I wasn’t expecting to review these gloves but they’ve turned out to be so much greater than expected that I had to share.
Living in Chicago, where it can get pretty brutally cold, gloves are a requirement. The need to be warm, easy to keep track of, not terribly expensive (because they get lost easily), must work with touchscreen devices, and ensure the highest dexterity possible.
I’ve gone through a lot of gloves. Many claim to be warm and aren’t. Many claim to work with touchscreen devices and don’t—or at least not well. Or those that are warm are bulky an impede manual dexterity. My last pair of gloves, also from The North face, were okay but I never loved them. They barely worked with touchscreens, were thick but not terribly warm, and wind cut right through them.
Just a few weeks ago, while shopping for some gym gear, a sales associate at REI went to search an item I couldn’t find and I took the time to looks at some gloves. I tried on the updated version of what I had currently—still mediocre. I tried some heavier gloves but they were just too bulky. I saw the Gore Glosefit Tricot Glove, picked them up but they were so thin they almost felt like latex kitchen gloves. But the tag noted ‘cold’ which appeared to be the second tear for The North Face gloves and therefore warmer than my current, thicker gloves. The tag also noted ‘windproof’ which is a huge advantage in Chicago. Made from Gore-Tex, it makes them highly breathable and offers some water resistance.
Jersey lining
Trying them on, I found them to fit very nicely—fit like a glove, I suppose! And pulling out my iPhone, they were super responsive on the touchscreen. In addition, the grip was awesome with tiny, silicon dots (apparently known as Jersey lining) on much of the palm, index, and middle fingers. I was almost able to let go of my iPhone XS. As many of you will likely be able to attest to, phones can easily slip out of one’s hand when wearing gloves. No bueno.
I was sold and took a pair home.
These gloves haven’t failed to impress me. Probably the most important attributes of these gloves isn’t the touchscreen compatibility or the grip but the how warm they are and the dexterity they allow.
While they aren’t terribly thick and therefore aren’t super insulated, they are windproof and that helps a ton. Especially here in Chicago, something every Chicagoan isn’t extremely well acquainted with is the brutal wind that sails off Lake Michigan during winter. A -12°C (10°F) day isn’t so bad… until the wind cuts into you like a razor.
Walking down the street my hands were free at my side without any chill, discomfort, or numbness. Further, I also was on a photographic mission and had my FujiFilm X-T20 in had and that is the second plus.
These gloves offer such dexterity that I am able to operated all the small buttons and dials with little impediment. Filmmakers and photographers rejoice—these gloves are go you. In fact, I’ve added them to my Filmmakers’ Gear list. Pull a memory card, operate a touch screen, adjust white balance or shutter angle with the Gore Closefit Tricot Gloves.
I can’t praise them enough—I’me sure there are some glove that are warmer but not as thin. Offer greater dexterity but not as warm. But these made for such a great combination of features, dexterity, warmth, grip, touchscreen functionality, and more that I highly recommend picking of a pair if this review spoke to you.
Price: $45