The Hestra Leather Fall Line is a sweet under-the-cuff style glove, offering top-tier dexterity and durability. This contender's only downsides are that it provides average warmth (unless that's what you're after) and its weather resistant capabilities need upkeep; we found that these downsides were minor. Most of our review team found that these gloves provided comfort down to 10-15F. Even when using them 50+ days a year in a very damp Pacific Northwest, we found that we only needed to retreat them 1-2 times per season. The upsides are high: the Fall Line is easily among the most dexterous gloves on the market.
They have a cozy fleece lining that allows for damp hands to dry quickly and they feel fantastic. We have used this pair of gloves far more than many of the other gloves in this review; despite a heavier workload, the Fall Line is easily in better shape than many in our fleet, helping to showcase its top-notch durability. On stormy days, if we are going on a tour that requires rope work for setting up a rappel, or for stormy days in the backcountry, these are one of the first gloves we reach for.Hestra Leather Fall Line Review
Tough, offering optimal dexterity for almost any application
Photo: Hestra
Price: $165 List | Check Price at Backcountry
Compare prices at 3 resellers Pros: Top-notch dexterity and durability, great for technical descents and rope handling, fantastic feel
Cons: Not as warm as other models, weather resistance requires more maintenance than other models
Manufacturer: Hestra
Compare prices at 3 resellers Pros: Top-notch dexterity and durability, great for technical descents and rope handling, fantastic feel
Cons: Not as warm as other models, weather resistance requires more maintenance than other models
Manufacturer: Hestra
By Ian Nicholson ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ Apr 1, 2017
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Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Hestra Leather Fall Line | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $199 List Check Price at REI | $63.01 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $97.88 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $69.95 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Top-notch dexterity and durability, great for technical descents and rope handling, fantastic feel | Warm, water resistant, durable, dexterous, lightweight and packable | Warm enough, weatherproof, inexpensive | Warmest mitt in our review, bomber shell, nice extra features, nice loop to facilitate drying, good thumb ergonomics | Extremely water resistant, nice fit, dexterous, extra features, killer price for what you get |
| Cons | Not as warm as other models, weather resistance requires more maintenance than other models | Expensive, lacks some features | Poor dexterity, slightly tight fit around the knuckles | Poor dexterity, liner packs out a little quicker than other options | Not as warm as other mittens we tested |
| Bottom Line | Tough, offering optimal dexterity for almost any application | With top-tier performance across the board, this glove is what we recommend to those seeking the best pair | A warm and fully featured ski glove for a great price | This contender offers the highest level of warmth yet still allows you to perform basic tasks required of resort skiing | A lightweight, waterproof mitt at a great value |
| Rating Categories | Hestra Leather Fall... | Arc'teryx Fission SV | Gordini GTX Storm T... | Black Diamond Mercu... | Montana Etip Mitt |
| Warmth (25%) | |||||
| Dexterity (25%) | |||||
| Water Resistance (25%) | |||||
| Durability (15%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Hestra Leather Fall... | Arc'teryx Fission SV | Gordini GTX Storm T... | Black Diamond Mercu... | Montana Etip Mitt |
| Double or Single Glove | Single | Single | Single | Double | Single |
| Gaunlet or Cuff? | Cuff | Gauntlet | Gauntlet | Gauntlet | Gauntlet |
| Palm Material | Impregnated cowhide aniline | Leather | Polyurethane | Goatskin Leather | Synthetic (polyurethane) leather |
| Waterproof Material | Leather | Gore-Tex | Gore-Tex | Shell: Pertex Shield, Liner: BDry | Gore-Tex insert |
| Insulation Type | Foam | 133g Primaloft Gold Eco and 200g Primaloft Silver Eco | Megaloft | 340g Primaloft Gold and high-loft fleece lining | Back of hand: 250g Heatseeker Eco Palm: 100g Heatseeker Eco |
| Nose Wipe? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
One of our review teams favorite models for its all-around feel, durability, and toughness. While we loved this glove for more mild temperature days that weren't particularly stormy, it's slightly below average warmth and weather resistance kept it from being a real all-arounder that we'd recommend to someone as their only glove despite its best-in-review dexterity, feel and toughness. With that said if you are someone who is going to own multiple pairs of gloves, this is an excellent option when coupled with another model for when the temperature dip or a moist storm is in the forecast.
Performance Comparison
The Fall Line is an excellent spring ski glove that is built to last and featured incredible dexterity.
Photo: Ian Nicholson
Warmth
The Fall Line is a rad glove in so many ways, though offering a high amount of warmth isn't one of those ways. We see this as a positive in the sense that maybe extreme warmth is not what you're after, or a negative, as they are bomber, but on the thinner side of the spectrum, offering less insulation than many of the contenders in our review. Don't get us wrong; these gloves still offer warmth, and we were comfortable when wearing them in 10-15F temperatures. If these temperatures sound ideal to you, and dexterity and durability are what you're looking for, the Fall Line's level of warmth might be perfect.
To help keep their wearer warm, the Fall Line uses a polyester lining (AKA fleece lining), which feels nice and cozy, allowing damp hands to dry quickly; they just weren't as warm as other models we tested. That said, most of our testers still found these gloves kept their hands warm when worn down to 10F, as long as the weather was mostly dry. We do think that the low profile neoprene cuff and foam on the back of the hand likely contribute to this glove's overall warmth.
The Fall Line offers very good weather resistance, but to keep it working well it does need its leather to be retreated 1-2 times per year with heavy use. For the little extra effort, you get a glove that offers nearly unparalleled dexterity and requires only minimal break-in time; an irregularity among most all-leather ski gloves.
Photo: Ian Nicholson
Dexterity
The Fall Line features some of the very best dexterity in our review. While these gloves feel marginally on the stiffer side when you first try them on, they soften up quickly (in half a day of use or less). We found that in real-world use and in our side-by-side motor skill tests (like writing our name and manually unlocking a car door), the Fall Line was among the top scorers.
A Note on Fit
It is worth noting that these gloves run about a half size small when compared to other Hestra Gloves. If you aren't between sizes, you'll likely appreciate the snug fit that gives this glove exceptional dexterity; the leather will stretch and model to your hand to further increase comfort. However, if you are between sizes, we would recommend going with one size larger, as they do run small.
It is worth noting that these gloves run about a half size small when compared to other Hestra Gloves. If you aren't between sizes, you'll likely appreciate the snug fit that gives this glove exceptional dexterity; the leather will stretch and model to your hand to further increase comfort. However, if you are between sizes, we would recommend going with one size larger, as they do run small.
This glove featured some of the best dexterity in our fleet and was able to stand among the top scorers. We could easily complete a series of tasks when wearing the Fall Line.
Photo: Ian Nicholson
Water Resistance
The Fall Line offers respectable weather resistance when out in the field. If you do purchase these gloves, an important tip to keep in mind is that you must be dedicated to re-treating the exterior leather to maintain the weather resistance found with most models. If treated regularly, these gloves will serve you well, staying dry in fairly wet snowstorms. If you do not have the time to treat them on a regular basis, they will not offer the weather resistance that we assume you're in need of. The frequency of retreating them depends on what activities you're using them for and how often you use them. We found ourselves retreating them 1-2 times each season after using them for 50+ days of skiing in the stormy and wet Pacific Northwest climate.
This contender offers excellent durability and dexterity, scoring highly among the other gloves in our fleet. These gloves scored highly and are an excellent option for most winter activities.
Photo: Ian Nicholson
Durability
The Fall Line Glove is easily among the most durable gloves in our review. We have used these gloves extensively skiing in-bounds, touring, digging pits, and handling ropes while lowering friends and clients into technical ski entrances. After two years of pretty intense use, we are especially impressed with how well these gloves are holding up.
The Fall Line features a neoprene cuff that not only helps snug the glove around our hand, keeping the glove in-place and helping with dexterity but also seals out any snow from getting in fantastically. Our testing team also liked how low profile it was and how easy it was to pull our jacket cuffs over-the-top of it.
Photo: Ian Nicholson
Value
These gloves aren't astronomically priced, but they certainly aren't cheap. With that said, we do think the Fall Line is a rad value; while they take some maintenance, they are built with the serious skier in mind and will withstand abuse, lasting you many seasons.
Conclusion
The Hestra Leather Fall Line is an incredible glove that can be used for a whole slew of adventures, especially if you do not frequent cold climates below 10F. This contender makes a great spring quiver glove, with its upsides being that it offers great durability and dexterity, as well as an overall feel. It's a great choice for those that are willing to put in the extra effort of treating them 1-2 times per season to increase their weather resistance capabilities.
— Ian Nicholson