Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski 3-finger

The Army Leather Heli Ski 3-Finger is built for cold hands, and it is not waterproof. Hestra's own performance spec reads "the glove does not include a waterproof membrane." It buys mitten-grade heat by sewing three fingers into one chamber. Cold, dry day: the right trade. Wet coastal day: the wrong one. $185.

Fabric and construction

Impregnated Army goat leather on the palm, Hestra's Triton recycled polyamide on the back. Goat hide is thin for its strength, so it keeps feel on a pole, and Hestra rates the glove 7/8 Durability, "Heavy duty". Behind that leather there is no waterproof membrane. Impregnation is water resistance, not waterproofing, and it wears off — Hestra ships leather balm with the glove for exactly that reason. Water-resistant is not waterproof, and Hestra publishes no windproof rating for this style either, so water resistance is the ceiling we will claim.

Warmth and weather

Hestra rates the warmth 7/8, "Extreme" — above the five-finger Heli Ski at 6/8, and above the pricier Army Leather GORE-TEX at 6/8. G-Loft insulation does part of that; the hand shape does the rest. Middle, ring and pinky share one chamber and warm each other, while the index finger stays free for a zipper or a pole strap.

The mechanism is also the bill. Mobility rates 4/8, "Good", against the five-finger's 6/8 "Agile", and you cannot take one without the other. The lining pulls out: dry it overnight, or leave it out when the day turns mild.

Fit and sizing

Hestra sizes by hand circumference in numbers, not S/M/L. Our buy is Navy only, in sizes 7 to 10. Measure rather than guess. The cuff is a long gauntlet with a snow lock and a Velcro wrist strap, and the carabiner hangs the pair opening-down, out of the snow.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

Buy it if you run cold, on long exposed days in cold, dry snow — the day you never duck inside. Do not buy it for wet snow, because in maritime slush there is no waterproof membrane behind the leather; the Army Leather GORE-TEX at $230 is the one that has one. Do not buy it if you need fingertips — if your day runs on buckles and straps, the five-finger Heli Ski at the same $185 is the better tool. And do not buy it if you will not wax leather.