Best Heated Gloves: Outdoor Winter Gear to Help You Get A Warm Grip on Winter

Heated gloves may seem like a luxury item, but keeping hands warm is serious business. Your hands are covered with veins and capillaries that supply them with warm blood. When you’re out in the cold—especially when the temps dip below freezing and there’s a wind chill—your body can kick into survival mode, routing less blood down to your hands in favor of warming your core. You know how warming your hands after being out in the cold hurts? That’s the result of vasodilation, or your veins and capillaries suddenly widening as the blood rushes back to your fingertips to warm your tissues. That fires up nerve receptors that had gone offline—so the sensory functions in your fingertips bounce back online with that sudden ache. Experts say that anytime you feel numbness in your fingers in the cold, you need to warm up or risk nerve damage. You can keep those hands toasty the entire time you’re out in freezing temps by selecting the best heated gloves for the job Here’s what to look for when shopping for winter clothing — leverage serious technology to keep your fingers warm so you can stay outside longer.

• Best Heated Gloves for Women: Savior Heated Mittens
• Best Heated Gloves for Men: Savior Heated Gloves
• Best Heated Work Gloves: Milwaukee Red Lithium USB Heated Gloves
• Best Heated Hunting Gloves: Snow Deer Heated Gloves
• Best Heated Motorcycle Gloves: Highway 21 Radiant Motorcycle Gloves
• Best Heated Fishing Gloves: Wild Yak Waterproof Heated Gloves
• Best Budget Heated Gloves: Heat Factory Pop Top Mittens

How to Choose the Best Heated Gloves for This Winter

There are a few universal features that any heated glove you consider must have. They should fit well, be durable without sacrificing dexterity, and be easily operable and adjustable. Also, the glove must be appropriate to the activity, so think about what you’ll be doing most with the gloves. (Learn more winter clothing tips from an Alaskan outdoorsman who knows cold.)

What Size Heated Gloves Should You Get?

How heated gloves fit you is crucial. They need to be roomy enough to accommodate your hands as they bend and flex without compromising the glove’s internal wiring that’s pumping in the heat. But don’t get gloves that are too big—those can be downright dangerous since they can slip around and prevent you from maintaining a solid grip on tools or other gear. This is especially key to look out for when looking for the best heated gloves for women.

Don’t rely on guesstimates when selecting the correct size. Take the time to measure properly with a flexible measuring tape (or use a piece of string that you can mark and then measure with a ruler). Start by wrapping the tape around the widest part of your hand. The tape should rest about midway between your thumb and first finger, angle down to a point about halfway between your smallest finger and the heel of your hand before looping around the back. Many winter gloves will accommodate measurements from 6.9 inches (17.5 centimeters) to 10.6 inches (27 centimeters). If you’re between sizes or have very long or wide fingers, it’s a good idea to size up.

Best Heated Gloves for Women and People with Smaller Hands: Savior Heated Mittens

SAVIOR HEAT

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Mittens aren’t just for kids. Modified mittens keep the last three fingers together to retain their body heat so these heated mittens can work more efficiently while ensuring maximum flexibility for the first finger and thumb. The interior is insulated, while the exterior is microfiber with a flexible, water-resistant shell. Since these come in sizes all the way down to XXS, they may be the best heated gloves for women or kids over 10 years of age—but the available sizes range up to XL, so they’re versatile for a wide range of users. These offer 3 temperature settings and charge via USB. The latter also means you can charge your phone with them in a pinch.

Best Heated Gloves for Men and People with Large Hands: Savior Heated Gloves

SAVIOR HEAT

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Savior’s heated gloves combine natural lambskin with high-performance textiles and include both cinching and hook-and-loop closures to ensure a tight fit and protection from wind and water. These are available in a wide range of sizes, and may be the best heated gloves for men because they go up to size 3X Large. They offer three levels of heat and rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to function.

Do You Need Heated Work Gloves?

Working in frigid temperatures requires heated gloves that will stand up to the job. Whether you’re pulling wire at an unheated job site or operating heavy equipment, it’s crucial that your gear is rugged enough to hold up to the work—without compromising the dexterity you need to get the job done.When it comes to heated work gloves, look for options constructed with heavy duty materials like abrasion-resistant ripstop textiles and durable leather with reinforcement at the joints and palms. The electrical components should be durable, too, and offer long battery life so your gloves don’t quit before you do. If you use smart gear or devices with touchscreens, it’s important to choose gloves with fingers optimized for swiping and typing so you can access your tech without removing your gloves.

Best Heated Work Gloves: Milwaukee Red Lithium USB Heated Gloves

Milwaukee

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Milwaukee heated gloves hit all the crucial notes with durable construction and reliable tech features. They rely on ripstop polyester for the bulk of the glove, with leather inlaid on the palms and fingers to increase freedom of movement. This rugged cold weather gear runs on proprietary batteries charged via USB and promises steady heat for up to 6 hours per charge.

Do You Need Multiple Heat Settings?

As with any cold weather apparel, the ideal heated gloves will be appropriate for a variety of winter activities and will provide options for adjusting function and fit on the fly. One critical adjustment is heat level. Your needs will likely vary depending on how active you are in the moment, so heated gloves that make it possible to lower the heat level when you’re super active and crank it up when you’re standing still will be more comfortable over longer timeframes and for more activities. Many offer three heat levels: low (100°F to 113°F), medium (122°F to 131°F) and high (140°F to 150°F). These temperature settings are tied to battery life, so you can also adjust down if you need to stretch your battery life or crank up the heat when you know you’re about to head home. It’s also important to be able to adjust the fit. Look for cinching pull strings and hook-and-loop adjusting closures that make it possible to tighten the glove at the wrist for a snugger or looser fit as your needs change.

Best Heated Hunting Gloves: Snow Deer Heated Gloves

Snow Deer

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Heated hunting gloves should let the hunter lower the heat while walking and crank it back up while waiting. These do just that with three adjustable heat levels easily toggled via one-key operation on the back of the glove. At the lowest setting, the battery promises six and a half hours of steady heat. These heated gloves combine high-performance nylon with flexible leather and a fleece interior for maximum coziness and function, and are touchscreen-capable.

Do you Ride a Motorcycle?

Heated motorcycle gloves should incorporate a few features optimized for riding. Look for motorcycle gloves made from leather for a good grip, plus with an interior liner and armored knuckles to ensure maximum durability and protection while still letting your hands breathe. Some heated motorcycle gloves offer pre-curved fingers designed for an easier grip, which reduce fatigue on the ride.

Best Heated Motorcycle Gloves: Highway 21 Radiant Motorcycle Gloves

Highway 21

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Highway 21′s heated motorcycle gloves are all leather with a waterproof, windproof liner, armored knuckles, and pre-curved fingers. They also feature adjustable gauntlets so you can tweak the fit on the go and three heat levels controlled with easy-to-use plus/minus buttons on the gloves’ exterior.

Will You Wear Your Gloves for Fishing?

The other stream of outdoor sports with specialized requirements for heated gloves is fishing. Like all fishing gear, heated fishing gloves must be able to function when wet. This is a simple determination. Heated gloves for fishing need to be waterproof gloves, period. They also should have waterproof adjustable closures, so you can cinch them down to prevent water intrusion in your wrist area.

Best Heated Fishing Gloves: WILDYAK Waterproof Heated Gloves

WILDYAK

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These waterproof gloves from Wild Yak rely on a sheep leather exterior and a waterproof internal membrane to keep your hands (and the electronics) dry while fishing. The power display is color-coded so you know which of three heat levels and power levels you’re at by simply glancing at the color. The fingers have touch sensors so you can use touch screens without removing your gloves.

Heated Gloves on a Budget: What You Get for Under $20

Specialized outdoor winter gear like heated gloves often come with the steep price tags. While you can definitely find less expensive pairs, you may sacrifice quality. A better option might be non-electronic gloves that have hand warmer pockets. These disposable warming inserts rely on a chemical reaction to keep you warm, so they’re also a good solution for times you can’t easily access electricity for charging electronic gloves, or as emergency gloves in your go bag. Bonus: those warmers offer seriously long heating times.

Best Cheap Heated Gloves: Heat Factory Pop-Top Mittens

Heat Factory

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When it comes to staying warm on a budget—or without access to charging—it’s hard to beat the triple threat of internal gloves, pop-top mittens, and chemical hand-warming inserts. These have a high performance insulating layer, a silent magnet to close the mitten, and a pocket for keeping the hand warmers in place. Each hand warmer provides up to 10 hours of heat.

A Final Word on Shopping for the Best Heated Gloves

When it comes to outdoor winter clothes, heated gloves can keep you warmer longer and protect your hands from damage from the cold. Make sure your gloves are fit to your hand size and activity, durable enough to hold up while still ensuring dexterous movement, and easily adjustable so you don’t have to stop what you’re doing to achieve the right fit for the activity.