I get very cold hands so I was delighted to be asked to test the new Sealskinz Extreme Cold Weather Heated Gloves.
Sealskinz state: “These gloves are designed to keep you warm in the most extreme weather conditions.”
They are part of a new range by Sealskinz called “wearable technology”. The gloves are waterproof, breathable and windproof and have a heated element.
Features include:
- Heating provided by a 4V 220mAh Polymer rechargeable battery unit that sits inside a Velcro pocket in each cuff.
- Up to 5 hours runtime and charge time 5-6 hours
- An integrated control switch offers three power settings: Low, medium and high so you can choose the heating that you require.
- Primaloft insulation
- Full-length gaiter cuff for added weather protection
- Drawsting and fastener at the cuff for additional protection and tailored fit
- Pre-curved fingers and knuckle feature design to allow greater dexterity
- Soft and supple goatskin leather palm for comfort, durability and control
- PU suede wiper on thumb
- Fleece on the back of the hand for additional protection and a tailored fit
- £150
- See Sealskinz. Buy on Amazon.
On test: Sealskinz Extreme Cold Weather Heated Gloves
I requested a size medium because although I have slim hands they are long. The gloves fit well. The fingers are the perfect length and the width is only a little too big.
The fleece lining is super comfy and the gloves look to be of high quality and feel great to wear. The leather palm will not suit vegetarians or those opposed to the use of leather in garments but this does mean they are waterproof and durable.
I have owned heated gloves before and found, back then, that the battery was quite large and heavy. Technology has moved on and the battery is much smaller. Of course, you can feel the weight of the battery in each cuff but it’s not very heavy.
The batteries recharge (I did this overnight) and then simply slot in the Velcro pockets.
The three settings seem to offer slightly increased levels of heat. The first setting is the most noticeable level of heat. It’s not so hot that your hands feel very toasty warm but just enough to take the chill off.
The next two settings give slight increases of ambient heat. On the warmest setting it’s like a heated blanket over your hands. It works really well and much better than I expected.
Personally, I could have had a hotter setting but I expect that would drain the battery too quickly.
The longer cuff is welcome, too, especially as you most likely use the gloves in extreme weather or while skiing. Having a cuff that fully protects the wrist is brilliant. I like the addition of the drawstring top to keep more heat in and more wind out.
The suede thumb is useful for wiping mist and rain from glasses and goggles. This works quite well although not brilliantly. Unfortunately in rain and damp, the suede gets wet so it doesn’t really work then! It is better than not having it though.
If I was to change one thing it would be to have mittens rather than gloves. Keeping fingers together inside mittens helps to ward off chilled hands in the first place. I hope Sealskinz might take up my request?
The Sealskinz Extreme Cold Weather Heated Gloves are quite pricey at £150 but they can be used for a range of sports, especially walking and skiing and possibly cycling, so they would prove useful if you suffer with cold hands. They look like they will be durable.
See Sealskinz.