Smartwool Gloves, A Comparison Review

In this review of Smartwool Gloves I think you will find a glove that will work in just about any situation or weather condition. All of these gloves offer the brilliant Smartwool Merino wool as a main fiber in manufacturing offering you non-itchy warmth, odor control, warmth when wet, and all around good looks.

Year Round Wear: Liner Gloves and Lightweight Gloves

Smartwool has a few nice offerings in the four season category. These liner gloves are light and thin, offering some warmth on cool morning runs, rides or an early trip to the market. They are perfect to layer under heavier gloves for winter use.

Smartwool Liner Gloves have touch screen capabilities on both the thumb and index finger of each hand for easy access to your phone or the touch screen payment at the grocery. They are comfortable, thin, not form fitting but not bulky either consider ordering a size smaller if you prefer a snug fit. They are made as liners so you won’t find any wind or water proof barriers.

Smartwool Sopris Liner Gloves are microweight liners with an extended wrist for increased coverage. They are reinforced at the thumb and index finger for added durability. They do not have the touch screen capabilities but will work imperfectly though because of their thin construction.

Smartwool PhD HyFi Training Gloves are a lightweight training glove. They have touch screen capabilities and grippy material on the finger tips and palms will make them perfect for cyclists. The fit seems to be slightly on the large side with the fingers being a bit long in particular. This is a thin glove that is perfect for use in cool to moderately cold temperatures; if you get cold easily you will want to switch to a heavier glove as the seasons change. The fit is snug so you could definitely pair these with a heavier mitten or glove for winter use.

Smartwool Training Gloves are thin, light weight gloves with a snug fit. Grippy silicone material on the fingers and palms make them a good choice for cyclists. They are not wind proof but the merino wool construction will keep your hands warm even if the gloves are wet. Their snug fit could allow for them to be combined with a heavier glove for winter use. No touch screen technology.

Technical Gloves

The Smartwool Pocket Glove is a windproof, water resistant shell that features a glove leash clip on the wrist, nose wipe thumb panel, easy grip fingers and palm, and a comfortable knit interior. This would be a great standalone glove for mild temps or combine with one of Smartwool’s liner gloves for a winter glove system.

Casual/Technical Gloves

The Smartwool Spring Glove is a nice casual use glove with full leather fingers and leather palm. It has more technical features such as prominent branding and logos, nose wipe, glove leash, and Velcro closure. With all the leather on this glove, be careful if you take it for a hike, it will scuff easier than a true technical glove and when wet the leather will be a heavy, soggy mess.

The Smartwool Snowsports Glove is very similar to the Spring gloves. I think it is the better choice as it has none of the prominent branding, it doesn’t offer the Velcro closure which tends to grab fibers from your shirt or coat sleeves but it does offer a windproof shell. It also has the nose wipe and glove leash like the Spring gloves. This would be a better choice for true outdoors use or for those who prefer a warmer glove with its windproof qualities.

Casual Daily Wear

Smartwool Cozy Flip Mittens are a stylish casual choice that combine the warmth of mittens with easy access of the flip top. The top has a little button so you can keep it secured if you want to use them as fingerless gloves. These gloves tend to run slightly small but not overly so. Also you may notice your fingertips seem cooler since most of your finger will be covered by the glove portion as well as the mitten flap while the tips of your fingers only have the flap as coverage.

Smartwool Cozy Gloves are a heavier casual choice for daily wear with knit-in touch screen capability so you don’t actually see the touch screen pads on the thumb and index fingers. Although the capability for touch screen use exists these gloves are made of a thicker material than liners and specifically marketed to be cozy, so I wouldn’t expect to be able to use the touch screen for as much fine detail as texting but answering a call should be easy enough. These also seem to run a bit long in the fingers so take that into consideration when ordering.

Smartwool Ridgeway Gloves are a beautiful casual or work glove made of a combination of leather and nylon shell with merino wool and nylon knit interior. These could be used as a work glove but they are sueded leather so they would last longer as a casual glove. The leather shell provides some windproofing so the glove is fit for use in the cold months. Ridgeway’s come in black or buckskin colors with elastic at the wrist to keep out drafts.

Smartwool Stagecoach Gloves are a stylish, casual choice with leather on the palm and fingers and knitted fleece on the back of the hand. There is a short gauntlet style cuff with elastic at the wrist to keep out drafts. These gloves are great for colder weather. With their leather grip they are perfect for driving while more casual than full leather gloves.