Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Excellent durability and build quality
- Very comfortable, warm and waterproof
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- No touchscreen compatibility
- Expensive
The Rab Pivot Gore-Tex gloves are durable and exceptionally warm waterproof gloves intended for Winter alpinism, mountaineering and climbing. They are a specialized product that pack a lot of features into a very well-made package, however, they’ll likely be overkill for more causal hiking unless you live some place where it gets very cold or you feel the cold in your fingers very quickly.
I was really impressed with the performance of these gloves and whilst they come with a premium price tag, their exceptional quality, warmth and comfort left me in no doubt that they are well-worth their cost. I was also pleasantly surprised by the level of dexterity these gloves offer and I was able to perform tasks like operating my camera and fitting crampons without having to remove them.
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 Rab Pivot Gore-Tex Gloves in more detail:
Analysis and Test Results
Rab have a reputation for making top-quality gear, and the Pivot Gore-Tex Gloves are no exception. I found these gloves to be exceptionally well made, thoughtfully designed, comfortable and very, very warm.
These gloves are intended for alpinists, technical mountaineers and climbers operating in extreme environments and their fully waterproof design prioritizes durability and warmth over all else. None the less, I found the gloves to be very comfortable and they offered much more dexterity than I was expecting, allowing me to carry out tasks where I fully expected to have to remove them.
These gloves do cost a lot and, to be blunt, if you’re not going to use them in harsh conditions, they are probably overkill and you could likely get by with a less costly alternative. However, if your adventures take you to the kind of demanding environments these gloves are designed for, then they are an excellent choice and I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
Warmth is one area where the Rab Pivot Gore-Tex excels. They feature PrimaLoft Gold synthetic insulation which does an excellent job of retaining warmth and, even if your hands are cold going into the gloves, I found that they will gradually warm up.
The gloves have thick leather palms and fingers plus a backing made from breathable and waterproof Gore-Tex Active material. This contributes to their warmth too.
I can’t imagine any situation where you’d wear gloves like these without a liner glove and, of course, this will also contribute to the total warmth of the system. Unlike the Hestra Fall Line gloves we’ve also reviewed, which are probably the closest competitor to these in our roundup, Rab do not supply these gloves with liners, which I think is a shame given the high price.
It’s worth noting that these gloves are not touchscreen-compatible, so you’ll need to remove them if you’re navigating with your phone. On a recent cold weather hike, I made the mistake of pairing these gloves with liners that also weren’t touchscreen-compatible, so I had to remove both layers of gloves for map checks, which obviously wasn’t ideal.
This is not a failing of the Rab gloves, but it’s worth bearing in mind and shows that even with top notch gear, planning mistakes can still lead to major inconvenience on the trail. I’d recommend pairing these gloves with thin, touchscreen-compatible liners such as the Arc’teryx Rho Liner Glove.
Water Resistance
Rab say the Pivot Gore Tex-Glove is fully water proof and my testing backs that up. The Gore-Tex active membrane in the glove backs also allows them to maintain some breathability whilst still keeping water out.
The wide and slightly longer than average cuff with drawstring adjustment on these gloves is also very helpful in terms of water resistance. With the cuffs tightened – which I’d say is more quickly and easily done with the drawstrings than with the velcro closures you find on other gloves – there’s less chance for rain to get in around your wrists and, of course, you can also easily ease up on these to increase ventilation when it isn’t raining.
Wind Resistance
As you might expect from gloves intended for extreme weather, the wind resistance offered by the Rab Pivot Gore-Tex is excellent. Even when wearing them in conditions where wind chill brought the temperature down below freezing, I was not once aware of the wind making my hands cold.
Once again, the ample insulation and wide and long cuff certainly helps with keeping the wind out. I also found the good dexterity offered by these gloves meant that I had to remove them less frequently than other gloves I’ve used in the past – thus minimizing wind exposure to my hands.
Comfort and Fit
The men’s version of the Pivot is offered in five sizes from S to XL. I wore a medium, which is what I usually do in gloves, and found the fit to be just right – the fingers were not excessively long and the gloves offered extra enough space inside to wear thicker than average liners without being overly baggy.
Comfort-wise, I also found the gloves to be excellent. Whilst they kept my hands very warm, they did not overheat, and even after intense efforts on the trail, I didn’t find my hands sweaty or uncomfortable. The inside is soft and subtle and I was unaware of any friction points in use.
Ease of Use
These gloves are thoughtfully designed and have several features which contribute to their ease of use. First off, they have integrated wrist loops so you can just drop the gloves if you need to take them off – that’s very handy and minimizes the chances of you losing one on the trail.
The dexterity they offer is also excellent and I was seriously impressed. Let’s be real here: thick gloves like these will always compromise your dexterity, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I could still do without removing the Rab Pivots.
With the gloves on, I was able to operate the main controls on my camera, open and close zippers on my coat and pack and, very relevant to the intended use of these gloves, attach crampons to my boots. Now, all of these tasks were more fiddly and slower than they would be with just liner gloves on or my bare hands, but none of this was possible with the thick unbranded ski gloves I’ve used for deep winter hiking in the past.
Materials
The Rab Pivot Gloves feature leather palms and fingers. The back section is a tough, slightly stretchy synthetic material with a Gore-Tex membrane for waterproofing and breathability.
The gloves also feature PrimaLoft Gold synthetic insulation – which surely contributes to their excellent warmth. The elasticated wrist loops are secured to the gloves via webbing straps and there is a small plastic clip to keep the gloves together when not in use.
Appearance
These are high-tech and thoroughly modern looking gloves. Whilst the design is definitely a case of form following function, I think Rab have none the less done a great job of using contrasting material textures to create a good-looking product.
Whilst there are prominent Rab and Gore-Tex logos, these are not too in-your-face. The gloves are currently offered in two colorways: dark navy and grey and – the version I assessed – red and grey.
Features
It’s clear to me that the Rab Pivot Gore-Tex gloves are designed with functionality in mind. The wrist loops are not uncommon on gloves at this level and they are a genuinely useful feature if you need to quickly remove the gloves to check or adjust something that needs more dexterity than the gloves allow.
There’s an extra layer of leather between the thumb and forefinger which will help improve durability when handling rope and extra padding on the knuckles provides added protection from knocks or impacts when scrambling or climbing. At first, I was a bit unsure about the wide drawstring cuffs as I’ve previously favored narrower cuffs with Velcro closures, but in use I’ve really come to see the advantages of these and would now say I’m converted as they allow quicker one-handed adjustment.
Durability
In a word, excellent! The Rab Pivot Gore Tex gloves are designed for demanding conditions and this really shows in their excellent build quality and the durable materials used in their manufacture.
The leather pads will, with time, need treatment with leather cream to keep them in top condition, but otherwise, the gloves should be fairly maintenance free. The extra layer of leather between the thumb and forefinger and padding on the knuckles mean that the gloves are extra strong in the areas likely to experience the most wear.
One negative point worth mentioning is the small, relatively delicate plastic clip used to join the gloves when not in use. I think this could easily get broken and looks like it’s not easily repairable. I preferred the metal eyelets for joining the gloves with a carabiner that Hestra use on their Fall Line gloves.
Sustainability
Rab do an excellent job of providing a sustainability report for each of their products. The Pivot Gore-Tex Glove is a bit of a mixed bag in this respect.
Rab claim that these gloves feature 25% recycled content. However they break this down further and whilst the synthetic outer contains no recycled material at all, the insulation is 67% recycled and, sadly, they state that 0% renewable energy is used in their manufacture.
These numbers aren’t bad, but they also aren’t great and I would hope to see them improve in the future. One positive takeaway is that there are no PFAs (‘forever chemicals’) used in these gloves.
It’s also worth noting that Rab have a long-standing reputation for making durable products that typically give many years of use. They also offer a comprehensive repair, cleaning and refurbishing service, all of which will certainly help the long-term sustainability of these gloves.
Price
These gloves are not cheap! At the time of writing, they cost $155/£140 which absolutely puts them at the more expensive end of the products in our round up.
At one point, I simply would not have contemplated spending this much on gloves – you can, after all, get off-brand ski gloves for a fraction of this cost. However, having spent some time with the Rab Pivot Gore-Tex Gloves (and other ‘high end’ gloves like the Hestra Fall Line, I can truly say I can see their value.
For me, the benefits over cheaper gloves in terms of dexterity and insulation without being left with sweaty hands are clear to see. These gloves will be overkill for many, but if you hike in cold, demanding environment, or if you just feel the cold quickly, then I think the cost is certainly justified.
Conclusion
I was very impressed by the Rab Pivot Gore-Tex gloves. So much so that they are now my go-to cold weather gloves. They are comfortable, warm, very well made and offer excellent dexterity or finger mobility, making them a step-up in every respect to the unbranded ski gloves I used to use in cold weather.
However, there’s no avoiding the fact that these are a pricey, specialized product. Unless the weather is really cold, you might well find them to be overkill.
If you’re looking for gloves for general winter hiking plus less intense technical conditions, then something like the cheaper and less bulky Helly Hansen Swift HT may well be a better choice. However, you’ll likely very much appreciate the benefits the Rab Pivot Gore-Tex gloves can provide if you like to push yourself in more extreme winter conditions and if this is you, then they are an excellent choice and well-worth considering.
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