Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Can be used whilst on for simple tasks on a mobile device
- Good price to feature ratio
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Aren’t fully waterproof for deep snow or heavy, prolonged rain
- Etip (use of device) is limited to photos and basic tasks only
I was overall very impressed with The North Face Women’s Apex Insulated Etip Glove. It gives a great feature set for the price. In fact, was pretty surprised as the feature set for the price.
They have a lot of bells and whistles that I think, if you’re considering these as your next winter glove, you’ll really like. Firstly, in the name, The North Face adds ‘Etip’. This means that they’re smart device compatible.
I have tested map use, taking photos and texting with these. Texting is not possible as the gloves are too cumbersome, but using maps and taking photos is made possible without having to remove the glove. I loved this as it meant my fingers weren’t getting cold doing simple tasks.
They’re also made of synthetic, recycled materials and use a PFC free DWR. Whilst they’re not suitable for extremely prolonged downpours of rain, I found the water repellant coating they offer to be good for all of the circumstances I tested them in.
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 North Face Women’s Apex Insulated Etip Glove in more detail:
Analysis and Test Results
This is a well featured glove from The North Face that really does punch above its weight. In fact, these gloves have been such a pleasure to use that they have made it toward my top picks for outdoor gloves personally.
The internal hand gripper, whilst intended for making sure a phone can be held ok, is also really useful for gripping rocks when scrambling. It also adds another layer of grip when using my hiking poles on steep, snowy descents.
I was pretty much blown away by the fact that I could use my touchscreen device with these big, thick gloves on though. They’re not perfect, and some tasks are still a bit heavy handed, but I’ll take that over having to remove my glove entirely!
Performance Comparison
Warmth
The North Face Women’s Apex Insulated Etip Glove makes use of the brand’s trademarked Heatseeker technology. This is a hollow core fiber construction and is aimed to create durability and warmth at the same time.
Admittedly, these are not the warmest gloves I’ve ever worn. There are certainly warmer gloves out there, some of which we’ve included in our ADD LINK best winter gloves round up. When these gloves first arrived, they had a scale printed on the front of the package saying ‘warmer’ which is at the mid point of The North Face’s scale.
That isn’t really the point though, because not everybody needs a winter glove that is the exceptionally warmest glove on the market. Depending on the conditions you hike in, you might not need it.
That doesn’t mean in any way that these gloves are cold, they are exceptionally warm. I tested these gloves in plenty cold conditions (-10c/14F) and found them to never really give up in terms of the warmth they offered.
What’s more, the kind of harder shell finish that they have on the front, which is in part created by the DWR, gives them a robust, windproof shell feel. This helps massively. Paired with a liner they can take things even further.
Water Resistance
The Apex gloves don’t market themselves as fully waterproof, only water repellent. There is definitely a difference (if you want to familiarize, check out our article on waterproof vs water resistant).
These gloves make use of a Non-PFC DWR for their water repellent finish. I hike somewhere where it rains a lot, and we can have sudden heavy downpours. I’ve tested these gloves in all manner of situations where rain is pounding these gloves and I’ve never experienced saturation.
I think if you’re using these gloves in regular snow and rain storms, you’re going to find them absolutely fine for most times where they’re likely to get wet. However, if you know that you’re going to be in extreme conditions, these are likely not the glove for you. They’re an all rounder, but of course, they do have their limits.
Wind Resistance
I was really impressed with the wind resistance that the The North Face Women’s Apex Insulated Etip Glove offer. In part, the DWR finish adds to the fabric already used on the front face of the glove to create a kind of hardshell feel.
We’ve had some exceptionally bad wind storms where I live in the last couple of months, and as well as for hiking, I’ve found these gloves have been really helpful in keeping my hands warm for day to day activities like clearing garden debris as well. This is obviously great as it could well mean these are the only gloves you need.
I use hiking poles a lot when I’m out in the mountains and I worry about the knuckle area that is always really exposed. I absolutely loved the wind resistance that these gloves offered me on colder, blustery days. So much so that they’ve become my go to for light, warm and wind resistant gloves.
Comfort and Fit
I ordered a medium in these gloves, and I did, at first find them a little close to the skin. However, after a while I found that this fit was pretty good. I’d say that if you find yourself in-between sizes, that you might want to go up a size.
This is especially true if you know you 100% want to wear these with a glove liner. After prolonged wear, I found that they fitted my hand really well and the dexterity offered by them was really fantastic. They’re great for light stretches when it comes to scrambling, for example.
They’re also really comfortable when it comes to the wind resistance they offer, which leaves you feeling really toasty throughout your hike. The one area that I wasn’t hugely keen on is the glove pull. This is a small section that looks like shoe lace – like nylon webbing.
I found that due to the shape of this and how much you have to pull to make them ‘work’ to help you put on the glove, it cuts into your finger. This did feel a little raw when temperatures were already cold out.
I think in future, The North Face could improve this by making this out of a softer material like the glove and is stitched to create a strong loop, rather than this textured material. Though it’s a small niggle on an otherwise great product.
Ease of Use
When it comes to ease of use, the first thing I’ll mention is my comment above in the comfort and fit section. The glove pull wasn’t my favorite. Adding to my comment above, I did find that due to the bulk of the glove, it was pretty much impossible to use the glove pull on the second hand when the first was already on.
This could be improved by having a bigger pull, or something like a band that could keep the gloves on your hand whilst you’re wearing too like the Rab Pivot Gore-Tex Gloves. This would be a small adjustment that would take these gloves up a notch in my opinion.
I also did a lot of dexterity tests with these gloves. As they are thicker, they do limit your movements a bit. However, I could still very easily use my Nikon Z8 camera, change aperture, shutter speed and take a shot. I could also easily use the play back screen.
They also handle well when putting your hands on and around rocks when it comes to scrambling. Hiking poles are easy to use and adjust with them on too. Zippers on coats and putting up hoods was also possible.
I loved this as it meant there were so few situations where I needed to take them off. Likewise, the Etip was useful for taking photos on my phone without taking them off, looking at and navigating on my map and doing small tasks.
Texting was much harder as the gloves are a bit too cumbersome for that. All in all though, I was impressed with what you can get done with these gloves on.
Materials
When you look at a description of The North Face Women’s Apex Insulated Etip Glove, you can see that it uses some recycled elements for its creation. This is great to see, though it would be good to see all the materials be transitioned to fully recycled.
From use, the materials feel really well produced and these gloves feel pretty sturdy. There’s no two ways about it. What’s also great about the DWR is that it makes these gloves wipeable.
There were a few times where I got mud on these gloves, and I was able to wash it off really quickly with some of my water. This will make a big difference if you’re used to needing to use your hands when you hike like I often do on steeper trails.
Appearance
I really like the look of the Apex gloves from The North Face. Whilst they’re well featured, they also look fairly understated and stylish. They have the classic The North Face logo printed on them.
I do find that heat treated logos like the one that’s on the front of the glove can come off over time. This would also not be the first time this has happened with a The North Face product I’ve owned and tested.
So, I always do a scuff test. I have brushed my nail at quite great force over the gloves and I did start to see some lift on the corner of one of the letters. Generally, I don’t find it bothers me too much when logos fall off, but it might bother some hikers.
Likewise, it will really depend on just how much you put these gloves through. There’s a good chance that the logo will never wear off for you! Aside from that, I think these gloves go really well with any hiking gear.
I tested the grey on black variant, which I really liked. Though you can also currently get these gloves in a black only variant. If you want a really understated look that would also look really good for day to day use, you may want to consider the full black.
Features
One of the main features that these gloves offer is the Etip. This basically means that the tip of the gloves can be used to work a touch screen device. The North Face state full touch screen compatibility in their marketing. However, from my tests, this isn’t entirely the case.
From my tests, I found it possible to use these gloves to unlock your phone, take a photo, go through your photos and swipe through some apps. It’s also possible to work your maps. This is pretty easily possible, though it can feel a bit heavy handed as they are thick.
Where you can’t really use them is for typing, sending a text etc. I think that this is fine for most hikers (it was fine for me, I don’t usually find myself texting that much when hiking) but I do think that technically, this doesn’t make them ‘full touchscreen compatible’ like The North Face say.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that there are limits to this, and what’s great is that for simple tasks like wanting to check your map or take a photo, it’s great to not have to take off your glove. Really great in fact!
Durability
These gloves are built to last. The stitching is really well put together in every area. The moldings on the underside of the underside of the glove are well put on and the heat transferred texture on these is great.
The thumb is really well sewn, and the internal finishing is really nice. As these gloves have a DWR, you can prolong this by giving them a waterproofing treatment and I would recommend doing this if they get exposure to rain quite a lot.
One area that I think could do with improvement is the material used around the glove pull. When pulling at this material and where it’s joined onto the glove, I can see a real weak point waiting to happen over time here.
With very prolonged use, I do think it’s possible that the pull could come away from the thinner inside fabric. This would create a rip which could impact the gloves performance. Though, that said, I actually don’t find the glove pulls to be that helpful for putting the gloves on anyway, so I’m not likely to use them.
Sustainability
The North Face make use of pretty extensive recycled fabrics in all areas of the Apex glove’s construction. In fact, in every section, a recycled component has been used. However, in some areas there are materials used that don’t say they’re recycled.
It would be really good to see The North Face move to using only recycled materials on this glove. I do find sometimes that brands are quick to say ‘uses recycled materials’ and then when you look further, you see that they’re not entirely.
That aside, these gloves are well and truly with you to last. I’ve been testing these for some time now, and they honestly don’t feel like they’ll be going away from my side any time soon!
Price
The North Face Women’s Apex Insulated Etip Glove comes in at around $60/£50 at the time of writing. I think considering the price ranges of some less featured gloves in our round up that come in at around the same price, these gloves are a steal.
If you want an exceptional all rounder for hiking, light scrambling and keeping you toasty up until about -10c/14F, then you really won’t go wrong with these gloves!
Conclusion
The North Face Women’s Apex Insulted Etip glove is a fantastic option! For an all rounder that will keep you really warm, I don’t think you can go wrong, especially when you take the price into consideration. They’re very well featured for this price, and I think they’re great value for most hikers.
I love the fact that you can navigate your maps and take a photo whilst keeping these gloves on, which makes such a difference. Especially in windy conditions where you’re concerned about keeping your hands warm.
I also love the grippy undersides that are great for crag hopping and scrambling as well as keeping your phone in place, and they’re put together really well. The fact that they are water repellent gives them an extra, added bonus, making them an allrounder which I’m pretty sure you’ll love as much as me!
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