The best hiking gloves 2024: keep your hands toasty on mountain hikes

Whatever the time of year, it's always worth having a pair of the best hiking gloves in your backpack. Even in summer, temperatures at altitude can have a flavor of the Arctic about them, while early morning starts can be brisk to say the least.

Ask a mountain guide and they'll extoll the virtues of having at least a couple of pairs of hiking gloves stashed away. Ideally, you'd want a lightweight, thin pair for milder conditions and a nicely insulated, waterproof pair for more challenging times. Depending on whether you run hot or cold, you may also find that the gloves you prefer are thinner or thicker than average for the season. The best hiking gloves are impressively featured, with loops to tether them to your hand so they don't blow away, draw cord that makes tightening them a cinch and even a patch for you to wipe your nose. Make sure you consider the cuff length too - a short cuff will make it easier to check your watch but could leave a chilly gap in coverage, while longer cuffs will need to fit comfortably either under or over the sleeves of your waterproof jacket.

Our experts have tested all these pairs in the environment they've been designed for and can fully vouch for their quality, so you can be confident whatever you choose from our shortlist.

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.

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The best hiking gloves we recommend in 2024

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. Our expert tester found that they "boast great finger flexibility and precision when fastening boots, adjusting bindings and handling poles". We found that the moisture-wicking technology kept our hands dry when powering uphill and superior wind-protection had us 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 we wouldn't recommend 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

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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 we found ensured 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. Our reviewer thought this was a glove that really did tick all the boxes for technical winter use.

"These are truly worth every penny," says our mountaineering expert, counting the Couloir Glove as hiking gear he couldn't live without.

Read our full Mountain Equipment Couloir Glove review

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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. 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," according to our expert reviewer, "while also ensuring a closer fit". We found the only thing perhaps lacking was a wrist leash to prevent a glove from flying off down the mountainside when we did need to remove one.

Read our full Sealskinz Extreme Cold Weather Gauntlet review

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The best winter gloves for breathability

Presented primarily as a glove for skiers and snowboarders, we found this wonderfully warm glove to be perfect for cold-weather hill walkers too. TNF’s proprietary Heatseeker Eco insulation (70% recycled) does an excellent job of heating hands. On top of this, brand’s Futurelight membrane insert is both breathable and waterproof, preventing moisture from getting in or building up inside the glove, even during stiff climbs.

The full-length gauntlet stayed securely in place under jacket cuffs, and the elasticated fastener pulls the mouth of the glove tightly shut, keeping out snow and cold air. A ladderlock wrist-cinch on the top of the hand keeps body-heated air in, and our fingers stayed warm right to the tips, thanks to the fourchette-box construction of the glove. 

Both gloves in the pair feature an elasticated wrist leash, for keeping them secure if you remove them to perform a task, which is good, because our tester found the ‘Etip’ material "disappointingly ineffective" at operating touchscreen devices (possibly because the glove is so well padded).

Read our full The North Face Montana Futurelight Etip review

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The best hiking gloves for versatility

The CZone Contact Gauntlet is this Swedish brand’s all-purpose cold weather glove. Our hiking expert found them to be close-fitting and precise, "offering excellent dexterity". The glove is made of durable nylon, incorporating a stretchy and reflective nylon-elastane softshell fabric across the back of the hand. A tacky patterned overlay called Duratan is placed at the fingertips, palms and thumbs. The tip of the index finger and thumb are also fitted with conductive patches to enable touchscreen use. 

The wrist cuff offers good coverage and has an elasticated section as well as a drawcord lock. Insulation comes solely from a cozy microfleece lining, which makes these gloves lightweight and not too bulky. We thought they were still fairly warm for their weight as well as being fully waterproof and breathable, thanks to Hestra’s own CZone Contact membrane.

Read our full Hestra CZone Contact Gauntlet review

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The best lightweight hiking gloves

Good liner gloves are the bit of outdoor kit you never knew you needed. We’ve been using the same pair of Rab liner gloves for a few winters now, and our hiking experts reckon they're "worth their weight in gold". These light, stretchy gloves are thin, breathable and very comfortable – wear them alone on warmer spring days or stick them underneath thicker gloves or mittens for bitter winter conditions, such as for ski trips or when hiking in snow. 

These liner gloves are also very useful when you’re camping or working outdoors and need to do more fiddly jobs, such as looking after a stove – our reviewer found they offered good dexterity without ending up with freezing hands. Rab’s liner gloves feel well-made, and the soft fleecy lining inside is a treat in cold weather. The thicker cuff stopped wind well, and helped the liners to stay put under larger gloves. It’s a pity they don’t clip together for easier storage.

Read our full Rab Flux Liner Glove review

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The best waterproof lightweight hiking glove

Once winter is waning, it’s great to find a glove that can keep your fingers warm and protect them from the elements without absolutely cooking your whole hand, or being so padded that they’re irritating carry around. According to our expert tester Pat Kinsella "the Sealskinz Griston strikes exactly this balance". 

Lightweight and packable, these three-layer gloves boast a water repellent outer constructed from a technical material mix that provides hardwearing toughness (thanks to the polyester), good grip across the palm (courtesy of the suede and neoprene), and non-restrictive stretch, supplied by the elastane. Their plush, soft inner makes them super comfortable to wear even after a long adventure. Between these layers is a breathable waterproof membrane that halts rain in its tracks but allows vapour from your sweaty mitts out. 

The versatile Gristons can be used during all sorts of active pursuits, from hiking, biking and scrambling to kayaking, canoeing and SUPing. However, our tester had some frustrations: the lack of fastening system at the wrist and the baggy design of the mini gauntlet, which means water can run into the glove from the sleeve of your jacket if you’re not careful.

Read our full Sealskinz Griston Gloves review

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The best value hiking gloves

These lightweight hiking gloves are intended for use on the high hills in the shoulder seasons. Although they are not fully windproof (and definitely not waterproof), we found they provided decent thermal coverage when we needed it, which was usually when coming out of the treeline and heading towards the summit, when the temperature rapidly drops and the windchill factor becomes a much bigger deal. 

They are relatively thin, so dexterity levels are good and we were able to continue to operate zips, take photos, access pockets and tighten pole straps without taking them off. Unlike some other gloves we have tested that claim to be touch sensitive and are not, our tester found that "you genuinely can operate phones and screens with these gloves on", which was extremely handy when using navigational apps.

The Trek 500 gloves are breathable, comfortable and light – so they’re a good option year round, as a throw-in-the-pack-just-in-case back-up, either for stand-alone use or as a baselayer for some waterproof gloves or mittens.

Read our full Forclaz Mountain Trek 500 Gloves review

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The best fleece gloves

The lightest model in US brand Outdoor Research’s fairly extensive range of fleece gloves, the PL Base Sensor is expressly designed as a liner glove to be worn under a pair of chunkier mitts or gloves for winter mountain pursuits – basically, they’re a base layer for your hands. But, we found that they’re also good as a stand-alone lightweight glove for use during many activities in milder conditions, including hill walking and hiking. 

They boast touchscreen compatible Sensor technology for use with smartphones, plus a minimalist grippy silicone print on the palm that isn’t overly tacky, but which stopped our phone from sliding out of our grasp when stopping to take a photo or make a call.

While they’re not the most hardwearing glove around, our pair have stood up to general use very well and, according to our expert, "markedly better than other lightweight gloves we’ve tested". Plus, they’re also relatively inexpensive. They’re not particularly water-resistant, but they manage moisture well and dry quickly.

Read our full Outdoor Research PL Base Sensor review

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The best hiking gloves comparison table

How we test the best hiking gloves

Our reviewers test hiking gloves in various settings, from shoulder season hikes to winter walks and forays into mountaineering territory. Specific features (including insulation, waterproofing, breathability, grip, dexterity, touch-screen compatibility, materials used and general comfort) are tested against claims made by the brand, and we assess factors such as durability, environmental impact and value for money.

Meet the testers

Pat Kinsella

Pat has spent 20 years pursuing adventure stories and has found himself in some pretty cold climes en route. He’s canoed Canada’s Yukon River, climbed Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro, skied and mountain biked through the Norwegian Alps. He always has a spare pair of quality gloves in his backpack.

Julia Clarke

Julia Clarke is Advnture's staff writer and a lover of all things hiking. She grew up near the Southern Highlands of Scotland, where the spark was lit. It developed into a burning passion when she moved to the US for university and she revelled in exploring the States' national parks. Now back in Scotland, she's often found among the mountains of the Highlands, where she often puts a pair of hiking gloves to use, or two.

Matthew Jones

Matt is a seasoned hiker and gear reviewer who calls the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park his home. In the warmer months, he loves a scramble and a hill walk, while he dons his crampons and grabs his ice axe when the winter snows come. He's always got at least two quality pairs of gloves in his pack.

Sian Lewis

Sian's adventures as a freelance outdoor writer have taken her across the world, from alpine peaks to majestic coast paths. She loves getting her digits cozy in a nice warm pair of gloves, particularly after braving a freezing cold wild swim.

How to choose the best hiking gloves:

The best hiking gloves come in all shapes and sizes, and we recommend buying a few different pairs for different outdoor scenarios and weather conditions. What you put in your daypack will depend the your planned pursuit. Following are a few factors we advise taking into consideration before making a decision on what to buy.

Gloves or mittens?

One of the major design differences you’ll come across in gloves designed for the cold is gloves versus mittens. Mittens are warmer than gloves, but you’ll lose a lot of dexterity, so they are best suited for very cold weather or for when you don’t need to move your hands much, such as when skiing but not quite as ideal for winter hiking. A thin inner ‘liner’ glove worn under a thicker glove or mitten can be a good way to keep warm but allows you to use your fingers freely when needed. You may also see ‘lobster’ gloves, which are half mitten, half glove, on sale.

Should I buy hiking gloves with insulation?

Next up, decide if you need gloves with or without insulation. Insulated gloves (stuffed with either synthetic or down insulation, just like puffer jackets) are very warm but less breathable than non-insulated gloves. We recommend the former if you suffer from bad circulation or for adventures in the coldest weather, and the latter for warmer days and for wearing during energetic activities such as trail running or hill walking in the shoulder months. For less extreme adventures, a pair of the best running gloves and mittens might be exactly what you are looking for.

Should I get lightweight gloves or heavier pairs?

This might seem a minor consideration for such a small item, but often you will start out on a morning walk or a run, very thankful for your gloves, only to find yourself removing them after climbing the first significant hill because your hands are too hot – especially as deep winter slides into spring. When this happens, the easier your best hiking gloves are to safely stash the better. Lightweight packability also means you’re more likely to take a pair of gloves along as a ‘just in case’ item in a backpack or in your dry bag, which often proves a very wise decision, especially if you end up being out longer or later than you expected.

What other design features do hiking gloves have?

There are a few more design features that are useful additions to the best hiking gloves. If you plan to use your new gloves in wet weather, look for a fully waterproofed (rather than just ‘water-resistant’) pair – Sealskinz is a reliable brand. Some gloves are cinched at the wrist with elastic or Velcro straps – this stops wind chill or snow getting to your hands. You’ll also see ‘touchscreen compatible’ gloves on the market, which allow you to use your smartphone without removing your gloves first. 

We like gloves that clip together, for easy storage and for grabbing from your backpack on the go. And have you ever wondered why there’s a soft fleece-y panel on the thumb of your glove? Yep – it’s there so you can wipe your nose. Finally, consider what colour gloves you go for. Most winter gloves come in neutral blacks and greys – we favour darker colours, as they don’t show dirt (or snot…).

How important is sizing when it comes to hiking gloves?

Getting the right size is just as important with the best hiking gloves as it is with your best hiking socks. If you’re buying gloves you’ll need to rely on in cold weather or when working outdoors, it’s a big help if they fit perfectly. Only the cheapest gloves are one-size-fits-all – others are unisex but come in different sizes, and gloves designed specifically for men or women usually fit the best. Sizes can vary wildly from brand to brand but most brands have handy sizing charts available – measure the length of your hand and the circumference of your palm to find where you sit from XS–XL.

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