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When it comes to winter running, a must-have (yet much-overlooked) piece of gear is a solid pair of running gloves. The best running gloves utilize modern materials to keep your hands warm without trapping sweat, go on (and pull off) easily, and—ideally—let you use whatever phone, smartwatch, or fitness tracker is keeping tabs on all those miles.
Above all, they need to fit. While you (probably) won’t end up trying them on in court, OJ-style, ill-fitting gloves tend to be the root cause of running glove annoyance. Which explains why many of our picks are from running brands that ditch a one-size-fits-all approach.
The Best Running Gloves, at a Glance
Wanna race to the checkout? Here, our top-pick running gloves to help you cross the finish line.
- The Best Running Gloves, Overall: Smartwool Merino Glove, $90
- The Best Upgrade Running Gloves: Satisfy Justice CoffeeThermal Gloves, $110
- The Best Running Gloves for Wearing All the Time: Lululemon Fast and Free Fleece Running Gloves, $42
- The Best Running Mittens: Tracksmith Fens Mittens, $38
- The Best Convertible Running Gloves: The North Face Unisex Etip Trail Mitt, $55
- The Best Hi-Vis Running Gloves: Nathan HyperNight Reflective Gloves, $30
- The Best Knit Running Gloves: Defeet ET Dura Glove, $25
And while the sea of running glove options isn't quite as deep as the seemingly-infinite ocean of running sneakers, there's a lot to sift through, and no easy way to try things on. Plus you need to know what to prioritize: tactility or warmth? Waterproofing or wind-blocking? Do you actually need…mittens?
Regardless of where you run, how you run, or whether you run cold versus hot, we’ve found a pair of running gloves we're confident will keep your hands safe until the temps are high enough to let them feel the breeze once again.
What to look for in a pair of running gloves
Size: Maybe it's just me, but I really need to get the right glove size, or I’ll think about it the whole time I’m running. (Overly large gloves in particular annoy the hell out of me.) To get a just-right fit, use a soft measuring tape to get two measurements: around your palm (at its widest, where your fingers connect) and your finger length (from the tip of your longest finger—probably your middle)straight to your wrist. Then compare that to the sizing measurements listed by a brand.
Material: Synthetic fleece tends to be the standard—it's warm, stretchy, light, inexpensive, and okay at moisture wicking. Merino wool is naturally antibacterial and much better at temperature regulation than fleece, which is helpful if your hands go from chilly at the start of a run to hot and sweaty once you're warmed up. Knit cotton gloves are comfortable and tend to have fewer seams, but are bad at wicking sweat and won't work with touchscreens.
Touchscreen capability: It's crucial if you think you'll need to make a quick Spotify check, scope out a notification, or tap the screen on your fitness tracker to eyeball your pace. Because taking off your gloves—especially mid-run—just to find out you've gotten a spam text from your local senator is the worst of all worlds..
Gloves vs Mittens: When that windchill hits in the dead of January but you're dedicated to keeping your spring marathon training on track (much respect), then it's time for running mittens. Temperature thresholds are different for everyone, but I switch over for anything 30 degrees Fahrenheit or below. If you're not willing to give up the dexterity or touchscreen capability of gloves, convertible gloves offer a mitten-style flap that can be folded back.
The Best Running Gloves Overall: SmartWool Merino Glove
Merino wool remains unbeaten when it comes to handling the complicated thermodynamics of cold days but potentially sweaty hands. SmartWool remains the king of leveraging the natural fiber for chilly outdoor pursuits, but we also love the brands merino running gloves because they're touchscreen compatible and come in five sizes, so just about anyone find a close-to-perfect fit. They’re also blessedly simple aesthetically, which I appreciate.
Heads-up that at the moment, Amazon seems to have oddly limited sizing, while REI has the full run, plus a lighter gray colorway.
The Best Upgrade Running Gloves: Satisfy Justice CoffeeThermal Gloves
Satisfy is one of the most stylish running brands in the game right now, marrying a fashion-influenced design with some innovative thinking around performance textiles. The brand's Justice CoffeeThermal gloves are wonderfully thin and water-resistant—and, I suppose, somewhat coffee resistant, though I did not test that, so don't quote me. But that's not the reason for the name.
The gloves have coffee-charcoal infused fibers that naturally retain heat, which lets them stay warmer than similarly lightweight running gloves. Those lighter-gray circles at the thumb are actually there to wipe away sweat (okay, probably also some snot), which is nice. The fact that there are only two sizes is at least somewhat mitigated by the fact that the CoffeeThermal fabric is nicely stretchy, so should accommodate a wide range of hands.
The Best Running Gloves for Everyday Use: Lululemon Fast and Free Fleece Running Gloves
With reflective details, silicone grip on the palms, and tech-ready fingertips, Lululemon has a pair of feature-packed running gloves on their hands (sorry). They are made from water-repellent brushed fleece and have a handy clip to keep them together when you take them off. Unlike a lot of aggressively sporty running gloves, the Lululemons' low-key look means they'll sync up nicely with your everyday puffer or overcoat whether you're heading to work or out on a date.
The Best Running Mittens: Tracksmith Fens Mittens
The Tracksmith Fens mittens are lined with moisture-wicking, super-soft fleece and have hidden magnets in the wrists to keep them coupled up when you aren’t wearing them. The water-resistant corduroy-esque ribbing gives them the heritage feel we’ve come to love from Tracksmith, while touchscreen functionality will let you tap “Answer Call” if you've got good aim. Though don't expect to be logging data on your smartwatch.
The Best Convertible Running Gloves: The North Face Unisex Etip Trail Mitt
The North Face’s Etip Trail gloves are the best of both worlds: a glove with a hidden mitt (it tucks into a pocket on the back of the hand) that you can easily flip over your fingers. It's great if you're looking for one set of gloves to carry you through a whole winter, or if you tend to need a little extra warmth during that first mile, before your blood really starts flowing.
They have silicone grips on the fingers to keep slippery phones from slipping out of your hands and touchscreen compatibility for taking care of a mid-run text or checking Google Maps to make sure you aren’t lost in the dark. But maybe most wonderful of all, they offer a broad size selection, including 2XL sizing for those with meaty mitts.
The Best Hi-Vis Running Gloves: Nathan HyperNight Reflective Gloves
A top pick for low-light conditions and running at night, Nathan’s Hypernight gloves are fleece-lined and impossible to miss in the dark thanks to all-over reflective dots and bright yellow color. They're also available in a blacked-out that's covered in the same light-catching dots and logo, in case you'd like to be a little more stealthy during your daylight runs.
The Best Lightweight Gloves: Defeet ET Dura Glove
The DeFeet Duraglove is a hard-wearing pair gloves made from a combination of lycra, nylon, and polyester. Since they're knit and unlined, they'll let in a breeze, which makes them best for mid-range temps or folks who only need a little extra warmth. All those little black logos on the palm are silicone grips, and the fingertips are infused with silver yarn to make these gloves touchscreen compatible. They also come in five sizes, so you’ll definitely get the right fit.
6 More Running Gloves We Like
Hestra's been making gloves in Sweden since 1936, and it's one of the world's best in the keeping-hands-warm game. The brand's bread and butter models tend to be either hardy work gloves or teched-out ski gloves, which explains why these feel like they borrow a little bit from both.
Grippy palms, sweat/snot towel fabric on the outside of the thumbs, reflective accents, and dialed-in ergonomic shaping make these an ace pair of gloves even if you're not pounding the pavement. Plus, in keeping with Hestra's skillset, they double as liners for your ski gloves. Oh, and you can get them in construction site yellow if you're looking to stand out.
A mitten from the gods of weatherproofing over at Arc’teryx, these are outfitted with Gore-Tex Infinium softshell, which protects your hands from nearly infinite weather conditions. They come in a lot of sizes for a mitten and have TPU palm reinforcements to improve durability and enhance grip whether you’re on a run or on the slopes. Believe it or not, the mittens are touchscreen compatible, too, though it might be tough to use just your pointer finger.
If you want serious waterproofing but don’t want swishy fabric, Sealskinz will keep you dry as a bone halfway up to your elbow. They combine the comfort and warmth of a knit glove with the weatherproofing of a more tech-heavy Gore-Tex or otherwise waterproof glove. The moisture-wicking merino wool lining is a great bonus, keeping your hands from getting too sweaty.
Another excellent choice if you want the versatility of a convertible glove, the Saucony Fortify gloves come in five sizes and are only $45, a perfectly reasonable price for a pair of warm, hefty midweight gloves that double as mittens. The thumb is made from gridded fleece that's ideal for wiping stray snot from your schnoz, an inevitable reality of working out in the winter. They’re also an excellent hi-vis option.
Rab is one of the most underrated brands for winter gear. Its Power Stretch Glove is a midweight liner that excels on its own or under heavyweight mittens. They can handle anything you can throw at them, allowing you to focus on the job, er, run at hand. Our favorite feature is the lay-flat cuff that easily layers underneath your fleece or rain shell.
Much like the Sealskinz, these knit gloves from Showers Pass are waterproof, windproof and, somehow, still breathable and comfortable. The outside of the gloves are made from a nylon blend for durability while the artex membrane keeps you from overheating and allows for a more dextrous glove, which is always a plus. Finally, Showers Pass used a 3D mold to get the sizing right, meaning you get weatherproofing and comfort, a rare combination.
