Polaris Trigger Waterproof Gloves

With its Trigger Waterproof gloves, Polaris has attempted to combine cold-weather comfort with a bit of extra digit dexterity for gear-shifting duties, but I found them compromised on both fronts.

One look at the Trigger gloves tells you these are cold-weather specialists. Mittens are the choice of polar explorers for good reason. Keeping the fingers next to each other, rather than separated as with normal gloves, shares the warmth. More warm air is trapped inside than with a conventional glove. Combining this with a wind- and waterproof outer shell has allowed Polaris to cut back on the bulky padding which can make some winter gloves too cumbersome for cycling use, making for a surprisingly lightweight package.

As well as the waterproof shell, the Triggers are constructed with a liner, formed like a conventional glove and stitched in. On the palm side, the mitt is covered in a grippy, silicone material, reinforced with faux-chamois pads around the base of the palm and the base of the fingers (metacarpophalangeal joints – my research assistant looked it up); with a smidge of gel padding underneath. I found them very comfortable on the bars and the grip was good.

The wrists are gauntlet-style, relying on elastic to keep the elements out – simple but effective, at least in this case. It means the wrist openings flare out a fair bit in wear, but I pulled my jersey cuffs down over them and they stayed put without looking too bulky or bulging.

Polaris doesn't give much away about the materials used in the construction, other than to say they are 'fully waterproof'. I certainly found they kept the drizzle at bay but, as with many waterproof shells, the price paid is in condensation inside. This was an issue any time I had to take the gloves off. It meant putting my hand back into a damp, clammy liner. Not only is that unpleasant, but the liners try to pull themselves inside out as you take them off, making getting your fingers back in a frustrating process. It also makes them slow to air and dry. Personally, I'd prefer a separate liner.

> Buyer’s Guide: 25 of the best winter cycling gloves

Polaris's take on the 'lobster claw' design is to keep three fingers together and the index finger and thumb separate. This theoretically allows a little more dexterity than lobster or full mitten designs, and would be helpful when trying to change gear or fiddle about generally on the bike. Actually, like many winter gloves, I found it was still difficult to push the inner lever on STI shifters without also pushing the brake lever, resulting in quite a lot of fluffed gear changes. Also, there's no smartphone-friendly pad on the finger so they had to come off for digital gizmo-faffage. Otherwise, for tasks such as zip fastening, they worked well on anything other than the smallest of zip-pulls.

I was worried, though, that the single-finger lobster design might compromise the thermal qualities of the Triggers. I was right. November finally brought some properly cold testing weather – not quite freezing but bright and sharp, with a slicing northerly. Out over my local North Pennines hills, despite an aching forehead from the wind chill, my fingers and thumbs stayed comfortable... until the sun began to dip towards the horizon and the shadows fell into the valleys. Then the bite set in, starting with the index fingers and thumbs, isolated from the others. By the time I got home I was pretty cold all over but at least three fingers on each hand still had some feeling in them.

'Circumference of hand' isn't a vital statistic I think I've ever measured before, but Polaris provides a handy (!) size guide with these gloves, and at a svelte 21cm the size L supplied should have been perfect for me. In fact, I found them too short. My wife is a dainty 19cm, which equates to a men's Small; but she tried these and declared them a good fit, saying she wouldn't have wanted them any smaller – so bear this in mind when ordering. Polaris makes the Trigger in separate men's and women's sizes but only in the one colour combination.

> How to keep your feet warm while cycling in winter

Compared with similar designs they're not bad value. They're £10 more than Triban's RR 920 lobster style gloves which have two free fingers (John tested the £25 RR 900s last winter and found them very warm), but a fair bit cheaper than either Specialized's Element 2.0 lobster-type mittens, also with two free fingers, which Dave thought were really good and are now £55, and Sealskinz' latest lobsters, also £55, which combine the index and middle finger. Lara liked the older versions she tested in 2015.

At the time of writing Polaris has these on its website at £8 off, which might sway you; they're not bad, but think about your priorities when considering them.

Verdict

Good weather protection and comfort, but awkward liners, and still-cold fingers and gear-changing issues remain