2011 Editors' Choice Snow Award: Outdoor Research Sensor Gloves
Touch screen gloves that are durable (thanks to leather) and warm (thanks to polarfleece).
Our map team knows a thing or two about gloves with touch-screen sensitivity. “I’ve tried plenty,” says one mapper. “The metallic nubs and metal-impregnated fabrics don’t work consistently, so I’m forced to take my gloves off, which freezes my fingers and makes me stop recording waypoints.” The solution: TouchTec leather—which transmits your fingers’ electrical impulses to the screen—and provides the best touch-screen performance of any gloves we’ve tried.
The stretchy, lightweight fleece offers a perfect blend of warmth and breathability; it’s just right for three-season insulation or for aerobic fourth-season activities like running and backcountry skiing. Testers found the Sensor warmer than touch-screen gloves of similar weight; Outdoor Research attributes this to the fact that it lacks the cold-conducting metal used in others. After testing with iPhone apps in Iceland, one tester also lauded the wraparound construction: “With most touch-screen gloves, there’s a tiny sweet spot on the fingertip. With the Sensor, you can swipe or pinpoint with any part of the finger or thumb, even the sides, which is useful for pinching and spreading maps.”
Caveats: The palms appear to be wearing faster than traditional outdoor glove leathers, and the tradeoff for high breathability is limited wind resistance.
$65
3.7 oz. (m’s L); m’s S-XL, w’s S-L
outdoorresearch.com