When it comes to keeping your hands warm, understanding your circulation is critical. Use your past cold-weather experiences to guide your decisions—are your fingers generally warm or cold compared to family or friends? Some people run hot, their blood zipping efficiently to their fingertips, while others battle icy fingers no matter what. If you’re somewhere in the middle, finding the perfect glove can feel like chasing the wind.

Here’s the key: your physiology dictates your experience. A glove that keeps one person toasty might leave another shivering. Start by understanding how your body handles blood flow. Are you a cold-handed adventurer, always hunting for more warmth? Or do you sweat through gloves without batting an eye? Your answer to this question is the cornerstone of selecting the right glove.

It's all too common for people to blame the glove when, in fact, it's their circulation that's lagging. Oh, and staying hydrated helps circulation—so drink fluids!

The warmest glove isn’t necessarily the biggest, bulkiest glove. Fit impacts circulation, which, as we’ve learned, is your body’s built-in heater. A glove that’s too tight compresses your blood vessels and the glove's insulation, turning your fingers into icicles. A slightly roomier glove, on the other hand, traps insulating air and lets the glove’s materials maintain their loft—the fluffy layer that’s critical for keeping heat in. And don’t fall into the common trap of adding a liner glove without ensuring your outer glove can accommodate it. If the layers are too tight, you’re sabotaging the insulation and losing warmth -- even as you stack more material thinking it's going to help. Remember, a roomier fit is your ticket to cozy hands when staying warm is your top priority.

Insulation is your armor against the cold, but it’s not magic—it works best when given space to shine. Loft, or the fluffiness of insulating material, is what traps heat. Compress it, and you lose warmth. Wet insulation? Same story. Your choice of insulation should be informed not just by the thermometer but by your personal circulation. If you run cold, prioritize thicker, lofty insulation -- in the correct size glove. If you run hot, opt for thinner layers to prevent overheating. It’s not just about piling on insulation—it’s about choosing the right amount for your body and the day’s conditions.

Weather matters. Conditions like wind and moisture can quickly turn your glove system into a recipe for frozen fingers. Moisture, whether from external sources like snow or rain, or internal sources like sweat, is a glove’s worst enemy. Wet gloves lose their insulating power, so it’s critical to keep them dry. Hot-handed individuals might benefit from carrying a backup pair to switch into when their first set gets damp. And everyone should make drying gloves a nightly ritual—don’t leave them stuffed in your pack. A warm, dry glove at the start of the day is non-negotiable for maintaining hand warmth.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your fingers still get cold. Don’t panic—warmth is within your reach. Start with the classic hand-swinging trick: swing one arm at a time like a pendulum, using centrifugal force to push blood to your fingertips. Thirty swings per side can do wonders. For more intense cold, tuck your hands into your armpits or place them on a friend’s belly—it may sound funny, but it works wonders for dangerously cold fingers. And don’t forget to troubleshoot: check your glove fit and make sure moisture isn’t the culprit. Warmth is an active pursuit—use these tricks to reclaim it.

For years I struggled with staying warm on cold, windy chairlifts. I was constantly blaming my gloves. Black Diamond, Hestra, OR, etc. But for me the answer was not about blaming a brand or a model of glove. What I had to realize was that my circulation to my fingers is not as good as I was pretending. If I saw a cool looking glove, that was my trigger to buy it -- not that it was going to be a good glove for me. What I learned over time was that for me to be comfortable, even in the mid-twenties, I had to switch to wearing mittens. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the gloves I had been in. They just were not the right tool for the job--for me. Understanding this and moving to mittens and three finger gloves was my ticket to all day comfort on the hill.

Know your body. Know your gear.

-Brett / Founder

Although we don't publish temperature ratings, we do offer a relative warmth comparison of the various models. The assumption that must be made here is that the glove fits the customer correctly. Remember, even the biggest glove can be cold if it fits too tight and constrict blood flow.

We also list the various cross sections of each model to identify what each glove contains for insulation and where it's placed.