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Hestra Leather Fall Line Review

Tough, offering optimal dexterity for almost any application
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hestra leather fall line ski gloves review
Hestra Leather Fall Line Glove
Credit: Hestra
Price:  $165 List
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Manufacturer:   Hestra
By Ian Nicholson ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Dec 1, 2022
70
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#8 of 20
  • Warmth - 25% 4.0
  • Dexterity - 25% 9.0
  • Water Resistance - 25% 7.0
  • Durability - 15% 9.0
  • Features - 10% 6.0

Our Verdict

The Hestra Leather Fall Line is a sweet under-the-cuff style glove, offering top-tier dexterity and durability. This contender's only downsides are that it provides average warmth (unless that's what you're after) and its weather-resistant capabilities need upkeep; we found that these downsides were minor. Most of our review team found that these gloves provided comfort down to 10-15F. Even when using them 50+ days a year in a very damp Pacific Northwest, we found that we only needed to retreat them 1-2 times per season. The upsides are high: the Fall Line is easily among the most dexterous gloves on the market.
REASONS TO BUY
Top-notch dexterity and durability
Great for technical descents and rope handling
Fantastic feel
REASONS TO AVOID
Not as warm as other models
Weather resistance requires more maintenance than other models
Editor's note: This review was updated after adding several new models to our ski gloves review to reflect new product comparisons and buying recommendations on December 1, 2022.

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Star Rating
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Bottom Line A favorite of our testers, this glove is versatile and dexterousTop-tier performance, coupled with exceptional versatility across a wide range of conditionsThis excellent ski glove provides warmth and weather resistance at a budget-acknowledging priceBoasting a toasty level of warmth, this mitt protects your hands well at a fair priceA warm and comfortable mitten at an excellent value
Rating Categories Hestra Leather Fall... Arc'teryx Fission SV Gordini GTX Storm T... Black Diamond Mercu... The North Face Mont...
Warmth (25%)
4.0
7.0
7.0
8.0
8.0
Dexterity (25%)
9.0
8.0
4.0
2.0
2.0
Water Resistance (25%)
7.0
10.0
8.0
8.0
7.0
Durability (15%)
9.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
7.0
Features (10%)
6.0
7.0
9.0
7.0
8.0
Specs Hestra Leather Fall... Arc'teryx Fission SV Gordini GTX Storm T... Black Diamond Mercu... The North Face Mont...
Double or Single Glove Single Single Single Double Single
Gaunlet or Cuff? Cuff Gauntlet Gauntlet Gauntlet Gauntlet
Palm Material Impregnated cowhide aniline Leather Polyurethane Goat leather Synthetic leather
Waterproof Material Leather Gore-Tex Gore-Tex BD.dry DryVent
Insulation Type Foam 133g Primaloft Gold Eco and 200g Primaloft Silver Eco Megaloft 340 g PrimaLoft Gold, high-loft fleece Back of hand: 250g Heatseeker Eco
Palm: 160g Heatseeker Eco
Nose Wipe? No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Our Analysis and Test Results

One of our review teams' favorite models for its all-around feel, durability, and toughness. While we loved this glove for more mild temperature days that weren't particularly stormy, its slightly below-average warmth and weather resistance kept it from being a real all-arounder that we'd recommend to someone as their only glove despite its excellent dexterity, comfort, and toughness. With that said, if you are someone who is going to own multiple pairs of gloves, this is an excellent option when coupled with another model for when the temperature dip or a moist storm is in the forecast.

Performance Comparison


hestra leather fall line ski gloves review - the fall line is an excellent spring ski glove that is built to last...
The Fall Line is an excellent spring ski glove that is built to last and featured incredible dexterity.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Warmth


The Fall Line is a great glove in so many ways, though offering a high amount of warmth isn't one of those ways. We see this as a positive in the sense that maybe extreme warmth is not what you're after, or a negative, as they are bomber, but on the thinner side of the spectrum, offering less insulation than many of the contenders in our review. Don't get us wrong; these gloves still offer warmth, and we were comfortable when wearing them in 10-15F temperatures. If these temperatures sound ideal to you, and dexterity and durability are what you're looking for, the Fall Line's level of warmth might be perfect.

To help keep their wearer warm, the Fall Line uses a polyester lining (AKA fleece lining), which feels nice and cozy, allowing damp hands to dry quickly; they just weren't as warm as other models we tested. That said, most of our testers still found these gloves kept their hands warm when worn down to 10F, as long as the weather was mostly dry. We do think that the low-profile neoprene cuff and foam on the back of the hand likely contribute to this glove's overall warmth.

hestra leather fall line ski gloves review - the fall line offers very good weather resistance, but to keep it...
The Fall Line offers very good weather resistance, but to keep it working well it does need its leather to be retreated 1-2 times per year with heavy use. For the little extra effort, you get a glove that offers nearly unparalleled dexterity and requires only minimal break-in time; an irregularity among most all-leather ski gloves.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Dexterity


The Fall Line is made from quality material with a great design that gives them excellent dexterity. While these gloves feel marginally on the stiffer side when you first try them on, they soften up quickly (in half a day of use or less). We found that in real-world use and in our side-by-side motor skill tests (like writing our name and manually unlocking a car door), the Fall Line was among the top scorers.

A Note on Fit
It is worth noting that these gloves run about a half size small when compared to other Hestra Gloves. If you aren't between sizes, you'll likely appreciate the snug fit that gives this glove exceptional dexterity; the leather will stretch and model to your hand to further increase comfort. However, if you are between sizes, we would recommend going with one size larger, as they do run small.

hestra leather fall line ski gloves review - this glove featured some of the best dexterity in our fleet and was...
This glove featured some of the best dexterity in our fleet and was able to stand among the top scorers. We could easily complete a series of tasks when wearing the Fall Line.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Water Resistance


The Fall Line offers respectable weather resistance when out in the field. If you purchase these gloves, an important tip to keep in mind is that you must be dedicated to re-treating the exterior leather to maintain the weather resistance found with most models. If treated regularly, these gloves will serve you well, staying dry in fairly wet snowstorms. If you do not have the time to treat them on a somewhat regular basis, they will not offer the weather resistance that we assume you're in need of. The frequency of retreating them depends on what activities you're using them for and how often you use them. We found ourselves retreating them 1-2 times each season after using them for 50+ days of skiing in the stormy and wet Pacific Northwest climate.

hestra leather fall line ski gloves review - this contender offers excellent durability and dexterity, scoring...
This contender offers excellent durability and dexterity, scoring highly among the other gloves in our fleet. These gloves scored highly and are an excellent option for most winter activities.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Durability


The Fall Line Glove is easily among the most durable gloves in our review. We have used these gloves extensively skiing in-bounds, touring, digging pits, and handling ropes while lowering friends and clients into technical ski entrances. After two years of pretty intense use, we are especially impressed with how well these gloves are holding up.

hestra leather fall line ski gloves review - the fall line features a neoprene cuff that not only helps snug the...
The Fall Line features a neoprene cuff that not only helps snug the glove around our hand, keeping the glove in-place and helping with dexterity but also seals out any snow from getting in fantastically. Our testing team also liked how low profile it was and how easy it was to pull our jacket cuffs over-the-top of it.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Should You Buy the Hestra Fall Line?


These gloves aren't astronomically priced, but they certainly aren't cheap. There are very similar options on the market that cost a lot less, so unless you are committed to the Hestra brand, we'd recommend other gloves.

What Other Ski Gloves Should You Consider?


The Black Diamond Legend is about as warm, and has much better dexterity, though the Fall Line is more durable. If you are looking for the best glove on the market, we love the Arc'teryx Fission SV, and if you are instead looking for a great glove that is also inexpensive, the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II is our recommendation.

Ian Nicholson