One of the unavoidable side effects of Winter weather is cold hands. When you're working outside in the elements, your body is working in overdrive to keep warm blood pumping to your extremities, especially your hands and feet. It's important to keep proper coverage and insulation, otherwise, you risk pain and frostbite. Gloves and mittens can provide good protection, but not all gloves are made to withstand the cold, snow, and ice.

To find the right gloves for your outdoor activities in cold weather, an understanding of what's inside of a Winter glove can help you make the most informed choices to keep your hands safe, as well as those of your family. For instance, you wouldn't want to go for a run wearing gloves meant for skiing, and you wouldn't want to go snowboarding with gloves that are meant for casual wear. Different activities have different accessory needs, and that's why we'll be discussing what goes into each type of Winter glove in this series of posts.

What's in a Winter Glove?

Most gloves that are meant to be worn in wet, cold conditions (like when you're clearing snow off a vehicle) need to have some degree of insulation, protection, and waterproofing. We'll get into specific types of Winter gloves later, this is just a primer on the very basics. If you were to cut open a Winter glove, you'd find that there's a lot more than just polyfill!

At the core of a Winter glove is the lining that you feel when you put on your glove. Usually, this is a type of polyester fleece that is soft to the touch and therefore comfortable. Gloves made for high-intensity activities such as skiing and snowboarding are best when their innermost lining also has moisture-wicking properties to keep sweat off your hands and fingers, as well as breathability to keep your fingers warm without getting overheated. A great example of this is our patented Bec-Tech™ barrier, a lining that lies just below the innermost lining of the glove. Exclusive to Grand Sierra, Bec-Tech™ works by sitting in between the exterior and interior linings to repel outside elements like wind and water, while also wicking inside moisture to keep hands dry and comfortable. These work great in winter ski gloves and winter snowboard gloves as well as sporty fleece gloves. 

Sandwiched between inner and exterior lining, a sheet of insulating polyester is typically found to keep ample heat retention and lend a flexible softness to the feel of the glove. Just under the glove's surface is a thin sheet of cushioning foam to absorb impact and further protect your fingers from the outdoors. Finally, the exterior of the glove sits above all. There is a myriad of different types of outer body material (also known as the "shell" of the glove) ranging from tusser to stylish softshell. The quality of materials ranges from the inexpensive but tough workhorses Tusser and Taslon, to the more premium bodies like Oxford and Soft Shell. Depending on your needs, less expensive options may work just as well as higher-end bodies, so remember to consider what applications your glove will be used in when purchasing, and as always, be mindful of how your customers will be using the product when purchasing wholesale Winter gloves this season.