Gloves and mittens (touring gloves, wool mittens, wind mittens)

Hands are the first thing to go cold and the last to warm up again. They have little muscle mass, sit furthest from the heart, and are in constant use while you walk — tying pack straps, reading a map, taking photos, opening a flask. A system that lets you do all of that without taking your mittens off is the difference between a good and a bad winter outing.

Gloves or mittens

A mitten is warmest. When the fingers lie together in one space, they warm each other, and the total surface area is smaller than for five fingers separately. Rule of thumb: a good wool mitten is about as warm as a glove of the same thickness plus one layer.

Gloves give better dexterity — you can take the lid off a flask, open the map case or tie a proper knot without taking them off. Used a lot in mild weather, on the bike, and in cross-country skiing where the fingers are active.

A good system often combines both: thin gloves as a base layer (you can use the camera with them on), and thicker mittens you pull over during a break or when it turns cold.

System thinking

As with clothing in general, it is about layers, not one thick garment.

Base layer — thin wool gloves or silk gloves (50–100 g). Keep dexterity without direct skin-on-metal.

Mid layer — felted wool mitten or fleece mitten (150–250 g). Carries most of the warmth.

Outer layer / shell — wind mitten or shell mitten in tightly woven nylon or a membrane (100–200 g). Stops wind and snow, protects the wool against moisture and wear.

On winter outings a realistic combination is a wool glove innermost, a felted mitten in the middle, and a shell mitten outermost. On milder days you use just one or two layers.

Wool mittens

A Norwegian classic. Felted wool of a coarse quality (Norwegian sheep, often Icelandic wool) gives unbeatable warmth per krone. A felted wool mitten of 200 g is about as warm as a modern synthetic mitten of 350 g. They also tolerate moisture — the wool keeps its warmth even if the mittens get a little damp from snow, unlike fleece, which loses its insulation quickly.

The drawback is that felted wool is stiff in its range of movement and loses a little on dexterity. For cross-country skiing and high-intensity activity a thinner fleece mitten is usually better.

Shell mittens / wind mittens

A thin outer layer that gives no warmth in itself, but which protects the wool mitten against snow, rain and wind. Pertex or a membrane mitten without fill, ideally with a long cuff that reaches up the forearm and closes over the jacket sleeve.

Shell mittens weigh 80–150 g and pack down to nothing. On a winter outing it is one of the garments where the difference between dry and wet hands — and thereby between warm and cold — can lie.

Spare mittens

For winter and mountain overnights you bring an extra pair of mittens. This is not extra kit — it is a core need. If you lose a mitten on the mountain (the wind takes it, you put it down on a rock and forget it), or the mittens get soaked through after hours in the sleety weather, there is no real solution on the mountain without a spare pair. Pack them dry — in a stuff sack innermost in the pack.

Gloves for specific uses

Ski gloves / alpine. Sturdier, often with synthetic or down fill, long cuffs, and a reinforced palm. Black Diamond Spark, Hestra Army Leather, Norrøna Lyngen — typical price 1000–2500 kr.

Climbing gloves / via ferrata. Half-finger gloves or full-fingered ones with a leather palm. For grip against rope and rock, not for warmth.

Cycling gloves / cross-country gloves. Thin, woven airtight, often with a wind-damping front and a breathing back.

Work mittens. Leather mitten or hide as reinforcement for wood-chopping, camp work, and rougher use in the camp. Ideally a separate pair in addition to the touring mittens.

The realistic basic set

For Norwegian outings all year round:

A pair of thin wool gloves (Devold, Bergans, Aclima) as everyday gloves and a base layer.
A pair of felted wool mittens for cold weather.
A pair of shell mittens / wind mittens to pull over.
For a winter outing: a spare pair of wool packed dry.

Total weight: 350–600 g. Price (all new): 600–1500 kr.

Next steps

The layering principle — the same thinking as for hands: layers, not one thick garment.
Socks on the trail — hands and feet cool first; the same system thinking applies to the toes.
Headwear — the other extremity that freezes fast, and which regulates the whole body.
Winter clothing — where spare mittens and shell belong in the whole.
Contents of a day pack for ski touring — where the spare mittens are actually packed down.

Learn more

The layering principle → · Winter clothing → · How to dress in the cold from head to toe → · Headwear →

Text: Snuitide (2026).