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Old man winter came rushing in in a big hurry this year. These cold temperatures had me frantically digging out my winter apparel sooner than normal. A couple of items that I did not have to search long for were two new pairs of Gordini Gloves that I have been eagerly waiting to try out this season. For over 60 years, Gordini has been producing gloves, mittens, and googles inspired by the cold Vermont backcountry.

The two new gloves that I have been using are the Antler Glove and the Runabout Glove. With these two gloves all cold weather bases are covered. The Antler Glove is a thick heavy duty glove that is made to keep hands warm in cold conditions. The Runabout Glove on the other hand, no pun intended, is an all around glove with a leather palm and wool top. Needless to say, I have been anxiously awaiting the cold temperatures in order to test out these two gloves.

Gordini Antler Glove

Gordini Antler Glove

About the Antler Glove

The Antler Glove is designed for cold weather. I mean really cold. This glove has a leather exterior, heavy insulation, and a soft interior, creating a bombproof yet cozy glove. The leather used on the exterior of the glove is made of deerskin. This type of leather is super soft and flexes easily. The palm and thumb are both extra reinforced, creating resistance to wear and tear.

Gordini Antler Glove Pair

Primaloft is incorporated throughout the glove for insulation. Primaloft is a great insulation material designed for the military and will insulate even when wet.

Inside the glove is a super soft interior made from moisture wicking fleece. The fleece is extra thick around the cuff making it quite comfortable to put on. The cuff is called a gauntlet cuff that can cinch down tight preventing the elements from coming in.

Gordini Antler Glove Gauntlet Cuff

Gordini Antler Glove Gauntlet Cuff Cinch

Attached to the cuff is a leash that keeps the glove around the wrist even when you take it off.

Gordini Antler Glove Leash

Testing out the Antler Glove

The Antler Glove is one serious glove. To date, I have used it skiing, playing with my son in the snow filled yard, and hiking during some really cold mornings.

Pulling a Sled While Playing In the Snow

The Antler Glove really excels in cold conditions. During our first cold snap of the season, I had these gloves out in -10 degrees and my hands were perfectly comfortable. There is a noticeable difference in warmth between my gloves that do not contain insulation and these gloves with the Primaloft.

A feature that I really love is the deer hyde leather. This type of leather is so supple and soft. Which makes it easy to flex and move the hand around.

The inside of the glove is really soft. It feels good to have the fleece lined gloves against the skin of the hands. When it is really cold out I cannot wait to slide my hands in. One feature that is awesome are the tethers that hold the gloves when not on the hand. These tethers are great for the chair lifts as I am always worried about dropping a glove. The tethers keep your gloves safe and secure. However, on my second day of skiing one of the tethers did break, which is a total bummer as it was one of my favorite parts of this glove.

A Little on the Bulky Side

The biggest challenge for me with the Antler Gloves is the bulk of the gloves. These gloves are just big. I wear a size large in most gloves, and when I sized myself with the Gordini sizing chart I was a large as well. However, my fingers do not come near the ends of the gloves. I could have easily been in a medium and maybe would have tried a small.

That bulk is not limited to the fingers and length. Having the Primaloft insulation makes these gloves bulky too. Although incredibly warm, it is hard to have much dexterity because of the bulk. It seems to me that if incredible warmth was the goal I would tend to lean towards wearing a mitten.

This bulk complicates activities like skiing. It is challenging to get the antler Glove cuff inside of my ski jacket. Even with the gauntlet cuff I cannot cinch it down enough for it to fit inside my ski coat. Early season skiing is no issue because all of the runs are groomed and packed down. However in some serious powder, snow could easily get in around the wrist.

Skiing With Antler Glove

Where I can see these gloves excelling are on those really cold days. During those cold periods, it doesn’t snow much and staying warm is the name of the game. Also, this glove will be coming with me ice fishing. We currently don’t have enough ice to test these out fishing yet but I could see where these would be awesome.

Specs on the Gordini Anlter Gloves

• MSRP $154.99
• Dexterous and durable deerskin leather shell
• Primaloft® synthetic, water-resistant microfiber insulation
• Reinforced palm and thumb
• Moisture-wicking lining
• Plush, high-pile fleece lining at back of hand and cuff
• Gauntlet cuff with wrist cinch and drawcord closure
• Leash

Final Thoughts on the Antler Glove

The Antler Glove is a great glove for really cold days. The deer hyde leather, primaloft insulation, and super soft interior of this glove feel great and will keep you warm. Although super warm the Antler Gloves are pretty bulky and are a bit cumbersome for everyday use. Save these for the really cold days and you will be set.

Gordini Runabout Glove

Gordini Runabout Glove

About the Runabout Glove

The Runabout Glove is designed as a cold weather all purpose glove. The back of the glove is constructed from a nylon knit weave with a palm of Clutch synthetic leather.

Back of Gordini Runabout Glove

Leather Palm of Gordini Runabout Glove

Inside the Runabout Glove is a Lavawool liner which is a combination of both wool and synthetic fibers. This is designed to wick away moisture and keep the hands warm. A stretch cuff gives a snug fit around the wrist.

Testing the Runabout Gloves

The Runabout Gloves fit a niche in my cold weather gear. I have work gloves and I have cold weather gloves, but the combination of the two is pretty awesome. These have really been super useful when doing chores around the house this fall and winter. In the relatively short time that I have owned them they have seen their fair share of yardwork, snowblowing, shoveling, and scraping.

Fall Yard Work

The knit keeps my hands toasty but the Clutch synthetic leather allows for some abuse. These stood up nicely to tree pruning and even the super sharp blue spruce tree was no match for the reinforced palms.

In contrast to the Antler Gloves the Runabout Glove fit was almost too small. The large gloves were a tight fit at first. With time these gloves have stretched some but I almost would go one size up on these.

Fit of the Runabout Glove

Since the fit is so tight they are pretty good with dexterity. I can prime and start my snowblower easily, even with the small knobs and pulls. These gloves also work well for use with tools. I have used a drill, circular saw, and hand saw while wearing them. Even though they provide considerable hand warmth they are not too bulky and don’t get in the way.

Specs on the Gordini Runabout Glove

• MSRP $57.99
• Ergoknit™ nylon shell
• CLUTCH™ synthetic leather palm
• Pre-curved construction
• LavaWool® lining
• Stretch-knit cuff

Final Thoughts on the Runabout Gloves

The Gordini Runabout Gloves are perfect work gloves for cold weather. With a synthetic leather palms and knit backs these not only can handle abuse but keep you warm in the process.

For more information on the Antler and Runabout Gloves, visit www.rei.com/gordini.