Columbia Gloves & Mittens

The fabric you should choose depends on how warm you need to be. In autumn, a pair of thin cotton gloves may be enough, while winter days often require warmer fabrics. Wool is the warmest fabric. A pair of woolen mittens can withstand getting wet from both sweat and snow without losing their warming properties. Leather is incredibly durable, as it is hardwearing and can withstand both water and wind. Invest in a leather grease to keep them looking good for a long time. Down is an excellent lining in dry and cold weather. It keeps you warm, but if it gets wet, it takes a long time to dry. So choose a different fabric if you are going on a sweaty skiing trip.

Leather gloves with a woolen lining are a particularly good choice – this gives you both the durability of the leather and the insulating properties of the wool.

A pair of mittens usually provides the most warmth, as the fingers warm each other. If you want to be able to adjust the heat, we recommend shell gloves, so that you can add a pair of inner gloves if it gets really cold. On the other hand, gloves have the advantage that you can keep them on if you need to fiddle with zips, pacifiers, or headphones.

Remember that your gloves should fit so that you have warming air around your fingers – if they are too tight, it will be too cold. At the same time, your gloves should not dangle and prevent you from gripping things. They should also cover the wrist so that there no cold gap exists.

Having a bit of trouble finding the right ones? Knit your own! Check out this page with 16 free knitting patterns, and then buy the yarn you prefer and get to it!