Waterproof membrane, insulation weight, and glove or mitten

The best ski gloves, compared

Cold hands end a day faster than cold anything else, and the two things that cause them are wet and wind rather than air temperature. So the first figure is the waterproof construction: a taped membrane keeps melting snow out of the insulation, and a water-repellent shell without one is dry until the first fall. Read it as a stated membrane, not as a word in the title. The insulation is the second, and this shelf is dominated by one brand of synthetic fill — 3M Thinsulate is named in twelve of the thirty-nine titles the search returned, and in two of the seven gloves compared here — which is a real material and also a marketing line, because it comes in weights and the weight is what matters and is rarely printed. Be sceptical of the temperature claims: « −30 °F » on a 24 € glove is a number no test result stands behind, and this page reports such a claim as a claim. The cut is a genuine choice: a mitten keeps fingers together and warmer, a glove lets you work a buckle, and a hybrid puts two fingers together as a compromise. The cuff decides whether snow goes up the sleeve — a long gauntlet over the jacket, a short cuff under it, and both work if you are consistent. Then the details that get used every run: a wrist leash so a removed glove does not go down the mountain, a nose wipe on the thumb, and touchscreen fingertips, which every glove here claims and which stop working once the fabric is wet. Note that a glove with a built-in wrist splint is a protection purchase and lives on its own shelf. Prices run from 14.44 € to 32.99 €. We compare waterproof construction, insulation, cut, cuff, wrist leash, touchscreen and sizes.

Every accessory here, figure by figure

1. 

   Origem PN05299

   The cheapest glove here, and the only one whose water repellency is stated fluorine-free.

   Waterproof construction

   Fluorine-free water-repellent material, stated to give a lotus effect; no membrane named

   Insulation

   3M Thinsulate with a dense polar fleece lining — a stated two-layer system; no weight published

   Cut

   Glove

   Cuff

   Not published

   Wrist leash

   Not published

   Touchscreen

   Double-layer conductive PU on the thumb and index finger

   Sizes

   Not published; sold for men and women

   Amazon reference

   B0FPM4NCHJ (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   6976327510840

   • Fluorine-free water repellency, stated — the only glove on this shelf to say what its treatment is not made of
   • A two-layer insulation system, named: Thinsulate over dense polar fleece
   • No membrane named, so this is a repellent shell rather than a waterproof one

   Best for: A first pair, for cold dry days rather than wet ones

   ≈ £13 / €14

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2. 

   Odtmger 31US-00118

   One of two gloves here with a named membrane — and the only one sold as a matching parent-and-child set.

   Waterproof construction

   Waterproof TPU, with an inserted PU film stated to block meltwater

   Insulation

   Double-thick heat-retaining fleece; no weight published

   Cut

   Glove

   Cuff

   Individually adjustable fit, stated

   Wrist leash

   An anti-loss design is stated; the mechanism is not described

   Touchscreen

   PU leather on the thumb and index finger

   Sizes

   Toddler, child, youth and adult

   Amazon reference

   B09DGH5H7P (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   9331908543988

   • Names a membrane — TPU — with a PU film insert, which two gloves on this shelf do and five do not
   • Sold in a size run from toddler to adult, so a family buys the same glove for everyone
   • No insulation weight, on a glove whose warmth claim is "double-thick fleece"

   Best for: A family buying gloves for two generations at once

   ≈ $13 / £13 / €17

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3. 

   TANSTC TM04

   A cycling glove with "Skihandschuhe" in its title and not one snow word in its description.

   Waterproof construction

   Not published; described as windproof and moisture-wicking

   Insulation

   Not published; a high-tech fabric is stated to move moisture away and keep the hands warm

   Cut

   Glove, described as a liner glove

   Cuff

   Not published

   Wrist leash

   Not published

   Touchscreen

   Conductive microfibre throughout

   Sizes

   M as read; no size table published

   Amazon reference

   B099826R24 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0600821129876

   • Silicone on the palm and the fingers, which is the grippiest surface on this shelf
   • Conductive microfibre across the whole glove rather than on two fingertips
   • Its five bullet points describe cycling, mountain biking, running and indoor fitness — never skiing

   Best for: A liner glove under a shell, or the walk from the car — not a day in the snow on its own

   ≈ €18

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4. 

   BIKINGMOREOK MK020

   The only glove here that publishes how much insulation is in it — and it writes the figure two different ways in one sentence.

   Waterproof construction

   A windproof membrane, stated; waterproofing claimed in the title without a membrane name

   Insulation

   200 g 3M Thinsulate with velvet fleece; the same sentence also writes "200C"

   Cut

   Glove

   Cuff

   Extended, with an adjustable buckle strap and a drawcord

   Wrist leash

   Not published

   Touchscreen

   Stated; the material is not named

   Sizes

   S as read; no size table published

   Amazon reference

   B0B3R59SST (one reference across 4 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0705478775565

   • Publishes an insulation weight — 200 g of 3M Thinsulate — which the family page above calls the figure that matters
   • 3 mm SBR padding at the ergonomic point of the palm, which is unusual on a ski glove and useful on a pole
   • The title claims "−30°F", in Fahrenheit, on a German listing, with no test behind it

   Best for: Genuinely cold days, by someone who wants to know how much fill they are buying

   ≈ £30 / €24

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5. 

   OutdoorMaster 805493-JP

   The only mitten on the shelf — warmer by construction, with a second insulation weight published and pockets nobody else has.

   Waterproof construction

   Water-repellent outer shell over an inner waterproof TPU membrane — a stated two-layer system

   Insulation

   140 g insulating cotton

   Cut

   Mitten

   Cuff

   Not published

   Wrist leash

   An anti-lost design is stated; the mechanism is not described

   Touchscreen

   Soft flexible leather on the thumb

   Sizes

   Not published; sold for women and men

   Amazon reference

   B0DC6BJKSY (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0198387023450

   • The only mitten on this shelf, and a mitten is warmer than a glove at the same fill
   • Publishes both halves of the waterproofing: a repellent shell and an inner TPU membrane
   • A mitten cannot work a buckle or a zip without coming off

   Best for: Cold hands that do not need to operate anything

   ≈ $25 / £21 / €24

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6. 

   Reusch 6201198

   A glove from the name most associated with the sport, described in four of the maker’s own words and no numbers.

   Waterproof construction

   Water-repellent and windproof outer material; no membrane named

   Insulation

   TecFill; no weight published

   Cut

   Glove

   Cuff

   Not published; a Pull & Penetrate loop is stated for getting the glove on

   Wrist leash

   Not published

   Touchscreen

   Not published

   Sizes

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B0B155Q3KQ (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4060485355466

   • A stated windproof guarantee, which is the second of the two things the family page above says causes cold hands
   • A MicroActive lining, named, for warmth and moisture regulation
   • Four trade names — TecFill, MicroActive, Pull & Penetrate — and not one figure

   Best for: A cold walk rather than a wet day, from a maker who has been making gloves since before the shelf existed

   ≈ £27 / €32

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7. 

   Ziener Lett-Z Junior, size 7

   A children’s glove whose listing names two different models, priced from 7.70 € to 97.00 € across six stores.

   Waterproof construction

   A breathable waterproof membrane, stated; not named

   Insulation

   Soft fleece lining; no weight published

   Cut

   Glove, for children and juniors

   Cuff

   Wide hook-and-loop closure with a loop on the cuff for pulling it on

   Wrist leash

   Not published

   Touchscreen

   Not published

   Sizes

   Size 7, stated for ages 12–13

   Amazon reference

   B07H8WKDCM (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4059749246329

   • A waterproof breathable membrane on a children’s glove, stated rather than implied
   • A wide hook-and-loop closure and a pull loop, which is what a child can manage alone
   • The title calls it Lett-Z and the first bullet calls it LUUKI-Z AS JUNIOR

   Best for: A twelve-year-old, bought wherever the price happens to be sane

   ≈ €8

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