Finding the best touchscreen gloves can be quite hard and that's why we've created this handy guide for you. Here, we've lined up a few pairs of gloves that will help to keep your hands warm and dry in the windy and rain, and cold weather, and keep control of your camera, to change your lenses or apply filters, use of tripods, and so on. We recommend if you are shooting with a smartphone or a camera with an LCD, you should opt for gloves with touchscreen-compatible fingertips like the ones featured in this guide.
If you're a photographer who likes outdoor photography, such as landscape and wildlife genres, it's essential to to have the correct equipment so that you can keep happily snapping no matter what the weather.
What pair of touchscreen gloves you choose will largely depend on the weather conditions, and what you're doing and where. You'll probably want to consider ones that have good wind-proofing, water-resistance and a great grip, in fact it's vital that whatever you choose should have excellent grip and enable you to adjust the camera controls or your smartphone easily.
You'll want to think about the thickness of your gloves too. There's no point buying warm gloves if they are too bulky to operate your camera equipment, or if they take up too much space.
As the choice is so varied, we've narrowed it down and recommend the best touchscreen gloves in our line up below. If you're like us, you'll want to pick up a couple of different pairs to account for mild and more cold weather conditions.
While you can't really beat fold-back fingertips for control (if you want that, see our guide to the best gloves for photographers), the gloves featured here are all feature touchscreen capability and are supple enough for you to feel even recessed buttons.
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Best touchscreen gloves in 2024
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The stretchiness of the North Face Etip Recycled gloves makes them a pleasure to shoot with: they fit average size hands perfectly and that enables you to feel small controls and lens rings with ease. Every finger and thumb tip features invisible Etip conductive tech: perfect for multi-finger swiping on a touchpad. And you get an effective grippy coating on the palms. It's probably best if you don’t expect ultimate insulation in very cold climates from this pair of touchscreen gloves.
If you often find yourself working in wet and windy conditions (as landscape and nature photographers are sometimes wont to do), then waterproof gloves can be absolutely life changing. This pair of touchscreen gloves from SealSkinz are 100% waterproof and also windproof meaning you don't have to worry about the torrential rain eventually seeping through to your fingers – you can even plunge your hands into water. Not only are the SealSkinz gloves waterproof, but they also have rubber grips on the fingers and palms to help you keep hold of your camera gear and adjust settings without any hassle. On these gloves, the forefinger tips and thumbs are compatible with touchscreens, which makes using them really easy.
One of our favorite techniques for shooting in wintry conditions is to use a thin pair of gloves, such as the North Face Etip gloves at the top of the page or the Alaska Bear silk ones, and pair them with a thick pair whenever you're not using your camera. These windproof and water-resistant gloves are designed to keep your hands warm in almost all conditions. The inside features a thermo-conductive coating that's designed to absorb and retain body heat, while the outside is made of a combination of an elasticated man-made material and suede. There's also silicone grips on the palm area as well meaning you can keep ultimate control of your equipment. There's a lot to like here.
Here's another pair of extra-thin gloves for men from Under Armour, that are highly versatile – they can be worn on their own or as base layer gloves for when you're shooting in colder conditions. These touchscreen gloves are made from elastane and polyester, and come with complete with UA Storm technology finish, making them windproof and water-resistant, yet breathable. The gloves sport Tech Touch pads on the thumbs and fingers meaning you can control all that you need to without ever removing them. They are particularly suited for harsher climates and colder use, as the soft thermal material retains heat, and the ribbed cuff offers optimal protection and comfort. As these are quite thin, we would recommend pairing them with the North Face Etip gloves at the top of the page.
These touchscreen gloves from Mujjo aren't cheap, but they do feel lovely and are really responsive, and what's more, you can use any finger to touch the screen (as opposed to being limited to your thumb and forefinger). They feature 3M Thinsulate, stretch-knit fabric and wrist cuffs that help to cut seal out the cold. Having said that, while these are described as winter thermal gloves – with a triple-layer construction: a heavy outer shell, and double-bonded micro fleece – they should feel incredibly warm, but we would recommend that you don't rely solely on these in cold weather, they aren't brilliant at keeping the cold out and, again, it would be best to wear these with another pair of gloves. There's also a magnetic snap closure on the wrist, making it easier to get the gloves on. There are also silicone dots on the palms, great for keeping hold of your precious photography gear or your cell phone.
These gloves from Alaska Bear are made from pure long-strand mulberry silk, and as such they are breathable and nicely absorb moisture, keeping your hands feeling great all day. So if you're in need of a pair of gloves for when the sun goes down in the spring or summer time, these would make a good option. They are also great to use as lining gloves in colder weather, and feature a long-ribbed cuff to cover your wrists and keep your joints warm. Lightweight, thin and naturally hypo-allergenic, we would happily recommend these gloves for all types of photography. Just a word of warning, though, as these gloves are made of silk, they will snag on velcro.
This pair of touchscreen gloves from Carhartt are described as work gloves from women: made from textured, breathable spandex on the outside, with a synthetic palm, they enable you to nicely keep your grip on all your camera equipment or smartphone, while keeping your hands warm. They have a reinforced thumb and finger saddle so that even over time there are no signs of wear and tear. Although sturdy and durable, these touchscreen gloves are flexible, and become more comfortable as your wear them.
These gloves from Sundried are cheap and cheerful, and ideal for those looking for an ethical buy as they are made from 90% bamboo and 10% dry yarn. You will be able to use any smartphone or touch-screen device while wearing these super soft gloves. There's advanced sweat-wicking technology that prevents sweaty palms and the silicon print to the palms gives great grip. The gloves feature long cuffs to keep your wrists draught-free and they won't slip down as you move: which is great if you've got slightly smaller hands and find gloves are sometimes too big. While these are sold as thermal gloves we would recommend pairing them with other gloves as they won't keep your hands warm in minus degree conditions.
These touchscreen gloves feel good with their soft brushed interior, and the warmth is decent given that these are reasonably thin gloves. The touchscreen capability works really well and not just on your fingertips; the conductive copper yarn has been weaved throughout these gloves for a fast, responsive experience. Don't get these wet though, or they are likely to lose their responsiveness. The gloves are fitted with a thin but durable acrylic mesh across the palms, so you can rest assured that you'll be able to grip your cell phone and camera equipment safely while you're out and about. Plus this pair of gloves is lightweight enough to keep in your jacket pocket for all your outdoor adventures.
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