The Best Waterproof Winter Gloves for Rain and Wet Cold

Most winter gloves are built for a winter that rarely shows up. They’re designed for dry cold: chairlifts, snowshoe treks, single-digit mornings. For a lot of us, winter looks different. It’s forty-two degrees and drizzling. Showers roll through all afternoon. Wet snow that melts the moment it lands. In those conditions, the question isn’t how much insulation you need. It’s whether your hands will still be dry an hour from now.

Wet is the real enemy

Wet hands are cold hands. Water pulls heat from your skin far faster than air does, so a regular knit glove that wets through in a passing shower leaves you with cold, wet hands for the rest of the day. Insulated ski gloves have the opposite problem. They hold off rain but trap sweat, and once the lining is damp from the inside, it stays that way. They also cost you the dexterity to tie a knot, clip a leash, or work a zipper.

What the Pro Wool does differently

The Pro Wool is built from three layers. The outside is a wear-resistant knit that stretches like a regular glove. In the middle is our Artex3D™ membrane, molded in one seamless piece, so there are no seams for water to work through. Rain stays out and moisture vapor escapes, so your hands don’t turn clammy on the climb.

The layer against your skin is a merino wool liner, and that’s the detail that matters most in chilly rain. Merino keeps insulating even when damp, and it resists odor, which you’ll appreciate on day three of a trip. Silicone grips on the palm and fingers hold onto wet rocks, paddle shafts, and leashes. Touchscreen fingertips let you check the map without peeling off a glove in the rain.

Why not the Sport?

Our Sport glove uses the same waterproof construction with a CoolMax liner. It’s the better pick when you’re working hard, like trail running, paddling, or a steep climb. But wet, chilly days are usually stop-and-go: walking the dog, glassing a hillside, waiting at the trailhead for the group. When your output or the temperature drops, merino’s warmth earns the extra five dollars.

What it isn’t

The Pro Wool isn’t an expedition mitt. If you’ll be standing still in deep cold, you need more insulation. But for the wet, in-between days that make up most of winter, it’s the glove that keeps you out longer.