When adventuring outdoors, it is not always as simple as tucking our hands into our pockets for protection. When we’re using hiking poles, belaying at a climb, navigating uneven terrain with a pack on, or taking countless photos of a place we’re visiting - we rely on our hands to be ready for action. Paddy Pallin stocks a range of outdoor gloves suitable for your adventures. Featuring a wide range of waterproof gloves and snow gloves, for everything from the cycle commute to high altitude expeditions, as well as liners, fleece and thermal gloves to keep your hands warm when it gets cold. We’ve selected outdoor gloves that utilise the best technologies for the job at hand - from e-tip tech to use your screen without taking your warm gloves off, to down gloves, Gore-Tex membranes, PrimaLoft Gold, 4-way stretch materials, quick-dry, Windstopper, reinforced palm strength and grips. These outdoor gloves are packed full of features such as wrist straps, glove clips, cuff cinch closure and release which are all designed to be used with gloved hands. Our range of fits and designs in mens gloves and womens gloves across a range of industry leading brands, which ensures they will really fit like a glove.

FAQs

What style of outdoor gloves do I need for hiking?

This depends on where you are hiking. For a cold environment a pair of outdoor gloves with insulation are essential. Waterproof gloves often include insulation and sometimes come with a removable insulated inner glove to offer further warmth in sub-zero climates. Waterproof gloves also innately provide some extra wind protection, and waterproof gloves with a membrane such as Gore-Tex provide a windproof barrier ideal for high mountain passes. For more mild climates, thermal gloves with a reinforced palm grip offer warmth without the bulkiness of waterproof gloves. Outdoor gloves such as the Patagonia Better Sweater Fleece gloves offer more warmth with a thicker fleece while still providing dexterity with palm grip and a convertible mitten-to-fingerless glove combo. Glove liners are an excellent option for adding extra warmth to a glove. Liners are solely thermal gloves, similar to base layers, and offer warmth and stretch, and come without palm grips to easily slip in and out of your outer glove without hassle. Many liners come with touch screen connectivity in the fingertips to allow you to use phone or DSLR screens, preventing the need to expose skin to freezing temperatures.

Why do some mittens have a removable inner? 

Snow gloves sometimes come with an inner glove; these mittens/glove combos are designed for expedition style trips where more insulation is required. The outer mittens mean business and will consist of a waterproof membrane such as Gore-Tex or Pertex Quantum Pro which either feature a down or synthetic insulation, such as PrimaLoft Gold. They also have the extra features you want from your outdoor gloves such as palm grips, nose or lens wiper, screen touch and reinforced finger zones. The inner glove will be purely insulation with a breathable outer fabric to promote the best heat transfer within the mittens/glove combo. The inner gloves and outer mittens can be worn separately - the inner makes a great camp glove for relaxing at the end of the day.

Do I need a liner for my outdoors gloves?

Glove liners are like base layers for your hands. They add extra warmth to warm gloves. Glove liners are ideal for anyone who gets cold hands easily, and anyone spending time in cold climates where you will be less active, such as sightseeing in Prague in Winter, hopping on and off a tour bus in Iceland, or whale watching off the southern coast of Australia. We often take our warm gloves on and off; a glove liner works to keep our core temperature consistent in our hands which helps prevent rapid heat loss when we remove our outer gloves. Liners will often include screen touch connectivity in the fingertips to still enable you to use a phone or camera screen without the need of exposing your skin to the elements. Liners are also designed without grip added to the palm or additional features like lens wipers, so it can slip easily into and out of your waterproof gloves or snow gloves. Liners for outdoor gloves are also great for all winter activities where we are outside in sub-zero temperatures for a longer period of time, such as snow hiking and skiing. It is much easier to stay warm in cold climates with correct layering, than it is to warm up again once cold.

Are outdoor gloves or mittens better?

This choice comes down to dexterity and warmth. Outdoor gloves insulate our fingers individually, this gives us dexterity similar to our own hands, as we can hold and grip more naturally by being able to control each one of our fingers. Closing a hip belt buckle on a hiking pack, unclasping a belt buckle on pants, using buttons on a camera, are all much easier wearing a pair of outdoor gloves than a pair of mittens. However mittens do have a worthy use in the outdoors; the function of insulating our fingers together in mittens instead of dividing the insulation into separate fingers, allows for greater and faster heat transfer, making mittens the go to for all high altitude expeditions. Mittens are great for winter backcountry adventures, skiing, and snow hiking and are easy to use with trekking poles. 

Why do some outdoor gloves have longer wrist cuffs?

Outdoor gloves are about keeping warmth in, and the weather out. Waterproof gloves and snow gloves that are designed for colder climates will have longer wrist cuffs to keep the rain or snow from getting in at the wrist. These outdoors gloves will usually have a wider opening to allow easy donning, with a cuff cinch to then close the wrist opening to keep out the weather. These outdoor gloves are usually worn over a glove liner, and cinched on the outside of all clothing layers except under a waterproof hardshell jacket. Fleece and thermal gloves will have a shorter wrist cuff designed to cover your wrist bones to about where you would wear a watch. These cuffs are shorter so they don’t get caught up in the layers of sleeves. These shorter cuffed gloves are designed to be worn over a base layer and under a mid layer. Glove liners have a short and narrow wrist cuff, designed to work complementary to your base layer sleeve for consistent warmth.

Does Paddy Pallin sell gloves for below zero degrees?

We do! We stock a wide range of snow gloves that are insulated, waterproof and wind-chill resistant. Whether you’re heading to the local ski field, preparing for a multi-day backcountry trek, taking a guided tour through high altitude mountain passes, or just getting the edge in a competitive snowball fight, we have snow gloves to meet your needs. All our snow gloves come in a range of insulation options, waterproof options and extra features, making finding a glove specific to your outdoor adventure within your grasp. 

What different types of insulation do snow gloves come with?

The category of insulation is a big one, but when it comes to outdoor gloves most of the insulation options are synthetic as they have the best warmth to weight ratio when measured with gloves that dry out fast. Experienced outdoors people will tell you that you can have the most waterproof gloves on the market, but there is a big hole that you put your hand into - and everyone ends up with a wet glove eventually. So quick-dry inside and out is important. Brands such as RAB and The North Face utilise patented technology like PrimaLoft Gold, and Pyrotec, for their snow gloves insulation - designed for light weight and max warmth, while their waterproof layer in their outdoor gloves is Porelle Pro, FUTURELIGHT, Pertex Quantum or Gore-Tex Active (to name a few!) Brands like Marmot and Patagonia create fleece lined warm gloves for toasty, quick-drying options when full-waterproof is not needed. We also stock the RAB Endurance Down Mitt for expeditions!

What brands of outdoor gloves and mittens does Paddy Pallin stock?

We stock a wide range of outdoor gloves and mittens from leading brands such as The North Face, RAB, Marmot, Icebreaker, MATT, and Patagonia. Each brand specialises in waterproof gloves, snow gloves, or thermal gloves. We have warm gloves for every occasion. With brands that design both mens gloves and womens gloves we can offer a range of sizes and shapes to fit you perfectly. With thermal heating accessories from Hot Hands for both hands and feet, you’ll be toasty in the outdoors. Outdoor gloves come in many sizes and shapes, allowing you to find the perfect fit for you. Pop into a store to try on our range, or utilise our online sizing guides included with each model to take the guesswork out of preparing for your next cold climate adventure.