Best Hiking Gloves and Mitts for Men

There is a fine line between joy and despair, and when it comes to spending time in the outdoors in winter, that line comes down to exactly one thing: gloves & mittens.

And no, we’re not being hyperbolic. Getting cold hands is the single quickest way to turn your adventure into a real drag, not to mention expose you to dangerous frostbite, or worse, a bad case of Hypothermia, which the CDC has some alarming stats on.

The best hiking gloves and mittens for men are not just going to protect you from the frigid cold, but they’ll do it in a way that makes you look good, stay dry, and now, even use your smartphone. Here’s what we found to be the 8 of the Best Gloves and Mittens, ranked by their ability to keep your fingers nice and toasty:

Best Gloves for Hitting the Slopes – Outdoor Research Men’s CENTURION Gloves

We’ll begin with the CENTURION gloves by Outdoor Research, one of the most respected companies when it comes to durable cold-weather gear. This is a pair of gloves that delivers an impressive degree of both durability and style for a glove that is under $60. It is not uncommon to see this style of glove go for well over $100 by some manufacturers.

But what good is a cheap glove if it doesn’t perform? We were eager to stick our hands into these babies, and once we did, the results were clear. The CENTURION is not only comfortable, but sturdy enough to stand up to the more brutal aspects of backcountry hiking.

The reinforced palm is a must for skiers and hikers with poles in their hands. It’s a thick nylon weave, and by the feel of it, it will be several seasons at the very least before these start to go.

One of the big problems with GORE-TEX gloves is that they can be notoriously sweaty, especially in high aerobic conditions like out on the ski hill. That is not the case with the CENTURIONS. The woven layered construction offers warmth when it matters and venting when you need it. This feature along makes these gloves more than worth the price.

Our only note is that the CENTURION gloves are not highly dexterous. While they are prefect for keeping your fingers warm as you bomb down the hill, they will be far less effective as performing delicate tasks.

Best Ultralight Hiking Gloves – SmartWool PhD Insulated Training Glove

If the CENTURION gloves look a bit thick for you, then these SmartWool training gloves might be more of your style. You might think that they wouldn’t be able to offer the same degree of warmth as the last pair we looked at, but you’d be wrong.

The secret is in the high-performance weave that was designed specifically for the PhD line of gloves and products. Densely woven merino wool is such an amazing insulator that these training gloves are just as warm as even some of the thickest ski gloves that are out there.

Our biggest issue with the SmartWool training gloves was that the fit was a bit awkward and inconsistent. It was also difficult to achieve a tight enough fit. Overall we just wanted something that stayed a little closer to the hand.

But overall we just adored these gloves. They’re the perfect thing for early morning running or cold weather hiking. What we were really surprised by was this glove’s ability to provide the level of wind-proofing that it did.

Best Winter Hiking Mitts – Outdoor Research Men’s ALTI MITTS

Although they reside a bit higher on the price spectrum than the other gloves we have looked at so far, it is worth the time to take a few moments to consider the impressive insulating capabilities of the ALTI mitts. While a weekend ski trip to Taos Mountain might not warrant spending this much on gloves, the dedicated enthusiast or hardcore adventurer might be interested in getting the warmest, most weatherproof gloves around.

The reason we decided to combine gloves and mitts into the same review was a simple one. To be honest, we don’t think there is that big of a difference between the two. While some people might argue that mitts offer no dexterity, I challenge the person who says that to see just how dexterous they would be with my ski gloves. Honestly, you can’t to a darn thing with your fingers while the glove is on. So what’s the difference?

The problem with these mitts is that the thumb compartment just can’t stay as warm as the rest of the glove. Even when you add a heating packet to the compartment, the heat has a hard time finding its way into the thumb compartment.

Best Tactical Outdoor Gloves for Men – FREETOO Tactical Gloves Military Police Glove w/ Rubber Knuckle

Looking for the tactical advantage? Then look no further than the FREETOO Tactical gloves, a pair of rough & tough military-style gloves with re-enforced rubber knuckles and proprietary anti-slip palm panel and armored wrist. These things are designed to handle the most sensitive of missions, while still providing protection from bumps, scratches, cold, and cuts.

They also happen to be one of the most affordable pairs of gloves on our list by a significant margin. They’re at such a great price in fact that we decided to order a second pair to keep in the glove box for that next unexpected mechanical failure that will require us to spring into action.

We know they look super cool, but how do these gloves perform?

Our team found the overall construction to be slightly above average, however, some of the seams had weak spots where we could imagine some tearing to occur in the not too distant future. The rubber knuckle panels are well placed and firmly installed, but we are wondering why the manufacturer decided to switch from hard plastic to rubber. Their previous model felt like it could handle a little more of a beating if it came down to glove vs. pavement, which unfortunately it always does sooner or later.

For the price we are giving this pair of gloves our full recommendation, however don’t expect that they’ll last you a lifetime, especially if you are as active as these gloves suggest that you are.

Best Hiking Gloves for Winter – Marmot Men’s 8000 Meter Mitt

Now we’ve come to the big ticket item … the main event so to speak. The Marmot 8000 METER MITT is perhaps the most professional-grade mitt on our review, utilizing some of the most advanced materials and construction methods to craft a powerhouse of a mitten that can keep your hands warm and dry even in the hairiest of circumstances.

First thing to note: these are the only down-fill gloves that we looked at here, and for good reason. There are very few manufacturers who have figured out how to produce an effective down-fill mitten, when synthetic layers have become so much cheaper and more popular to use. But Marmot seems to have figured it out. It’s also a whopping 700+ fill, which is significantly better insulation than my own sleeping bag, if that says anything.

The second thing to note is that the 8000 Meter Mitt is actually three gloves in one. The first is a 100% waterproof GORE-TEX shell, followed by a breathable mitt insert and finally a removable 700-fill goose down mitten. All in all, this is a high-performance glove for high-altitude conditions, and it is not likely to disappoint you anytime soon.

There can really be only one complain about a glove this good, and that’s the price. The 8000 METER MITT is well into the professional price range, but why shouldn’t it be? It is basically unmatched.

Best Ultralight Hiking Gloces – The North Face Unisex ETIP Glove

On the complete other side of the spectrum from the 8000 Meter Mitt is the ETIP glove from outdoor powerhouse The North Face. This is a lightweight and closely fitting ultralight glove that is capable to follow you on a number of different adventures, from a snowshoe trek through the San Juans to the cold brisk walk to University.

The ETIPS are named for their touchscreen capabilities, which is a feature that we are seeing more and more on ultralight gloves. Perhaps that’s not surprising considering how frustrating it can be to have to take your gloves all the way off just so you can answer the call.

But the real functionality of the ETIP gloves goes beyond this minor convenience and really stems from the gloves wonderful fit. The whole glove is made of a comfortable and flexible fleece that has enough flex in it to really grip the hand. This just might be the most comfortable gloves in that sense.

The downside is that there is no real wind protection here. Fleece is not really the best windbreak, and it certainly isn’t waterproof either. So these gloves aren’t the best option for wet conditions or a day on the slopes, but they would work incredibly well as a pair of liners for a lager pair of mittens.

Best Heavy Duty Glove for Winter – Gordini Men’s THE POLAR GLOVE

Here’s another high-performance goose-fill glove, however, this one isn’t going to break the bank. Perhaps that’s because it uses more synthetics than the aforementioned 8000-METER MITT from Marmot, the other goose-down mitt that we looked at. In addition, it’s a 70% / 30% blend of goose down to waterfowl down, which apparently makes a significant price difference in the consumer’s favor, however, it is unclear if this blend ratio negatively or positively effects over warmth factor.

Best feature hands down is the deerskin fingers. They give this glove a very nimble grip and agile dexterity that you would not expect to find in such a thick and bulky glove.  It also happens to be a great way to prevent the smartphone from slipping right out of your hand while you’re on the ski lift.

We put these gloves to the ultimate cold-fingers test, which was basically putting our hands into them and then sticking those into a cooler full of ice cubes. It isn’t the most scientific way to get things done, but hey, we aren’t technically scientists, either. But we like to know how a piece of gear is going to perform in extreme circumstances. The straight skinny: these just aren’t the warmest gloves out there, and in fact, our fingers got chilly a lot earlier than we expected from such a burly looking glove. We expect that waterfowl down might have had something to do with it, but we are going to have to get back to you on that.

Best Three-Fingered Hiking Gloves – Outdoor Research Men’s HIGHCAMP 3-Finger Gloves

We’ve been big fans of Outdoor Research’s HIGHCAMP series for some time now, ever since it hit the scene a few years ago. We became instant fans when we learned just how dependable the warmth was and how great the overall weatherproofing was. But we have to admit that we didn’t know exactly what to think of the three-fingered style of gloves. I mean, we get the concept of it. It’s a middle ground between a glove and a mitten, or some fraction of the way there.

But what exactly is the point of having a single additional finger in its own pocket? For us it just made our index fingers cold. But, you have to admit, they do look pretty dang cool. And for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, that is actually pretty important.

But let’s talk warmth. The signature HIGHCAMP quality is present here, so there is basically nothing you need to worry about in terms of warmth. Like we said, that one lonely finger is probably going to get chilled well before anything else does, so maybe this isn’t as much of a long-day glove and more of a “few runs then done” kind of glove.

Very durable, though. We imagine this would last even the most rough & tumble adventurer at least a few good seasons before showing signs of wear.