Hestra Army Leather GORE-TEX

The Hestra Army Leather GORE-TEX is the Army Leather glove with a membrane behind the goatskin — Hestra's own spec sheet answers "Waterproof: Yes" here and "No" on the cheaper Heli Ski. At $230, that membrane is the entire premium, so the question is narrow: is your snow actually wet?

Fabric and construction

Impregnated Army goat leather palm, Hestra Triton recycled polyamide backhand, and between shell and lining a GORE-TEX ePE insert made without PFAS. Hestra states the glove "features a waterproof membrane that prevents moisture from reaching your hands." Impregnated leather on its own is only water-resistant, and water-resistant leather eventually wets out. This glove is entitled to the stronger word.

The membrane costs something. Hestra rates this glove 6/8 Durability, "Rugged"; the membrane-free Army Leather Heli Ski rates 7/8, "Heavy duty". The expensive glove is the less rugged one on Hestra's own scale. Eagle Grip construction keeps the hand pre-curved around a pole grip, which is why a glove this insulated still rates 6/8 Mobility, "Agile".

Warmth and weather

Warmth is 6/8, "Insulated", on Hestra's eight-point scale — G-Loft synthetic fill against a Bemberg lining. A cold-day glove, not a deep-freeze glove. Waterproof and warm are separate axes: the membrane adds no insulation, it stops the insulation you have from soaking through, and wet insulation is cold insulation. Hestra publishes no millimetre rating and no windproof rating for this style, so we print neither.

Fit and sizing

Hestra sizes by hand circumference in numbers, not S/M/L. PTO stocks 8, 9 and 10 — the same three sizes in both Black/Black and Black/Natural Grey, so colour does not narrow your size choice here. The cuff is a long gauntlet with a snow lock, wrist strap, handcuffs and a carabiner with eyelet.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

Buy it if your snow is genuinely wet — coastal winters, spring slush, rain-on-snow — or for touring days where breathability matters as much as the barrier. Do not buy it if you ski cold, dry snow and care what it costs: the Army Leather Heli Ski at $185 matches its 6/8 warmth and beats it on durability, so the extra $45 buys a membrane you never cash in. If you want the warmest hands, the GORE-TEX 3-finger is rated warmer at the same $230. And if your hand is not an 8, 9 or 10, we cannot fit you.