Cold weather glove liners do more than just add an extra layer between your hands and the elements. Certain liners can provide higher degrees of warmth, greater dexterity, additional protective qualities, and different levels of comfort.
Insulation liners in gloves work to prevent heat from naturally leaving your hands by trapping air within the insulating layer and reflecting this heat that you lose through your skin back to your body. Having the appropriately lined cold weather glove for the temperatures and your application has a dramatic impact on dexterity, productivity, and overall worker morale. Working outside in the cold can already be a tough endeavor, but having the right PPE can make the experience more efficient, safe, and manageable.
Different Liners, Different Functions
Fleece is a good starting point as a cold weather liner for fall when the temperatures are just starting to drop. Gloves with a fleece lining could also be sufficient for indoor workspaces that are kept at cooler temps.
HexArmor® gloves with a fleece liner: Helix® 2077, Thin Lizzie™ Thermal 2091
Gloves with waterproof liners only are ideal for slightly cooler temperatures when you need more dexterity and are working in an application where your hands may get wet. Waterproof liners naturally offer protection from windy conditions, giving workers some warmth properties, too. Dry hands maintain their heat up to 25 times better than wet hands.
HexArmor® gloves with a waterproof liner only: Chrome Series® Waterproof 4036
Thinsulate™ liners offer optimum warmth when hands are active, without overdoing it. All Thinsulate™, no matter the level, has breathable and moisture-resistant qualities. Another bonus? It’s launderable.
C40 Thinsualte™ is a high-activity liner designed to perform well on hands frequently in motion. This liner has about one and a half times the warmth of down and nearly twice the warmth of high loft fiberfill insulation. It’s what most workers need and will use in the colder elements. Normal liners can cause hands to sweat and become overheated, but because of the thinness of C40, this is a non-issue.
HexArmor® gloves with a C40 Thinsulate™ liner: Rig Lizard® Arctic 2023 (also has waterproof liner), Chrome Series® Arctic Leather 4082 and Chrome Series® Arctic 4086
C100 Thinsulate™ is a liner designed to perform well in slightly colder conditions where more warmth is needed for those who are working in 0 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on activity level on the job. It's rapidly becoming the choice for harsher conditions, such as those found in parts of Canada, North Dakota, and Alaska. The added protection does add a little bulk and reduces dexterity, so testing the glove is imperative to make sure you need that much thermal protection.
HexArmor® gloves with a C100 Thinsulate™ liner: Rig Lizard Arctic® Leather Palm 2033 and Rig Lizard Arctic® TP-X+® Palm 2026
G150 Thinsulate™ liners are designed to perform well in extremely cold conditions (-10 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit) where not much dexterity is needed to perform job duties or there’s a low amount of activity happening during the application.
HexArmor® gloves with a G150 Thinsulate™ and waterproof liner: Arctic Mitt 4050
Picking the Right Cold Weather Glove
Remember, to correctly identify the type of glove and liner necessary for your environment, you need to analyze the temperatures in which you will be working, the application you’ll be performing, and the amount of activity necessary. These factors have a direct impact on what type of liner may be best for you.
Being aware of environmental factors like humidity, altitude, wind speed, and duration of exposure is crucial to staying safe when temperatures drop. Also, keep in mind that your body may be different than your fellow worker, and this can affect how you handle cold temperatures. Gender, metabolism, activity level, and your size can impact your resistance to the cold. So a glove that may be sufficient for your coworker, may not work for you.
