If your winter gloves are used for climbing, clambering or gripping walking poles, durability is going to be a focus to get your money’s worth. Look for tough outer fabrics such as leather and pleather, reinforced palms and rolled fingertips for the top durability. Technology Conductive leather panels on thumb, index and middle fingertips for use with touch sensitive screens The Men's specific fit of these gloves ensures extra width and a revised fit, while a pre-curved design makes gripping tools and ropes as unrestricted as possible. Lastly, touch screen compatible pads on the fingers and thumbs means you won't have to remove your gloves to use your phone or GPS in freezing environments. A Gore-Tex inner layer repels water. When dry, the touch-screen sensitive finger tips work efficiently; but they don’t perform so well when wet.

If you’re looking for something super warm, dexterity will likely be sacrificed, but for a general winter glove that doesn’t focus on sub-zero temperatures – dexterity shouldn’t be an issue. Gore-Tex is the most popular option, but some manufacturers have created their own materials that are just as good at keeping the wet stuff out. Insulation The Women's specific fit of these gloves ensures you're not left with a bad 'unisex' fit, while a pre-curved design makes gripping tools and ropes as unrestricted as possible. Lastly, touch screen compatible pads on the fingers and thumbs means you won't have to remove your gloves to use your phone or GPS in freezing environments.Insulation is the stuff that keeps your digits warm and can come in several forms (down, fleece or synthetic). If you’ve ever been on top of a mountain without gloves when the wind is howling, the rain is pouring and the mercury is dropping, you’ll know just how unpleasant it can be. And while you might have your bombproof waterproofs and rugged boots, you’re still likely to be miserable unless you invest in a decent pair of winter hiking gloves (a good winter base layer wouldn’t go amiss either!). The Sub Zero gloves are impressively warm, comfortable and are insulated with Downtek water repellent down. Impressively, the gloves stood up to wet weather without any issues and the down continued to do its job. I was also pleased that gloves were really easy to pull on no matter how cold or damp my hands were. Slide your hands into the Torres Peak gloves from Extremities and you’ll never want to take them out. This is thanks to a hi-loft fleece lining which makes them ridiculously comfortable. With this and the PrimaLoft insulation, these gloves are very warm – one of the warmest on test. As a result, you’ll find the Torres Peak gloves reasonably bulky, but dexterity is on par with, if not better than the Rab gloves. They also kept the elements out with ease. The fit is without a doubt the most important aspect of a pair of gloves with most good-quality items offering S-XL sizing.

Compared to the full range of winter hiking gloves we have on test, the Storm gloves from Rab are actually very good value. They were comfortable to wear and the level of warmth they provided was more than adequate. As they are one of the most bulky options on test, the ease with which you can carry out tasks is reduced, but not to an unacceptable level.There’s so much information available online when we’re shopping now, that it’s easy to find lots of detail about products like Montane Men’s Tornado Gloves. This is of course really helpful, but there’s almost too much information available, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for.

I like the style and low profile of Montane’s Tornado gloves. They felt nice on and I was able to carry out whatever tasks I needed to while wearing them. The cuffs were a bit shorter than I would have liked and my wrists did feel a bit exposed as a result, but I understand that this was done on purpose to offer a closer and more comfortable fit. I’d say this would just be a case of personal preference, but what isn’t up for debate is that these are quality gloves that will do a solid job. There are however some methods that you can use to determine a product’s quality without needing to physically have it. The best gloves keep your hands warm and waterproof when it’s wet, but airy and breathable when it’s dry. Great to prevent the gloves-on, gloves-off dance. Durability The cuff isn’t as long as many other winter hiking gloves on test so the coverage isn’t quite as comprehensive, but it’s more than adequate. We felt that a few of the others on test offered a more comfortable experience, but we had no issues with wind and water protection. It’s not too hard to squeeze them on when you have cold hands either. Plus, they work with smartphone screens…Many of the items we sell will come with the full manufacturer's guarantee. SMU, Ex Display and production products are covered under these conditions. Single hand cuff adjustment - leather tab with hook and loop fastening allows cuff to be adjusted with minimal fuss In traditional Scottish weather (so much rain) they stood up to whatever Mother Nature could throw at them and kept my hands warm throughout. Others felt more luxurious, but I wouldn’t say these are uncomfortable. They’re easy to pull on with wet hands and offer a great fit with a small Velcro fastening. Faults deemed to have been caused by misuse or improper care (including washing not in accordance with the product wash care instructions) are not covered by the guarantee. The synthetic insulation, though, does work when wet. How warm are they? Moderately – not enough to keep you cosy in Arctic conditions. For versatility, choose a generous size, so that when it’s really freezing, you can fit an extra pair of liner gloves inside (see below). (JP)