Article Surfing Archive

Fabric types vary in their purpose and functionality. It is important that you choose winter gloves made of material that best suits your needs and budget. When choosing gloves based on warmth, keep in mind that the more air a fabric is able to trap inside, the more insulation it will provide and the warmer it will be. Most of the quality warm winter gloves you will find are made of various Wool, Polartec' and Gore' fabrics. If money is not an issue, you will want to look for warm winter gloves that utilize insulation made by Primaloft' and Thermoloft'. Review the following explanations of these materials to make an informed decision regarding which will work best for you.

Polartec' Fleece fabric

Polartec' is the leader in Polar Fleece fabrics. If a product is made out of any of Polartec's fabrics, you can be assured that the product is of high quality. You'll find performance brands like Mountain Hardware, The North Face, Marmot, Lowe Alpine and many others with the Polartec' label sewn into them. Malden Mills, maker of Polartec', designs fleece fabrics to provide comfort and performance to adventurers and athletes. They produce over 180 thermal fabrics to wick moisture, block wind, insulate, repel rain, and dissipate odor. Their fabrics are manufactured for three main applications: Next-to-skin, Thermal Insulation, and Weather Protection. Next-to-skin fabrics are designed to be worn against the skin, to breathe, to be comfortable, and to pull moisture away from the skin. Polartec's' Thermal Insulation fabrics are designed for warmth without the weight. Fabrics in this category trap warm air close to the body to keep you warm. Finally, the Weather Protection fleeces protect you from natures elements such as wind and rain.

For high endurance activities which cause your hands to sweat, choose a glove made with Power Dry' or Power Stretch'. When you need wind protection, use Polartec' Wind Pro'. If you are just looking for a nice lightweight fleece glove that provides optimum warmth, you'll want a winter glove made of a Polartec' Classic fleece or Polartec' Thermal Pro'. Polartec' Classic comes in three weights or thicknesses: 100, 200, and 300 with 300 being the heaviest weight. Polartec' Thermal Pro' is Polartec's' most technically advanced and highest performing insulating fleece. Many experienced winter adventurers prefer a waterproof shell type winter glove with a warm thermal insulating glove as a liner. With this 2 in 1 system, you are able to remove the outer shell glove for those brief moments when you need to tie a shoe, zip up a zipper, etc. and still keep your hands warm.

Gore Fabric'

Gore' fabrics are designed with a purpose similar to Polartec'. Gore WindStopper' is a very thin, lightweight breathable material that is most often laminated to the inside of a fleece type material such as Polartec'. It can also be laminated to most any other fabric. This makes the material breathable, yet completely windproof. Gore-Tex' is a completely waterproof, breathable membrane that is laminated to the inside of nylon or other outerwear material used to make winter hats, winter gloves, winter jackets, etc.

Gore Windstopper'

Gore Windstopper' is one of the lightest, breathable materials you can find that is completely wind-proof. Windstopper' is well-known for its highly breathable design, which keeps you dry and comfortable. This feature is especially important if you are doing something that would cause you to perspire. Another key advantage of Windstopper' is its ability to keep your skin totally free from the chills of the wind, allowing you to focus on what you are doing rather than how cold you are. This windproof feature lasts for the entire life of Windstopper' garments. Used mostly on fleece type material, Windstopper' isn't waterproof, so you probably won't want to build a snow-cave using only Windstopper' gloves. If you are going out into the cold and planning to stay dry, our Gore Windstopper' gloves are perfect for you.

Gore-Tex'

Gore-Tex' is known worldwide for its exceptional performance when it comes to staying warm and dry. Gore-Tex' winter gloves are perfect for any winter activity, including snow sports. In addition to the wind blocking and breathability features of Windstopper', Gore-Tex' winter gloves are guaranteed waterproof. When you are in the snow, wet hands are cold hands. Gore-Tex' winter gloves will keep your hands dry. This ability to keep out the cold while allowing your hands to breath will last for the lifetime of the gloves. For extreme winter activities (ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding, snowball fights, etc.), you can't go wrong with Gore-Tex' winter gloves.

Wool

Wool is the old standby in the world of thermal fabrics. It does a great job keeping your hands warm while allowing your hands to breath really well. Most ragg wool gloves are not the greatest at stopping wind from penetrating to the skin however. Wool works very well as an insulator inside of a waterproof or windproof shell. Wool can feel itchy to the skin.