Hestra Women's Patrol Gauntlet Mitt

The Hestra Women's Patrol Gauntlet Mitt is a women's-fit ski mitten on an Army goat leather palm and a softshell backhand, insulated with G-Loft over a removable liner. It is the Patrol Gauntlet with the fingers in one chamber, and Hestra's spec sheet prices that decision exactly: warmth climbs from 6/8 to 8/8, mobility drops from 6/8 to 3/8. This is the warm one, and Hestra rates it Waterproof: No.

Army leather palm, softshell back

The palm is Army goat leather. The backhand is a three-layer dobby polyester melange softshell, 97% polyester and 3% elastane, so the leather takes abrasion and the back of the hand stretches. Insulation is G-Loft, which Hestra rates as insulating even when wet. Durability is 6/8, "Rugged". The Bemberg liner is removable: pull it to dry, or swap a thinner one for touring. Gauntlet cuff with snow lock, wrist strap, handcuffs, carabiner.

Warmth 8/8, and no membrane

Hestra rates warmth 8/8, "Expedition" — the top of their eight-point scale. A mitten traps more air than a glove, so the fingers share heat instead of each shedding it alone. Mobility falls to 3/8: basic grip and handling. You do not get both.

Water is the cost. Hestra's structured spec reads Waterproof: No: "The glove does not include a waterproof membrane. It may offer water resistance from its outer material but is not designed to keep hands dry in sustained wet conditions." Hestra calls the outer material weather-resistant. That is the ceiling: rain or heavy wet snow will find its way through leather and seams. Buy this for cold, not for wet.

Fit and sizing

The cut is slimmer than the men's, for a narrower hand. Hestra sizes by hand circumference at the widest part of the palm, and calls that an indication only: hands vary, and some models fit tighter. Hestra lists sizes 5 through 9. PTO stocks 6, 7 and 8, all three sizes in all three colourways: Navy, Mauve and Light Grey. No colour is short a size.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

Buy it if you run cold and ski lift-served days in deep winter. Do not buy it if you need your hands to work: at 3/8 mobility you will pull it off for a binding or a zip. The Women's Patrol Gauntlet in five-finger form is the same leather and the same insulation, rated 6/8 "Insulated" and 6/8 "Agile".

And if you ski a wet snowpack, buy a membrane. Hestra's CZone Mountain Mitt reads Waterproof: Yes on a CZone membrane at 7/8 warmth; the Army Leather GORE-TEX carries a GORE-TEX membrane. Both are unisex cuts, so the trade is this women's fit for the membrane.