Gear Review: Hanz Tap Knit Waterproof Touchscreen Gloves

Seeing as it is summer in Salt Lake City and this is a winter product, I was met with a challenge both in terms of practicality and ego. Luckily, there is still snow above 10,000 feet!  My husband and I headed off to the Uintas with our dog Kora in search of some summer snow. I was wearing a tank top and shorts… and winter gloves- the Hanz Tap Knit Waterproof Touchscreen Gloves– much to the curiosity of other hikers. While Kora was going bonkers in her long lost friend, snow, I donned the Hanz and got to analyzing.

The gloves are made in the good ole US of A and boast a lot of benefits on the packaging: Breathable, Seamless & Snug Fit, Abrasion Resistant, Maximum Dexterity & Tactility, Wicking Liner, Silent-Knit Technology, Gripper Dots, Water Proof, Wind Proof, and Scene Guard. The Touchscreen gloves only come in thermal level H2 but other versions come in 5 Thermal Levels. The gloves also come in sizes Small, Medium, Large and X-Large.

The Fit

According to the size chart and instructions to measure my hand, I am a size Small. While the fit around my palm is snug but not too snug, I found the fingers a little short and too wide. I believe it was less about the thickness of the material and more about the choice of where to stitch the fingers.(You can see how much access glove there is around my fingers and that I get a webbing effect between them.)The description says “Seamless” but I could tell the fingers were stitched around the outside of the finger creating what I have dubbed sausage finger. Totally relaxed, this meant that my fingers were always forced to be spread and that bending my fingers to hold something got to be taxing after a while. My touchscreen skills were also off since there was a couple millimeters of cloth on the tip of each finger, throwing off my aim. I did like how the gloves had a decent cuff to protect my wrist from creeping-sleeve drafts.

Function

I am impressed by the waterproofness and protection from the cold. I held a snowball for 15-20 minutes. I had to fight off Kora who thought it was hers and on-lookers who thought I was starting a snowball fight. My hand got a little cold but nothing like it should have been and even though the snowball was actively melting, my hand did not get wet. The glove did not seem to be retaining any water either. The little gripper dots are an added bonus for holding wet slippery things. I imagine they would come in handy while holding wet trekking poles.

Silent-Knit? Yup! The cloth is not like 90s track suit swish, swish material so no one will be able to hear you texting.

Wicking Liner and Breathable? Probably. I wasn’t working hard enough to really get to test these functions out (my lungs gave up before I could get my hands to sweat) but the weave of the material seems breathable and like it would absorb sweat.

I would be all about these gloves if the fit was better and they were a little more affordable (MSRP $49.95). Maybe I should try to get my hands in a Medium. I suggest you go to a retailer to try them on before purchasing or make sure there is a good exchange policy!

Disclosure: The Hanz Tap Knit Waterproof Touchscreen Gloves were donated for the purpose of review.