Outdoor Research Toddlers' Adrenaline Mitts

A pair of winter-ready (insulated and waterproof) toddler mitts that have kept my little one's hand warm and dry this winter. Like all kids stuff, sizing may be tricky, but as long as they fit, the mitts can handle almost any little kid's winter adventure.

Conditions and Tester Specs:

My daughter wore the Outdoor Research Toddlers' Adrenaline Mitts during the winter months in central Pennsylvania. At the time of testing, she was 15-18 months old (and wearing mostly 2T clothes for size reference) and tested a size Small for these gloves (more on sizing later). 

She’s mostly worn the gloves while playing in the snow, and on a few day hiking trips where she inevitably fell asleep in the hiking carrier pack. 

Temperatures were most commonly in the 20s and 30s (-6 to 4 C) and got as low as 10F (-12C), although we didn't have her out too long when it got that cold. 

Construction and Function:

The Toddlers' Adrenaline Mitts are the smallest in a line of gloves and mittens the manufacturer produces under the "Adrenaline" name, including adult gloves (men's and women's), kids gloves and mitts, and these toddler mitts. 

The mitts feature a fairly grippy nylon palm, "Diamond PU insulation" and a pretty soft 100% polyester lining. The manufacturer claims they are waterproof, breathable, windproof, and moisture wicking, which is a lot of things in such a little package. While it's hard for me to truly test some of these claims, I do know that when taking my daughter's hands out of them after a long play in the snow, her hands were never wet or freezing cold. 

I've spot cleaned them a couple times so far, but haven't needed to throw them in a washing machine. The washing/drying instructions are a little unique (i.e. machine wash cold, separately with powdered detergent. Drip dry only), but not too difficult to follow. 

There is a Kids ID area inside each wrist to write your child's name in them, but the fabric is black, so you'd have to write with a white/light fabric market of some kind for it to show.   

Sizing:

While my daughter was only 15-18 months at the time of testing, most of what she wears is in the 2T range. The size Small, which is recommended for 2-3 year olds, fit her hands with a little (but not too much) room to spare.

Hopefully, she'll be able to get two winters out of these before they become a hand-me-down, but at the rate she's growing it, I doubt it. Knowing that these fit my 15-18 month old and they are sized for 2-3 year olds, makes me think they may run a little small. If in doubt, it's probably better to size up. 

The question every parent asks...will these mittens actually stay on? 

The majority of the time, yes. The Toddler Adrenaline Mitts are better than most other gloves/mitts that I've tried on my daughter up to this point. This is the only one that she doesn't almost immediately wiggle out of, exposing her bare hand to the ice, snow, etc. It also means she isn't taking them off and dropping one of them on the ground while out for a walk and her parents not realizing she is missing one glove until 10 minutes later, having to turn around to go find it (yes, this actually happened with a different pair of gloves).

The mitts stay on, at least an 18-month-old, largely because of the long velcro closures that run from the top of the wrist to forearm. The elastic at the underside of the wrist probably plays a part in keeping them on too, but I suspect it has more to do with the velcro, while allows me to tighten or loosen them, depending on what layers need to go over or under the mitts. 

It is possible that the velcro could be undone rather easily by an older child who has developed more finger dexterity and hand-eye coordination, so that's something I'll be keeping an eye on if these still fit my daughter next year. That could be negated by a cinch cord or other tightening mechanism added to the wrist area, so that it would essentially become a two-step process for removal and thus harder for a child to wiggle out of.  

Recap and Recommendation: 

 The Toddlers' Adrenaline Mitts are certainly above-average when it comes to winter mittens/gloves for toddlers, but there is some room for minor improvements/adjustments. The materials, warmth, and overall ease of use are the major highlights of the mittens, while a difficult to use Kids ID area and only one way to tighten them (velcro) are some areas of possible improvement.

At the end of the day though, these mittens kept my daughter's hands warm and dry, and they actually stayed on most of the time, which I can't say for many of the other gloves/mittens she has. I'd recommend these for parents with little ones who want to get outside in the snowy days of winter. 

Background

As a first-time father, I don't have a lot of experience with toddler gear, but I'm quickly learning that a lot of it on the market is made with low-quality materials and poor craftsmanship, assuming they won't be worn very long. Well-built and thoughtfully-designed toddler gear makes enjoying a day outdoors with the little ones a little bit easier, especially when it comes to winter gear.