Good gloves go a long way in a cold environment. All gloves will eventually be worn out, so does is make sense to spend >100 moneys on mittens? In my opinion yes. Good gloves hold up longer than cheap ones and during that time they give you a much nicer experience in the snow. So instead of spending 25$ every year on a pair of gloves that leave your fingers cold and wet, you might want to invest 120$ in high quality gloves that last you 5 years and keep your fingers warm and dry.
Leki gloves:
Leki offers many great pairs of gloves for affordable prices. These gloves come in great quality with thick leather and I particularly like the clip system for their ski poles. Some new models also let you control capacitive touchscreens. I wish they had extra protection for the thumbs and index fingers as these parts typically wear out first. Nonetheless they hold up for a long time.
Hestra gloves:
Hestra has a long tradition of making all kinds of gloves. You see them everywhere and they are often easy to recognize due to their characteristic white or light grey leather. Are they worth their money? My short answer is yes.
Hestra Gloves generally provide good quality, the leather Hestra uses is thick and the inside liner is comfortable and removable in some models. Hestra claims you can replace the liner after years and keep the outside. In my experience I have seen the outside be worn out quicker than the inside. I wish Hestra would reinforce their gloves even more on heavily used sections. With some models they reinforce the thumb and index fingers but I still ended up finding holes in the area around the thumb after about 2 years of use.
The models that provide the over the jacket cuff are easy and quick to put on and prove to be nice and warm even in very cold situations. I also like the dexterity of the glove due to its soft leather
While the wrist strap is fantastic and you can pull off a glove and “forget about it” I often find snow all the way in the tips of the fingers since snow can easily fall right into the glove as its hanging from your wrist.
At the end of the day you wont regret these gloves. They are warm, dry and comfortable. I wish Hestra would start to implement touchscreen capabilities in more of their gloves. If you use the Leki clip system then you might want to take a look at gloves from Leki itself as they have the clip built in and also prove to be great gloves.
LEKI Handschuhe Aspen S MF Touch
- Leki clip system
- Great build quality
- Touch capability
Hestra Army Leather Gloves
- Long cuff
- Wrist strap
- Good quality
- High dexterity due to very soft leather