Outdoor Research Prevail Heated Gore-Tex Gloves Review

These gloves set themselves apart from the competition with the best dexterity in a heated glove, in addition to their great functionality as a normal ski glove and quality construction.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Prevail gloves use a rechargeable battery pack to provide electrical warmth, which is distributed throughout the back of the hands, and out to the fingertips. The warmest setting is enough to bring hands back from the brink of day-ending chill, while the medium setting is perfect for all-day warmth in colder ski climates. The low setting is hard to distinguish on the coldest days, but in more temperate winter weather, with temps just below freezing, the lowest setting provides good all-day warmth.

In addition to an artificial heat source, these gloves are packed with tons of synthetic insulation, and both sides of the hand enjoy a thin, cozy fleece lining. These gloves kept us warm on the coldest ski days, and are also a good choice for snowmobilers, ice fishers, and outdoor workers. The gloves take a few minutes to heat up, so we got used to starting the heaters about 10 minutes prior to use. The batteries last about 6 hours on the medium setting, and 2-3 hours on the highest setting, so you might have to ration your energy, but you won't have to think about it too much.

Dexterity

In the past, most heated gloves have not been very dexterous, largely due to large amounts of insulation packed into the fingers, heating elements, and thick leather that withstands abrasion to add lifespan to an expensive investment. With the Prevail, we find no sacrifice in warmth or durability, but somehow the fingers work better for detailed tasks than with other heated gloves. The fingers are slightly narrower than other heated gloves, but they aren't tapered or pre-curved. Whatever the reason, there is enough dexterity here to impress us.

These gloves can't compete with the dexterity of thinner gloves, but considering their warmth, we were pleasantly surprised. These emerged as our go-to pair on colder days when we had to use our hands for chores and jobs. We even put these gloves to the test on ski patrollers and ski guides, who work all day long in the cold, and they all seemed surprised by how little they had to take their gloves off. We can pull zipper tabs and buckle our boots without taking them off, but tying boot laces is still a little too much to ask.

Water Resistance

With a Gore-Tex insert and tightly sewn seams, water has a hard time getting inside these gloves. In our dunk test, we didn't notice any water penetration. A large wrist gauntlet extends coverage up the forearms, and a secure drawstring closes the wrist opening over the top of a jacket cuff to keep powder snow out of the gloves and sleeves on powder days or while snowmobiling.

The softshell exterior on the back of the hands can start to absorb some water during extended submersions, but these gloves are most helpful in temperatures well below freezing. That said, if snow turns to rain, these gloves will keep you dry in almost any weather.

Durability

These gloves are built with excellent construction quality and showed no signs of wear during our testing period. The fingertips and thumbs are covered with leather reinforcements where most wear normally occurs, so your fingers shouldn't come popping through these gloves anytime soon. Critical seams are double-stitched, and the wrist gauntlet features a rugged nylon material to withstand sharp abrasion.

These gloves are expensive, and all leather gloves wear out over time. With proper care and treatment, it is easy to realize the investment, and these gloves seem like they will last a long time skiing at the resort. In the backcountry, we had to pick and choose which days to use these gloves to increase their lifespan. If we anticipated digging snow pits, pulling on branches, or rappelling and belaying into technical lines, we brought other gloves and left these for the coldest powder days.

Features

These gloves have a full set of features to make your day on the ski hill easy and convenient. A soft nose wipe patch on each thumb helps you comfortably get rid of drips in cold weather. There's a nylon loop at the end of each wrist gauntlet that helps you pull the gloves on, and a wrist leash prevents you from dropping these expensive gloves off the chairlift. There is a plastic clip to keep the pair together during storage and travel, and the three heat settings are an obvious feature as well.

It's not just about the number of features; they have to be well-designed and functional for us to care. The Prevail delivers a complete set of great features that we can't fault. The glove also comes with a mesh travel bag, wall charger and cord, as well as attachments for travel in the UK and Europe.

Should You Buy the Outdoor Research Prevail Heated Gore-Tex?

At a lower price than similar competitors, these gloves are a great deal if you are looking for the warmest gloves. They perform well across the board and surprised us with their decent dexterity for a heated glove. If you spend lots of time skiing in very cold climates or need warm gloves for skiing and other cold-weather activities, we feel these are the best option out there. They are likely overkill for occasional skiers or people who only go on a couple ski vacations each year.

What Other Ski Gloves Should You Consider?

If you want maximum warmth, but don't want to deal with charging batteries every time you ski, the Black Diamond Guide is the warmest glove we tested without an electrical heating component. If you can compromise slightly on warmth to save some money, the Arc'teryx Fission SV is our favorite glove on the market, and still plenty warm for most skiers/riders and conditions. If you are looking for a much less expensive glove, the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II costs a fraction of the price of the Prevail and offers enough warmth for most users and situations.