Trekmates Insulated Gloves - three budget-friendly options Review

© Dan Bailey

Winter climbers are famously profligate with their handwear. But whatever you're doing on the winter hills you really can't have too many gloves, since even on a walking or ski touring day you could get through several pairs as the weather changes, or the first ones wet out. It's sensible to carry at least one warm backup pair too, to avoid a lost glove leading to lost digits. 

Winter on the hills? You'll need a few decent handwear options  © Dan Bailey
Winter on the hills? You'll need a few decent handwear options
© Dan Bailey

Money might be saved by using various sorts of work gloves. However once snow hits the hills most of us will favour the more comfortable and less utilitarian option of insulated waterproof-lined gloves actually designed for outdoor use. While you could spend a fortune amassing the necessary handwear collection, you may not need to. Since manual dexterity is less critical for hillwalking, skiing, and one-axe mountaineering than more technical winter climbing, not every winter hill-goer needs higher-priced climbing gloves. Cheaper if less dexterous alternatives may be sufficient for many people. 

In spring 2022 we reviewed three lighter-weight budget-friendly gloves from Trekmates: 

Here we've followed up by looking at three thicker, more insulated winter-worthy models from the brand. At various prices, the selection should appeal to a range of users and budgets. None of these gloves have enough dexterity for technical climbing, but they're all well suited to winter hillwalking, non-technical mountaineering, and skiing. Crucially, even the pricier model costs a lot less than you might fork out elsewhere; in fact you could probably get two sets for the cost of one pair of climbing-specialist gloves from a bigger ticket brand.

L to R: Classic Dry (thinner budget model); Chamonix GTX (mid-ranger); Matterhorn GTX (warmest and priciest)  © Dan Bailey
L to R: Classic Dry (thinner budget model); Chamonix GTX (mid-ranger); Matterhorn GTX (warmest and priciest)
© Dan Bailey

Classic Dry Glove - £30

The most affordable choice in this selection, the Classic Dry Glove is well suited to hillwalking, skiing, and general outdoor fun. Its light-to-midweight level of insulation is plenty in cold-ish conditions but would be looking thin for extreme cold or particularly windy weather. If you're only going to use insulated gloves occasionally, not doing anything too gnarly, and don't need the last word in dexterity, then they'd be a good buy.

A good affordable choice for hillwalking on the cusp of autumn/winter  © Dan Bailey
A good affordable choice for hillwalking on the cusp of autumn/winter
© Dan Bailey

Fit

With fairly big hands I'll often take a size L in gloves, but here went for XL. While adjectival sizing is never an exact science I've found Trekmates' gloves can often be relatively small compared to some makes, so it might be worth thinking about sizing up from your usual. The shaping works well with my long, thin fingers (some brands typically come out too stubby on me), and the fit at the wrist is close enough to feel snug without being restrictively tight. There's a big cuff too, which gives plenty of wrist coverage to seal out the weather, while still fitting neatly inside your jacket sleeves.

At this price point you wouldn't expect the most sophisticated tailoring, and despite the pre-curved roll-tip fingers the fit is indeed a bit boxy in the fingertips for fine manual dexterity. There's a baggy feel between outer and lining too. You won't be tying laces or fiddling with climbing gear in these gloves - but at this price you wouldn't expect to be able to.

Light polyamide shell  © Dan Bailey
Light polyamide shell
© Dan Bailey

Durable PU palm  © Dan Bailey
Durable PU palm
© Dan Bailey

Weight

At 144g for a pair of size XL, the Classic Dry are pretty light for insulated gloves, which is good on days when you're carrying them just in case and may or may not actually need to use them.

Fabric and Fill

Warmth comes via a light-ish 120gm/m2 hollow fibre polyester insulation. While you don't get loads of fill, it's enough for moderate cold, and the advantage of being a bit thinner is that the gloves feel un-restrictive. A brushed synthetic lining adds a bit more snugness. This has the drawback (common to all three gloves in this review) of being clingy on wet/cold hands, so I find it's best to put these gloves on preemptively rather than when you're already getting nippy digits.

With a hydrostatic head of 'at least' 5000mm (can't they be more exact?), the 'Dry Protect' waterproof fabric seems to do the trick in wintry rain and slush, and also feels breathable enough that you don't get noticeably sweaty palms on the move. Compared to the more expensive Gore-Tex, the use of this more budget-friendly membrane must help keep the price down. The patterned PU palm seems durable, and has decent grip on axes and poles.

What else do you get?

There's a clip to keep the pair together, and a drawcord at the cuff. No wrist tether though.

For more info see trekmates.co.uk

Chamonix GTX Glove - £50

The midrange model in terms of both price and warmth, the Chamonix GTX offers just a bit more of a premium feel than the Classic Dry, while still being light and fairly simple in design. Thanks to the performance advantage of that Gore-Tex lining, it's that bit better suited to more challenging uses and conditions. While the cheaper alternative is good for the autumn/winter transition, the Chamonix feels warmer and more protective for proper winter on the hills. For a Gore-Tex insulated glove it's a good buy.

With its light-to-midweight feel, the Chamonix GTX is good for winter Munros in more moderate weather  © Dan Bailey
With its light-to-midweight feel, the Chamonix GTX is good for winter Munros in more moderate weather
© Dan Bailey

Fit

Again, these gloves come out slightly smaller than I'd tend to expect, and I've sized up from my usual L to an XL. The relative length of the digits suits my hand shape well, and while the fingers are ever so slightly shorter than those on the Classic Dry they do still work with my long-fingered hands. On me, the elasticated wrist could be positioned slightly further down the cuff since it sits over the heel of my hand rather than the wrist per se; but since it's not particularly tight I don't find it uncomfy.

Not a precision fit for climbing, but fine for handling poles etc  © Dan Bailey
Not a precision fit for climbing, but fine for handling poles etc
© Dan Bailey

The pre-shaped digits have a more precise and less boxy cut than on the cheaper glove, making dexterity a tad better. However the fingertips still have an imprecise and bulky feel, so while the Chamonix is fine for walking and would do for one-axe mountaineering, I wouldn't want to do any more technical or fiddly roped climbing in them. I've generally had to remove them when operating a camera and the like.

Weight

Though the Chamonix GTX Glove feels thicker, and is certainly warmer than the Classic Dry, it barely weighs more, at just 160g for my pair of XL. That's not going to break the bank if you're carrying insulated gloves on the offchance you'll want them, or when packing them as a backup pair.

The outer shell feels tough  © Dan Bailey
The outer shell feels tough
© Dan Bailey

PU 'leather' palm is grippy on winter tools  © Dan Bailey
PU 'leather' palm is grippy on winter tools
© Dan Bailey

Fabric and Fill

We've said this is a thicker and more substantial glove than the Classic Dry, but it actually has less weight of hollow fibre polyester insulation, at only 80g/m2. As well as upping the price, I imagine the Gore-Tex insert helps account for its more protective feel overall. On a recent windy sub-zero hill day I started with achingly cold hands, but soon warmed up, and by the finish found that I'd been wearing the Chamonix all day long and hadn't needed to change into the thicker Matterhorn as I'd predicted I might.

No doubt the Gore-Tex is more breathable than Dry Protect, so while I've no complaints yet about the Classic Dry, the Chamonix GTX would be my preferred choice for a day of sweat-inducing energetic winter hillwalking. If you're out in the rain, it's going to be a better bet too. I've had a proper Scottish soaking in these gloves, and my hands stayed dry.

They relished a rigorous wet weather workout  © Dan Aspel
They relished a rigorous wet weather workout
© Dan Aspel

On the outside, the fabric feels slightly thicker and potentially tougher than the outer of the cheaper glove, while the soft faux leather palm is just a bit more classy. Inside though, that same brushed microfleece lining comes with familiar pros and cons, being snug but decidedly clingy on cold/wet skin. I sometimes really have to fight to get these gloves on!

What else do you get?

Again there's a clip to hold the pair together, and a drawcord at the cuff. In this case you also get a simple elastic wrist tether, something I use a lot (partly because it's easier to remove the gloves when doing anything fiddly).

For more info see trekmates.co.uk

Matterhorn GTX Glove - £60

In terms of design finesse, the Matterhorn GTX is a definite step up from the Chamonix, and with its far greater weight of insulation it's the clear winner for properly cold and gnarly winter mountain conditions. I wouldn't actually wear it on the Matterhorn - the dexterity still isn't up there with a dedicated climbing glove - but for snow plods somewhere like Mont Blanc, or a cold and windy winter Munro, it'd be spot on. For the quality and warmth of glove you're getting the price seems very fair.

With lots of insulation, the Matterhorn GTX is the one for serious cold  © Dan Bailey
With lots of insulation, the Matterhorn GTX is the one for serious cold
© Dan Bailey

Fit

Trekmates' sizing seems a little inconsistent. Despite my experience with the other two gloves, I found XL in the Matterhorn too large for sensible use on the hills, and went down to L. Again, the fit is good for my long-fingered hand shape, and the relative length of the digits (much longer middle finger) is spot on for me. The fingers have a nice curved shape, and the cut on the thumb and forefinger helps improve the dexterity. Nevertheless I find the tips of all the digits a bit baggy and imprecise compared to the best climbing gloves, so as with the Chamonix this would not be my pick for a day involving any actual climbing with ropes and jangly bits. I'll be saving these gloves for walking and one-axe winter mountaineering, but others may get on better with the fingertip fit so I'd advise giving them a try in a shop to see how nimble they feel on you.

The long cuff offers plenty of wrist coverage, and while it's thicker and bulkier than the other models it does still fit neatly under jacket sleeves. As with the Chamonix, I do think the elasticated wrist section could have been positioned a centimetre or two further down the cuff since it sits over the heel of my hand rather than my wrist, though it's possible that's because I'm halfway between sizes in this model.

Tough textured outer fabric  © Dan Bailey
Tough textured outer fabric
© Dan Bailey

Durable PU 'leather' palm  © Dan Bailey
Durable PU 'leather' palm
© Dan Bailey

Weight

I make my pair of size L gloves 232g - significantly more than the other two, and on a par with other alternatives in the approximate mid-to-heavyweight category. While you can go thicker, warmer and heavier than this, many users won't need to.

Fabric and Fill

In this case the synthetic insulation comes in two weights: a whopping 280g/m2 on the back of the hand for maximum warmth, and a still-generous 180g/m2 on the palm side for increased dexterity. With this thickness of fill you're probably going to struggle to get cold hands in all but the most extreme UK winter mountain conditions, though you may find - like me - that it takes some bedding in before the glove feels fully supple.

It's the one you want if you're handling ice axes in the cold  © Dan Bailey
It's the one you want if you're handling ice axes in the cold
© Dan Bailey

The Gore-Tex lining gives you the waterproofing and breathability you'd want on a dreich day, while the addition of Gore Warm Technology is said to boost the insulation. On a foul and stormy Scottish winter forecast, this is the first glove out of the three that I would pack, and so far it has reliably kept my digits toasty on cold snowy summits.

With a tough shell, a nice soft faux leather palm, and overall good build quality, the Matterhorn GTX feels like the glove that'll last the best. My only gripe is the clingy feel of that brushed lining on cold/wet hands.

What else do you get?

For that extra outlay there are some additional features. As well as the obligatory clip to keep the pair together, a dual tether drawcord at the cuff, and a long elastic wrist leash, Trekmates give you: a flocking patch for runny noses (does anyone really wipe their goggles with them, as described?); a finger loop to clip your gloves opening-down at a belay (unaccountably on the side of a finger rather than the top side); and a webbing wrist adjuster (entirely superfluous on me - I may end up cutting it off). Trekmates say the Matterhorn GTX are touchscreen-compatible. I accept that this is literally true, but since I can barely use a phone accurately with bare hands I've no chance in these hefty gauntlets.

For more info see trekmates.co.uk





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