GEAR REVIEWS: Mountain Hardwear's Rotor Gore-Tex Infinium Glove

Image: Mountain Hardwear

Year after year, I have the same problem in winter: my lightweight hiking gloves get soaking wet and then my hands get cold. I have excellent waterproof mittens for colder weather that are indeed fully waterproof, but they’re overkill for warmer days or even cold day ascents when I’m generating a lot of body heat and sweating into my mittens.

I don’t necessarily need gloves that are entirely waterproof (hard to retain long-term waterproofing on complex finger seams) but I wanted something made of a fabric that I wouldn’t have to ring out. So I started shopping around for a solution and noticed that Mountain Hardware has got a good selection of gloves that seems to fit the bill but also seem tough enough to grab onto tree branches and rocks and not fall apart or having their breathability compromised in less than a year (in my opinion, gloves, like boots, are a short term investment—but I hike a lot). Touchscreen enabled fingers would also be nice.

These days, there’s a lot of marketing mumbo-jumbo associated with gear branding that I don’t tend to put a lot of stock in (like attorneys and psychic mediums, marketing professionals are experts at baffling people with bullshit)—so I like to read between the lines to get a better sense of what I’m going to spend my money on. The gloves I settled on, the Rotor™ Gore-Tex Infinium™ Glove, were advertised as breathable, windproof, light but tough (built for rock climbing)--but the details were gobbed up with with marketing salad (Gore Tex Infinium, Prima Loft Gold, Rotor, 3L Windstopper—each followed with a little “TM” like boxcars after the engine). I did some research. I still have no idea what a “Rotor” is supposed to do for me. The Primaloft is pretty straightforward—it's insulation--in this case a pretty thin layer of it. The Windstoppper obviously is supposed to stop wind, but the Gore Text isn’t the kind of waterproof-breathable fabric Gore Tex is known for—it is Gore Tex’s “Infinium” fabric line, a high-tech windproof fabric.

Having hiked halfway through the winter with them at this point, the gloves have earned my respect—in fact I’d say they are probably the best lightweight glove I’ve ever owned. Here’s why:

• Warmth: They’re not super warm, but that little bit of Primaloft Gold and microfleece does generate enough insulation to make a noticeable difference when compared to other lightweight gloves I’ve owned. I’ve worn these on 10 degree ascents without getting cold (although the thumb occasionally got a little chilly on the trekking pole grip after a break—always a good reminder to keep the pole grips under the armpits). I suspect that some of the warmth is attributable to the extremely fine fleece with air trapping pockets on the inside of the glove--with longer fleece along the seems of the fingers. The lining is quite soft, which keeps the gloves from feeling clammy on the inside—a common problem with gloves that are made out of a molded material instead of a woven material.

The glove turned inside out and showing fleece strips along fingers and side seams, with micro-fleece insulation with air trapping pockets on the majority of the lining.

• Water Resistance: The gloves don’t hold water. While most synthetics transmit water without the actual weave materials absorbing it, cold water can get trapped between the weave, which deprives the glove of some of its insulation value, specially on fingers which are more vulnerable to freezing than other parts of the human body. That isn’t the case with these gloves. Although not waterproof, they’ve stayed  unsoggy even after hiking half a day in freezing rain or sweating in them.

 

• Durability: The gloves are tough—the palm/finger support fabric isn’t fibrous and much of the seam stitching is on the inside, so there isn’t much that a jagged branch or a rough rock can easily fray. The touchscreen sensitivity feels baked-in. We’ll have to see the gloves hold up after a couple of seasons—but at this point I’m noticing less signs of micro-wear than I have on other gloves I’ve owned. I usually get 1 to 2 years from a pair of lightweight hiking gloves before developing a hole in at least one finger.
  
  
• Fit: The gloves fit well (unisex sizes); I bought a size large—my normal fit is between L and XL—and they weren’t too tight or too loose on me.

• Other features: The generous wrist pull strap is handy for getting the gloves on when your hands are sweaty, and for easily attaching the gloves to a carabiner or sternum strap when you don’t need them. There is also a carabiner clip on the ring fingers, useful for dangling the gloves with the open side down (for fast drying or for keeping rain from falling into them when you hang them from your pack strap on a warm ascent), and there’s a clip to keep the L and R glove together so you don’t have turn your pack upside down to find the missing glove of the pair.​

Because “planned obsolescence” is a baked-in mentality even among some of the most lauded gear manufacturers these days, regardless if the product model is loved more than sliced bread, I may invest in a couple extra pairs (I have two Mountain Hardware short sleeve shirts that are absolutely the best shirts I’ve ever owned—IMO the best and most comfortable hiking shirt ever made—but Mountain Hardware sadly stopped manufacturing them). If you’re in love with a product that will eventually wear out (all clothing will) sometimes it makes sense to stock up on what you love.   
--Paul-William

---