Gear Review: Mountain Standard MTN Utility Glove

MTN Utility Glove specs

Premium Goat Leather Main Body
Waterproof Microfleece Interior Liner
Neoprene Cuff with Velcro Closure
Primaloft Insulation
True to size
Detachable wrist leash
Hang-dry finger loops
Outward seaming
Top of hand padding
Kevlar stitched palm reinforcement

Where to buy

The Bottom Line: From bike commuting to winter adventures to house work, the Mountain Standard MTN is a bomber glove that keeps your hands warm and protected—just don't let your dog use them as a chew toy.

Mountain Standard is a Colorado-based outdoor brand that builds trendy and technical outerwear for the everyday adventurer. All of their pieces blend modern style with functional technical features. The MTN Utility Glove is no exception and in fact might be their most technically oriented piece to date.

The main body is made of leather, which creates a durable shield around your hand. The leather has protected my hands from a bike crash on pavement (skidded out on black ice), against the thin metal edge while cleaning my gutters, and the biting cold of winter mountain summits.

The leather outward seam and adjustable wrist cuff keeps the wind at bay, whether you are moving fast or standing around on blustery days. The gloves feel solidly built and have stood up to over a year's worth of hard use.

One important recommendation: waterproof them with Sno-seal (or something similar) when you first purchase them and reseal them throughout their use. While my hands have never gotten wet while using the gloves, I have had to hang-dry them a few times after playing in the snow. When I finally applied a new waterproofing, they shed water much better. Mountain Standard also recommends this for extra protection.

Generally, I prefer mittens. Even in the middle of summer, I carry lightweight mittens with me. Whether due to poor circulation or other reasons, my fingers get cold very easily. I have found that mittens do the best job of keeping my fingers from going numb, and I tend to default to those now.

The MTN Utility Glove, however, appears to have the right combination of insulation, between Primaloft and the fleece lining, that has kept my fingers warm into the teens. I would likely reach for a mitten in colder temperatures, but you might find them just right for your needs. On the flipside, I have worn them comfortably in 30-degree temperatures without feeling like my hands were sweating. Based purely on my experience with the gloves, I estimate a comfort range somewhere between 15 and 40 degrees, depending on how warm you run.

As with everything the bomber construction has its limits when used improperly. Unfortunately, my lovely two year-old dog decided to use them as a chew toy one evening when I was not home. She managed to chew off the adjustable strap on the right glove, leaving a quarter-sized hole in the cuff. I repaired the hole with Tenacious Tape and sewed the edges of the bite mark back together. Despite the aesthetic, the gloves still function great, and I continue to use them regularly—I just make sure they are out of reach of my voracious dog.

The insulation and bomber construction make for a well-built glove, but it is not the most packable. They take up little space in your pack, but if you wanted to shove it in your pocket, it might take a bit of negotiation. They do include a detachable wrist leash, which alleviates this problem. I generally prefer to shove things away when I remove them so that I am not dealing with dangling strings while trying to do other things. This is a minor issue, and the tradeoff is a solidly built glove that can withstand a beating from all your day-to-day adventures.