Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Great moisture wicking properties
- Fits incredibly well with no bunching
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Not touchscreen compatible
- Little wind resistance
Helly Hansen are well known and well regarded in the outdoors scene. They’ve been around a long time and know how to produce good products, especially because of their Scandinavian roots.
I’m pleased that the Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner live up to the brands expectations and are a fantastic merino liner glove which works perfectly when paired inside another glove. They provide maximum comfort and moisture wicking even for the toughest of trails.
I was also impressed with the fit – these gloves are true to size, fit perfectly around the fingers without feeling tight, yet with no bunching. They allow for perfect dexterity, and you can still get on with your everyday tasks whilst wearing. Though do keep in mind they’re not touchscreen compatible.
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 |
See the Helly Hansen Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner in more detail:
Analysis and Test Results
Merino gloves need a little bit more care, and that is true of these gloves – you do need to make sure you wash them properly and leave them to line dry. However, with wear, they become ultimately soft and are easy to pull on and off.
Through my time testing the Helly Hansen Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner, I found that their moisture wicking properties where incredible. On longer, harder days outdoors, I found them to keep my skin dry and feeling comfortable.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
I’ve always found I get on pretty well with merino products for helping keep me warmer. I wear merino base layers pretty much through the entire winter for this reason and love them.
So, I was happy to see that the extra warmth provided by the Helly Hansen Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner was great when layered up. Particularly with the Helly Hansen Swift HT Ski Gloves, which I have started to see as a set.
Through testing, these liner gloves give an adequate amount of warmth on their own for warmer winter days, days without wind or in early changing seasons. Personally, I think they are best when paired with a warmer glove.
As a liner glove, they are fantastic at wicking moisture, especially on days outdoors where I was really exerting myself through the course of the trail. This helped enormously with warmth too, as it meant I wasn’t getting wet hands from sweat.
Water Resistance
These gloves are a merino liner glove, and as such don’t offer any waterproofing or water resistance whatsoever. If you are hiking somewhere with alpine winter climates where rain or inclement snowfall isn’t as much of an issue, you can likely wear these gloves at points on their own.
For me, they are best when paired with a thicker glove which has a hard-shell finish. These merino liners will help you a lot with moisture wicking though, which in turn will help with a feeling of waterproofing.
Wind Resistance
On their own, the Helly Hansen Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner don’t really offer much when it comes to wind resistance. When I put these liner gloves on, the stretch and texture of the weave pattern show that there are thousands of tiny holes visible due to the close-knit stitch.
This of course doesn’t create an impenetrable layer from wind, and you certainly can feel the wind, if it’s howling strong, wearing these gloves alone. I do think it’s important to keep in mind that these liner gloves aren’t really intended to be worn on their own, and with this in mind, I don’t think we can see this as a ‘downside’ to them.
Comfort and Fit
I ordered a medium in these gloves, and I’m happy to report that they fit true to size. In fact, they’re pretty much perfect and go on really easy with no tough points to get over.
This is really nice if you find yourself wanting to add on gloves part way through a hike or activity where your hands may already be a little cold. Likewise, all of the areas around the fingers feel nicely fitted to my hand. There are no real loose sections around my fingers, but I still have enough movement and dexterity for everything I want to do.
One area I think could be improved is I don’t feel that these gloves are quite as soft as some other merino liners I’ve tested. However, they are very far from scratchy. To me, the inside of the glove doesn’t feel quite as soft as the outer, so that is an area I’d love to see improved.
They specify that these gloves have a ‘non itch’ finish, and from my tests, even when I was wearing for hours in demanding circumstances, I’d say that’s true. These gloves are very comfortable for both short and longer days outdoors.
Ease of Use
Unlike some other liners on the market now, the Helly Hansen Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner aren’t touchscreen compatible. This is an improvement I think Helly Hansen could make here, as being able to check a map with them on would be ideal.
This could be counteracted easily by pairing them with an outer glove that enables this. Such as The North Face Apex Insulated Etip Glove, which means you wouldn’t have to remove your outer glove at all, (and these gloves have reviewed very well in our tests).
Other than that, there are no dexterity issues when it comes to the Helly Hansen Merino Glove Liners. They fit very well around the fingers, without any sagging areas. Yet there is more than enough stretch in them to be able to move freely.
Materials
These merino glove liners from Helly Hansen are made with a 57% merino wool, 43% polypropylene construction. This includes their ‘HH Lifa Merino’. Merino is well known for its moisture wicking and anti-bacterial properties.
This means that like merino socks, for example, you can wear this product for longer periods without worrying too much about smell or moisture being a problem. With that in mind, these merino liners make a great companion for longer treks.
They’re also great for winter backpacking or mountaineering expeditions where you don’t have the luxury of cleaning between days quite so often. To test this, I’ve worn these liners on harder days outdoors, multiple days in a row and found them to have no odor at all.
Since they’re merino, they do need some care and attention. When washing, you should use a wool focused detergent and no softener. They also suggest washing inside out and not wringing out when out the machine. This will keep them at their best for longer.
Appearance
The Helly Hansen Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner is a pretty standard looking merino liner glove. They look relatively no frills with a simple Helly Hansen logo tag down toward the bottom of the glove where it meets your wrist.
I like the fact that they’re understated, and I found myself wearing these liner gloves with my everyday clothes too when temperatures weren’t too cold. This gives them an extra boost of life too.
They’re available in one colorway – black. They look pretty high end when you consider the stitching and have a slight texture from the knit pattern.
Features
These gloves are a pretty ‘does what it says on the tin’ option. I don’t think they really have a lot of specialist features, but then, they don’t really need it. They work well for their intended purpose.
I’d say the main feature is that they’re merino and this of course means they’re good for wicking moisture. This is of course fantastic when you may have worked up a sweat and your hands are going between different temperatures. Great when paired with an outer glove for this reason.
They are also marketed as ‘no itch’ which I think is true. They’re not the softest ever inside, but they don’t itch at all.
Durability
I have pulled these gloves around quite a bit, and they are well made. Of course, when you really pull at the seams, you do see some areas where the stitching may give out over time, but this is the same with any glove.
If you get these gloves wet, they likely won’t last as long if they’re not cared for to get them dry, so I would really say you’re best keeping these as a liner that doesn’t really get ‘seen out on their own’ too often when it rains.
Merino isn’t a material that will last forever, and I do always think that liners have a tendency to be fairly delicate. If you use your gloves a lot, you are likely to need to replace quicker than someone who doesn’t use them all the time.
Sustainability
Helly Hansen is committed to sustainable practices, with a lot of their materials being recycled in as many products as possible. They also work with fair working factories and are committed to long lasting products. Here is the information they publish.
With these gloves specifically, there is no information about whether they are ‘sustainably produced’ or not. It would be nice to see this published, or to have more information available about where they source their fibers and wool from.
Price
These gloves are currently priced at $30/£19.99. I think this is really well priced considering how nice an experience these gloves give when wearing. They are no nonsense, and some may interpret that as basic, but they are anything other than basic.
Helly Hansen are a well-respected brand in the outdoors scene and coming from their Scandinavian roots, they know how to make a good, warmth related product. I think when used in combination with the Helly Hansen Swift HT Ski Gloves, you can get a great set for $100.
Conclusion
Merino gloves can feel like they need a lot of care and attention to perform their best, and whilst it’s true that you do need to keep them maintained, they offer a lot when it comes to warmth and moisture wicking when paired with a thicker outer glove.
I was really impressed with the moisture wicking offered on the Helly Hansen Men’s LIFA Merino Glove Liner, especially on more demanding days outdoors. They kept my hands feeling dry and free of odor, even after days of use.
I think for the price, these simple, well-fitting gloves make a great addition to your glove set to increase your warmth and they’re well worth it in my opinion. They get softer with wear and are incredibly comfortable – what’s not t
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