You may not think of hiking gloves as being essential equipment for camping, but they can keep your hands safe on outdoor adventures, especially in colder weather. Our guide to the best hiking gloves for women will point you in the right direction if you want to enjoy walks in all weather conditions.
But how can you find hiking gloves that will offer your hands a decent level of protection? Which materials should you look for? And how can you figure out which style is best for you? We’ll answer all of those questions, as well as giving you 5 recommendations for women’s hiking gloves.
The bottom line up front: we like the Achiou Winter Knit Gloves. They’re warm and cozy while still offering flexibility, and their touchscreen compatibility and excellent grip make them a useful choice.
We also like:
- Cevapro Winter Gloves – warm and waterproof, ideal for hiking in the winter
- AOTLET Thermal Hiking and Cycling Gloves – versatile, useful gloves with great grip
We’ll be looking at:
- The best hiking gloves for women, compared
- What hiking gloves for women are, and why they’re useful
- What to look for in hiking gloves for women
- Our top 5 picks including pros, cons, and key features
- Some frequently asked questions
- Which ones we like the best, and why
Table of Contents
- Best Hiking Gloves for Women Compared
- What Are Hiking Gloves?
- What to Look for in Hiking Gloves
- Top 5 Hiking Gloves for Women
- Frequently Asked Questions
- To Sum Up … Which Hiking Gloves for Women are the Best?
Read on to find out more!
Best Hiking Gloves for Women Compared
What Are Hiking Gloves?
Hiking gloves are incredibly important if you want to go hiking in cold weather. They’re designed to keep your hands warm without being too cumbersome to wear. Some hiking gloves come with extra grip on the palms and fingers, which is really useful in difficult terrain, as it will allow you to grab onto rocks or keep hold of your walking pole if you need to.
What to Look for in Hiking Gloves
There are a few key features to look for in hiking gloves for women:
Size
Glove sizing can be tricky, and it can require a little trial and error. They tend to range from extra small all the way through to extra large, but the measurements can vary between manufacturers. It’s important to look for gloves that aren’t loose around the wrists, as this can allow cold air to get through.
Some manufacturers have more detailed sizing with measurements, which may be the best way to see which size is right for you.
Warmth
There are a few things to consider when it comes to safe hiking for women, and warmth is a key factor.
Hiking gloves that are designed for very cold temperatures will be insulated with materials like polyester, which allows the gloves to keep warmth inside. The warmer the gloves are, the thicker they’ll get, but you’ll appreciate it in very cold weather!
You can look into gloves with longer cuffs – this will help to keep your wrists warm too.
Breathability
Having warm hands is really important, but you don’t want to get too sweaty either. A good pair of hiking gloves will be breathable, drawing moisture away from your skin to the outer layer of fabric.
Waterproofing
Some gloves are more waterproof than others, depending on the materials used (more on that shortly). No gloves can protect your hands completely from water if your hands were to become completely submerged, but you can expect them to protect your hands from the elements at least a little. The downside to waterproof gloves is that they may make your hands sweat more, as they’re less breathable.
Protection
Look for reinforced materials on the palms of your gloves for extra protection. This will help you, because it will allow you to grip onto rocks as you walk (or hold onto your walking pole, if you use one), thus keeping you a little safer than if you were using regular gloves or your bare hands.
Durability
If you go hiking often, your gloves will need to be able to withstand a lot of wear and tear. You may be wearing them in challenging weather conditions – for example, in rain, snow, or frost – or, you might be using them to hold onto your walking pole. That’s why it’s worth looking out for gloves with reinforced palms if you think you’ll be using them a lot. The quality of the stitching may help your gloves last longer too, as they’re less likely to fall apart after only a few uses.
Materials
Gloves for hiking are usually made from synthetic materials. These materials can include nylon, spandex, or polyester. Winter gloves may also include wool to keep your hands warm and may have GoreTex (a material designed to keep moisture away from your hands if you start to sweat).
Style
There are different types of gloves:
- Mittens – these have a compartment for your thumb, and a larger compartment for the rest of your fingers. They’re great for keeping your hands warm.
- Finger gloves – these have a single compartment for each finger. This allows for greater flexibility and use of your hands, but are a little less warm than the other types.
- Lobster gloves (or ‘3-finger gloves’) – these have an individual area for your thumb and index finger and then a compartment for the rest of your fingers. These have a good balance – easy to wear, but with more warmth than finger gloves.
Extra Features
There are some other features to look out for:
- Cinching – this allows you to close the material tightly around your wrists, helping to keep cold air out
- Attachment loops – these allow you to hang your gloves on your backpack for easy access
- Pocket warmer pouch – in very cold weather, these gloves allow you to use a pocket warmer for a bit of a heat boost
- Nose wipe patch – this doesn’t sound pleasant, but it’s really helpful if you’re out in icy weather and your nose is running!
- Touch screen compatibility – if you want to use your phone with gloves on, this is essential
Top 5 Hiking Gloves for Women
Now, let’s look at our top 5 hiking gloves for women. We’ll look at their pros and cons, as well as their key features, so you can find the best gloves for your needs.
Cevapro Winter Gloves – Good All-Rounder
Key Features
- Style: Finger glove
- Color: Black
- Sizes: Small – X Large
- Materials: Polyester and spandex
- Touch screen compatible: Yes
The Cevapro Winter Gloves are good all-rounders, keeping your hands warm and dry on winter hikes. They’re touchscreen compatible, with touch-sensitive pads on the finger tips, so you can use your phone on the go. It has reinforced palms, making them good for more challenging hikes.
They’re made from polyester and spandex, with a soft lining, making them both waterproof and comfortable. They move easily with your hands, whilst remaining warm and cozy.
They’re nice and warm in cold weather, which is great, but the reinforced palm area isn’t as strong as other gloves on this list, so very challenging climbs may wear out the palms more quickly.
Pros
- Soft and warm
- Easy to wear
- Touch-screen compatible
Cons
- Palm area may wear out quickly on challenging hikes
AOTLET Thermal Hiking and Cycling Gloves – Most Versatile
Key Features
- Style: Finger gloves
- Color: Black
- Sizes: Small – Extra Large
- Materials: Leather, fleece
- Touch screen compatible: Yes
The AOTLET Thermal Hiking and Cycling Gloves are versatile, ideal for hikes in lighter weather as well as cycling. You can use your devices as normal using the touch-screen compatible fingertips, and they have a reinforced grip on the palms, this is great for hiking as well as cycling.
They’re pretty comfortable and soft to wear, and they’re waterproof, great for those unexpected rain showers. The downside is that they’re very short in the cuff area, so you might feel the cold in icy or snowy weather.
They need to be hand-washed and air-dried, a bit of pain if you prefer gloves that you can throw in the washing machine.
Pros
- Warm and waterproof
- Comfortable to wear
- Touchscreen compatible
- Great for cycling as well as hiking
Cons
- Short in the cuff area
- Must be hand-washed and air-dried
Black Diamond Soloist Cold Weather Gloves – Best for Cold Weather
Key Features
- Style: Finger glove
- Color: Black
- Sizes: Small – extra-large
- Materials: Nylon, goat skin
- Touch screen compatible: No
The Black Diamond Soloist Cold Weather Gloves are great thermal gloves for super-cold weather. They come in a variety of sizes from small to extra-large, but they’re not touchscreen compatible.
They’re cozy and comfortable, and super-soft to wear. Thanks to the insulation, they’re really thick, meaning you won’t be able to use your hands as easily as you could with thinner gloves.
You can remove the insulated liner if you’re hiking in warmer weather, a useful feature. They’re waterproof, durable, and long-lasting, great if you love climbing in rough terrain. They have high-quality stitching, making them strong and resilient. They also have a palm patch for extra grip.
Pros
- Ideal for very cold weathers
- Removable liner
- Waterproof
- Palm patch for better grip
Cons
- Not touch-screen compatible
Achiou Winter Knit Gloves – Best for Touchscreen Compatibility
Key Features
- Style: Finger glove
- Color: Black, black and white, blue, coffee, rose red and white
- Sizes: Medium, large, extra large
- Materials: Acrylic, simulated wool lining
- Touch screen compatible: Yes
The Achiou Winter Knit Gloves are great for touchscreen compatibility. They have touchscreen-compatible materials on the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger, and a large area on the palm to make the grip better (ideal for climbing and using a walking pole, too). The downside is that they have fewer sizes to choose from, going from medium to extra large.
They’re comfortable, with a super-stretchy flexible fabric that moves with your hands. This makes them feel natural to wear, giving you full control without being cumbersome.
Despite being so flexible, they are very warm thanks to the wool lining. They’re not waterproof though, unfortunately.
Pros
- Comfortable to wear
- Soft and warm
- Touchscreen compatible
- Large grip area on palm
Cons
- Not many sizes to choose from
- Not waterproof
Black Diamond Women’s Mercury Mitts – Best Mittens
Key Features
- Style: Mittens
- Color: Black
- Sizes: XX-Small – Large
- Materials: Leather
- Touch screen compatible: No
The Black Diamond Women's Mercury Mitts are super warm, ideal for hiking in very cold weather. They’re not touchscreen compatible, something to keep in mind if you want to be able to use your phone on a hike. They range from XX-small through to large, making them a good choice if you have smaller hands and struggle to find gloves that fit.
They’re comfortable and very cozy to wear, with warm insulation on the backs of the hands, and fleece on the palms, providing warmth and comfort for the coldest climbs. They are thick, and the mitten style means they’re a bit more cumbersome to wear than finger gloves.
They’re waterproof, meaning you won’t have to worry about your hands getting wet even in terrible weather conditions. They have high-quality stitching, and they’re durable, so they should last for a long time.
Pros
- Super warm and comfortable
- Great for smaller hands
- Waterproof
- Durable
Cons
- Not touchscreen compatible
- A little cumbersome to wear
Frequently Asked Questions
Before you go, here are some frequently asked questions about hiking gloves for women:
How can I keep my hands warm on very cold hikes?
It’s really important to keep warm while hiking – hypothermia is a real danger, and you can help to prevent this by wearing appropriate clothing.
You can keep your hands warm by:
- Keeping your hands dry, where possible – wet hands will quickly become very cold
- Go for gloves with longer cuffs to keep your wrists warm
- Wear your gloves straight away, rather than waiting until you are really cold before putting them on
There are more tips on the REI Co-op’s guide on How to Keep Your Hands Warm and some good advice on their Cold-Weather Hiking Tips.
What other protective clothing do I need to go hiking?
For warm weather, you can get some hiking sunglasses, really important for protecting your eyes from sun damage.
If you’ll be hiking in the rain, you’ll need waterproof clothing. A good jacket for women or a lightweight rain jacket will see you through most showers, as will a poncho.
You’ll need good footwear too, like good-quality hiking boots or hiking sandals.
How can I wash my hiking gloves?
This depends on the gloves you choose. Your camping gloves may require hand washing, so it’s worth looking at the instructions to see what the appropriate procedure is. Washing machines can ruin grippy areas, for example, or cause your gloves to wear out more quickly. Fabric conditioners aren’t good for waterproof materials either.
Washing your gloves gently with warm, or even cool, water and liquid soap is usually enough to freshen them up. (The only exception is GoreTex, it requires more care – check out their care guide if your gloves contain GoreTex).
To Sum Up … Which Hiking Gloves for Women are the Best?
If we had to pick a favorite, we’d go for the Achiou Winter Knit Gloves. They offer warmth and flexibility, allowing you to use your fingers as normal, with touchscreen compatibility. They also have great grip, making them ideal for hiking.
If you want something versatile, it’s worth looking at the AOTLET Thermal Hiking and Cycling Gloves. They have excellent grip and are great for cycling as well as hiking.
If this guide has helped you, feel free to share it online. We’d also love to hear your thoughts – what are your top tips for staying warm on a hike? What other clothing would you recommend? Leave us a comment to share your experiences!