Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Great wind protection
- Close to skin feel
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Not fully waterproof
- Not warm enough for prolonged wear below freezing
The Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves are a great option for hikers who wants some extra warmth when hiking in temperatures that don’t really get much below freezing. When used correctly, they provide amazing protection from the wind.
I was really impressed by just how well the wind protection works, even when I had my hands exposed when using hiking poles. They also cut very close to the skin and have very little bulk to them; this is fantastic as it allows for complete dexterity when wearing. I found I was able to do pretty much any task as normal with them on.
Outdoor Research a brand who create products that are built to last, and through my durability tests I am confident to say that I think if you buy these gloves, they will be with you for the long haul.
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 | $160.00 | $45.00 | $126.99 | $60.00 | Price not available | $89.96 | Price not available | $27.99 | $23.80 | $134.96 | Price not available | $15.26 | $28.43 | $29.99 | $32.41 | Price not available | $6.99 | $32.00 | Price not available | $27.99 |
Analysis and Test Results
Whilst these gloves are quite tight to get on, the zipper makes this much easier and allows you to take full advantage of the close to skin feel. I have generally found myself enjoying gloves that are a little bit looser in my tests, however I really liked the dexterity that the Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves provide.
This also meant that I didn’t have to remove my gloves at any point during my hikes which allowed for my hands to stay warm throughout. For many hikers, this will make a big difference, but it is important to keep in mind that due to the fact they’re not as thick as others, they do have their limits.
Personally I found that these gloves will handle well up until about freezing temperatures, but after that you do start to feel the cold. This is more than enough for many hikers, however if you hike somewhere colder you will need to get a thicker pair. I would recommend looking at the ADD LINK Helly Hansen Swift HT Ski Gloves if this is the case.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
These gloves from Outdoor Research are plenty warm enough for conditions down to about freezing. Personally I like a larger range of temperature abilities in the gloves I plan to bring with me most of the time but for many hikers this will be more than adequate for any scenario that you’ll likely find yourself in winter.
I would usually suggest adding a liner glove to give more warmth when wearing these gloves, however they are a relatively tight fit (and they are designed to be so) so a liner glove won’t really fit inside. I think one of the things that the Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves do really well is to help with protection from the wind, which I’ll talk more about below. But this does in turn help massively with the warmth that they provide in a non-bulky package.
Water Resistance
The Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves are marketed as water resistant rather than specifically waterproof. I would agree with this statement, as the main waterproofing that they offer comes from the goat leather palm.
This is great if you need to hold onto wet rocks when outdoors and I found this quite useful for scrambling or when I had to have contact points on my hikes. In serious rainstorms though, unfortunately these gloves did reach saturation level on the outer.
This is an area that I would love to see improved when it comes to these gloves, but I think that if you’re hiking in conditions that are generally dry, more alpine and that just get cold, you will not have an issue here. It’s also important to keep in mind that when they do get wet providing conditions aren’t too cold, they do dry off fairly quickly.
Wind Resistance
I was really impressed by the wind resistance offered on the Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves. They make use of Gore Windstopper technology and have Gore-Tex Infinium with a Windstopper soft shell. They are incredibly breathable, so I found in my tests that my hands never got particularly warm or sweaty when they weren’t meant to.
When things did become windy outside, I found I was completely unaware of this. I thought that this was really fantastic considering how low profile these gloves are. Normally I’d expect to get this kind of performance against the wind with something much thicker.
Comfort and Fit
When it comes to comfort, the low profile finish of these gloves is really fantastic for improving dexterity. I found that I was able to do pretty much anything that I would do without gloves on, with these on.
This was great as it meant that I wasn’t really having to take them off and so my hands kept warm enough throughout my test hikes, which did a lot to improve my comfort. I think that if you’re between sizes based on the sizing chart offered in the product description I would suggest going up to the next size.
They do feel like they run a little bit on the small side for me. I took a medium and I felt like this was fine for me but there was not that much space in the gloves whilst wearing. I was really happy to see the inclusion of zip on the cuff/wrist, which you can open and close to make it easier to put these gloves on.
Ease of Use
The Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves have an almost skin like feel which feels very natural when you have them on. Personally, I really liked this as it didn’t really feel too much like I was wearing gloves and I was just able to get on with any tasks I needed to throughout the day.
They are also pretty compatible with the use of a smartphone and I was able to do things like take a picture, open and zoom through a map, and send a very basic text message. This is a great bonus as it means that you won’t really need to take the gloves off once you have them on.
I also really like the zipper on the cuff that goes up towards the hand. This makes it really easy to put the gloves on. I was a little bit nervous that they would feel very tight to get over the hand, but the zipper makes it much easier and allows you to get the full benefits of this close to skin glove.
Materials
These gloves use a 94% nylon, 6% spandex face fabric. The backer is 100% polyester. The underside of the hand or the palm is made with goat leather and the lining is 100% tricot. So as you can see these gloves make use of a few materials in their construction.
Upon inspection, these gloves appear to be incredibly well made and what I’ve come to expect from Outdoor Research’s products. I’m pretty sure that the cut and finish of the Stormtracker gloves will stand the test of time. Especially if you look after them well.
Appearance
I think these gloves look pretty cool to be honest and will appeal to a lot of hikers who want a fairly sleek design that isn’t bulky and is fairly non-intrusive. They certainly look like a sport/performance glove, and I personally wouldn’t really wear these as a day-to-day glove as well, but that’s just my personal opinion.
I’m not a huge fan myself of the leather underside and think that they would look better if they were a fully synthetic glove. However the leather does provide a soft feel and does help the glove move nicely with the hand which means that they’re not bunching up anywhere.
Features
The Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves do have some tech. They make use of a lightweight Gore-Tex Infinium and Windstopper soft shell. This helps a lot with the water resistance they offer and also the exceptional wind resistance they have.
They are also marketed as breathable and moisture wicking, which they do well. They’re also very lightweight and considering the wind resistance they offer it’s pretty impressive to see such a lightweight glove offer this much protection from the elements.
Durability
Something that is very obvious to me from testing these gloves and from pulling them around to see what they’re made of, is that they’re very well made. There is no doubt in my mind that the longevity of these gloves will make them a long lasting option for many hikers.
Sustainability
It’s clear when you look at the Outdoor Research website that they have a big commitment to the ethical standards and production of the products. They have a lot of information about how they used PFAS and DWR treatments, blue sign system partnerships and even being able to track where your down is from.
Whilst there aren’t any specific notes about the Outdoor Research Stormtracker Women’s Sensor Gloves themselves, it’s pretty clear that Outdoor Research are a brand that takes their footprint seriously.
Price
These gloves come in at between $79 – $95 at the time of writing. Or £75, so not a huge markup if buying outside the US. I do think that considering the cut and finish of these gloves as well as the fantastic wind proofing they offer, that they worth the price point.
However, one drawback here is if you know that you are going to be hiking in temperatures below freezing, I don’t think that these gloves will keep you consistently warm. With that in mind you may find it better to invest in a pair of gloves that have more insulation, like the Helly Hansen Swift HT Ski Gloves or The North Face Men’s Denali Etip.
Conclusion
Overall, I was really impressed with the Outdoor Research Stormtracker Gloves. If you are looking for fantastic wind protection, I think these gloves will be a great option for you.
I loved the fact that they have a second skin feel which allowed for fantastic dexterity and the ability to just get on with everything I needed to do without my gloves getting in the way or feeling too bulky. Whilst you do lose some insulation because of this, I think that if you hike somewhere that it barely gets below freezing, you’ll enjoy the stripped back feel that these gloves have.
They’re also incredibly well made, and it was really clear to me that if you put in just a little bit of effort into maintaining these gloves, they’ll be with you for a long time. Outdoor Research are a brand that I have grown to respect a lot and the Stormtracker gloves did not disappoint.
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