Choosing gloves for cold weather training

The following post was inspired by a comment to my previous post where I listed the necessary equipment to train. Long time reader and fellow blogger Yury (@freeleticsslovakia.blogspot.com) asked me what gloves I used. After answering, I realized that this question concerns pretty much anyone training during cold winters. So it made more sense to give it proper visibility in a dedicated post, rather than leave it buried in the comment section.

It feels a bit awkward for me to bring this topic now. Summer is around the corner, I'm more in the mood to discuss sun lotion or compare the thirst-quenching benefits of piña colada vs ice-cold beer. But there are many readers who live in the southern hemisphere for whom this topic could prove useful in a few weeks from now. So let's talk about cold rainy days and gloves...
Last December, during week #3, I had my first outdoor training session with temperature just below 0°C (32°F). For the records all temperatures that I mention do not take into account the wind-chill factor.

I thought it would be training as usual, as long as it didn't rain or snow. May be even better, since low temperatures (i.e. cold but not very cold) help cool the body during effort, and while running over such short distances hands should remain comfortably warm.
What I had completely overlooked, was the heat loss from keeping my bare hands on the ground during burpees (for science-lovers out there, concrete has greater thermal conductivity not only than air but even snow!) After a few minutes my hands were numb. A bearable, but very distracting feeling.

I usually like to do research & compare product features before buying something. But in this case I wanted gloves. Fast. So I went to the nearest sports store and bought one of the few models available on shelf. It bought a pair of Nike Lightweight Tech Running Gloves:

 I chose these particular gloves were because:

• they are made of synthetic fabric (won't be ruined by dirt & water like leather or cotton)
• tip of the thumb is touchscreen compatible (important for smartphone users)
• designed for sports (let the hands breath)
• they happened to be on shelf when I walked-in

Are they the most perfect gloves for our sport? No.

But now that I have used these gloves all winter and most of spring, I start to have a reasonable idea of which characteristics were helpful or not. And hopefully this will give you ideas what to look for when shopping for your own gloves.

• Cold protection: under dry conditions these light gloves got the job done. I never had cold hands while running. During ground exercises, I could feel the cold concrete through the fabric, but it was infinitely better than bare hands. Bear in mind that where I live winter temperatures typically range from -5°C to 5°C (23°F to 41°F). So if you live near the arctic circle or any other "hospitable" location, you should probably look for thicker/multi-layered fabrics.
• Water protection: this type of gloves is not water proof. If you run under  rains the gloves will still offer a good protection. But for ground exercises, the best is to perform them somewhere where you are sheltered from rain. I performed a Kentauros workout under pouring rain and once the gloves were soaking wet my hands got cold quickly and it became a nuisance to perform the exercise with heavy hands. And you can't handle your phone with dripping wet gloves. If you are the hardcore type who will train in snow or rain, consider using water-proof gloves (but it will cost you more).
• Touchscreen compatibility: very useful. Sometimes it took a few repeated pressures for the app to register the touchscreen signals. This issue seemed to be partly driven by the app itself (it became less frequent after recent software upgrades). This touchscreen compatible feature works even if you wear the gloves and your phone is in a plastic armband.
• Durability:  I used a lightweight model intended for runners. Logically it wasn't designed to be resistant to friction with the ground. I don't think that they will last many years. I only trained outdoor once per week, and yet abrasions are clearly visible (esp. the touchscreen-compatible fabric):

I will probably keep using my gloves next winter until they are worn out. For the next pair, I will either for a similar but more resistant model, or try one of the alternatives below (not these specific models/brands, but same style):