The fiddly construction of gloves like this, with waterproof membranes and insulating layers, helps explain their substantial cost. Nevertheless, if you love to spend hours outdoors whatever the weather, it's always worth taking the best pair you can afford.
Montane’s lightweight Tornado gloves are made from tough and stretchy softshell outer fabric, lined on the palm and inside of the fingers with strong and supple goat leather.
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.
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)
Facts at a glance:
- RRP: £75
- Fabric outer: Granite Stretch softshell with goat leather palm
- Waterproofing: GORE-TEX insert
- Insulation: 60g/m2 PrimaLoft Gold (100% polyester, of which 55% is recycled)
Also consider: liner gloves
Icebreaker Unisex Merino 200 Oasis Glove Liners
On really icy days, your fingers may need a base-layer beneath a pair of waterproof shell gloves. These 96% merino wool gloves stay close-fitting thanks to a little Lycra in the weave, and of course, you can also wear them on their own when the weather suits.
Extremities Fingerless Thinny Glove
Warm and affordable, these close-fitting gloves are also useful for layering beneath waterproof shell gloves on wet and freezing days. Handy if you want to keep your fingers free to fiddle with your phone or GPS. (JP)
Read more glove reviews https://www.countryfile.com/go-outdoors/gear/hiking-gloves/
