I was sent a pair of TrackMates’ new Thaw DRY mittens to test. I have worn them on many occasions, for hiking and skiing (both downhill and touring). I have tested the in cold, dry, wet and windy conditions. These are my thoughts on how the mittens have performed. But first, the features:
Features of TrekMates Thaw DRY mittens
- Fabric: Polyamide ripstop with FC free DWR
- DRY Protect™ waterproof, breathable technology (HH5000/5000)
- 133gm/m2 Primaloft® Gold insulation (from recycled materials)
- Microfibre PU palm
- Brushed microfleece lining
- Elasticated wrist and stretch cuff
- Stuff bag with key clip
- Touch screen compatible
Weight: 90g
Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
Price: £45 for mitten (£50 for gloves)
See: TrekMates
My thoughts: TrekMates Thaw DRY mittens
I have Raynaud’s Syndrome, which means I need to protect my hands from the cold, even in the summer. As a result, I have many pairs of gloves – mostly mittens – for every occasion, from a summer’s hike or run to winter mountaineering and skiing.
The TrekMates Thaw mittens sit in the mid-range insulation collection. I have other pairs of lightweight mittens, such as Arc’teryx Venta mittens and inov8 Extreme Thermo running mitts. At the opposite end of the scale are my much-loved but not-now-available Berghaus Ulvetanna mitts and Ororo Amsterdam Heated Mittens 2.0.
The TrekMates Thaw mittens sit neatly in the middle. They are perfect for winter days when I am working hard, such hiking uphill or on ski touring ascents. They are also great for cool but not extremely cold adventures, such as spring and autumn hiking in the hills and mountains.
The mitts I have are a size medium and that allows me to put them on over a baselayer glove, such as Buff Dry Flx gloves. I often utilise this combination of lightweight gloves and medium-weight mittens when ski touring. It means that if I need to remove the outer-layer mittens, for example to get something out of my rucksack or remove skins from my skis, I can still protect my cold-prone hands with the thinner baselayer gloves. The combo layering adds extra warmth, too.
In summer, when I am hiking in the mountains, I like to have a pair of “just-in-case” mittens in my rucksack. I use these if I stop on a breezy summit or for times when temperatures suddenly drop. The TrekMates Thaw DRY mittens come with a handy wee bag, too, which helps with stowing them in a small place in my pack.
The mitts are nicely insulated and offer great windproofing. They also have a waterproof outer fabric. Note, this is not full-on waterproofing, like a Gore-Tex jacket, so it’s useful to carry a spare pair of waterproof outer mitts if it’s likely to be very wet or wet for a prolonged period. The waterproofing is fine in light drizzle or snow.
Because the Primaloft insulation is synthetic, rather than down, the mittens do still offer warmth even when damp. I was surprised by how warming they are.
I was also impressed by the breathability of the mitts. I rarely end up with sweaty hands while wearing these mittens.
The palm of the mitts is a brushed fabric. This stops the mitts from being slippery when you are trying to hold on to something, such as a water or tea flask.
There are fabric thumbs, too, that are meant to be touch-screen compatible. They work sometimes but not others.
The gloves can be clipped together when not in use. One thing to beware of, though, is they are lightweight so they can easily fly away in the wind. This happened to me a couple of times when I wasn’t paying attention to holding tightly to the gloves on a windy mountain. Fortunately, I was able to get the fly-away mitt back.
One area of improvement would be to add some softer fabric across the thumb. It might sound a bit yuk, but a softer area on the glove where you can quickly wipe your wet nose is always really useful.
I think the price for the mitts is reasonable.
In conclusion, the TrekMates Thaw DRY mittens have become a staple of my mitten collection. I can see I will use them year-round and especially in autumn and winter. They are a simple design; nothing fancy, really, but very useful.