REASONS TO BUY
Excellent price
Warmth
Dexterity
REASONS TO AVOID
Below average durability and mediocre weather resistance
Color Updates
The Tumalo is now available in new color options. The price and design remain the same.
October 2018Columbia Tumalo Review
The lowest priced option in our review, this is a decent glove that will certainly get the job done
Credit: Columbia
RELATED: Best Ski Gloves of 2024
Our Verdict
The Columbia Tumalo offers decent dexterity and surprisingly good warmth - all at an excellent price of $40, making it the most affordable glove in our review. If you're willing to spend $25 or so more, go for the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II or the Outdoor Research Revolution, as they both offer more durability and water resistance capabilities. If you like what the Tumalo is about, it is still an incredible glove that provides a respectable amount of warmth and dexterity.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
The Tumalo is one of the better gloves on the market in its price range. While it didn't score as well compared to several other gloves that are two-or-more times as expensive, we selected the Tumalo for this review among over 50 options choosing it for its water resistance, warmth, and dexterity which are quite respectable for its' $40 price tag.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Warmth
The Tumalo offers a surprising level of warmth, especially for the price. Our team of testers felt comfortable using these gloves in temperatures from 10-15F, which is respectable for a resort rider or backcountry skier on a warmer day. When compared to similarly priced gloves on the market, the Tumalo is slightly warmer than average, bringing home a 7 out of 10. While it wasn't as warm as our Best Buy winner, the Outdoor Research Revolution, the Burton Gore-Tex, or the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II, it is an affordable option that provides enough warmth for a slew of adventures.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Dexterity
The Tumalooffers a respectable amount of dexterity, which we found to be above average performance. When compared to other contenders in our fleet, such as the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II or the Burton Gore-Tex, we saw a higher level of performance, with the Tumalo earning an 8 out of 10, on par with the Hestra Army Leather 3-Finger and Outdoor Research Revolution, and better than more expensive gloves, such as the Hestra Army Leather Gore-Tex, and Black Diamond Guide. However, we do note that while the three previously mentioned gloves offer less dexterity, they scored perfect scores in the warmth metric.
The Tumalo had no problem executing the most difficult tasks during our side-by-side dexterity tests, which included tasks like signing our name and manually unlocking a car door. While read reports of some people not liking the narrower fit, our testing team (which included some folks with rather wide hands) did not find these gloves to be exceptionally narrow. While they were marginally narrower and shorter than average, we did not notice any significant issues and felt as though they had a better fit overall, which resulted in more dexterity. For fit comparison, the Outdoor Research Revolution was a little wider, while the Burton Gore-Tex was noticeably wider, and the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II was similar in comparison.
The Tumalo featured very good dexterity and actually scored as well or better as several other gloves that are significantly more expensive, so while it offers only average warmth, you go get solid weather resistance and above-average dexterity.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Water Resistance
The Tumalo scored a 6 out of 10 in this metric and is what our team dubbed as better than many options, especially in the $40 and under price range. While they did earn the lowest score in our testing, they still offered above average performance and were acceptable when it came to resort skiing on nicer days. While we would not choose these gloves to wear on a stormy day, the same could be said for other contenders in our review. If you're a resort skier that prefers to stick to bluebird skies, these gloves might be for you.
Durability
The Tumalo offered the least amount of durability, along with the Burton Gore-Tex and the Dakine Titan, scoring a 6 out of 10. We noticed the palms began to show wear and tear quickly, the seams around the fingers began to tear out, and the DWR water resistance didn't last as long as most of the other gloves we tested. While we understand that no glove is meant to last forever, our testing determined that these gloves offered sub-par performance in the durability metric.
The Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II and the Outdoor Research Revolution offered a higher quality of durability in a similar price range, while the more expensive options, such as the Hestra Vertical Cut Freeride, Hestra Army Leather Gore-Tex and Black Diamond Legend offer top-notch performance. If occasional visits to the resort or backcountry are on your agenda, this might be the perfect glove for you.
Best Applications
The Tumalo is great for folks that are just getting into skiing or for those that don't want to drop too much cash on a pair of ski gloves. They're also a great option to have as an extra pair. Their high level of dexterity makes these gloves ideal for folks looking to buy a pair of ski gloves for other cold weather applications, where their warmth and dexterity are a benefit.
Value
At $40, these gloves are the least expensive contenders in the review. When these are incredible gloves for the $40 price range, we prefer the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II and the Outdoor Research Revolution, which will cost you around $25-$30 more.
Conclusion
The Columbia Tumalo is a decent glove that gets the job done. While we liked other models more, these are the perfect option for folks that don't want to spend much money on a ski glove, as this is one of the better gloves in this price range.
—
Ian Nicholson
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