Outdoor Gear Guide: The Heat Company Gloves

[@ronnieb9821]

I live in the Netherlands and go often to the Alps for photography shoots, this is a Austrian company settled near Salzburg and these gloves are so good. I worked with them in Sweden Norway Switzerland and Austria. Just briljant....good review Ben and you own a pair of great gloves.

[@stuartbaines2843]

Important point to think about, mittens are the best way to keep fingers warm. I tend to use separate mittens and gloves and just remove the mitten when needed. Insulated mitten and thin gloves.

[@turfguy100]

I had a pair of this Heat gloves while I was in Lake Baikal three weeks ago ( - 35 ~ - 40 degree Celsius) for over 10 days taking photos. It works great. Highly recommend.

[@BenHorne]

That's great to hear that they worked well in such cold conditions! The coldest I used mine in was about 25F.

[@HesselFolkertsma]

Yup, one of my best investments ever! Mine is the older style non-layered system, it’s held up very well.

[@darc1027]

Could you please do a review on a more budget friendly option. Those are absolutely badass but a bit pricey for me. Thank you

[@BenHorne]

I have owned many different pairs of gloves through the years, but these were the first that allowed me to keep my fingers warm, and also be able to work with my view camera. All the other gloves I have used have fallen short in one way or another - and if I were to add up the cost of all those other gloves, it would be more than what I paid for these ones. Something to think about.

[@BenHorne]

I haven't tried those, but I do remember you recommending them back when I asked on twitter.

[@EverydayMusician]

It seems like for their shell, they just took the Hands-Out Gloves design and added a few extra features. I have been using Hands-Out for a few years. I have a pair of light mittens, sport gloves, and pro mittens. I use the pro mittens when I go skiing and I wear merino wool liners underneath and they've done the trick for that, but I was considering The Heat Company option for doing more with a need for dexterity in the cold for extended periods. I do like the magnet feature, which Hands-Out don't have; they unzip a bit lower so that you can take your whole hand out, so there's no separate thumb flap. And there's no compartment specifically meant for a heat pack, although you could still put them in with your hands. But also, using those heat packs and having the design accommodate them specifically could worth it. I think I paid around the same price one pair of these would cost for all three pairs of my Hands-Out (during a sale, btw) , so there is a difference in the cost. Hmm. Still thinking, but thank you for your review.

[@fbimagesphoto]

About to spend 10 days in Svalbard and I bought their three layer system. Will test it out!

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

As a NYC resident whose fingers freeze up quickly, I struggle to shoot all winter. I've been searching for glove solutions. These gloves sound like they're worth springing $$ for. Winter's just about over but I'll go to B&H and try some out. Thanks!

[@allancrewdson]

Hi Ben, great video. I fly a drone as a hobby and purchased the mittens last year that worked brilliantly but when folded back (for dexterity) I often got numb fingers and thumbs. This year I have purchased the Marino liners and although it’s not cold enough (yet) to wear them outdoors, I have ‘played’ with them and they feel like they will be a quality addition to the heat system 🤞👍

[@MiguelACoronaDM]

Just got these. They're great. I just got the shell and bought better liners for them. I have slight case of raynaud's so these really help for my winter photography. They're not meant as "work gloves" - and using them for rough work is not something I would recommend. However, for photography I would highly recommend.

[@BenHorne]

So glad you also enjoy them Miguel! When I was on my fall trip, the shells came in handy on a couple days when I was biking into the main canyon. I wasn't sure how well they would work while working the brakes and shifters, but it was a piece of cake. Without those gloves, my hands would have been ice blocks since the temps were in the low 20's F.

[@MoisheLettvin]

The hardest thing for me with shooting large format here in Colorado has been keeping my hands warm to work with the camera. I've been using fingerless fishing gloves with chemical heating pouches but this looks like a really really nice upgrade -- thank you for the pointer!

[@larrylindell1027]

Thanks for the review. In Iowa it get very cold in the winter. I actually bought a pair of those gloves this winter. Your review confirms the wisdom of my decision to invest that much money in gloves.

[@BenHorne]

Hopefully you'll be able to put them to good use with those cold winters. I am very happy that I was able to operate the camera while wearing them. That was a really big plus for me.

[@Tuomimaki]

I wonder if the fabric on the mittens get hard on Scandinavian winter temperatures like -20 Celsius (-4'F)? And yes, I do shoot on those conditions too (bit tough on lenses though).

[@BenHorne]

That is a very good question. I haven't had them in temperatures anywhere near that cold so I don't know first hand. The company that makes them is based in Austria and they certainly get some cold temperatures in the mountains, but I don't know how that compares to up in Scandinavia.

[@Tuomimaki]

@@BenHorne Thanks, Ben! The older we get the more important it seems to be to stay nice and warm :-)

[@glensumner3425]

They look great Ben but I have been wary of gloves with magnets in because of using a compass might be compromised?

[@glensumner3425]

@@will9357 The exterior shell has magnetic parts to secure the thumb and mitten back I have seen this on some other gloves that open thumb and forefinger for camera work convenient but same deal with compass ...

[@BenHorne]

That is a good point about the compass. Though I do have one, I very seldom use it so I hadn't thought about that. The magnets in the gloves don't seem like they are extremely strong, and they are on the back side of the glove, but they could certainly still have an effect.

[@jonglass]

"I am a complete wuss"... Lol! I grew up in PA where it's cold in the winter, and I hate, hate, hate the cold. I am a complete wuss too ;-)

[@rhonaldjohnrose5861]

Yep, Heat 3 system is good, I use at -25 (at that cold it start being less effective, but its okay) and found it okay. The finger twist is annoying and I am glad I am not the only one having that issue.

[@BenHorne]

I doubt I will ever have them in conditions that cold, but good to know they have worked pretty well for you! I am tempted to try some of the other liners as well to see if they don't twist.

[@rhonaldjohnrose5861]

@@BenHorne Tried two of them and both twist. Wrote to them as well (couple of months ago). Hopefully they fix it in their next release

[@matthewd7719]

Glad you like them

[@WindoofUser]

So I bought these exact same shells as well (different liners), last year, also for photography and general winter use (I live in Switzerland, so very comparable to Austria, where they come from). The first time I used them was on a weekend building an igloo with my dad. And as much as I like the concept of these gloves, I cannot recommend them to anyone that wants to seriously use them. The leather on the front of the shell is so thin that after a few hours of cutting, shoveling and carrying snow it started to come off. Also, the zippers on the shell are not waterproof, because they easily slide open when you're using your hands. For me that ment that I soon had wet, cold fingers. I think for pure photography sessions they're good. If you're doing something where photography is just a part of the adventure, I wouldn't recommend this system. The company did replace my damaged gloves, even though they first said that I overused them (a funny thing to say, because at the time they were stating on their website, that they are official supplier of the Austrian army as well...) Anyways, I don't want to say that these are bad gloves, just know what you can and cannot do with them (based on my experience, anyways).

[@BenHorne]

Thanks so much for the comment and the real-world experience with the gloves. I definitely plan on using them only when doing photography, but it's good to know that they might not stand up to more vigorous activity. I do see that they have a third layer for the gloves that seems to be quite tough. I wonder if using that third layer would have helped in your case?

[@WindoofUser]

@@BenHorne Very good point, Ben! I had forgotten about this third layer. I suspect it would've helped, yes! So maybe for future activities... Looking forward to my next winter adventure once I'm back home!

[@anlephoto7292]

Thanks, Ben for the excellent review. I am from New York. I need these gloves.:-)

[@BenHorne]

You could certainly put them to good use in the winter! :-)

[@peterpage597]

Thanks Ben. These look like what I need. I recently spent a lot of money on well recommended gloves from another company only to discover that they're good to about 0C (32F) as long as there is no wind! :( What temperatures were you working at on your trip if you don't mind me asking? I'm in Canada and need to be able to work down to about -15C (5F). Below that I am also a wuss.

[@BenHorne]

The coldest I was able to use these gloves in was around 25F or so. They worked great at that temp, and are definitely designed to go much colder. The combo I bought seem like they would resist wind quite well, but from what I understand the full leather shells will do even better. The company that makes these is based out of Austria and they are designed with an alpine winter environment in mind, so I would imagine they would do quite well in some pretty extreme conditions.

[@peterpage597]

@@BenHorne Thank you very much Ben. I'll pick up a pair in the fall.

[@drewhumphrey]

I did not know it was possible to review gloves in such detail

[@BenHorne]

Haha! I know, right? Photographers are a strange breed. 😂

[@simonbooker]

Thanks Ben, great review and I am a wuss too - so perfect for me! :-))

[@BenHorne]

They're definitely wonderful for those of us who don't deal well with the cold. :-)

[@Noealz]

I've bought so many gloves and none of them as warm as I had wished

[@BenHorne]

Yeah, I have gone through quite a few pairs through the years. Either they were warm and I couldn't work my camera, or I could work my camera but they weren't warm. These ones seem to strike a nice balance.

[@NikCan66]

Nice review

[@JanneRanta]

My mittens cost 1/10th of that just because they weren't "photography gloves". Used at -30C this winter and they worked perfectly.

[@BenHorne]

There are definitely a ton of great options out there, and I'm glad that your mittens worked well for you!

[@kevins8575]

Liked your video even though I live in Hawaii.

[@BenHorne]

Bragger. 🤩

[@DiegoMcCartney]

A heat company body suite?.... why not 😄😄

[@BenHorne]

That could be quite nice at times!

[@toulcaz31]

Great puppets show :)

[@BenHorne]

Hmmm... now they need names. :-)