Living on the West Coast of Canada, I don’t typically experience frigid winter temperatures. I’ve never really been confronted by the frozen finger syndrome that plagues other cold weather photographers. However, this year I started doing some freelance work at my local ski hill. 

As luck would have it, we went through a record-breaking cold-snap early in the season. I was caught trying to photograph fireworks at night with no gloves. I definitely paid the price on my poor, numb fingers. When you can’t feel whether you’ve hit the shutter button or not, it’s time to warm up! Needless to say, when I was offered the chance to try the new Vallerret Tinden gloves (US | EU), I was immediately intrigued.

Editor’s note: Vallerret sent us a pair of the Tinden gloves to review and keep. However, this is an independent review. All thoughts about this product are our own. We have not been influenced in any way. We tell you this as we always want to be transparent with you.

First impressions of the Vallerret Tinden gloves

I tested Vallerret’s Tinden gloves at the local ski hill.

When the Tinden gloves arrived in the mail, my first impression of them was good. They appeared robust and rugged, which is great for my style of outdoor photography.

I’m not easy on my gear so I really need products that can withstand an active lifestyle. They are branded as a heavy-duty glove, named after a word for “peak” in Norwegian. 

According to the Vallerret website, these gloves are designed for “deep winter.” Just holding my camera while wearing them in the house, the nonslip grip on the palm and fingers made it feel secure in my hands.

Putting them to the test

Vallerret Tinden Glove
The nonslip grip palm print helps you hold your camera securely.

To put the gloves to the test, I went up to the ski hill. The temperature was -6℃ (21℉) with some wind, so it was definitely a good day to try them out. Riding up the chairlift, my hands were super warm and cozy. The Merino wool lining felt really soft and comfortable. 

I had a friend join me, and we did a few laps through the terrain park. We moved from one feature to the next so I could photograph her going off the jumps and rails. It was really nice to not have to take my gloves off each time I pulled my camera out. At first, I felt a little clunky while maneuvering my gear, as I’d never worn gloves while operating my camera before. But after a while, I began to get used to working while wearing them.

With the finger caps flipped back, I had enough mobility to change the settings on my camera with ease. Admittedly, I didn’t really use the magnets much. I was in a fast-paced environment so I was just flipping the finger caps back and that was adequate for me. Sometimes they caught on the magnet, sometimes they didn’t. But, when the finger caps were flipped back, they didn’t get in my way at all, even while photographing while looking through the EVF.

Plus, my exposed fingers were really happy every time I flipped the finger cap back over them!

Pros

  • Comfortable, warm and cozy
  • outer zippered pockets for SD cards, hand warmer, car key etc.
  • Vallerret is a 1% for the planet company, which means 1% of their global sales go directly to environmental nonprofits

Cons

  • the gauntlet under-cuff wasn’t as effective as I’d hoped. I think I would prefer the stretched jersey cuff that is used on other Vallerret gloves

Technical specifications

All of the technical specifications for Vallerret Tinden Gloves are from the product listing on the Vallerret website:

  • 100 % Merino Wool inner
  • Overlapping FlipTech finger caps with magnets
  • DWR Genuine Goats leather
  • Primaloft Gold Insulation (260gsm/170gsm)
  • Genuine Goat Leather & Water-Resistant Polyester Twill
  • True Suede lens Wipe
  • Pre-Curved Glove Design
  • Gauntlet Under-Cuff with Wrist Strap
  • Carabiner Clip

Vallerret Tinden gloves: A game-changer for winter photography

Overall, I was pretty impressed with these gloves. They saved me a lot of time by not having to take my gloves on and off at every feature I was photographing. They kept my hands warm for the three hours I was snowboarding in-between shots, and while on the chairlift. I look forward to wearing the gloves some more and breaking them in — I can only imagine that they will get even more comfortable after more time in the field.

If you are a photographer that has ever been subjected to frozen fingers while out in the field, I recommend trying a pair of Vallerret’s Tinden gloves. They will allow you to keep your hands warm while still operating your camera with ease. You might even find yourself wearing them when you’re not out photographing — they’re just that comfortable!