Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Good price
- Good movement in the hand for a mitt
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Longer term durability concerns
- Sizing can run small
I found myself pretty impressed with the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts, especially after trying some other products in the Carhartt Quilts range that didn’t really live up to my expectations. The mitts were a different story.
They were ultimately warm, with a soft lining of fleece which once on, feel really comfortable and you won’t want to take them off. They’re also waterproof, which is a big help if you hike through changing conditions.
For a budget range mitt, I was impressed with the level of insulation you get for your money. If you don’t hike a lot and just want something for the odd cold day, or don’t want to spend a lot, I think that you’ll be happy with what these mitts have to offer.
This article is part of our series on the best winter hiking gloves, view all other articles below:
Compare to Similar Products:
Helly Hansen Swift HT Ski Gloves | Rab Pivot Gore-Tex Gloves | Hestra Heli Three-Finger Insulated Gloves | Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Insulated Glove | Hestra Fall Line Glove | The North Face Women's Apex Insulated Etip Glove | The North Face Women's Montana Insulated Ski Mitt | Black Diamond Mercury Mitt Womens | Outdoor Research Stormtracker | Carhartt Women's Quilts | Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women's Mitts | Black Diamond Guide Gloves | Helly Hansen Men's LIFA Merino Glove Liner | Wells Lamont HydraHyde Leather Hybrid Men’s | Outdoor Research Flurry Sensor | Carhartt Men's Waterproof Insulated Glove | Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original | Arc'teryx Rho Liner Glove | Trendoux Winter Gloves | icebreaker Merino Oasis 200 Glove Liners | Cotopaxi Teca Fleece Gloves | Burton Touchscreen Glove Liners | |
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Buying Options | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Our Rating | Best Overall Winter Gloves | Warmest Winter Gloves | Best Insulated Gloves | Best Winter Gloves for Touchscreen | Best Winter Gloves for Men | Best Winter Gloves for Women | Best Waterproof Winter Gloves | Best Women's Technical Ski Mitt | Best Liner Gloves | Best Touchscreen Gloves | Best Budget Winter Gloves | |||||||||||
Type and Shape | Performance/technical/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Hiking/general sport | Performance/technical/ski | Hiking/general sport | Hiking/general sport/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Hiking/general/ski | Hiking/general | Hiking/general | Performance/technical/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Work | Hiking | Hiking | Work | Performance/technical/ski | General | General | General | Performance/technical/ski |
Warmth | High | Very High | Very High | Medium | Very High | High | High | Very High | High | Medium | Medium | Very High | Medium (Liner) | Medium | High | High | Medium | Medium (Liner) | Medium | Medium (Liner) | Medium | Medium (Liner) |
Water Resistance | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Water Resistant | Waterproof | Waterproof | Not Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Not Waterproof (Liner) | Water Resistant | Not Waterproof | Waterproof | Water Resistant | Not Waterproof (Liner) | Not Waterproof | Not Waterproof (Liner) | Not Waterproof | Not Waterproof (Liner) |
Wind resistance | High | High | Very High | High | Very High | High | High | Very High | High | Medium | Medium | Very High | Not Windproof (Liner) | Not Windproof | Not Windproof | Windproof | Not Windproof | Not Windproof (Liner) | Not Windproof | Not Windproof (Liner) | Not Windproof | Not Windproof (Liner) |
Fit | Fits true to size/High Dexterity | Fits true to size/High Dexterity | Fits true to size/Medium Dexterity | Runs Small/High Dexterity | Run Small/Medium Dexterity | Fits True to Size/High Dexterity | Fits True to Size/Medium Dexterity | Runs Tight/Medium-Low Dexterity | Runs Small/High Dexterity | Runs Small/Medium Dexterity | Runs Small/Medium Dexterity | Runs Small/Low Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs Large/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Fits Slightly Tight/High Dexterity | Fits True to Size/High Dexterity | Fits True to Size/High Dexterity |
Durability | High | Very High | Very High | High | Very High | High | High | Very High | High | Medium | Medium | Very High | High | High | Medium | Medium | High | Very High | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |
Price | $70.00 | $155.00 | $127.96 | $73.35 | $139.99 | $59.90 | Price not available | $97.88 | $95.14 | $27.99 | $27.99 | $143.96 | Price not available | $15.08 | $31.47 | $28.29 | $32.99 | $40.00 | $7.99 | $40.00 | Price not available | $14.67 |
Analysis and Test Results
From my tests, I found that the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts actually performed pretty well, considering their price point. This makes them ideal for people who don’t want to spend a lot, or simply don’t need them as much.
If this is you, then I think you’ll be pretty happy with this option. They fit a little bit roomier around the actual hand inside the mitt, so you still have some space to move your fingers once they’re in. This makes it easy to use your fingers as you would a glove.
I did see that there were some sizing issues in the reviews on these mitts before I got them. Personally, I ordered my usual size, and they fit me really well with plenty of room (but not too much). I would advise that you follow the sizing guide on the Amazon listing if you’re not sure.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
Having reviewed some of the other Carhartt gloves (the Carhartt Women’s Quilts) I wasn’t expecting the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts to be much warmer. I was pretty wrong actually.
I would say that I feel the cold about a normal amount where my hands are concerned, and for all the testing circumstances I was able to try them in, my hands stayed toasty. This was well down below zero, and I had no issues.
It’s known that your hands do stay warmer in mitts than they do in gloves, and I think this does make all the difference for these quilts, compared to the finger based version I’ve also reviewed for our winter hiking gloves round up.
I loved that they kept my hands warm, but at no point did they feel like they overheated. This was really nice as I sometimes find that temperature regulation can be tough, especially with products that come in at a lower price point like this.
Water Resistance
I was pleased to see that these gloves are waterproof. Through my tests, I had no issues here. I got caught out in some pretty extreme rain on one of my testing hikes, and they didn’t reach saturation point at all. This was also with my hands exposed as I was using hiking poles.
At the end of the day, I was also pleased to see they dried off pretty quickly. The only area that can get wet if you’re not careful is the fleece cuff. You need to make sure you have this tucked under your waterproof coat, otherwise, this section can soak and lead to the inner getting wet too.
Wind Resistance
It’s really interesting how the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts seem to differ from the Women’s Quilts I’ve also reviewed, in that these offer a lot more in terms of wind resistance. To me, they are pretty much the same product, but these just seem better.
Admittedly, I usually prefer finger gloves to mitts, but I really liked this option here. We had some pretty intense wind storms whilst I was testing these gloves and I was really happy with how warm they kept my hands, even throughout this.
Comfort and Fit
I ordered a medium for the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts and they feel about right in terms of sizing. I usually order a medium. I did see some reviews say that the run a little small, but I suppose it depends on your exact hand size.
I think it’s worth checking this against the sizing chart on Amazon before you buy them. I also had more than enough room inside the mitt to move my fingers around which made it a lot easier to do things with them on.
Once they’re on, they also feel really soft and warm, which is in part due to the fleece. This kind of feels like putting a blanket on your hands, which I really loved and is always a nice touch on cold days.
Ease of Use
Compared to some other gloves and mitts I’ve tested, I do think that the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts are a little harder to get on. The wrist band is a little tighter, so getting the widest part of hand through is tougher than some.
That said, I didn’t find this hard at all, and my hands fit into these mitts perfectly. Once in, I was able to move my fingers around really easily in the mitt, so this was handy for having some extra flex when it comes to doing things like making hiking pole adjustments or similar.
As they’re a mitt, it is a little harder than a glove. They do lack some dexterity that gloves do, but I was happy to let go of this a little bit in mind of the trade off I got in terms of the warmth these mitts offer.
Materials
The Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts are fully synthetic, using a 90% polyester, 5% polyurethane and 5% polyethylene construction. When you look up close at these mitts, it’s really clear that they’re made using high quality materials.
This is great to see for such a budget option, and they do actually look like they should cost more than they do. I do also like the grippy texture on the palm of the hand, which is helpful for holding hiking poles, snow shovels and similar.
Appearance
As a mitt, I do think this option from Carhartt look a bit bulky, but I also think this is a good trade off considering how warm they are. Though that said, they are certainly not the bulkiest option I’ve ever tried on by a long shot!
I think they also look pretty cool. I like the quilted stitching detail. It’s a really nice touch that I think will appeal to a lot of buyers. I also like that the branding is relatively low profile too.
They also do come in a number of good color options. I ordered the charcoal, which look completely different to the pictures. The in real life color is more of a bluey grey, whereas the product image much more reddish grey.
This didn’t really bother me, but I do think it’s worth keeping this in mind if you order the crabapple or rose variant. They could look very different. This is one of the main reasons I didn’t order rose. I thought they looked really cool (and I do love a pink color option sometimes) but was worried they wouldn’t be quite the shade they’re portrayed as in the product images!
Features
I don’t really think that the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts are particularly featured, but there are a few things that stand out well. Firstly, they are really roomy in the hand, which means you can still keep some flexibility in your fingers through the mitt.
Secondly, they have a FastDry technology lining, which is meant to wick sweat. I don’t think this quite works as well as Carhartt maybe hope as I did find that for anything really full on, that my hands did start to feel pretty sweaty.
They are quite hard to get back on once this is the case, so you will need to leave them to dry out. That said, for most everyday use, this won’t be as much of an issue.
Durability
When I received what I think is the finger based version of the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts to test, I compared them next to each other and to be honest, the finish couldn’t be more different.
I’m not sure if I got a ‘bad’ batch when it came to the finger version, but these mitts seemed much better stitched and finished than the others. In fact, quite noticeably so.
I don’t think that these gloves are going to last forever, which is a shame really as Carhartt talks a lot on their website about longevity. However, I do think that for the price, they are a great mitt that will last a good amount of time.
I think if you plan on using them for heavy activity a lot, you may find that they don’t last the longest time. For general weekend hiking in winter, I think they’ll last you well for a good few seasons.
Sustainability
Carhartt talk about being proud to produce products that are built to last. I don’t think these gloves will last forever, to be honest, so if you use them well, you could expect they may not last you more than a few years.
There aren’t any details about whether these gloves use recycled or sustainably produced materials, so we can only really assume they don’t. In terms of sustainability, they aren’t the best in our line up, but if they fit your price range, then they’re a good option especially if you will only give them light wear.
Price
I think the price is one of the most attractive things about the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts. At $27.99/£30.48 (time of writing) they do carry a bit of a premium for buying outside the US. However, at the dollar price, I do think they’re worth it.
I actually think the mitt version is much more worth it than the five finger glove version to be honest, these mitts feel much better made! If they are within your budget, I would personally go for the mitt rather than the glove.
Conclusion
After testing some of the other Carhartt quilt range, I was really happy with what you get for your money with the Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women’s Mitts. They feel much better made and I love the extra warmth that comes from the mitt variant and the comfortable fleece inside.
They keep your hands dry, warm and feeling comfortable and it’s still possible to do plenty of tasks whilst wearing them as there is quite a bit of room to move in the fingers. This was a revelation when it comes to mittens, and something I like.
I think if you don’t want to break the bank, the Carhartt mitts are a good option. I think with general use, they’ll keep you warm, dry and for a bargain price that you can’t really argue with.
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