Outdoor Research Southback - Women's Review

If you find yourself looking for a glove that works great for riding the chair lifts and skiing in-bounds, our runner up for the Best Buy Award - the Outdoor Research Southback glove, is an excellent choice. This model features single construction and earned middle-of-the-road scores in our warmth metric.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

With a thick fleece lining made by EnduraLoft and a mid-length gauntlet, the Southback will definitely keep you warm. It features 265 g/m3 of insulation on the back of the hand, and 133 g/m3 on the inside. This a perfect glove to complement a cold day where you need to shovel snow, head out snowmobiling, or head to the thin air of your favorite ski resort. Its warmth is comparable to that of the Marmot Randonnee Glove and the Black Diamond Mercury Glove - Women's. If you're looking for something even warmer, check out our Editors' Choice Award winner, the cozy Hestra Heli Mitt - Women's.

Some would say this glove may be too warm for any kind of aerobic backcountry sport. If you're into finding something that can regulate your warmth better, check out the more moisture wicking Outdoor Research Arete or the Top Pick for Wet Climates - the Arc'teryx Beta AR Glove - Women's.

Water Resistance

Outdoor Research's website states that one of the key features of this glove is that it is “waterproof.” A more accurate term would be water resistant, as the glove did absorb moisture after a full day of ski touring. Even though the Southback does have a nylon exterior and a waterproof/breathable GORE-TEX material insert, it is not as bomb-proof as the Arc'teryx Beta AR. As a result, the buyer should be aware that this glove can absorb water quite easily compared to some of the other models we tested, especially if you are in a wet climate like the Pacific Northwest.

Dexterity

Designed with a leather palm, the Southback allows you to easily buckle your boots or zip off different jacket layers throughout the day. However, of the gloves we tested the Southback was at the bottom of the pack when evaluating for dexterity. The main reason behind this was that only a few of the fingers had reinforced leather on the fingertip, meaning some fingers do not get full purchase during complex tasks, such as pulling skins off of skis, or trying to turn a small key on a snowmobile. However, if you're just in the resort and need to attach a ticket or grab your polls, it will still do the trick.

Features

This glove comes with all of the bells and whistles that some of the more expensive gloves on the market include. This is why we almost gave it our Best Buy Award. It has a nice fleeced nose wipe (one of our favorite features) and an easy-to-use cinch system.

The glove also comes with a convenient pull loop located in the cuff, so you can easily pull one glove on or off while you have the other glove on.

Breathability

Unfortunately the Southback trades in breathability for warmth. The GORE-TEX liner did a fairly good job at regulating warmth, but when we decided to head uphill, it was common that our testers, after just 10 minutes, would take off their gloves completely and wish for just a liner. This is one of the few drawbacks. If you're looking for a more breathable glove, check out the Arc'teryx Beta AR, or the more affordable Outdoor Research Arete.

Durability

With a leather palm and thick nylon material on the outer glove, the Southback will definitely last you a few seasons. After over 90 hours of ski touring, snowmobiling, ice climbing, chair lift riding, and shoveling, there was barely a trace of wear on our test glove. The only issue we had was the interior fleece lining began to pack out after sweating profusely. If you find that you are using your gloves every single weekend, the warmth of the glove may begin to decrease after a full season of use.

Best Applications

Since the Outdoor Research Southback does not come with a removable liner, it is difficult to regulate the temperature of your hands during extensive activity. As a result, the best application for the Southback glove is for a day riding the lifts at your favorite ski hill when you want a warm and protective glove. You'll find other winter activities like building snow forts, skating, or just going for a walk in a snow-laden aspen forest are a perfect function for this glove.

Value

The Outdoor Research Southback is a great glove for any day on the hill. It almost won our Best Buy award for its great price, fantastic features, and notable warmth. If you are looking for a glove that would work better ice-climbing, ski touring, or snowshoeing, we would encourage you to look toward the Best Buy Award winner, the Outdoor Research Arete, which is more breathable, more dexterous and has a removable liner. The only downside is that it is not as durable or warm.

Conclusion

This is a warm glove that will keep your hands happy to 0F. It is a perfect match if you need to keep stay warm while on the ski lifts or while charging down double blacks at your favorite ski hill. With its sleek fit and design, you are not giving up fashion for function either!