The Best Winter Mittens of 2024-2025

Sometimes, traditional five-finger gloves don’t cut it — your digits need to be in a cocoon, otherwise known as a winter mitten. While you’re inherently sacrificing dexterity, a range of well-made mitts offer various levels of insulation, durability, and style.

Our expert test team has been field-testing winter mittens since 2021, putting them through their paces in the mountains from Colorado to New Hampshire. Since then, this guide has been through seven iterations as we continue to test new products and add helpful information to help you find the best winter mittens to suit your needs.

In the bitter coldest months of the year, you might opt for a pair with a super long collar, like the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts, or even a battery-powered design, like the Volt Heat 7V Heated Mitts. Our list of recommendations comprises the best winter mittens on the market today.

If you’d like to learn what differentiates each pair of mitts, check out our Buyer’s Guide, or compare models in the Comparison Chart. And if you have questions about the wallet breakdown, take a look at the Price & Value summary. Otherwise, read our full gear guide below.

Editor’s Note: We updated this guide on November 11, 2024, with the field-tested and award-winning Baist Everyday Mitt and Arc’teryx Sabre Mitten and added more helpful information in our buyer’s guide.

The Best Winter Mittens of 2024-2025

Winter Mittens Comparison Table

Scroll right to view all of the columns: Price, Shell/Material, Cuff Type, Insulation, Warmth.

How We Tested Winter Mittens

The GearJunkie team is made up of skiers, snowboarders, and outdoor instructors who work and play outside year-round including when the temps drop, which is the perfect time to test winter mittens.

Our Expert Testers

Senior Snow Sports Editor Morgan Tilton learned to ski in Telluride, Colorado, and lives in one of the nation’s coldest locations, Gunnison Valley, where it’s not uncommon to drop into negative digits plus windchill.

Lead tester Mattie Schuler is no stranger to cold weather. As a childhood educator for a nature school, the majority of Schuler’s days are spent outside teaching kids — in cold, windy, wet weather — through the outdoor classroom program she founded in 2019. Over the past decade, Schuler has tested dozens and dozens of gloves and mittens for personal and professional utility, so she has a solid grip on the metrics from warmth to comfort. She’s quite picky about certain variables like nose wipe placement and if the wrist leashes are too long or thick.

Other contributors include snowboarder and gear tester Austin Beck-Doss, who hails from Wyoming, as well as New Hampshire-based backcountry skier Matt Hart, who has decades of backcountry skiing and product testing under his belt. Hart first skied Tuckerman Ravine when he was a 16-year-old, before heading west to live in the Cascades, Wasatch, and Front Range mountains. In 2023, he returned to New Hampshire, where he found the famously ridiculous weather of Mount Washington perfect for gear testing. An adherent of the “always go” philosophy, Hart often finds himself in nasty conditions where his gear choice matters. 

Our Testing Grounds

We’ve tested mittens through frigid Minnesota winters, during extremely cold Colorado outings, and while traveling across North America in search of snow-laden adventures.

On gear-shattering days, Tilton pulls on mittens at Crested Butte Mountain Resort or while taking a skate on the Crested Butte Nordic trails. Schuler grew up in Wisconsin and, for more than a decade, has lived in Colorado, where she teaches outside for a childhood outdoor school curriculum she co-founded. When she’s not at work, she tests mittens while snowboarding at Eldora Mountain, which is known for frigid temps, gusty winds, and whiteout conditions.

Other testing zones include Wyoming and New Hampshire, both of which are renowned for their harsh and unforgiving winter conditions. The GearJunkie team has also gathered twice annually for a ski week at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in 2022 and 2023.

Our Testing Process

While assessing pairs of winter mittens, we consider the insulation, warmth, waterproofness, durability, materials, sustainability, malleability, break-in period, ergonomics, comfort, style, cut, fit, liner, cuff, and value. We also consider the accessory details, including the nose wipe, vents, wrist leash and cinch, eyelets or other attachment points, and carabiners. While dexterity is reduced compared to wearing gloves, there’s also a range of dexterity for mittens based on their silhouette.

We make an effort to test every pair of mittens in the coldest, windiest conditions over many days of field testing each winter.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose Winter Mittens

If you’re using mittens in snowy, wet, and cold weather — say, on the ski slopes or in the backcountry — you’ll want a mitten that is insulated, waterproof, and has a few key features like a nose wipe or wrist leashes.

Many mittens will be a bit thicker than ski gloves and might compromise your dexterity. If you don’t need to hold onto ski poles or an ice axe, less dexterity is OK, as long as you’re warm and comfortable like how we fared with the best overall mittens the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts. 

Other mittens will be leaner with less insulation, but that’s because they are made for a specific activity like running or cross-country skiing. You’ll get plenty of breathability though with such styles like the Salomon Fast Wing Winter.

In the middle of the spectrum, you’ll find winter mittens that are great all-rounders for wearing on a stroll through town, while plowing down moguls, or on warmer spring days at the ski area. A mid-level insulation mitt is perfect for warmer winter days, where you still need some insulation and waterproofness but don’t want your hands to get too sweaty. If the temps drop mid-season, you can also add glove liners or a hand warmer to help stave off the temperature plummet.

Warmth Value

Winter can mean a lot of things — specifically, a range of temperatures. Especially in higher alpine environments with more extreme winds or places with humidity, temperatures can fluctuate and drop wildly.

If you struggle with keeping your extremities warm, you may want mitts with a higher weight or down-fill insulation, or a thicker shell. Consider a multilayer system like the Burton Women’s GORE-TEX Under Mittens or the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts, both of which have a lightweight removable liner.

If your fingers seem to never stay warm, or if you have Raynaud’s syndrome, opt for battery-powered mittens like the Volt Heat 7V Heated Mitts. Alternatively, if your fingers are usually pretty warm, other options are more simplified, like the Give’r Frontier Mittens.

Some manufacturers provide a warmth rating in degrees Fahrenheit. Others have a warmth rating system that establishes internal brand categories and provides a comparison between the gloves and mittens in their own brand’s line. Warmth can be tricky to measure. The materials and fill both have an impact but so does a person’s own circulation, warmth, health, and preferences. 

Insulation

The type and amount of insulation is key to keeping your hands warm. In many mittens, you’ll find natural down insulation options, synthetic insulation, and designs with a combination of both.

Down Insulation

Natural down mittens are a popular option for skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. However, down loses its insulating powers when wet. Natural down fill is often made of duck down or goose down (the finest, lightest feathers), and is extremely lightweight, very packable (like what you want in a down jacket), and warmer overall than synthetic fill.

Thindown is a constructed fabric made of natural goose down rather than the down being stuffed between layers of textile in a traditional baffled design.

Synthetic Insulation

Synthetic insulation keeps you warm even when the fabric becomes damp because it’s made from polyester, which retains warmth when wet. Ultimately, synthetic insulation also dries faster than down fill. Many more companies are opting for synthetic fill, including the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts.

More and more companies are using PrimaLoft synthetic insulation, which is a fiber made from recycled plastic bottles. PrimaLoft fill can also be recycled into another piece of gear.

Hybrid Down-Synthetic

Some winter mittens or gloves use a mix of synthetic and natural down like in the Gordini Fayston Gloves. The benefit is to utilize synthetic fill where the hands most receive moisture while the down increases the warmth factor in certain parts of the hands like the wrists or ends of the digits.

Fill Value 

The fill value of a mitten lets you know how much insulation, and thus warmth, is stuffed inside.

To calculate the fill, a one-ounce sample of down is put into a cylinder and then compressed. A higher number indicates a warmer option, which also means that you’ll need less down to get the same amount of warmth as a lower-fill down. A higher fill number means the down can trap more air, which leads to warmth, in the piece of apparel or gear. For you, that means a lighter, more compressible piece of gear. 

While the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts does not have a fill value, it’s versatile with a removable liner that’s made with 340 grams of PrimaLoft Gold Cross Core insulation.

Waterproofness & Water Resistance

Many of the mittens on this list claim to be waterproof. Typically, a “waterproof” mitten is constructed with a layer of breathable membrane such as GORE-TEX. This layer is designed to keep moisture from reaching the inside of the glove and also allow moisture from the hands to evaporate out.

While some of these membranes work quite well, they aren’t completely impervious to water. If your mittens become completely saturated in a heavy rainstorm, your hands will probably get wet underneath.

If you’re seeking the highest level of waterproofing mittens can offer, be sure to select a style with a GORE-TEX (or similar) membrane, like the Outdoor Research Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts. All leather options, like the Give’r Frontier Mittens, won’t provide full waterproofing, but with an additional wax coating, you’ll get pretty close.

Sizing

Most brands will now list the exact measurements of their mittens, specifically the dimensions of the palm. We recommend starting with your usual glove or mitt size, but always double-check any mitt’s specific sizing chart.

Most often, the sizing chart will have you measure from your wrist to your fingertips as well as the circumference of your palm. You should be able to make a fist without the mitten feeling too tight, and your fingertips should reach almost to the top of the mitt, with about ¼-inch of space left over. Mittens that are too big won’t be able to efficiently keep heat in, while mittens that are too small will be uncomfortable. 

Dexterity

Mittens have lots of pros — namely, providing a toastier warmth than gloves can — but they do go down a notch in the functionality department, specifically dexterity.

You’ll find more dexterity in thinner mittens and in split mittens, like the Salomon Fast Wing Winter. Designers have been enhancing overall mitten construction in recent years, too, so that the dexterity isn’t as compromised. Both the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts and the Outdoor Research Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts met high marks for dexterity, even though they are heavy-duty mittens.

Cuffs vs. Gauntlets

Mittens can have a roomy, high-reaching gauntlet cuff or a leaner undercuff. Choosing between the two designs comes down to the type of protection you prefer and need, which is influenced by your winter activities and the climate where you’ll be most outside.

Gauntlet

With a larger gauntlet, the cuff goes over the sleeve cuffs of your winter jacket, like the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts or the Outdoor Research Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts. Tightening the cinch at the base of the mitten’s gauntlet helps prevent snow and wind from entering throughout the snowball fight or shoveling mission.

Undercuff

With an undercuff, like the Give’r Frontier Mittens or the Outdoor Research Snowcrew Leather Mitts, you’ll have less bulk around your wrists, but a higher chance of snow or wind getting near your wrists and into your coat.

Certain designs, like the Picture Organic Women’s Anna Mitts, have a secondary wrist strap that’s threaded through a quick-release slider buckle to ensure a secure attachment to your wrist when you take the mitten off. 

Layering Cuffs & Sleeves

If your daily winter jacket has extended, dense cuffs, your wrists will be more covered and protected from any snow getting in, and a tight mitten cuff might not fit over the coat’s cuffs. While many midlayers have extended sleeve lengths with thumbholes, the material often absorbs moisture and we don’t consider that a replacement for a mitten that shields snow and wind.

You’ll also want to consider your layering system beneath your mitts so that the sandwich of the mitt, jacket, and midlayer isn’t cumbersome.

Wrist Leashes

If you tend to frequently take your mittens on and off throughout the day, wrist leashes will be your best friend.

One end of the stretchy leash is either fixed or attached to your mitten’s cuff zone. Shaped like a lasso, the end of the circuit expands and slides around your wrist, so the mitts can stay securely attached to you.

Some wrist leashes are sewn on and not removable, like with the Picture Organic Women’s Anna Mitts, while others are easy to remove.

Ventilation

Certain mitten designs include ventilation options in the form of small zipper pockets. Zip it open to let some air in if your hands are hot, or use it to stash a hand warmer for extra warmth.

The Burton Women’s GORE-TEX Under Mittens has diagonal zipper pockets on the back of the hand, the perfect size and spot for hand warmers. 

Nose Wipe 

A tester-favorite when it comes to the details: A soft, velvety patch of fabric wrapped across the exterior thumbs of mittens is super handy and comforting to use as a wipe for your runny nose. When you’re out in frigid temps and don’t have access to a tissue, a nose wipe panel is key.

Many brands incorporate a nose wipe in their mittens, including the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts, Picture Organic Women’s Anna Mitts, and Burton Women’s GORE-TEX Under Mittens, and the Outdoor Research Snowcrew Leather Mitts.

Liners

If they’re not included in the package, it’s a good idea to invest in a pair of liners, whether those are shaped like a mitten or a glove, even if the mittens provide adequate warmth.

You can pair a liner with your mittens for additional warmth. A glove liner also allows you to pull the mitten off and use your fingers for tasks that require a fine touch, all without directly exposing your skin to the cold air and risking dropping your heat too low.

Some liners are constructed with touchscreen capability, too, so you can send a text message or make a phone call without needing to remove the layer. Liners can also function on their own on warmer wintry days, so they’re never a bad investment.

Keep in mind that a handful of pairs already come with removable liners, such as the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts and the Burton Women’s GORE-TEX Under Mittens.

Touchscreen Compatibility 

While liners can help, you can also consider investing in mittens with touchscreen compatibility built in, so you don’t need to remove them to check your phone. We also like mittens with textured palms for grip and durability.

The Burton Women’s GORE-TEX Under Mittens are touchscreen-compatible with a grippy, synthetic leather palm and a removable five-finger liner with touchscreen-compatible fingertips, which is much more functional than a mitten for operating a screen.

While you can do your homework, not all systems are foolproof: the liners are more functional than the touchscreen-compatible leather palm on the Under Mittens, for instance.

Sustainability & Eco-Friendly Materials

Sustainability is a key factor that many recreationists appreciate when buying gear. And with finite natural resources, the planet stands to benefit. Fortunately, more outdoor industry companies are pushing the needle regarding eco-friendly materials and manufacturing practices.

Responsible Insulation: Down & Synthetic

If you can’t guarantee that down for a product is harvested in a cruelty-free way, you can also opt for synthetic down.

PrimaLoft is a leader in sustainable fill options, as seen in the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts and the Outdoor Research Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts. PrimaLoft synthetic fill includes a variety of iterations, like Gold, Grip, and more, but is actually made from retired plastic bottles that are turned into fibers to insulate your gear. Bonus: PrimaLoft can be recycled and reused to create other gear after you retire your mittens, jacket, or sleeping bag.

If you’re set on natural down, versus synthetic, check out Thindown. The material is sourced ethically, meets the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) metric, and is able to be recycled, meeting the Global Recycled Standard. 

Recycled & Ethical Materials

A fair amount of outdoor apparel gear is made from polyester. The great thing about polyester is that it can be recycled and reused, like in the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts or the Picture Organic Women’s Anna Mitts. The Picture Organic Ann Mitts are made from fabric sourced from the brand’s Circular Fabric program, which reuses material from previously used (and beat up) garments and factory cutting scraps that would otherwise go to the landfill.

If the material can’t be made from recycled products, there are fabric options that are Bluesign-certified. This certification verifies that the fabric has been tested to not be harmful to human health and the environment. Similar conscious certifications include Oeko-Tex-certified fabric and Fair Trade sewing. 

Another detail to consider when shopping for sustainable, healthier options is to choose mittens that are treated with PFC-free water repellency, removing the harmful toxins that traditional water repellent treatments carry.

Durability

Winter sports like skiing and snowboarding or major shoveling duties will add wear and tear to your mittens. Luckily, heavy-duty mitts are often made with durable materials that can withstand these activities from buckling boots and gripping poles to strapping into bindings.

For such sports, domestic work, and mountaineering pursuits, you’ll want mitts made with durable materials, like goat leather, or mittens that are reinforced in high-friction zones. The all-leather Give’r Frontier Mittens are rated as extremely durable, as are the polyester and goat-leather Picture Organic Women’s Anna Mitts.

Aside from polyester and leather, other winter mittens are made from wool, fleece, and cotton, which typically result in a leaner mitten overall. Generally, cotton is not ideal, as it takes a long time to dry and easily tears. Liner materials — whether they are removable or not — most often are made with a soft fleece material that has a bit of stretch. 

Connectivity 

A handful of winter gloves, like those from Leki with their Trigger System, have a specific feature where the gloves actually connect to ski poles. The connectivity is created via a built-in, tiny loop in the thumb saddle.

At this time, Leki offers one pair of women’s winter mittens with a built-in loop, the Snowfox 3D Lady Mitt. However, other mitten-wearers can pick up the Trigger S straps, a strap system with a small harness that goes over your mittens, so you can connect your choice pair of mittens to Leki poles, too. 

Price & Value

Our favorite winter mittens range from $45 on the low end up to $199 or more for premium materials and construction.

Budget

On the economic end, our top picks for winter mittens are below $100. For starters, the Picture Women’s Anna Mitts ($89) and the Salomon Fast Wing Winter ($55) are on the lowest shelf. The latter is a very specific layering piece for running or cross-country skiing, so it boasts a leaner amount of insulation. The Anna Mitts are a blend of synthetic textile and leather, which helps bring down the cost a smidge. This tier also includes the waterproof Burton Women’s GORE-TEX Under Mittens ($85).

Mid-Tier

The next price tier includes mittens that go above the $100 mark, which typically utilize more durable materials, including leather, for a higher-quality, longer-lasting mitt. You’ll see more insulation or other details like wrist leashes and nose wipes.

With a higher price tag, our top picks include the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts ($120), the battery-heated Volt Heat 7V Heated Mitts ($130), and the Give’r Frontier Mittens ($139). 

Premium

The Stio Hardscrabble Insulated Mitt ($159) is on the priciest side, but you get an all-leather mitten that is sleek but still warm. Coming in at an even higher tag is the Outdoor Research Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts ($199), which are made for mountaineering and high-elevation adventures. Health and safety tools come at a cost. For everyday skiers, the Arc’teryx Sabre Mitten ($190) blends leather with a high-end, strong yet slender synthetic textile that makes the mitten breathable towards the cuff and easy to slide under the cuff of your jacket sleeve.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best winter mittens will first depend on what activity you’ll be using them for most — skiing or snowboarding, or just keeping your hands cold around town during winter. Are you looking to prioritize warmth, durability, or a balance of both?

Our best mittens in testing were the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts — well-insulated, durable, and a great balance of warmth, quality, coverage, and price.

But of course, we’ve included several other best mittens on the market (best for biking, best synthetic versus down) to make sure you find one suited to your cold-weather needs.

There are several warm mitten options on our list, but the warmest would be the Volt Heat 7V Heated Mitts — which can heat up to 150 degrees. The Outdoor Research Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts are also among the warmest choices. The Alti is built for expeditions with 170 g of PrimaLoft Gold insulation in the body, plus a removable liner that is made with 340 grams of Primaloft Gold insulation.

Generally, a high-level down-fill will be the warmest insulation you can get in a mitten. However, synthetic fill is very popular across our mittens because it always insulates, even if it’s wet or damp. However, other design details like the thickness, liner, and exterior material will also affect a mitten’s overall warmth.

If you struggle with cold hands, be sure to look into everyday premium leather mittens like the Sabre Arc’teryx, which has targeted zones of 130 grams or 100 grams of PrimaLoft Gold and Silver synthetic insulation. Or, get a battery-operated pair like the Volt Heat 7V Heated Mitts.

Wearing liners under mittens is a personal preference that’s informed by your overall cold tolerance and the primary activity you’ll do while wearing mitts.

If you’re heading out on a super-cold day, a liner can be useful for additional warmth, even in a well-built mitten. On the flip side, liners can be nice if you are working hard on a snow tour, like snowshoeing or ski touring, or if you’re in the yard and need to slip off that outer shell for a bit of air. 

Plus, if you tend to take your mittens on and off often, liners are nice so that your skin isn’t fully exposed to the elements. Look for liners that are touchscreen compatible, like with the Burton Women’s GORE-TEX Under Mittens.

The main disadvantage of mittens is lack of dexterity. This means that when you don’t have your fingers free of the mitt, grabbing a pole or tool is not going to be the easiest. However, your hands will be much warmer than they would be in gloves. Depending on your cold tolerance, dexterity might be a compromise you are willing to make. 

Keep in mind that sometimes mittens might be too warm, like on high-temp spring days or if you are really working hard on a powder day. Rather than ditching your mittens altogether, you can opt for a pair that has a removable liner or ones that have small zipper pockets on the top of the hands for quick, easy ventilation.

For most winter pursuits, mittens don’t need to be fully waterproof, but they should be water resistant.

A water-resistance mitt will hold up for most snowy days, even if you are really getting your hands into that snow as you work or play.

However, if you are heading out on a super wet powder day in a damp climate, a fully waterproof mitten might be a better option, like designs with a GORE-TEX membrane, to ensure your hands stay completely dry and warm.

Technically, yes, especially for mittens and gloves.

Women’s specific mittens typically have a shorter finger length and narrower palm circumference compared to men’s mittens, which allows for a better fit for many women.

Some of our testers have found that when following unisex sizing, the size runs seem to correspond more closely to men’s sizes rather than women’s, so our female testers will often size down for a unisex pair.

Whether you’re selecting a men’s, women’s, or unisex mitten, be sure to measure your hands according to that brand’s sizing chart to help you find the best fit.

Pay close attention to sizing charts. For instance, Hestra’s mitten sizes differ between the unisex and women’s selections: a women’s mitten with a 152mm circumference corresponds to a size 7, while a unisex mitten with a 152mm circumference corresponds to a size 6.

Mittens shouldn’t be too loose or too tight. Your mittens should have about a 1/4-inch of space above your fingertips, and you should be able to make a fist comfortably without too much constraint or too much extra fabric.

Having a mitten that isn’t too loose or big and spacious is ideal, because that extra space and air requires body heat to warm.

If your mittens are slightly roomy, try wearing a thin, lightweight liner underneath. If your mittens are too tight, they will be annoying to get on and off and pose the risk of cutting off circulation at your wrists.

Mittens rarely need washing, so don’t go throwing them in your weekly laundry pile. That said, there are times when a filthy mitt needs some love. Start with a spot clean: Wipe down the exterior with mild soap and water then air dry.

If your mittens have separate liners, remove and wash them as needed. If the entire mitten needs a thorough machine wash, use a tech-specific wash like Granger’s Performance Wash on the delicate cycle. Lay flat to dry.

You can also condition leather, which is a great waterproof material but needs proper care. First, rub down the mitten with a damp cloth to remove any grit. Next, massage a leather wax like Sno-Seal into the surface. Allow to air dry at room temperature overnight. Use a soft cloth to remove any extra wax, and get ready to enjoy your supple, waterproof mittens.