All of the 2023-24 winter season budget glove reviews consolidated in one place.
ATG MaxiDry Zero
Overall: 8/10 and a good recommendation for those in need of winter gloves.
Cost: 10/10. They’re only £8 on Amazon.
Durability: 7/10. The cuffs seem rubbish and frayed almost immediately but the rubber palm seems pretty tough.
Dexterity: 8/10. There is stitching at the end of the fingers which doesn’t help them to be super dexterous but they’re reasonable, and no worse than expensive mountaineering gloves with pre-curved fingers.
Warmth: 6.5/10. Certainly not the warmest glove, but if you’re wearing an ultra waterproof pair like this then temperature probably isn’t your main concern.
Other thoughts: kind of tricky to dry as they need to be inside out.
Supreme TTF FC-THERM 328
Overall: 7/10. Some of the cheapest I’ve tried but good waterproofing and dexterity.
Cost: 9/10. £5 online.
Durability: 6/10. The rubberised texture on the palm isn’t bonded that well to the waterproof layer and has started to wear off in high use areas, but the waterproof rubber dip seems really durable.
Dexterity: 7/10. As ever, dexterity is down to fit, but these don’t have stitches on the lining at the end of the fingers which makes them quite dexterous. Both thumbs have some weird bunching on the liner inside but it doesn’t seem to effect the dexterity.
Warmth: 7/10. Plenty warm enough for Scottish winter climbing unless it’s seriously cold. I wore them on a -10c summit temperature day and whilst I was cold all over, all day, my hands were manageable.
Other thoughts: the rubber waterproof dip on the back of the hands is incredibly tacky. The gloves will stick to each other and any other plastic fabric they touch which makes putting on a belay jacket whilst wearing the gloves really difficult.
Simond Sprint Waterproof Mountaineering Glove
Overall: 8/10. A sensible looking thin leather glove which doesn’t quite live up to its name but is good to climb in.
Cost: 6/10. £26.99 is expensive for a budget glove, but still seems reasonable when the equivalent from a big climbing brand is £100+
Durability: 9/10. These are on their second winter season of use, plus some shoulder season wear. The seams are going on the fingers but the leather has lasted much better than the budget plastic palm gloves I’ve been trying out.
Dexterity: 8/10. A nimble glove that I’ve worn for some tricky pitches.
Warmth: 4/10. Not very warm at all. Also not waterproof in the slightest (despite the model name 😂)
Other thoughts: Sometimes it’s nice to wear a glove which doesn’t look weird. Leather palms a good and grippy and I’ve done lots of autumnal mountaineering in these with little wear on the leather despite repeated handling of a rope. Not waterproof in the slightest!
Showa Temres 282
Overall: 6/10. Expensive compared to others on test but very dexterous.
Cost: 5/10. About £25 with postage puts these at the top of the budget bracket.
Durability: 2/10. I put holes in the fingers on my first day wearing these and three days guiding has made the rubber start to strip on the thumbs and palm. They’re still warm but not waterproof at all. When I read they were cut proof I expected something really robust, but I think it’s more along the lines of if you cut yourself the glove will take the worst of the damage and save your hand. See pic 2.
Dexterity: 10/10. Some of the best fitting most dexterous gloves I’ve ever used. Really grippy palms too even with iced up tools and wet gear. No noticeable internal seams.
Warmth: 7/10. Warm, until you put holes in the fingers and cold water gets inside the glove.
Other thoughts: a great lead climbing glove, and one I would wear for a day of slushy ice climbing if I knew I wouldn’t be subjecting the glove to rock and rope abrasion.
Skytec Argon
Overall: 4/10. Really warm but soak up moisture like a sponge.
Cost: 6/10. £7 online
Durability: 5/10. The palm is doing better than some of the others but I suspect that the rough rubber dip will soon come off.
Dexterity: 7/10. Reasonable nimble for a very warm glove.
Warmth: 5/10. Really warm when dry (8/10 score) but very easy to wet out and then they’re not warm at all.
Other thoughts: a very warm glove when it’s dry, but soon turning into a soggy mess when exposed to even a hint of moisture.
ATG MaxiTherm 30-201
Overall: 4/10. Cheap and warm but lack of waterproofing makes them a poor contender for Scottish winter climbing.
Cost: 6/10. Only £6 online, but lack of durability doesn’t make them good value.
Durability: 2/10. The rubberised palm shows serious wear after a single day of climbing and the fabric backer and wrist has worn badly.
Dexterity: 7/10. Reasonable nimble for a warm glove.
Warmth: 6/10. Really warm when dry (8/10 score) but with no waterproofing, as soon as they get wet it’s game over.
Other thoughts: because these aren’t waterproof they actually breathe and dry much better than some of the other gloves I’ve tried out. They’ve been good as a pair of ‘walk in’ gloves letting my sweaty palms breathe before switching to a more waterproof glove to climb in.