Hestra Army Leather Extreme Mitt

The Hestra Army Leather Extreme Mitt sits at the top of Hestra's warmth scale — 8/8, "Expedition" — and at the bottom of its mobility scale, 1/8, "Restrictive." Those are Hestra's own ratings — one fact stated twice: this mitt buys maximum warmth with your dexterity. It has no waterproof membrane.

Fabric and construction

The palm is Army goat leather, Hestra's proofed goatskin; durability is rated 7/8, "Heavy duty." The backhand is Flextron softshell, a 4-way stretch of 92% polyamide and 8% elastane, which Hestra calls wind and water resistant. The removable liner puts G-Loft insulation over brushed Bemberg fleece; Hestra says G-Loft keeps insulating even when wet. Features, all sealing heat in: snow lock, wrist adjustment with duckbill, elastic at wrist, handcuffs, carabiner, removable lining.

Warmth and weather

Warmth is 8/8. Hestra defines "Expedition" as maximum thermal protection for the most demanding expeditions; its examples are low-output, long-exposure cold: dog sledding, long snowmobile days. This is a mitt for being cold a long time, not for working hard.

Hestra's structured performance data records Waterproof: No: the glove "does not include a waterproof membrane" and "is not designed to keep hands dry in sustained wet conditions." No GORE-TEX, no CZone insert. What you get is water resistance — proofed leather, a water-resistant softshell. No membrane cuts both ways: nothing blocks vapour going out, nothing blocks water coming in. It sheds cold, dry snow all day. It will wet through in warm, wet snow or rain.

Fit and sizing

Hestra sizes by hand circumference, measured around the widest part of the palm. Hestra's caveat: "the recommended size is an indication. Hands vary." Hestra publishes no measurement chart for this model, so if you are between sizes, try it on — insulation only works with room to loft.

PTO stocks one colourway, Black (art. 35164-100100), in sizes 7 through 10. Hestra catalogues it 6 to 11; those four are what we bought. One colour, so every size we list comes in it.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

Buy it if your hands run cold in genuinely cold, dry conditions and your fingers are not doing much: a deep cold snap on the lifts, sledding, snowmobiling, or if a normal ski glove has already failed you.

Skip it if you need your fingers. Mobility 1/8 is Hestra's number: buckles, zippers and phones are all harder in a mitt this insulated. Skip it for wet coastal snow: sustained wet is the one condition it is not built for. For Army Leather durability with a real waterproof membrane, look at the Hestra Army Leather GORE-TEX: same goat leather palm, GORE-TEX insert behind it. And if you ski hot, this is too much mitt.