Cabela's Heated Performance Pinnacle Gloves with PrimaLoft

Recently, my husband has been plagued by cold sensitivity in his fingers. This winter has been a cold one, and being out and about in ordinary gloves has become very uncomfortable. In fact, some of our trips have been cut short due to his cold fingers (especially thumbs). It had gotten so restricting to our activities, that I suggested he try heated gloves.

Gloves in his size (2XL) are not easy to come by, especially high performance winter gloves, but eventually I found a pair of Cabela’s Heated Performance Pinnacle Gloves. These gloves have worked out quite well, and have allowed us to resume our busy, outdoor activities, despite the frigid temperatures.

Cabela’s Heated Performance Pinnacle Gloves on sale for $125 (normally $225). Not sure I would have paid full price....

The glove itself is a fairly standard Thinsulate-insulated winter glove, with a long, gauntleted cuff.  The fit, at least for my hands, is excellent, with a curve built into the fingers. The electric heating system is by Gerbing, and is powered by a pair of 7.5-volt rechargeable lithium batteries, compatible with other Gerbing heated gear.  A charger is included. 

The battery fits into a zippered pocket in the back of the gauntlet, and, while you can feel the weight, the batteries stay well out of the way. A microswitch built into the wrist of the glove allows you to turn the system on and off, and to select from three levels of heat.

To use the system, you first charge the batteries, which takes several hours for a full charge.  The batteries have their own on/off switch, which has to be turned on before inserting them into the gloves. A plug built into the battery pocket connects the batteries to the heating system. You then turn the system on using the microswitch in the wrist of the glove, and select the desired heat level.  An indicator light shows the selected level:  low=green, medium=yellow, and red=high.

The gloves are warm enough by themselves that you can do without the heat when the outside temperature is in the twenties (or less, depending on your cold sensitivity). In colder temperatures, you can set the heat to a level that keeps your hands comfortable. If the heat is turned on at the start of an outing, it is set it to green. If you start out without the heat, and start to get cold, you can set it on high until hands are warmed up, and then reduce it to a lower level.

The heat is well distributed over the palms and fingers, although the thumb is not quite as well heated as the other fingers. Hiking and snowshoeing in cold weather is now quite comfortable.

The manufacturer claims that the batteries will provide six hours of heat at the lowest setting, four hours at the medium setting, and two hours at the high setting. We have not yet managed to drain the battery during our recent outings and am curious to see if the battery life lives up to the claim.

One gripe is that the batteries will shut themselves off in fairly short order if you turn the heat off. This makes turning the heat back on a bit of a production, as you have to unzip the battery pocket and extract the batteries in order to turn them back on. Assumption is that this is to maximize the battery life.

The gloves seem well made, and we expect them to hold up well for our winter activities.