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When I began writing and researching this guide three years ago, I’ll admit that I was the type of person who purchased a cheap pair of knit gloves at the start of every winter and simply hoped for the best. Those gloves developed holes quickly and riddled my text messages with typos despite supposedly being touchscreen-compatible. They were invariably discarded and left to languish at the bottom of various tote bags, never to be worn again. I’ve since found that investing in a sleeker and more dexterous pair of winter gloves makes life much easier during the colder months. Whether you’re walking to the subway, running around the park, or taking a selfie on a ski lift, the right pair will keep your hands cozy and comfortable without getting too sweaty or preventing you from swiping on your smartphone.
To find the best winter gloves and mittens for women, I talked to outdoor-gear experts and even professional snowboarders about their favorites. Then I tested their recommendations out for myself while also asking fellow Strategist staffers about how they keep their hands well insulated season after season. You’ll find recommendations here for windproof gloves to protect your knuckles while pushing a stroller, running gloves that’ll prevent your fingers from freezing while you select a new playlist, and hiking gloves you can keep on while you take photos of surrounding vistas. While you’re here, I’ve also written guides to the best winter parkas and boots for women.
Update on December 10, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Material
The material of the glove will tell you a lot about the best use case and the level of warmth you can expect. Leather, for example, is windproof but less effective in damp conditions. Polyester or fleece will dry quickly and let your fingers breathe, but that means it’s not the most windproof. For optimum protection against wind and water, including melted snow, I looked for gloves made with materials like nylon and Gore-Tex.
Smartphone compatibility
Two features make for a good pair of tech-friendly gloves. First, those all-important touchscreen-compatible fingertips, which conduct electricity and can therefore interact with your smartphone screen, enabling you to make calls, send messages, and take photos without going barehand. Some gloves feature five touchscreen fingertips, while others only enable you to use your thumbs and index fingers. The latter option is fine if you’re skipping songs on Spotify, but the former is preferable if you’re texting a lot.
Some gloves explicitly designed for exercising outdoors are made with silicone grips on the palms that’ll help you hold on to that precious phone when you’re on the move. While this is not an essential feature for everyone, I’ve noted which gloves are grippier than others.
Price
I decided on three price points, denoted as $ (less than $20), $$ (less than $50), and $$$ (more than $50).
Best gloves for women overall
Material: Nylon and leather | Smartphone compatibility: Five fingers, palm grip | Price: $$
I purchased these gloves for the five-day W Trek in Patagonia’s Torres Del Paine National Park in 2022, and they’ve since become my default pair for both hiking and everyday use. I like that they’re thin enough to provide ample dexterity when fishing items out of a bag or taking photos with a smartphone camera, yet thick enough to insulate against frosty mornings or random rainstorms. The touchscreen fingertips are highly responsive, and stretchy cuffs prevent cold wrists while making it easy to take the gloves off with one hand. (The wrist cuffs clip together, too, which helps prevent the gloves from becoming orphaned from one another in my sock drawer or backpack.) My fellow Strategist outdoor-gear writer Jeremy Rellosa has also owned a pair of these gloves for years and agrees that they’re ideal for biking, walking around town, and wearing on runs. Brian Githens, a certified ski instructor at the Jackson Hole Mountain Sports School, gives them two insulated thumbs up, adding that the gloves’ grippy suede palms are great for holding onto ski poles. While they’re warm for everyday winter wear, in extremely cold conditions, I’d pack an additional pair of mittens to put on top.
Best less-expensive winter gloves for women
Material: Knit Polyester | Smartphone compatibility: Three fingers, palm grip | Price: $
I was initially skeptical about Achiou’s astoundingly affordable gloves, despite their thousands of glowing Amazon reviews. That’s because knit gloves tend to fit a little loosely, which inhibits touchscreen use and dexterity in general. But upon ordering a pair, I was surprised by how sleek they are; while such a low price implies disposability, in terms of comfort and fit, they are far superior to other cheap pairs that I’ve tried over the years, and the fleece lining means they’re also quite a lot warmer. Rubberized grippy palms make it easier to hold onto a smartphone or hiking pole or slippery handrail when descending the subway stairs, and elastic cuffs keep cold air out. As with the Black Diamond Screentaps, these are sleek enough to be worn as liner gloves underneath a bulkier pair of mittens. Note that sizing runs a little small.
Best women’s winter gloves for smartphone use
Material: Acrylic, nylon, polyester | Smartphone compatibility: Five fingers, palm grip | Price: $$
As a heavy group-chat participant, I personally think that smartphone compatibility is the No. 1 most important winter-glove feature. And if you’re using your phone a lot outside and like the soft feel of knit gloves, it might be worth upgrading from the Achious above to these. They are woven with a conductive fiber on all five fingertips, as opposed to just three, and are also very grippy. The microfleece lining and dual-layer construction help keep the heat in, and the snug fit enhances dexterity. Travel journalist Brittany Loggins initially bought these gloves for their look and affordable price, and now she can’t go on trips without them.
Best women’s winter fleece gloves
Material: Recycled polyester fleece | Smartphone compatibility: Two fingers, palm grip | Price: $$
These gloves are made from the same fluffy fabric as Patagonia’s beloved fleeces, and they’re just as cozy. I first heard about them from Sleater Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein, who purchased them to conquer the elements in wintry Portland, Oregon, where she lives. “I needed a pair of gloves that were lightweight and that weren’t necessarily fashion gloves for going out,” she explains. “These don’t look like I’m going out to play in the snow either; they’re pretty versatile in terms of what I can wear them with. They’re very soft, and I can still use my fingers — I think that’s important with gloves, that you don’t feel clumsy when you’re wearing them.” She adds that the weight is perfect for an all-round glove and that the colors are cute but neutral.
Best water and windproof women’s winter gloves
Material: Polyester, Gore Tex | Smartphone compatibility: Two-fingers, upper palm grip | Price: $$$
When I’m walking around in the cold, I’ll tend to stuff my hands into my pockets even when wearing gloves. But as Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo points out, this isn’t possible when you’re pushing a stroller around. She’s been testing out these Arc’teryx gloves while doing just that and says their high-tech fabric stands up well against the elements — especially wind. They’re not as fleece-y as other pairs on this list, which is ideal for sweaty-handed folks (“I overheat and find the feeling of too much coziness on my hands a little ick,” says Corsillo), and are minimal-looking enough that she wears them in all kinds of situations, from stroller walks to nights out and work events.
Best women’s winter work gloves
Material: Synthetic leather, Spandex, Neoprene | Smartphone compatibility: Two fingers | Price: $
For working in the cold, it’s important to look for a very well-insulated pair of gloves that still provide dexterity, as well as reinforced palms and fingertips to prevent wear and tear. Writer and film wrangler Maggie Slepian wears these gloves on winter film shoots in frigid Montana, where standard days on set can stretch for 12 hours while temperatures reach -15 degrees with cutting wind. She says they’re plenty warm, and the added palm grips make it easier to handle horses or perform other dexterous tasks. Elastic cuffs also make these gloves easier to slip on and off when needed, compared to those with a hook-and-loop fastening.
Best women’s winter ski gloves
Material: Leather | Smartphone compatibility: None | Price: $$$
I’ve often been disappointed by ski gloves, many of which seem to develop finger holes quickly, fail to live up to their promised waterproofing, or get overly sweaty inside. When buying gloves for the slopes, the most important thing is that they have to be waterproof, windproof, and breathable, advises Liz Lamanna, manager and buyer at Brooklyn-based outdoor shop Panda Sport. “Just like in the gym, you want materials that will wick away sweat and are breathable so that you stay dry and warm,” she explains. Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller says that these Oyukis are her favorite gloves because they are lightweight yet versatile, keep your hands warm, and have good movement for holding and grabbing items.
Best women’s winter ski mittens
Material: Synthetic leather, Gore-Tex | Smartphone compatibility: Two fingers, palm grip | Price: $$
I started testing out these Burton ski mittens at the beginning of last winter and am impressed with their thoughtful design. They offer the warmth of mittens with the option of added dexterity and smartphone compatibility of two liner gloves when you need it. On a ski lift, for example, you can take off one mitten (it will remain secured with a wrist strap) and snap a photo while wearing just the liner glove. The mittens are fully waterproof, their fit is snug and highly adjustable, and I like that they feature an outer zip pocket that can be used to stow hand warmers or left open as additional ventilation.
Best running gloves for women
Material: Polyester, spandex | Smartphone compatibility: Two fingers | Price: $
For advice on what to wear when winter running, I turned to Strategist junior writer Brenley Goertzen, who is known to lace up her shoes in all seasons. She calls these lightweight and breathable gloves from Nike a lifesaver, because “the touchscreen feature allows me to change my music or hit buttons on my Garmin watch without stopping, so I can still be in full stride.” The slimmer silhouette means you won’t feel weighed down as you move, plus a fitted cuff retains heat balanced with the Dri-Fit technology’s breathability. Goertzen says that while these gloves aren’t waterproof, they are durable enough for contact with snow without adversely affecting touchscreen compatibility.
Best women’s winter running mittens
Material: Recycled polyester | Smartphone compatibility: Convertible mitten allows finger access | Price: $$
If you’re not so fussed about using your fingers to change songs while running, a pair of mittens will be warmer than gloves. Chelsea Rizzo and Allison Levy, the co-founders of Brooklyn-based outdoor-clothing brand Hikerkind, told me about these snuggly convertible ones, with a flip top and a secret pocket to stash a hand warmer on particularly frigid days. Should you need to use your hands to text or tie your shoelaces, it’s easy enough to briefly free your fingers for full dexterity. Rizzo calls the design “super functional and streamlined.”
Best women’s heated winter gloves
Material: Nylon and leather | Smartphone compatibility: None | Price: $$$
If you’re doing intense outdoor work or just don’t want to have cold fingers ever, heated gloves are the best option. In addition to thick insulation, these have a rechargeable heating element to keep you warm on the go. Strategist contributing writer Jessica Silvester tested Eddie Bauer’s AI-powered heated gloves (that automatically adjust their internal heating elements according to the outside temperature) over the course of two months and found them to be surprisingly adaptive. While she mostly used them for cold-weather walking around town, they came in handy during a game of paddle. Silvester notes that there is a bit of a learning curve with these gloves when it comes to their battery life, as your dominant hand will require more battery power to keep warm than the other. Still, especially on milder winter days, her hands stayed “positively cozy” while wearing these — with heat “piping in from everywhere and nowhere at once.” (For a low-tech option, you can always invest in some hand warmers — I’m partial to HotHands.)
Best women’s winter mittens
Material: Waxed leather| Smartphone compatibility: None | Price: $$$
Mittens made from leather possess naturally insulating and moisture-regulating properties. They look smart, too, and will last for years. Slepian says these ones have been her ski mittens for many years, and they also come in handy on winter film shoots. They “start off somewhat stiff but start to break in after just a few wears,” she says, adding that she also enjoys their classic look, Thinsulate lining, and top-notch waterproofing.
Some more women’s winter accessories we’ve written about
Our experts
• Jake Allison, gear expert at Backcountry
• Carrie Brownstein, musician
• Jasmine Caccamo, celebrity stylist
• Erik DaRosa, ski instructor at the Aspen Skiing Company
• Aimee Fuller, Olympic snowboarder
• Ari Gefen, buyer at Westerlind
• Brenley Goertzen, Strategist junior writer
• Liz Lamanna, manager and buyer at Panda Sport
• Taylor Manson, visual specialist at REI
• Jessica Silvester, Strategist contributing writer
• Megan Ann Wilson, designer, stylist, and creative consultant
• Winnie Yang, Strategist senior editor
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