Ultralight waterproof overmitts to pair with gloves in cold, wet weather
Pair rain mittens with any gloves to create a modular, waterproof layering system for your hands that’s comfortable for hiking in temps down to freezing. You already bring a rain jacket and pants, so why not keep your hands dry too? Ultralight rain mitts are the perfect tool for the job!
These overmitts are ultralight, averaging just 1.7 oz per pair. They are made with waterproof shell fabrics, and most are highly breathable. The shell mitts in this guide are selected based on a mixture of personal experience, word of mouth, meta study, and user-review analysis.
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Best Rain Mitts Comparison Table
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| Price ($) | Weight Per Pair (oz) | Materials | Wrist Tightener | Cuff Closer | |
| Enlightened Equipment Visp | 60 | 0.7 | 7d, 3L, WP/B | cinch | cinch |
| Zpacks Vertice | 75 | 1.0 | 7d, 3L Vertice | none | cinch |
| MLD eVent | 45 | 1.1 | 10d, 3L eVent | none | cinch |
| Etowah Outfitters Overmitts | 28 | 1.2 | 10d Gore-Tex Upper, PU Palm | cinch | none |
| High Tail Designs | 86 | 2.0 | 2.9 oz/sqyd Dyneema | cinch | none |
| REI Minimalist GTX 2.0 | 50 | 2.0 | 3L Gore-Tex | Velcro | elastic |
| OR Helium Rain | 50 | 2.4 | 30d, 2.5L Pertex Shield | none | elastic |
| Black Diamond Overmitts | 90 | 3.3 | 3L BD.dry | elastic | cinch |
The Best Rain Mittens
Enlightened Equipment Visp Rain Mitts
The Enlightened Equipment Visp rain mittens check more desirable feature boxes than any other model – waterproof, hyper-breathable, ultralight, long gauntlet, adjustable wrist and cuff. This the same material as is used in our favorite ultralight rain shell jacket, and it’s great for gloves too. Biggest drawbacks are the fact that the 7d fabric is not the most durable, and they require at-home seam sealing (but come with a complimentary seam sealer).
- Price: $60
- Weight: .7 oz
- Materials: 7d, 3-layer Visp WP/B
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: Cinch | Cinch
- Pros: Ultralight. Ultra breathable. Good coverage. Wrist + hem cinch. Comes with seam sealer.
- Cons: Less durable. Requires at-home seam sealing.
Zpacks Vertice Rain Mitts
Choose Zpacks Vertice mitts because they’re hyper breathable, ultralight, and fully seam taped. None of the other 1 oz pairs get factory seam-taping, which gives them a big edge on waterproofness and user-friendliness compared to the competition. Tape is better and longer lasting than sealant. That does come at a cost though – they’re quite expensive.
- Price: $75
- Weight: 1.0 oz
- Materials: 7d, 3-layer Vertice WP/B
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: None | Cinch
- Pros: Ultralight. Ultra breathable. Wrist cinch. Factory seam-taped.
- Cons: Less durable. Expensive. Narrow opening.
Mountain Laurel Designs eVent Rain Mitts
Mountain Laurel Designs eVent are the original gangster of ultralight rain mittens. They’ve been proven time and again on the trail and are a very trustworthy design. While eVent is highly breathable and was top of the heap a decade ago, it’s no longer best-in-class, and has since been surpassed by WP/B technologies like Vertice and Visp. All MLD products are made to order, so expect a week of turnaround before shipping. They come with a seam sealing kit, which is a very nice gesture, but the fact that you have DIY is a bit annoying and less effective than factory taped.
- Price: $45
- Weight: 1.1 oz
- Materials: 10d 3-Layer eVent WP/B
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: None | Cinch
- Pros: Ultralight. Highly breathability. Trail-proven. Comes with seam sealer.
- Cons: Requires at-home seam sealing. Made to order lead time. eVent no longer most breathable.
Etowah Outfitters Overmitts
For the only ultralight rain mitts built with a hybrid-mapped fabric composition, choose Etowah Outfitters overmitts. This design features a 100% waterproof, non-breathable palm made with PU nylon (essentially tent fly material), and a breathable Gore-Tex back of hand layer. They require at-home seam sealing, and don’t come with a sealant. So the actual cost is a bit higher than listed. This is a small cottage industry brand, so inventory fluctuates, and may or may not be available.
- Price: $28
- Weight: 1.2 oz
- Materials: 10d GTX WP/B Upper, PU Nylon WP Palm
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: Cinch | None
- Pros: 100% Waterproof palm. Ultralight. Wrist cinch.
- Cons: Requires seam sealing. Can be hard to come by.
High Tail Designs Ultralight Rain Mittens
For the most waterproof and most durable pair of overmitts, choose the High Tail Designs Dyneema ultralight rain mitts. This pair is made with 100% waterproof, non-breathable Dyneema fabric. They feature a wrist cinch and come factory seam-taped. This would be our preferred pick for all-day use in cold, drenching rain when max waterproofness is more important than venting body heat.
- Price: $86
- Weight: 2.0 oz
- Materials: 2.9 oz/sqyd Dyneema WP
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: Cinch | None
- Pros: Hyper durable fabric is 100% waterproof. Fully seam-taped.
- Cons: Expensive. Not breathable.
REI Co-op Minimalist GTX 2.0 Rain Mittens
We nod to the REI Co-op Minimalist GTX 2.0 for a nice pair of 3L Gore-Tex rain mittens. This is the only pairs in our guide with a Velcro wrist closure (as opposed to cinch or elastic), which some people may prefer. The whole overmitt is factory seam-taped for max waterproofness. Downsides include the slightly-too short/small cuffs, and the fact that, for the past few years, these rain mitts have only been available as part of REI’s fall lineup, and are frequently out of stock in spring.
- Price: $50
- Weight: 2.0
- Materials: 3-layer GTX WP/B
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: Velcro | Elastic
- Pros: Factory taped. Gore-Tex reliability. Velcro closure. Connector tabs. Recycled materials. Reinforcements strips.
- Cons: Small cuffs. Seasonally unavailable.
Outdoor Research Helium Rain Mitts
Designed with the same Pertex Shield Diamond Fuse fabric as OR’s infamous ultralight rainwear series, the Helium Rain Mitts have a high durability-to-weight ratio. They’re lightweight, readily available, and nicely functional. That said, they’re not the most waterproof, and it’s annoying that the gauntlet is a bit short. They also have no cinching, and may drift off if you don’t get the fit right.
- Price: $50
- Weight: 2.4 oz
- Materials: 30d 2.5-Layer Pertex Shield Diamond Fuse WP/B
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: None | Elastic
- Pros: Surprisingly durable.
- Cons: No cinching. Only two sizes. Short cuffs
Black Diamond Overmitts
For a big, beastly, burly pair of shell mitts, choose the Black Diamond overmitts, which get rave customer reviews. This pair is designed for skiing, mountaineering, and cold-weather layering, so you know it’s going to hold up for ultralight hiking and basic rain protection applications. That said, they’re definitely on the heavy/bulky side of things and more suitable for frequent wear than frequent on/off or as a mostly-packed item.
- Price: $90
- Weight: 3.3 oz
- Materials: 3-Layer BD.dry WP/B
- Wrist & Cuff Tightening: Elastic | Cinch
- Pros: Rave customer reviews. Enlarged to fit over gloves. Durable, and burly. Hem cinch, elastic wrist. Reinforced palms. XL gauntlet for over
- Cons: Heavy and bulky to stow. Too much mitt if not paired with liner.
When to Pack Overmitts
In general, we view rain mittens as synergistic with, and supplementary to, a pair of fleece or wool gloves. Gloves come with us on all trips, and are the first line of defense against cold hands. Overmitts only come along some of the time, and there are virtually no scenarios where we would pack shell mitts without gloves.
For fair weather summer hiking and backpacking, when temps are most likely warm and dry, simple gloves are sufficient – you don’t need rain mittens. For a mixed forecast, so long as temps won’t be dropping to below the mid 40s (F), gloves alone should still be enough. But once forecasts are expected to be wet with temps into the low 40s (F) or lower, that’s when overmitts come into play.
It doesn’t need to be rainy to justify rain mitts. They’re also windproof, and are great for layering over gloves in cold and breezy conditions. If the forecast is dry but temps will be at or below freezing, overmitts are likely worth it.
For thru-hikes and trips long enough that you have to pack gear without knowing the entire forecast, rain mittens are likely worthwhile if there is a possibility that you will be hiking cold wet weather. Considering the ultralight rain mitts weigh only 1 oz, it’s a very safe way to hedge against discomfort.
Rain Mittens Conclusion
Thanks for reading our guide to rain mittens, where we hope you found your new favorite pair of waterproof shells. Keeping your hands warm and dry is often the difference between joy and discomfort on the trail, which is why we strongly recommend rain mitts. Happy hiking!
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