Hestra Army Leather Gore-Tex Review
Compare prices at 2 resellers Pros: Dexterous for its warmth, inside feels soft and cozy, durable, above average weather resistance
Cons: Expensive, leather needs to be retreated slightly more than other models
Manufacturer: Hestra
Our Verdict
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Hestra Army Leather Gore-Tex | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Price | $189.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $199 List $199.00 at REI | Check Price at REI Compare at 2 sellers | Check Price at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $83.96 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Dexterous for its warmth, inside feels soft and cozy, durable, above average weather resistance | Warm, water resistant, durable, dexterous, lightweight and packable | Excellent dexterity and durability, fairly warm, water resistant | Warm enough, weatherproof, inexpensive | Incredible warmth, weather resistant, durable |
Cons | Expensive, leather needs to be retreated slightly more than other models | Expensive, lacks some features | Expensive, lacks some nice features | Poor dexterity, slightly tight fit around the knuckles | Poor dexterity, could have better features |
Bottom Line | A fantastic all-around winter glove; it's expensive but built to last, offering extra features to present a good overall value | With top-tier performance across the board, this glove is what we recommend to those seeking the best pair | A weather-resistant and warm glove that retains dexterity, ideal for ski touring | A warm and fully featured ski glove for a great price | These mitts provide extreme warmth and weather resistance at a good price, nailing the two most important aspects of ski mittens |
Rating Categories | Hestra Army Leather... | Arc'teryx Fission SV | Arc'teryx Sabre | Gordini GTX Storm T... | Black Diamond Mercu... |
Warmth (25%) | |||||
Dexterity (25%) | |||||
Water Resistance (25%) | |||||
Durability (15%) | |||||
Features (10%) | |||||
Specs | Hestra Army Leather... | Arc'teryx Fission SV | Arc'teryx Sabre | Gordini GTX Storm T... | Black Diamond Mercu... |
Double or Single Glove | Single | Single | Single | Single | Double |
Gaunlet or Cuff? | Gauntlet | Gauntlet | Cuff | Gauntlet | Gauntlet |
Palm Material | Army Leather (goat leather) | Leather | Leather | Polyurethane | Goat leather |
Waterproof Material | HESTRA Triton three-layer polyamide fabric, leather | Gore-Tex | Gore-tex | Gore-Tex | BD.dry |
Insulation Type | Fiberfill polyester | 133g Primaloft Gold Eco and 200g Primaloft Silver Eco | Primaloft | Megaloft | 340 g PrimaLoft Gold, high-loft fleece |
Nose Wipe? | No | Yes | No | Yes | yes |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Hestra Army should be a consideration for any skier or snowboarder who rides in colder climates, where their local mountain has ancient and slow double chairs, or for people whose hands get cold easily. This cozy feeling model offers decent dexterity overall but pretty good dexterity when compared to models that feature similar levels of warmth that were both included in our review and considered for our testing. The Gore-Tex insert means it's ready to handle most storms, especially if you re-treat its leather exterior quasi-regularly.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
The Army Leather GTX is warm. It's warmer than most gloves out there and only bested by a small few. We felt comfortable skiing in most conditions to around 0F, as long as it wasn't too stormy. Our testers noted that the Army had a cozy fleece lining that feels spectacular when you slip them on. Not only does it warm your hand up quickly, but we found that it added to the sensation of warmth and it was something we preferred over both of the previously mentioned gloves, earning the Leather Gore-Tex a high place overall scoring among the gloves. Mittens were, as expected, noticeably warmer.
Dexterity
The Army Leather GTX offers better-than-expected dexterity, especially considering the amount of warmth and leather that the wearer is provided. When performing fine motor skills, such as manually unlocking a car door and writing our name, this contender scored about average. We found we could manually unlock a car door but only very sloppily write our name.
Water Resistance
As you might expect from the name, the Army Leather GTX uses a Gore-Tex insert inside a water-resistant leather. This glove was one of the most water-resistant in our fleet, offering optimal protection. It excelled in our bucket of water comparisons, as well as in real-world use.
Durability
This glove is tough! Like other Hestra Gloves, the leather is best served when a leather conditioner is applied. This helps keep the exterior leather water resistant. Applied one or two times per year, the conditions will extend the life of this (and all) contenders. Throughout our testing, we found that this glove did not have any durability issues whatsoever.
Features
This glove has a solid number of extra features that make it easier to use, like one of our favorite wrist-leash/keeper straps; these straps were removable and low profile. It also has a hanging loop on the pinky to facilitate faster drying, along with a wrist strap, which is positioned under the wrist. The wrist strap is low profile and stays out of the way, all while doing a fantastic job of keeping the glove snug and increasing dexterity.
We did like the included carabiner (not for climbing) to keep the gloves attached when not in use. Unfortunately, it was so big that we didn't like it dangling while skiing or snowboarding, but we felt that if we took it off, we were just asking to lose it. The Leather Gore-Tex scored above average in this metric, ensuring that the wearer is getting decent features for the buck.
Value
This is one of the more expensive gloves in our review (excluding the heated models). If you're prepared to spend this much on your next pair of gloves, you'll be rewarded in their longevity.
Conclusion
Close in price to the top performers, the Hestra Army Leather Gore-Tex is indeed a high scorer. Earning fantastic marks across the board, but specifically in water resistance and durability, this glove has what it takes to accompany you on those cold-weather missions. It will also provide modest dexterity and a fair amount of features.
— Ian Nicholson
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