To survive winter or enjoy snowboarding, you should own something to keep your hands from coldness. If you’re confused about what to choose and what is best for your health, I’m here to help you with that.
Today’s post will tell the specific distinction between gloves, mittens, and gauntlets, as they serve different purposes. Then, you may discover what pairs suit best with your intention!
What Is The Main Difference Between Gloves, Gauntlets, Mittens?
Gloves have different finger openings covering each finger separately to protect or keep the hand and fingers warm. It’s also possible to shield a part of the forearm.
They help users to complete tasks requiring fine hand movement. Warm gloves have historically been designed with utility and protection. As a result, they’ve become the most common and widely used cold-weather handwear.
Gauntlets are dress gloves cuffed above the wrist. They are often used in skiing, snowboarding, and motorcycling. In industry, people also use thick, long gauntlets to protect their hands.
They are often used for operations that necessitate wrist and forearm defense, such as welding and chemical handling. Cuffs are usually around 4.5” long and are built to slip over jacket sleeves for extra comfort and weather protection.
Mittens look like gloves, but they only have one thumb that can cover most of the forearm (as gloves do). The customer then looks for the remaining four fingers in the mitten bag.
The development of mittens has been focused on cold weather protection. Insulated mittens are also slightly heavier than gloves, limiting finger dexterity. You won’t be able to button up all of your gear or make fine modifications to your boots, for example.
Gloves Vs. Mittens Vs. Gauntlets: A Detailed Comparison
Mobility
Gloves are far more preferable than mittens when it comes to flexibility. Gloves are very versatile because they protect the entire hand and have different holes for each finger.
Mittens, unlike gloves, do not have individual slots for each finger. They usually have two openings, one for the thumb and one for the other four fingers. A few gloves have a pocket-like space for the hands instead of a thumb opening.
Gauntlets have less wrist mobility, although they give more hand flexibility than mittens. They are suitable for tasks that require you to manage gear, change boot buckles, and zip zippers regularly.
In a nutshell, gloves and gauntlets are more mobile than mittens.
Warmth
Mittens are favored over gloves in terms of warmth. Since mittens do not have distinct finger holes, they help to keep hands warm. It is said that when fingers are in touch with each other, they keep their warmth longer. Since mittens do this, they keep the hands colder.
On the other hand, gloves have a different opening for each finger, which defeats the purpose of holding the fingers together. Even as both the glove and the mitten are made of the same material, mittens are warmer.
Long gauntlet cuffs have been more common in recent years because they shield your hands from snow getting on your skin during powder days or tumbles in the snow. The more extended cuffs stretch higher up the arm for added wrist warmth and keep cool air out of your arm and hand.
Breathability
By the assumptions above, we can agree on what is more breathable. As we all know, mittens are colder and hence provide less freedom for the wrist, limiting its gestures. Furthermore, because of the different openings for toes, gloves offer mobility but not much comfort.
On the other hand, gloves are more breathable than mittens and are safer for the hands because they are not damp and get sweaty as mittens do.
Gauntlets are more temperature versatile than mittens, although they cover the entire hand to the wrist. Some gauntlets have cuffs that can be worn open, allowing air to flow more freely in and out of the gauntlets. That helps keep the interior of the gauntlets dries from sweat on a warm day.
Choosing A Glove, Mitten, Or Gauntlet: Important Factors To Consider
Waterproofness
Most skiing and snowboarding gloves, mittens, and gauntlets have a waterproof, breathable barrier that keeps moisture from snow and rain out while allowing water moisture from sweat to escape. A coating coated to the fabric, a patch inserted between the outer shell and the material, a coating added to the fabric may both be used as a shield.
Heating system
Heated gloves, mittens, and gauntlets with battery-powered heating systems keep you warm on the coldest winter days. They usually have rechargeable batteries and can run at various temperatures. The gloves are more costly, thicker, and somewhat bulkier than non-heated gloves due to the batteries and heating technology, but they can be worth it.
Touch-Screen Compatibility
Many vendors now make touch-screen-compatible gloves, mittens, and gauntlets, enabling you to use your smartphone or tablet without exposing your skin to the cold. Lightweight to mid-weight gloves with enough flexibility to operate your smartphone typically have touch-screen compatibility. Look for gloves with complete finger and palm compatibility if you expect to use your phone when outdoors regularly.
For further understanding, check out this video:
FAQs
What are other types of gloves?
- Wrist cinches, velcro pulleys at the wrist are fitter to avoid snow and the coldness out of your hand.
- Zippered pockets, or narrow pockets with a zipper on certain glove styles, help you open vents on warm days or insert disposable hand warmers on cold days.
- Many gloves have softer thumb tips to enable you to clean your nose in case it drips. The more you think about it, the more sense it makes.
- Leashes, also known as wrist belts, enable you to tie your gloves to each other or other items to save them from dropping or being lost. On chairlifts, this is a valuable function for avoiding glove drop.
How to Keep Your Hands Warm?
- Put on your gloves inside.
This locks in room temperature air, giving the insulation a fighting chance in bitterly cold conditions. If you find yourself putting your gloves on and off during the day, consider investing in glove liners to keep your skin healthy.
- Shouldn’t clench fists
You may be unintentionally clenching your hands to warm them up. This action has the very opposite result, which reduces blood supply.
- Maintain a warm core
When our core temperature drops, our hands and feet are the first to suffer. We will keep our hands colder for longer by staying warm elsewhere with waterproof and breathable jackets and clothes.
Read More:
Difference Between Air Fryer And Microwave: 5 Things You Must Notice
Conclusion
Gloves, mittens, and gauntlets may be worn interchangeably. Still, people choose one to the other for reasons including mobility, breathability, and temperature.
Gloves, mittens, and gauntlets have almost the same function, as seen above. They keep one’s hands warm while also protecting one from injury. Finally, a person may choose one of them based on their requirements and personal preferences.
