The 15 best winter gloves for every need - whether you're skiing, hiking, or shoveling your walk
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- Whether you're hiking, skiing, or just shoveling your walk, you need a good pair of winter gloves.
- You might need different pairs of gloves made of different materials for multiple situations.
- Winter gloves come in a variety of materials each with its own benefits and downsides.
When the temperatures drop and the chill gets into your bones, it's time to slip on some winter gloves. Like other cold-weather gear essentials, you need to consider what you'll be using them for. Fine leather driving gloves won't cut it snowboarding and thick ski gloves probably aren't the best for driving. We've included some all-purpose gloves and purpose-designed selections. If you're looking for mittens, see our guide here.
At the very least, winter gloves should have some sort of water resistance and a modicum of insulation. From there, you'll find styles that offer a wide range of water and windproofing and insulating materials, like PrimaLoft and Thinsulate (the same synthetic fibers found in many winter coats). There are even gloves with built-in battery-powered heaters.
Some selections in this roundup also offer touchscreen compatibility and while they all work to varying degrees, the Moshi Digits gets the best reviews in this area. Even so, you're never going to have the same level of touchability as your bare fingers, so you might want to save your Tweeting for indoors this winter.
Many of the selections have unisex sizing. Some come in gendered sizing, but can be worn by any gender identity.
Here are the best winter gloves in 2021:
Patagonia
Patagonia's R1 Daily Gloves are sustainable, sleek, stretchy, and versatile.
Patagonia's unisex R1 Daily Gloves are great all-around winter gloves that are made from recycled polyester and spandex (making them environmentally friendly), low-profile enough to use as liners if need be, and stretchy so you have lots of mobility. They're also touchscreen compatible at the thumb and forefinger, moisture-wicking, and have a grippy palm with an aesthetically appealing design.
Moshi Digits Touchscreen GlovesMoshi
Moshi's Digits Touchscreen Gloves give you touchscreen compatibility with all 10 fingers in a knit fabric with a soft, warm microfleece interior.
The Moshi Digits Touchscreen gloves have been getting rave reviews for their true touchscreen compatibility at all 10 fingertips, along with their minimalist looks and ability to keep your hands warm. These unisex knit gloves combine high-tech conductive fiber with a soft, warm microfleece interior. They only come in three sizes but are stretchy enough to fit onto larger hands.
Norrona Unisex Trollveggen Gore-Tex GlovesNorrona
The Trollveggen Gore-Tex Gloves from Norrona, a Norwegian brand with a storied history of creating products able to tackle the infamous Scandinavian winters, are perfect for whatever cold-weather adventure you throw at them.
The Norrona Trollveggen Gore-Tex Gloves have you covered for all your winter sports adventures, whether you're skiing, hiking, or even ice climbing. The outer shell is made from a combination of durable goat leather and Cordura ripstop fabric with a waterproof Gore-Tex liner and 130 grams of PrimaLoft insulation. The inside is lined in warm, soft wool. These unisex gloves from this storied Norwegian brand are water and windproof while still being breathable, and come in a wide range of sizes so you should be able to find a perfect fit.
Kate Spade Quilted Leather GlovesZappos
The Kate Spade Quilted Leather Gloves are attractive, subtle, made from supple lamb leather, and lined in polyester for extra warmth.
If you're looking for gloves that are as stylish as they are warm, the Kate Spade leather gloves with a quilted spade pattern on the back, are a good option. Sleek but with a pop of eye appeal from the monochrome pattern, these gloves are made from buttery lamb leather and lined in polyester.
The North Face Men's Denali Etip GlovesThe North Face
The North Face's Denali Etip Gloves improve upon traditional fleece gloves with touchscreen compatibility, nylon at the knuckles and fingers for added durability, and a hefty fleece to keep your hands warm in the dead of winter.
Fleece gloves are an excellent winter companion for their freedom of movement, warmth, and softness. The North Face improves on this with touchscreen compatibility, a silicon gripper print on the palm, and nylon over the knuckles and fingers for added durability. They're also super soft and are made from 300-weight fleece (that's a high count!) that can handle cold winter weather.
Smartwool Merino Sport Fleece Training GloveSmartwool
Smartwool is best known for its performance socks, but the brand also makes exceptional winter gloves for running and other outdoor athletic activities.
Smartwool, an outdoor industry innovator that turned Merino wool into the beloved performance fabric it is today, may be best known for its socks, but they also make fantastic running gloves. The Merino Fleece Training Glove—like the brand's socks—is moisture-wicking, warm, soft, and naturally antimicrobial, making them perfect for winter runs, or other physical activities. They also feature silicone grippers on the palm and fingers to keep a grip on your ski pole or snow shovel. These aren't 100 percent wool but a poly-wool-elastane blend for better finger mobility and durability.
Hestra Heli Insulated GlovesHestra
Hestra's Heli Insulated Gloves offer dexterity and exceptional warmth for your next skiing or snowboarding outing.
Hestra, another old-school Scandinavian brand, makes some of the best winter gloves around. The Heli Insulated Gloves combine tough goat leather and wind and nylon that's both wind and waterproof, yet breathable, along with a lot of insulation. These unisex gloves offer dexterity and exceptional warmth in extremely cold conditions so you can focus on avoiding other skiers and trees on your downhill run and not on having chilly hands.
Barbour Insulated Leather GlovesBarbour
Barbour's men's Insulated Leather Gloves are handsome enough for a night out but still rugged enough for winter chores.
British heritage brand Barbour has been making rugged and handsome country wear for more than 120 years. Their men's Insulated Leather Gloves combine style with substance, making them perfect for any number of occasions, whether it's a night out in the city or a brisk walk in the country. The water-resistant nubuck outers are classically good-looking and feature a wrist strap to keep the wind and snow out. Inside, the gloves are lined with thermal fleece for a warm and comfortable feel.
Harssidanzar Women's Winter Lambskin GlovesAmazon
Harssidanzar's Women's Winter Gloves are made from smooth lambskin, lined in cashmere, offer a wide range of sizes and colors, and come in at under $30.
Harssidanzar's Women's Winter Gloves are made of a smooth lambskin, lined in cashmere, and come in at under $30. They offer a wide range of sizes and colors, from basic black to bright orange. These make great driving gloves and are elegant enough for an evening out.
Give'r 4 Season GlovesHuckberry
Give'r 4 unisex Season Gloves are some of the best overall winter gloves for whatever you get up to when the temperatures drop.
Give'r 4 Season Gloves are some of the best all-around winter gloves around whether you're on the slopes, chopping wood, or yanking a log out of the fire (yes, you can apparently do that with these gloves). They're made from wax-coated heavy-duty leather, have a waterproof membrane, and are insulated with 40 grams of Thinsulate. These unisex gloves are ruggedly good-looking and breathable so you can look good and feel good no matter what you get up to in them.
Marmot Unisex BTU GlovesMarmot
Marmot's Unisex BTU Gloves can tackle the wind and snow and still keep your hands comfortable and dry.
My wife, a longtime skier, swears by Marmot and she's both a gearhead and very choosy. The BTU gloves are gauntlet-style—meaning they extend past the wrist—for more protection from the elements, waterproof, breathable, and warm thanks to the high-loft fleece lining and Thermal R insulation. They have a good weight-to-warmth ratio, a removable waterproof liner, and even include an absorbent nose wipe for when there's no Kleenex around.
L.L. Bean Katahdin GlovesL.L. Bean
Get that retro look with L.L.Bean's classic knit Katahdin gloves.
Sometimes you just want a classic and the L.L.Bean unisex Katahdin Gloves have that retro feel with their throwback colorways that feature a stylized image of Maine's highest mountain, Mount Katahdin. Pair them with the Katahdin Pom Hat, and a puffer jacket, and you'll nail that nostalgic 80s vibe.
M Gore WindstoppersGorewear
The M Gore Unisex Windstoppers are my favorite winter running gloves. They're windproof, warm, water-resistant with a lightweight design.
These are my winter running gloves. I wore them all last winter (I live in New York's Hudson Valley and winter can be pretty brutal) and my hands stayed dry and warm during four-mile runs along the Hudson River. The Gore Windstoppers are especially windproof, as the name suggests, but are also water-resistant, and very breathable. These unisex gloves are light, especially considering how well they keep your hands warm, fit snugly, and have reflective details if you're into evening runs.
Snow Deer Waterproof Heated GlovesAmazon
When it's time to bring out the big guns against winter weather, the Snow Deer Waterproof Heated Gloves get the job done.
Sometimes you need to bring out the big guns when winter weather becomes unrelenting. The unisex Snow Deer Waterproof Heated Gloves are definitely big guns against the cold. They're made from a combination of lambskin and polyester, have an adjustable temperature setting (low, medium, high), and the battery power lasts up to 6.5 hours, giving you plenty of time to ski or shovel the walk. The heating element gets the fingers and back of the hands warm in only 30 seconds, according to the company, and they're wind and waterproof too.
Carhartt Women's Quilts GlovesAmazon
Carhartt's Quilts Gloves have everything you'd expect from the iconic workwear brand plus some nice color choices, quilting, and an adjustable strap.
Carhartt is well known for its tough workwear, but the company also has a more colorful side. The Women's Quilts Gloves have all the qualities you'd expect from the brand—waterproofing, a soft microfiber liner that's quick-drying, tough ripstop taffeta outer shell, reinforcement in all the right places—plus quilting and nice color choices like Nightshade (dark purple) and Crabapple (bright red). It also features an adjustable strap to keep snow and wind out and a stretch fleece cuff.