Running Gloves & Mittens: 9 Pair to Keep Your Digits Warm

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Brynn Cunningham

Looking for running gloves or mittens to keep your hands and digits warm, toasty and dry for miles?
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Running gloves and mittens are a tricky accessory in the runner’s wardrobe...

Too warm, and the hands sweat too much and ultimately get cold.
Not warm enough, and the hands become stiff, useless and possibly immobile and painful.

What’s the secret to keeping the hands warm and dry while on the run?
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I have some suggestions! I’ve tried LOTS of running gloves and mittens over the years, and have narrowed it down to the nine reviewed in this article.

Tired of frozen hands and fingers when the temps drop? Check out these 9 cold-weather tested running gloves and mittens.

Say 'buh-bye' to frozen hands and fingers with these 9 running gloves & mittens

How the gloves and mittens were tested:

Through three seasons (fall, winter and spring), in southwestern Pennsylvania
For at least one year and up to 10 years
In temperatures ranging from negative 10 to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit
In all precipitation - snow, rain, sleet, hail and wintry mixes
Mostly on trails, sometimes on dirt roads and less often on roads
On double-digit long runs and lots of single digit runs, lasting from 30 minutes to five hours
During speed sessions and races
And, as an added bonus, while skiing, mountain biking and backpacking

Female test wearer’s hand size:

From wrist crease to tip of middle finger: 6.5 inches
Palm width: 3 inches

Salomon MTN Wool Base Gloves

1. Salomon MTN Wool Base Gloves

Because it’s often humid and wet, with a chance of any sort of precipitation in the Appalachian mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania, the properties of merino wool work well for active outdoor pursuits such as running.
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That’s why I chose the Salomon MTN Wool Base Gloves as a go-to for temperatures in the 30s to high 40s.

Pros:

100 percent merino wool
Lightweight
Breathable
Quick-drying
Relaxed fit
Pairs well with Salomon Bonatti Waterproof Convertible Mitten (reviewed below)

Cons:

They’re missing! Probably my sons’ doing.

Trailheads Power Stretch Running Gloves

2. Trailheads Power Stretch Running Gloves

These are a basic, stretchy fleece glove for daily training runs in 40-degrees Fahrenheit days.

Pros:

4-way stretch
Touchscreen
Thermal
Water resistant
Soft, cozy interior
Moisture wicking
Durable - have been running in these for about seven years

Mountain Hardwear WindLab Gore-tex Infinium Stretch Gloves

3. Mountain Hardwear WindLab Gore-tex Infinium Stretch Gloves

The Mountain Hardwear WindLab Gore-tex Infinium Stretch Gloves are my go-tos for warming up then stashing in my running vest on light to moderately cool, rainy, windy days ranging in the 30s to low 50s.

Pros:

Super stretchy
Windproof Gore-Tex Infinium™ 3-layer fabric
Clip at the wrist keeps them together when not in use
Lightweight
Great for backpacking
Repels water effectively - great for trail runs when the hands may get wet from climbing over downed trees or scrambling on wet rocks

(Mitten/Hood)Black Diamond Wind Hood GridTech Gloves

(Glove) Black Diamond Wind Hood GridTech Gloves

4. Black Diamond Wind Hood GridTech Gloves

The Black Diamond Wind Hood GridTech Gloves are a game changer.
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With the wind hood, I can adjust them to prevent my hands from getting sweaty and to protect them when temperatures dip.
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They are excellent for fluctuating conditions, like:

Starting a run at dawn in 20-degrees Fahrenheit
And finishing four hours later in the high 40s
Or when climbing and descending to various altitudes.

After all, Black Diamond, excelling in rock climbing gear, makes some of the best gloves and mittens on the market.

Pros:

Silicone grip palm
Stowable hood
20D Pertex® Quantum Pro windproof and water resistant stowable mitt transforms them into reliable and flexible cold-weather hand protection
Built for temperatures from 21 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, I usually begin a run with the hood covering the gloves, made of 224 grams of Polartec® Power Grid fabric fleece, and remove the hood once the hands are almost breaking a sweat
Alternating between hood on and hood off equals superior moisture management
Cuff length is perfect, not too long, not too tight, and pairs well with all of my jackets and tops. It’s not so long that it covers my watch, leaving that coverage to my tops and jackets.
For the 20-degree range, I put a hand warmer inside the hood

Brooks Shield Lobster Gloves

5. Brooks Shield Lobster Gloves

The Brooks Shield Lobster Gloves are great for high 20s to 40-degree Fahrenheit days, depending on pace and location of the run.

Pros:

30 grams of insulation
The separation of the pointer finger and thumb from the other digits keeps the hands warmer than gloves
Provides more dexterity than mittens

Cons:

The smallest size available is small, which is too long.
About a one to one and a half inch of loose fabric comes past the tips of my pinkie and ring fingers.
For this reason, my husband borrows them, though it’s a bit of a squeeze for him to get his wider hand through the cuff. Once he’s in them, the hand area fits him perfectly.
I wish Brooks would offer size XS. Regardless, I still wear them.

Flylow Oven Mitt

6. Flylow Oven Mitt

In 2017, I bought these in size small as lifestyle gloves and had to return them for mediums, preferring ample wiggle room and space for hand warmers.
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While they are wonderful daily winter gloves, I began to turn to them for my very coldest, snowiest runs…
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On January 6, 2018, I won first female in the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runner’s Frozen Sasquatch 25k trail race in the Flylow Oven Mitt.
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For reference:

It was five degrees Fahrenheit
A half inch to two inches of light, dry snow covered the ground
Hint of wind
15.8 miles
Finish time: 2:34:34 (9:47/mile pace)
Hands stayed warm and dry

Pros:

Classic leather coated with waterproof seal
200 grams of insulation on the back of the hand
100 grams on the front
Roomy enough to fit a hand warmer if necessary
Works well for easy backcountry skiing
Cute!

Trailheads Running Mittens - Quilted

7. Trailheads Running Mittens - Quilted

A few Christmases ago, my husband gave me the Trailheads Running Mittens - Quilted.
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He was concerned because I was experiencing Raynauld’s syndrome-like symptoms, a common condition where the hands lose blood flow quickly, which included:

Loss of movement
Stiffness
Immobile fingers
Extreme sensations of cold to the point of sending waves of nausea down the arms
Lightheadedness
Inability to unlock my vehicle post-run

The Trailheads Running Mittens are warm, but they are only good for so long, especially on the trails, because they are not waterproof.
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Today, I’ve resolved the circulation issue in my hands with cold showers and cold water plunges.
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Pros:

Very warm
Long wrist cuff
Light water repellent
Good for short road or gravel runs

Cons:

The interior fabric of the thumb does not stay put when you pull your hands out, which means that you have to find the thumb hole and finagle it back into place.
I’ve taken up to five minutes trying to do this while my hands froze in the cold air, with the help of three or four running friends. Maybe the newer version has fixed this.
If they get wet, they stay wet for a long time.
The many seams are fraying, after about five years of wear.

Salomon Bonatti Waterproof Convertible Mitten

8. Salomon Bonatti Waterproof Convertible Mitten

Any runner living in a heavy precipitation area could benefit from the Salomon Bonatti Waterproof Convertible Mitten.
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Pros:

Because they can be worn by themselves or can act as an outer shell for gloves or mittens, runners can adjust the level of warmth desired by the liner worn underneath, or by not wearing a liner at all.
They flip up, so the entire finger area can be peeled back during intermittent rain showers or wintry mixes, without having to remove them altogether.
Roomy enough to put a thick pair of gloves underneath
Accommodates hand warmers
Pairs well with the Salomon MTN Wool Base Gloves during cloudy, wet and blustery 40-degree days
Also work well with the Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Ultra Grip Knitted Gloves (reviewed below)

Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Ultra Grip Knitted Gloves

9. Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Ultra Grip Knitted Gloves

The Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Ultra Grip Knitted Gloves are a cyclist’s and runner’s dream come true.
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Originally I purchased these for mountain biking and gravel riding, but they get just as much trail running time.
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I’ve even used them underneath my pogies when white water kayaking, and they keep the hands super dry.

Pros:

Waterproof
Windproof
Knitted and form fitting, which makes them feel almost like a second hand
The extra-long cuff does double to keep out the rain and cover exposed wrists or arms
Silicone grip palm and fingers
Stretchy
Reflective neon yellow

If you’re looking for more warmth, Sealskinz also makes: