Outdoor Research Meteor Mitts £75

+ Versatile, great features, innovative design - Fairly bulky and heavy

These chunky winter mitts are loaded with features. They have a buckle and webbing wrist adjustment with a secondary cuff drawcord, ensuring a secure fit and a highly effective weatherproof seal. The shell is made from tough nylon with synthetic palm and thumb overlays, along with a waterproof insert and a microfleece inner for warmth.

The removable liners are soft, comfy and very toasty, being made from 300-weight polar fleece. The liner design also partly offsets the usual drawback of mitts, which is their lack of dexterity. That’s because the fingers and thumbs have flaps, which flip back and secure with tiny magnets. This effectively turns them into fingerless gloves, making it much easier to fiddle with crampon straps or rucksack buckles.

Admittedly, to use them as fingerless gloves you still have to remove the outer shell of the mitts first, but at least a sturdy fabric loop makes them easy to pull on again, while the wrist leash prevents them from flying off down the hillside. The liners also have a pocket across the back of the fingers, into which you can slide a heat pouch or handwarmer. The only drawbacks of the design are a little added weight, bulk and complexity.

■ Unisex sizes S-XL ■ Weight 280g (L) ■ Construction Nylon shell with AlpenGrip LT palm, Ventia waterproof insert and removable polyester 300-weight fleece liner

Verdict

Great value, featureladen winter mitts with clever fleece liners that give you added dexterity without sacrificing too much warmth.