Skip to main content

The best heated gloves of 2019

The best heated gloves keep your hands toasty warm in all temperatures

When temperatures plunge, the first thing that gets cold are your fingers. They get stiff, difficult to move and downright uncomfortable when you are trying to enjoy winter activities such as skiing, snowmobiling or sledding. If you say out in the cold too long, you can quickly progress fro discomfort to tissue damage. To help you embrace the cold and stay outside longer, we selected the best heated gloves that use battery power and integrated heating coils to keep your hands toasty warm.

Looking for more than just gloves? Check out our guide to the Best Heated Clothing to find heated socks, insoles, hats, jackets, and more!

Outdoor Research Capstone Gloves ($500)

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Capstone heated gloves from Outdoor Research are the most expensive gloves on the list and for a good reason. They offer a 200 g/m2 of PrimaLoft Silver for added warmth. The waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex liner that keeps your hands dry and sweat-free. There’s also 200 g/m2 of PrimaLoft Silver for added warmth. The flagship feature is the AltiHeat glove technology that warms the length of the fingers and the thumb. In the cold, you can feel the warm heat along the entire length of your hand.

Each glove includes two batteries that can be used singly to save weight or in tandem to double the heating capacity of the gloves. With a single battery, Expect to get eight hours of warmth on the lowest setting, five hours on medium and 2.5 hours on the highest. There is a large button with a colored LED that makes it easy to switch between heat levels. The button is easy to press even when wearing the gloves.

The Capstone is a bulky glove that is rugged and durable. On the outside, the gloves combine a stretchy twill that moves with your hand, grippy leather palms and leather nubs on the knuckles that’ll stand up to the roughest winter activities. Other niceties include an elastic wrist strap to keep your gloves from falling on the ground and both a wrist and a cuff cinch. Whether you’re skiing, snowboarding, sledding or snowmobiling, the Capstone gloves from Outdoor Research will provide you with ample protection from the elements. Because they are so rugged, they are our top choice for outdoor work such as shoveling, roof raking or snow blowing.

Seirus HeatTouch Hellfire Gloves ($425)


Seirus HeatTouch Hellfire gloves set the bar for heated gloves with a flexible heat panel that covers the back of the hands and wraps around the tips of the fingers. You’ll get all over warmth from the moment you turn them on. With a breathable liner, there is minimal sweat. Like most heated gloves, the HellFires use a visible physical button with an LED to turn on/off the gloves. The button was smaller than competing gloves, but you still can press it with your gloves on. The low-profile button is located n the back of the hand and allows you to cycle between low, medium and high, which deliver 12 hours, 8 hours and 4 hours of battery life. Battery life was outstanding — we used the gloves when skiing and was able to eke out three days of usage by only turning them on when we were riding the chairlift.

Another standout feature of the HeatTouch Hellfire is its comfort — it is the most comfortable gloves on our list. The gloves have a supple leather shell that softens as you wear it and a soft inner fleece that feels good on your hand. Though the outside is silky smooth, the palm of the glove contains a grippy material that’ll help you pick up items. The gloves also include a wrist & cuff cinch that can be operated with one hand – even when wearing the gloves. The cuffs are long enough to cover your wrist keeping the warmth in and the cold out. Unfortunately, when you take them off you have to be careful not to drop them in the snow of off the chairlift.

They have a slimmer fit and are less bulky than the Outdoor Research Capstone gloves making them ideal for activities where finger and hand movement is essential. The only thing missing is a wrist strap to secure the gloves to your hands. Otherwise, these gloves just scream quality. They also are available as a mitten.

Volt Avalanche X 7v Gloves ($270)

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Volt is known for its no-nonsense heated attire that is designed for both work and play. Practical and durable, the Volt Avalanche X 7v gloves are pre-curved for a comfortable fit right out of the box. The gloves pair a weather-resistant outer shell with leather palm and fingers. It also has a soft fleece liner on the inside. The cuff is wide to fit over jackets, and it has a cinch at the wrist and cuff to secure it to your hand. A wrist strap attaches the glove to your hand, but it’s not adjustable, so it doesn’t attach as securely as other gloves with an adjustable leash.

The Volt Avalanche uses a large button with colored LED that you can press to cycle between three heat levels. The button is easy to push even when wearing the gloves. They are warm gloves that heat the entire length of the finger as well as the palms and back of the hands. Battery life is decent but not as good as competing gloves with about 2 hours on high, 4 hours on medium and 6 hours on low.

All the gloves and mittens we tested position the battery packs into the cuff on the underside of your hand. Volt does the opposite with a battery pouch on the top part of the cuff. The positioning adds some extra bulk to the top of the glove and gives the glove a slightly different feel. The batteries for the Volt glove also are not as flat as those in competing gloves and contribute to the bulky feel. One feature we appreciated with the batteries were the small LEDs that allow you to see how much charge is left in each battery. The Volt Avalanche is a solid, no-frills glove that kept our hands warm while skiing, sledding, and shoveling.

Zanier HOT.ZX 3.0 Mittens ($349)

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Not everyone wants gloves, those who prefer mittens may want to look at the HOT.ZX 3.0 mittens from Zanier. Zanier’s HOT.ZX 3.0 mitten is the lightest and most low-profile heated gloves/mittens on our list. It looks and fits like a regular mitten. Even without the heating, the Zanier is a warm mitten thanks for its loft insulation and soft glove-like liner that has channels for your fingers. The mitten is made with quality materials including goatskin leather on the palm for reinforcement and 4-way stretch material on the top for ease of movement. It has an adjustable wrist strap to keep your mittens from falling on the ground and both a wrist and a cuff cinch to trap in the heat.

Known for its heated technology, Zanier direct its heat towards the tips of the fingers and thumb which get cold first. This distal warming heats the ends of your fingers encouraging blood flow throughout the entire hand to keep it warm. This style of warming works well for most conditions when all you need is some quick heat to the ends of your fingers to keep your hands cozy. On below zero days, though, we preferred the full hand warmth of the Seirus Hellfire or the Volt Avalanche. The Zanier gloves offer three levels of heating and last up to 10 hours on the lowest setting, five hours on medium and two hours on high.

Unlike other gloves that use an external button to control the heat settings, Zanier chose to embed the button and LED into the battery. On the glove, there is a small marking that shows you where to press the button. There also is a small perforated fabric window that allows you to see the LED, so you know what temperature setting you are on. The result is a low-profile heated mitten that looks like a regular mitten and doesn’t have a visible button and glowing LED.

There is a downside to hiding the electronics so you don’t look like Tron. When inserting the battery pack, you have to place it precisely in the right spot so you can activate the button. If the battery shifts position even just a bit, then you have to hunt and peck for the button. This design makes it difficult to press the button when wearing the mittens. Though we appreciated the streamlined look, we also found that the perforated fabric obscures the LED making it difficult in bright sunlight to see what temperature setting was selected.

Kelly Hodgkins
Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…
This trail-tested, road ready Aventon e-bike is $200 off — We gave it 4.5 stars
Aventon Ramblas eMTB e-bike for trail and off-road rides

At the risk of repeating myself, we are rather fond of Aventon e-bikes here at Digital Trends. They tend to review favorably because of how much value they offer. Take the Ramblas eMTB e-bike, for instance. We gave it four and a half stars in our review back in August. Resident reviewer and e-bike expert, Bruce Brown, praised it for its "strong hardtail" frame, excellent mid-drive torque, strong stopping power, smooth ride experience, and competitive pricing. The latter is a real highlight, but get this, it's also on sale right now for $200 off. So, that competitive pricing is even more enticing. Normally $2,899, it's down to $2,699 thanks to a big sale, saving you $200. Check out that sale for yourself, otherwise let's discuss why this is such a great e-bike, especially if you like trail riding.

 
Why do we love the Aventon Ramblas eMTB e-bike in this sale?

Read more
Mod Bikes launches a BMW-inspired, limited-edition sidecar e-bike
MOD Easy Sidecar Sahara limited edition e-bike.

Mod Bikes has introduced the Mod Easy Sidecar Sahara, a limited-edition sidecar-style cargo e-bike modeled on the 1940s BMW R75 Sahara motorcycle. On November 9, 2024, Mod will exhibit the Sidecar Sahara at the Electrify Expo at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Austin, Texas.
Mod does sidecars

The BMW R 75 Sahara, which inspired the limited-edition e-bike, is a highly collectible motorcycle. Mod Bikes is one of the few e-bike manufacturers that sells e-bikes with sidecars in the U.S., along with other styles. The versatile Easy Sidecar models transform in just a few minutes from a sidecar e-bike to a standard, two-wheel e-bike. However, the sidecar configuration is fun for carrying pets, children, small adults, and groceries or other cargo.

Read more
I’m convinced Pins and Aces golf outfits are great for everyone, not just athletes
Pins and Aces banner with clothing styles

Some clothing designs stand the test of time, others transcend fashion categories or groups, just like Pins & Aces. Allow me to explain. Primarily meant for golfers and athletes, Pins & Aces carries a wide variety of golf-themed gear from golf bags to unique club heads. I don't really play golf so that doesn't excite me much. Maybe it piques your interest? Anyway, what does interest me is the large collection of unique and snazzy apparel. They don't just carry polos, they also carry streetwear, hats, shorts, joggers, and even women's and youth apparel. Thanks to Black Friday and the holiday shopping season, a ton of Pins & Aces apparel is on sale right now too. Go check it out.
Shop Now
 
What to shop in this Pins & Aces holiday sale?

Your best bet is going to be browsing the sale items yourself. I will call out a few highlights and share good deals here. However, there's so much that I cannot cover it all. Especially if you're shopping for someone else, do yourself a favor and go peek.

Read more