1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall
3. Best for mountaineering
4. Best for winter walking
5. Best for extreme weather
6. Best winter mitts
7. Best lightweight winter gloves
8. Best winter gloves for dexterity
9. Best for breathability
10. Best for versatility
11. Best hybrid glove/mitt
12. Best lightweight glove
13. Best waterproof lightweight glove
14. Best value hiking gloves
15. Best fleece hiking gloves
16. Comparison table
17. How we test
18. How to choose
The best hiking gloves really come into their own during the cold season. Fall is here and, as the Starks would say, winter is coming. You don’t have to be venturing into frozen wastes in the far north to require a decent pair of hiking gloves at this time of year – they’re an essential for most trails.
It’s good practice to carry at least two pairs during winter, three if you’re mountain bound, and having different styles of glove for different scenarios is the ideal. For example, a lightweight glove is perfect for walking in to a big ascent, whereas an insulated, waterproof pair will excel up high but will be too toasty back in the valley.
We’ve donned our best waterproof jackets and headed out into the wild to test a range of the best hiking gloves, from mountaineering mitts to lighter pairs that are ideal for everyday use. We rate the Khroma Tour Gore-Tex Infinium Glove as the best pair of hiking gloves for winter.
The quick list
Here's our Quick List, starting with our top performers when it comes to winter hiking, followed by lighter pairs. For a more detailed look at these excellent pairs, navigate further down this guide.
The best hiking gloves overall
Dextrous gloves that offer superior protection, breathability and precision, the Khroma Tour Infiniums are a superb choice for mountaineering, hillwalking and skiing.
The best for mountaineering
Supremely comfortable, warm and waterproof, while giving you enough dexterity to properly manipulate equipment, the Couloir is a superb mountaineering glove.
The best for winter walking
Top-of -the-range gauntlets delivering toasty warmth, reliable waterproofing and unusually good dexterity for a burly winter glove.
The best for hiking gloves for extreme weather
These surprisingly lightweight ski gloves boast good insulation for cosy protection against cold alpine conditions, and are fully waterproof for heavy snow days
The best winter mitts
Super snug mittens that feel like sleeping bags for your hands, with a perfect warmth-to-weight ratio. They're also water- and wind-resistant enough for light rain.
The best lightweight winter gloves
Windproof, ultra packable and water resistant, the Prism Gloves are like tiny down jackets for your hands – super comfortable
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The best winter gloves for dexterity
An excellent lightweight waterproof glove designed for cold-weather hillwalking and winter sports, including skiing
The best winter gloves for breathability
Highly featured, these warm, waterproof and breathable snow gloves are for skiers, boarders and winter hillwalkers
The best hiking gloves for versatility
Dexterous, with pre-curved fingers and a low-profile, streamlined design for a range of cold-weather outdoor pursuits
The best hybrid glove/mitt
Offering the dexterity of a glove and the warmth of a mitt, these clever hand protectors have all bases covered
The best lightweight hiking glove
The perfect pair of liner gloves for use under a thicker pair of gloves, or worn alone in warmer weather
The best waterproof lightweight hiking glove
Top-of -the-range gauntlets delivering toasty warmth, reliable waterproofing and unusually good dexterity for a burly winter glove
The best value hiking gloves
Nicely priced hand protection from Decathlon, perfect for fall and spring adventures, though they're neither fully windproof nor waterproof
The best fleece hiking gloves
Smarthphone compatible, these polar fleece–fabric gloves are for use alone in milder conditions, or as a lightweight base layer in colder climes
Writer, editor and enthusiast of anything involving boots, bikes, boats, beers and bruises, Pat has spent 20 years pursuing adventure stories. En route he’s canoed Canada’s Yukon River, climbed Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro, skied and mountain biked through the Norwegian Alps, run an ultra across the roof of Mauritius, and set short-lived records for trail-running Australia’s highest peaks and New Zealand’s Great Walks. He’s authored walking guides to Devon and Dorset, and once wrote a whole book about Toilets for Lonely Planet. Follow Pat’s escapades here.
The best hiking gloves we recommend in 2023
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The best hiking gloves overall
These technical, highly dextrous gloves are designed with performance in mind, offering superior warmth and wind protection combining Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper technology with a fleece lining and leather palm. They boast great finger flexibility and precision when fastening boots, adjusting bindings and handling poles. Moisture-wicking technology keeps your hands dry when you're powering uphill and superior wind-protection has you covered on the downhill. The snug fit keeps the wind out and is enhanced by the adjustable wrist strap.
These are great for dry weather touring, but you wouldn't bring them for excursions in extreme wet conditions. They don't offer touchscreen technology so you'd need to remove them to check your phone or GPS device, which isn't ideal in extreme cold conditions and they do run pricier than other gloves, owing to their superior quality. These gloves will do you well for cold-weather pursuits and should last you a long time.
Read our full Rab Khroma Tour Infinium Gloves review
The best gloves for mountaineering
These hiking gloves fit a specific brief: they’re warm enough and tough enough for hard skiing or mountaineering, but not ridiculously big or bulky either. You get a waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex insert with a lining made of two different fleece materials – lofty pile across the back of the hand as well as in the fingers and thumbs, and a microfleece lining across the palm. This is a clever approach that ensures excellent comfort and tactility, while also boosting warmth and wicking performance.
The shell is made of tough nylon, with hardwearing goatskin leather overlays in the palm, thumbs, knuckles and all the fingers. The result is an extremely protective and durable glove, with secure grip whether you’re holding a ski pole, an ice axe or a mountaineering rope. Rollover fingertips further enhance overall durability and tactility. There’s also an extended cuff with a drawcord closure, wrist loops and leashes, and a suede nose wipe on the back of the thumb. This is a glove that really does tick all the boxes for technical winter use.
Read our full Mountain Equipment Couloir Glove review
The best gloves for winter walking
Sealskinz’ fully waterproof Extreme Cold Weather Gauntlets are burly insulated gloves that are designed to keep hands warm, dry, and protected from the elements in frigid temperatures. To achieve that, they combine tough materials with high-performance synthetic fill, along with a microfleece lining and a fully waterproof insert.
The thumbs, palms and fingertips are made from hard-wearing goatskin, as is the double-stitched overlay at the base of the thumb. On test, we found the design of these gloves offers superior feel and dexterity compared to most others in their class, thanks to pre-curved, rollover fingertips and unique fabric gussets at the knuckles and finger joints. This aids freedom of movement, while also ensuring a closer fit. The only thing perhaps lacking is a wrist leash to prevent a glove from flying off down the mountainside if you do need to remove one.
Read our full Sealskinz Extreme Cold Weather Gauntlet review
The best gloves for extreme weather
These cosy, well-insulated ski gloves come in a classic design and will keep your hands warm and dry in all types of winter weather. They are both windproof and waterproof so great for wet, heavy snow and powder days alike. On test, we found them to be noticeably lightweight. However, they feature Primaloft insulation so don't be fooled – we found they offered plenty of protection from the cold too. Unlike some ski gloves, these give decent finger dexterity – certainly all you need to wrap your hands around your ski poles.
They feature a drawstring wrist to keep the draft out, a durable palm to hold up against your poles and soft wipe on the thumb good for runny noses on cold days. They do boast touch screen compatibility on the index fingers, which works on its own, but we found the fingers were a bit too cumbersome to really be able to use our phones without removing them first.
All in all, these make for a really nice pair of ski gloves that will get your through the winter at a decent price point. For more options that are more suited to the slopes than the trails, see our roundup of the best ski gloves.
Read our full Keela Extreme Gloves review
The best winter mitts
Patagonia’s Nano Puff insulated jackets are rightly very popular for their brilliant warmth to weight ratio, and the brand have applied exactly the same concept to these comfy-as-anything mitts. On test, we found they provided instant warmth but never felt heavy or restrictive.
The Nano Puff gloves are windproof and water-resistant enough to put up with light rainfall, and the elasticated wrists help to further trap in heat. These squishy gloves are stuffed with 55% recycled PrimaLoft Gold Eco Insulation, which compresses down easily to stuff in pretty much any pocket.
The inside of the gloves is a soft-brushed fleece that feels great against the skin. The tops of the gloves are a rather thin material that, just like a down jacket, you’ll want to keep away from anything sharp to avoid the risk of ripping, but the palms do at least have tough abrasion-resistant pads suitable for working or setting up camp.
Read our full Patagonia Nano Puff Mitt review
The best lightweight winter gloves
We found these super soft, ultra-light gloves provided plenty of warmth for chilly winter hikes and cold ski days without being bulky or sweaty. Their slim fit packs a lot of punch, with a windproof and water-resistant Pertex shell combined with a brushed fleece lining for warmth that still allows for some breathability once you get moving. They weigh only 55 grams and come with a tiny stuff sack, which they easily pack down into.
The Montane Prism have a wrist loop which makes it easy to pull them on in cold weather and an elasticated wrist to keep the heat in and the cold and snow out. The index finger and thumb boast a precise, touch screen compatibility pad combined with a snug fit that allows you to perform technical tasks without taking them off.
They are made using recycled materials and while they won’t stand up against extreme cold or abrasive surfaces during winter climbing and scrambling, they’ll give you all the warmth you need for skiing, winter hiking and even trail running on chilly days, all at a fair price point.
Read our full Montane Prism Gloves review
The best winter gloves for dexterity
