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Reviews
By Emily Pennington, CNN Underscored
Published 9:32 PM EST, Fri January 17, 2025
What's in this guide
- Best thick winter gloves: Carhartt Waterproof Insulated Knit Cuff Gloves
- Best thin winter gloves: Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor Windbloc Gloves
- How we tested
- Everything you need to know about winter gloves
- Other winter gloves we tested
- FAQs
- Why trust CNN Underscored

The best winter gloves we tested
Best thick winter gloves: Carhartt Waterproof Insulated Knit-Cuff Gloves
Best thin winter gloves: Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor Windbloc Gloves
The best winter gloves can keep your hands cozy and protected all winter, no matter the weather. But selecting that idyllic, perfect pair of ultra-warm mitts can be tricky since choosing wisely can involve sifting through an avalanche of heated gloves, touchscreen gloves and even ski gloves, just to find a pair that works.
Some of us just want a warm, soft pair of cold-weather gloves and don’t need all the bells and whistles of specialty designs, so our team went to great lengths to find the best winter gloves on the planet, and then I pitted them against one another in a series of real-world and at-home tests.
I checked out both leather and fabric designs, putting their waterproofing and insulation to the test for two months. Along the way, I subjected the gloves to frigid neighborhood dog walks in Boulder, Colorado; holiday shopping in the big, rainy city of Seattle; and numerous day hikes in the Rocky Mountains. The result is a comprehensive list of the best winter gloves of 2025, tried and tested.
Best thick winter gloves
At the super-cheap price point of $30, I was thoroughly impressed with the otherworldly warmth and waterproofing of the Carhartt Insulated Knit-Cuff Gloves. They weren’t the most dexterous of the gloves in our testing pool, but they provided adequate grip and incredible warmth on subfreezing dog walks and impromptu ski days.
Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor Windbloc Gloves
Best thin winter gloves
Best thick winter gloves: Carhartt Waterproof Insulated Knit-Cuff Gloves

As the warmest gloves in the testing pool, Carhartt’s Waterproof Insulated Knit-Cuff Gloves soared to the top of the ranks, sporting a unisex design that was weather-resistant enough to even double as a cheap ski glove.
Some of the primary factors I considered were warmth and waterproofing, which are precisely where this pair of Carhartts excelled. Though temperatures didn’t get down into the single digits during my testing window, these toasty, fleece-lined gloves stood up to ultra-windy weather and temperatures of around 18 degrees Fahrenheit. They would likely do well in even colder climates. When I tested them in 30-degree weather, they were almost too warm, cementing them as true winter gloves in terms of insulation power.

On drizzly December walks around Seattle, these gloves kept my fingers warm and dry. They also excelled in my at-home faucet test, during which I held each pair of gloves under running water for 30 seconds to test how waterproof they were. The Carhartt Insulated Knit-Cuff style had zero leaks on its front and back sides after the deluge of water.
Of course, nothing is perfect, and the one place where these gloves did not score as highly was in the dexterity category. The palm-side lining of these Carhartts is a faux-leather fabric that didn’t grip as well as gloves with a suede patch on their interior, like REI’s Guide Gloves. Also, because of the Carhartts’ superior, thick insulation, this design was a bit bulky around the fingers, making it tricky to perform a few basic tasks, like fumbling through a key ring or picking up dog waste on a morning walk.

Still, the insane warmth of the Carhartt Waterproof Insulated Knit-Cuff Gloves and their swoon-worthy $30 price point makes them a great buy for most people, whether you live in a frost-riddled climate or need a pair of toasty, affordable ski or snowboard gloves for your next mountain adventure. With amazing waterproofing and an awesome fleece-lined interior, they’re my favorite thick winter gloves.
Best thin winter gloves: Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor Windbloc Gloves

Depending on the types of activities you enjoy in the winter, it can be incredibly helpful to have a pair of thin, warm winter gloves that are dexterous to keep your hands toasty along the way. That’s where the Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor Windbloc Gloves shine. Boasting the classic look of chic, all-black leather gloves paired with the miraculous waterproofing of the sporty gear brand Outdoor Research, this thin pair of gloves trounced the competition across several categories.
One of the things I loved about these gloves was how easy they were to put on and take off, due to their wide wrist loops that are easy to pull, even with one cumbersome glove already on your hand. I also liked the gloves’ longer, gauntlet-style wrist cuffs, which could easily be zipped up to ward off drafts and sit nicely underneath a low-profile jacket. The outer design of the Stormtracker was a winner too, reminding me of pricier leather mitts that are easy to match to any cold weather outfit.

As such, these gloves would be suitable for various use cases, like keeping your hands warm on the long walk back to the car after a winter season concert or going on a blustery day hike in the mountains. The goat-leather details on the gloves’ palms and fingers also made my daily tasks (like opening a car door with a manual key or putting on a dog’s collar) easy and stress-free, without needing to pull a glove off with my teeth.
The Stormtracker’s thin design was also easy to ball up and place in jacket pockets when they weren’t needed. Weighing in at a featherlight 3.8 ounces for the pair, they also would be small enough to toss into my pack for a shoulder-season trek or camping trip.

One of the few places these gloves didn’t excel was in the overall warmth category. Though I only noticed one tiny seam leak during my waterproofing test and the gloves defended against high wind gusts easily, they weren’t the warmest mitts in the lineup. Given that, I’d recommend these gloves for wearers who tend to run warm, for more aerobic pursuits or for use in climates above 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Want a thinner glove that’s a bit warmer but also stylish and incredibly cozy? Upgrade to Hestra’s waterproof Zephyr style, which I also loved.

At a reasonable price of $79, Outdoor Research’s Stormtracker Sensor Windbloc Gloves are a weatherproof and sustainable choice, sporting bluesign-approved materials and an infinite guarantee for the practical lifetime of the product. Though they weren’t the warmest in our testing pool (that title goes to the Carhartt Waterproof Insulated Knit-Cuff Gloves), they looked smart paired with hiking and street clothes alike, shed water well and kept my sensitive fingers warm in temperatures down to 25 degrees. They’re a toasty but thin touchscreen-compatible pick that’s suitable for a wide variety of cold weather activities.
How we tested

Underscored’s outdoors editor conducted extensive research before creating strict testing parameters for the best winter gloves available. He selected seven pairs of the best gloves to test, keeping in mind affordability, waterproofing and warmth, then put together an intense rubric of in-the-field and at-home tests to see how each pair performed. Then I put the gloves through a series of day hikes in the Rocky Mountains, neighborhood dog walks in subfreezing temperatures, ski trips and in-home tests to determine which ones are the absolute best buys for your money.
Performance
- Warmth: Each pair of winter gloves was subjected to at least 2 miles of hiking or walking in the Rocky Mountain foothills, with temperatures ranging from 15 degrees to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, to assess their warmth in various real-world temperatures.
- Dexterity: I completed a series of day-to-day tasks in every pair of winter gloves that I tested, like putting on and taking off a dog’s collar, fumbling through house keys, starting a car, locking a door, carrying shopping bags and picking up dog waste with a baggy. I noted which gloves had the best grip and mobility while performing daily tasks.
- Weather resistance: I walked on high-wind days in Colorado and wore each pair of gloves for 10 minutes to assess how well they fended off the weather. I also held each pair of gloves under a running faucet for 30 seconds and marked down which pairs leaked and where.
- General fit and comfort: I tried on each pair of gloves and noted their inner lining materials and how cozy they felt against the skin. I also noted how well each glove fit.
- Durability: Each pair of winter gloves was scuffed five times, very hard, against a rock wall, then assessed for any damage to the fabric or seams.
Design
- Phone compatibility: I tried to unlock a smartphone and type a one-sentence text message, then made note of whether or not each pair of gloves was touchscreen compatible.
- Bonus features: Many of the gloves I tried came with additional features, like a cloth wipe panel, wrist buckle or hang tabs. I made note of which gloves came with useful extras and what those bonus features were.
- Warranty: I did research to uncover specific warranty details for each pair of gloves, then ranked them accordingly in our rubric.
- Price: Using a variety of popular websites as a guide, I noted the average price point of each pair of gloves, then ranked them.
Everything you need to know about winter gloves

The main things you should consider when choosing a great pair of winter gloves are warmth, dexterity and weatherproofing. Yes, a thicker, more insulated glove might be significantly warmer than a thin glove that’s easier to move in, but that puffy insulation might also prohibit you from completing basic tasks. It’s important to think about the primary activities you’ll be performing in a given set of gloves, then purchase a pair of cozy winter gloves to match. For example, if you’re likely to be working outdoors in your yard, you might want gloves with good finger mobility and a leather or faux-leather grip on the palms to aid with holding tools and moving objects around.
Similarly, you should consider the climate where you live (or where you’ll wear the gloves). Are you in a rainy big city, like Seattle? Are you planning to use these gloves on a high-mountain hike or ski trip? Ensure your gloves have excellent waterproofing if you’re wearing them in a wet climate. Likewise, if you’re going to don these gloves on dry morning walks or while driving your car to and from work, a thinner pair with more dexterity and less weatherproofing might be a better fit.
Other winter gloves we tested
I loved the affordable price point of the Carhartt Quilts design but found their cousin, the Knit-Cuff gloves, to be even warmer in testing.
It’s tough to find a solid pair of winter gloves for under $30, but Carhartt has pulled it off with this quilted, insulated pair that resembles a puffy jacket’s baffling. While I liked their wrist clips and fantastic price point, I found the wrists to be a bit tight when sliding the gloves off and on, and the Carhartt Insulated Knit-Cuff Gloves were even warmer on my most frigid dog-walking days.
Columbia Powder Lite II Gloves
The Columbia Powder Lite II Gloves had excellent dexterity for a thicker, more insulated pair of gloves but were just a bit pricier than our thick-gloves winner.
I appreciated the articulated fingers and excellent warmth of Columbia’s Powder Lite II Gloves, which cost a reasonable $45.
Billed as a touchscreen-compatible option, I found this design bulkier and more difficult to text with than our thin-gloves winner, the Outdoor Research Stormtracker. Though they weren’t quite as warm or waterproof as our top thick-gloves winner, they kept my hands warm and dry on chilly winter hikes in the Rocky Mountain foothills.
With awesome grip, waterproofing and warmth, I loved this affordable guide style, which could even double as cheap backcountry ski gloves.
I loved the suede wipe panel and grippy palm lining of REI’s Guide Gloves, which felt like an affordable version of Hestra’s Guide Gloves, though not quite as warm. Through two months of testing, I found these to be an awesome cold weather work glove or even an affordable ski mitt that could easily shed water and wind. The main reason they didn’t win? While they were much more dexterous, they weren’t quite as warm or affordable as the Carhartt Knit-Cuff Gloves.
Wells Lamont HydraHyde Water-Resistant Leather Gloves
Though these were the grippiest gloves on our roster, they failed to provide adequate warmth or waterproofing to be true winter gloves.
The men's edition of the HydraHyde gloves spans four sizes.
I adored the amazing dexterity and ultra-grippy palms of HydraHyde’s insanely affordable leather gloves. What I didn’t love? Their lack of waterproofing between the fingers and lack of toasty insulation. As such, I only recommend them as gardening or work gloves for shoulder-season pursuits, not full-on winter hand warmers.
Hestra Zephyr
The most expensive winter gloves on our testing pool, Hestra’s Zephyr gloves impressed me with their superior warmth and waterproofing.
If you’re looking to purchase a pair of phenomenal winter gloves that boasts epic waterproofing and a super-plush interior fabric, look no further than Hestra’s Zephyr.
The Hestra Zephyr is sleek enough to pair with city clothes yet warm enough to wear on freezing hikes. I fell in love with the super-soft inner fleece lining, shorter length and great weatherproofing of these gloves throughout the testing period. My main concern was the price point, which might be out of reach for many casual wearers. But if you’re ready to upgrade your glove game this season and have the budget, I highly recommend the Hestra Zephyr gloves, which boast a lifetime warranty against defects.
FAQs
Most gloves use a durable, synthetic material for the outers such as nylon or polyester, while insulation is also typically synthetic. Some brands also use leather, wool linings and other durable, warm materials.
Why trust CNN Underscored
CNN Underscored editors thoroughly test all the products we cover and provide full transparency about how we test them. We have an experienced team of writers and editors who have many years of testing experience and ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted.
Emily Pennington is a frequent contributor to CNN Underscored and has written other stories such as the best ski boot bags, the best filtered water bottles and the best multitools. For this story, she personally tested all the gloves in our testing pool during a Colorado winter.
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Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication.
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