dry waterproof insert, shrouded with a Pertex Shield outer and goat leather palm. Comfortable, warm, dry, durable – the Glissade Glove fast became our favourite winter glove this season.

There are plenty of rivals to the Glissade Glove but a number of key features sealed the deal for us. One is the innovative DWR on the outer fabric. It’s called Empel, and unlike industry standard DWR treatments, it’s permanent and doesn’t use any PFCs.

Another is the longer gauntlet-style cuff. It cinches with a drawcord and makes a big difference to keeping weather and snow out. Black Diamond has allowed the Glissade Glove to keep reasonably dexterity too, achieved through not overloading it with insulation and giving the Pertex fabric four-way stretch. Use glove liners to boost warmth if you need to.

While the sizes are unisex, there are five sizes available, so you should find it easy enough to find the right one for you.

Tough, dexterous, waterproof, and warm - these are very impressive mountain gloves but the cost reflects the impressive design.

Considered design meets top-end materials in this dependable pair of gloves for tough, technical use. The waterproofing is Gore-Tex, the insulation is PrimaLoft Gold, and the reinforcement on the palm and fingers is Pittards leather.

Different levels of insulation are used on the back and palm of the glove, ensuring that warmth doesn’t negatively affect dexterity, and the knuckle protection adds confidence when swinging an ice axe. Pre-curved for grip and with removable leashes, a soft nose wipe and single-handed cuff cinching, the Pivots have it all. 

Check out the women's version here

We’re always very wary of cheap winter gloves. There are so many on offer, with the overwhelming majority of those we’ve tested usually failing because of poor build quality. But throw enough at the wall and surely a few will stick.

The Regatta Transition III Waterproof Glove sticks. We liked this affordable, yet well-designed winter glove for its ability to offer the features that matter, and nothing else.

For example, the fingers are a little bit pre-curved, which immediately boosts dexterity. Happily, it has touchscreen compatibility too. The cuff is also just long enough to fit over a jacket sleeve, and has a simple drawcord.

We found this glove’s waterproof insert works well, and while its synthetic insulation isn’t amazing, it kept our hands reasonably warm in wintery weather. A textured PVC layer is added to the palm and fingertips, increasing durability compared to other price-conscious rivals.

Make no mistake, if you want tough, technical gloves for demanding winter hikes, save your pennies for a bit longer and get the Black Diamond Glissade Gloves. But for hillwalkers keen on a bargain, the Regatta Transition III Waterproof Glove will serve you well.

With so many stretchy, lightweight, fleecy gloves around, it’s a tough gig to come out on top, but Montane’ Fury Fleece Gloves have managed it and became our go-to for gloves of this type.

We found them very versatile, suitable for use on their own during chilly hikes, and as very warm liner gloves for bitterly cold mountain trips.

Many lightweight gloves suffer from durability issues, but we found the Montane Fury Fleece Gloves to be better than most. The material itself wears well (as long as you’re not a brute) and details like rolled fingertips are nice touches.

These gloves are highly breathable and we like that there are four sizes in the men’s and women’s versions. They’re good value too, and better yet, there’s an XT version with a silicone hand grip for grasping ice axes and walking poles.

Check out the women’s version here

We always keep a lightweight pair of gloves in our pockets throughout winter, preferably ones that can also be worn underneath heavy-duty gloves on big mountain trips.

It's important to note that, while Sealskinz is known for its waterproof gloves, socks, and hats, the Acle isn’t waterproof, but the glove’s nano technology is designed to bead water, so the fabric won’t get saturated at the first sign of a shower.

The ‘S’ print you can see on the palm and fingers (right) gives good grip, and the index finger has a patch at the tip which is touchscreen compatible, so you can still use your phone without taking them off.

Overall, an excellent package. Don’t wear them in a downpour, but they’re great for hillwalking on cool winter days.

Check out the women's version here

All too often on high intensity hikes or trail runs, even when you’ve followed the ‘be bold, start cold’ rule, you can start to overheat. This is particularly true of gloves, which for some of our team, are one of the first things to become surplus to requirements in such a case.

But we’ve found the Adidas Terrex GTX Infinium Glove is impressively breathable and goes a long way to addressing the need to peel off outer layers of clothing.

This is thanks to the use of Gore-Tex Infinium. Most of us know Gore-Tex as a high-grade waterproof membrane but its Infinium fabric gives more weight to breathability. So, instead of waterproof it’s water and highly wind resistant. But trade-off is a big boost in breathability.

The Adidas Terrex GTX Infinium Glove fits tight, but has ample stretch for comfort. They have simple but functional palm and index finger grip, and touchscreen compatibility. Thus, it’s such an easy glove to use with a smartphone.

These have been a staple of Mountain Equipment’s range for many years and remain winners for us. The Guide Glove features a Drilite waterproof lining to keep your hands dry, and a microfleece and fibre pile lining to keep them warm.

A one-handed drawcord closure traps warmth inside the gloves, and a removable wrist tether ensures you don’t lose them. Add in the leather palm and articulated fingers for dexterity, plus nice-to-have-features like the soft nose wipe pouch, and these gloves start to look like quite the bargain.

The cuff isn't especially long but it can still cover a jacket sleeve. There’s no wrist leash either, so keep hold of them on a blustery mountain summit. But, like the Black Diamond Glissade Gloves, these are very high-performance winter gloves that offer impressive value too.

Check out the women's version here

The Arc’Teryx Venta Glove is made to be a lightweight glove with wind and rain protection. Designed for sports such as hiking, running, and skiing, the Venta is a stylish glove with Gore-Tex Infinium softshell outer fabric and a thin, OctaLoft insulating fleece inner. Water beads and rolls off the glove well, keeping the hands dry and protected.

The Venta is a well-built glove with extra TPU details on the palm to aid grip and touch-compatibility on the index finger and thumb which works well on touchscreens. At the wrist is a softer jersey knit with additional flex to cinch the glove in place, though this could be tighter to better secure the glove.

In terms of sizing, we’d appreciate smaller sizing options to be available as an XS, though true to size, was still a bit too large for our female tester (hand length and width 17cm).