The North Face Etip Gloves keep my hands warm and make cold-weather texting easy
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Amir Ismael/Business Insider
I've lived in the Northeast for my entire life, and even after 32 winters, I've never really gotten used to cold weather. When temperatures drop below freezing, you better believe I'm going all out with the warmest clothing and gear. But as much as I dislike the cold, there was always one winter essential that I couldn't stand to wear: gloves.
More often than not, they were downright annoying to wear. I couldn't use my phone (or any touchscreen) in them, I couldn't comfortably grip a car steering wheel in them, and something as simple as taking my debit card out of my wallet was next to impossible.
After struggling to make it work, I'd usually find myself taking them off out of the desire to actually be able to use my hands, that is, until I came across The North Face Etip Gloves.
They're so good that we named them the best touchscreen gloves in our guides to the best winter gloves for men and the best winter gloves for women.
Amir Ismael/Business Insider
How they work
As The North Face's flagship tech-friendly gloves, Etips are everything I've been looking for in a daily-use winter glove. They're made from a blend of polyester and four-way stretch fleece with a conductive polymer coating that allows you to use a touchscreen while wearing the gloves.
Unlike most other touch screen gloves that have conductivity in only one or two fingers, you'll be able to utilize all of your fingers on touch screen devices.
Most importantly, the Etip gloves work extremely well. I went to lunch the day of writing this review, and I didn't have to remove my gloves to check-in my mobile order. In the past, I've worn other gloves that were technically designed to work with touchscreens, but were such a pain to use efficiently that I still ended up taking them off.
Amir Ismael/Business Insider
How they fit
My first impression of The North Face Etip Gloves was that they're very comfortable. The North Face designed them using radiometric articulation technology, which keeps your hands in their natural, relaxed resting position. They're not stiff; you'll have full mobility and plenty of dexterity.
I had no issues with doing things like gripping a steering wheel, shifting gears, and things that are more difficult to do while wearing gloves.
The gloves come in a range of sizes for both men and women, so you don't have to worry about them being too big or small. I used a tape measure and followed the size chart to get my size, and it turned out to be accurate.
Amir Ismael/Business Insider
The bottom line
The North Face Etip Gloves are warm, but not the absolute warmest gloves you can buy. If sheer warmth is all you're going for, then you'll probably end up with a pair that falls short in terms of comfort and usability. The temptation (or pure necessity) to use my phone is usually enough to get me to take my gloves off in the coldest of weather, but there's no reason to with Etips because they balance warmth, comfort, and usability.
The $50-$55 price tag might sound steep compared to a pair of $5 gloves you could buy, but let's be honest: You've probably purchased those kinds of gloves a handful of times because they wore out quickly or you lost them (they weren't special enough to keep track of).
I know they're two completely different products, but I value my Etip Gloves the same way I value my AirPods. Realistically, I could lose my AirPods just as easily as those wired headphones I don't really care about, but they're so good, I make sure I know where they are at all times.