EMS Summit Gloves

The Eastern Mountain Sports Summit Gloves are warm, waterproof gloves suitable for all outdoor winter activities. Primaloft Silver insulation keeps your hands warm, and leather palms with synthetic suede reinforcements give durability.

Note: The Summit Glove has been renamed Ascent Summit. 

I’ve always found EMS gear to be very serviceable and very reasonably priced, so when I needed a new pair of winter gloves the local store was my first stop. The Summit is EMS’s warmest glove, and since there was a sale I picked up two pairs of other gloves as well. 

The Summit Glove is constructed of what appears to be softshell material, but 15 minutes in my sink left my hands completely dry.

I could feel the cold through the elastic gathering at the wrist, though.

The palm and fingers are leather, as is the back of the hand over the knuckles. The palms also have a synthetic suede reinforcement that extends onto the thumb and forefinger. There’s a fleece goggle/nose wipe on the back of each thumb.

The gauntlet cuff comes about halfway up the forearm, with a bungee and cord lock closure, and is large enough to fit over a fairly large sleeve.

A detachable leash attaches to a loop inside the cuff.

A hanging loop is sewn onto the middle finger, and the back of the hand has reflective accents. 

Warmth is obviously subjective, but when snowshoeing my hands are warm down to around -5°F, the coldest temperature in which I’ve used them so far. They haven’t been used with liner gloves. I hope to be able to test them at a lower temperature soon. They’re also not overly warm and sweaty when the mercury reaches 30°F, thanks to their breathability. 

Sizing runs a little large, medium fits me well with about 1/2" of space in the ring and pinky fingers. There’s room for a pair of thin Mylar liner gloves that I have without being too snug. I often stick lip balm in a glove to keep it warm so it goes on easy, and there’s room in both the palm and back of the hand for it. The fit is close and the fingers aren’t excessively bulky, and make it easy to work medium-sized buckles. I find small buckles like those on sternum straps too small to effectively release and just remove my gloves to undo these.

All in all, I really like the Summit Gloves and recommend them to anyone who needs warmth with good dexterity.

Background

Two winters of use in outdoor activities and work.

Maybe Primaloft insulation degrades over time and has outlived its useful value. I'm willing to try another pair after speaking with EMS about the insulation.

Background

I have new LEKI ski gloves which are warm and well made.