What’s the best photography glove for extreme cold?
After much field testing, the Motion Heat Heated Glove Liner and Insulated Shell Combo is the best winter photography glove available to keep you warm in extreme winter conditions while still allowing you to work your camera controls and touch LCD screen.
I am not a fan of reviews that list 10 gloves and never make a recommendation on which one is the best. I’ve reviewed plenty of gloves during my field testing but I’m just going to provide you with a review for the #1 product and save you the time researching gloves that fall short.
Canadian Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
USA/International Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
Why Trust This Review?
When it comes to winter photography everyone’s internal thermometer is set differently. Some of us run cold and others hot. While it’s never been confirmed, I’m pretty sure I have Raynaud’s disease because my hands freeze quickly even when the temperatures are not that extreme. That’s why I have focused this review on a glove for extreme winter temperatures over long shooting times for those of you who run cold like me.
Finding the right glove for winter photography has been an obsession for me. The image below will give you an idea of just how many gloves I have tested. In this review, I will provide you with a recommendation for the best winter glove solution I have found that actually works for me. All of these other gloves sit in a bin in my basement because they just weren’t up to the task. With one exception, I use my Heat3 Shells as an exterior shell to house the heated inner liner, more on that later.
For those of you who run hotter, my recommended liner and shell combo is still a great solution. You’ll just dial back the heat a little more to the lower heat settings and enjoy the longer shooting time by conserving your battery.
What Is Best Winter Glove For Photographers With Raynaud’s?
The best winter glove for photographers with Raynaud’s Disease is the Motion Heat Heated Glove Liner and Insulated Shell Combo. If you have Raynaud’s or just run cold you know that nothing ends your winter photography shoot faster than cold hands or feet. Finding the perfect solution that allows you to keep your hands warm but still work your camera controls is no easy task. I have bins of gloves I no longer wear and expired boxes of chemical warmers that have made their way to the trash bin because they never lived up to the job when faced with moderate to extreme cold temperatures. #SAD
I ran with the Motion Heat heated liner all winter in 2022 and I could not be happier. They kept my hands warm even on the coldest of Canadian winter days. (Think -30 degrees C)
The Motion Heat solution comes in two parts, a battery-operated heated liner and an outer insulated protective shell with access ports for the liner from the palm and the thumb so you have easy access to your camera controls. I tuck my pinky’s back into the warm exterior glove when not shooting on the really cold days.
Part #1
Motion Heat Heated Glove Liner Complete Set
MSRP: $259 CDN $219 USD
Canadian Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
USA/International Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
See the bottom of this post for instructions regarding the 15% discount and information for US/International orders
The Motion Heat Heated Glove Liner encompasses many design features that photographers who shoot in extreme winter conditions are going to love. From a photographers point of view, here’s a list of the features that make this glove a winner for me:
- Form Fitting – The liner is made of a polyester/spandex blend to make it very form-fitting. This not only maintains the heat better but it allows for easier use of the controls on your camera.
- Touch Screen Compatible Fingertips – Many of today’s cameras have touch screen LCD’s for image review and menu settings. Motion Heat liners have touch screen sensors on the thumb, index and middle fingers.
- Heat For Your Entire Hand – Wide heating array provided on the back of the hand and in every finger and thumb
- Multiple Battery Options – Both 12v and 16v batteries with varied run-times are available
- Adjustable Heat Settings – Low, Med, High settings to vary the heat intensity as required
- Two Battery Carry Options – Placed in glove pocket or use stickman
- Long Battery Life – 3 Hours on high/9 hours on low
It is worth noting that the liner in not windproof or waterproof. For my purpose as a wildlife photographer shooting for long periods in extreme cold I’m ok with that because I pair the liner with a flip open protective, insulated shell that serves that purpose.
I recommend purchasing the complete set so you get the stickman and a battery.
Part #2
Motion Heat Flip-Open Insulated Shell
Flip-Open Insulated Shell MSRP – $75 CDN $70 USD
Canadian Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
USA/International Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
See the bottom of this post for instructions regarding the 15% discount and information for US/International orders
The outer shell is a must have for those extreme winter conditions. I did not find that the heated liner by itself was enough to keep my hands warm without the outer shell. This was especially so when it was windy.
The outer shell is a flip open mitten design that has a zipper across the palm and a pull back tab across the thumb. This allows me to pull out my index finger and thumb when shooting and tuck them back into the warmth of the mitten when not shooting. Here’s a list of the features that make this insulated shell a winner for me.
- 🖐️ Fold over fingers and thumb for managing camera controls
- 🔥 High insulation Primaloft for warmth
- 💨Windproof
- 💦 Water-resistant
- 🔋 Saves battery life by running liner at a lower temperature
- 🏔️ No need for chemical warmers
For those of you who already own an outer shell that allows you to take your fingers and thumb out that will likely work just fine. Many photographers already own a pair of Heat3 Shells and they work very well with the Motion Heat heated liner. If you own a Heat3 Shell I’d say go with that as your exterior shell.
If you own the Heat3 gloves that have the incorporated liners they will not work with the heated liner unless you are willing to cut out the fingers. I did this with a pair of Heat3 gloves when I first received the liners, just be sure not to cut into the insulation layer. For those of you who do not own a shell, pick up a pair of these Motion Heat flip-open insulated shells for $75 and you’ll be all set. The Heat3 shells for $207 CDN, so they are quite a bit more expensive.
Choosing the Right Battery
Motion Heat provides you with a slew of battery options depending on your use. There are smaller, lighter batteries for those times when you’ll only be out for an hour all the way up to the larger batteries for all day use.
I chose to go with the Standard 3.2ah battery for my everyday use. It fits into the glove pocket or can be used with the Stickman. I picked up a 5ah 55.5Wh battery as well for the days when it’s really cold.
The 5ah battery is larger than the standard 3.2ah battery and does not fit in the glove pocket so you will need to use the stickman. You will note from the run-time chart below that the larger 5ah battery provides 20% more heat however its run-time is 25% less. You’ll want to take into consideration how long and how cold your shoots are when deciding which batteries to select.
Video Deep Dives
In this video review I unbox the Motion Heat Heated Wear Essentials Kit. The kit includes the heated liners, flip-open mitten shell, heated insoles, heated vest and accessories such as batteries and cords.
I also provide a walk-through of how each product works, the various options for hooking everything up to the battteries, as well as which battery to select for your use.
The video below is my full video review of the Motion Heat Heated Liner where I cover battery selection and how to use the stickman among other things. Watch this video if you want to understand all of the functionality of this heated glove liner.
Motion Heat Heated Vest
Motion Heat Heated Vest MSRP – $195 CDN $155 USD
Canadian Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
USA/International Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
See the bottom of this post for instructions regarding the 15% discount and information for US/International orders
The Secret to Warm Hands
The old saying cold hands, warm heart really should be warm hands, warm heart. When your core (torso) is warm it readily releases blood to the extremities. When your core gets cold your body’s natural defense is stop sending blood to the extremities and keep it for vital organs and the brain. Therefore the best solution for cold hands and feet is often to heat up your core. The vest provides a good deal of heat through 4 heating elements to both your chest and back. With 4 battery pockets the vest also serves as a hub for tucking away the batteries for not only the vest but also your gloves when paired with the stickman.
Motion Heat Heated Vest Features
- 🏃 Thin lightweight base layer
- 🌡️12V and 16V batteries getting up to 60°C
- 🔥 4 heating elements on chest and back
- 🔋 4 battery pockets
- 👞 Acts as a battery hub for liners and insoles
- 📱 3 heating levels
Motion Heat Heated Insoles
Motion Heat Heated Insoles MSRP – $250 CDN $215 USD
Canadian Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
USA/International Shoppers: Click Here to Save 15% on All Motion Heat Purchases
See the bottom of this post for instructions regarding the 15% discount and information for US/International orders
I’ve added heated insoles to this review because I use these as well and I expect anyone who suffers from cold hands also suffers from cold feet.
The insoles slip into your boots with the wire leading up the inside of your boot to a leg strap which holds the battery in place. Full heating is applied to the base of the toes.
I remove the insole that came with my boot and replace it with these heated insoles. That may not be necessary with your boots depending on how they fit.
You’ll find a in depth review of the Motion Heat Insoles at Best Heated Insoles 2024 | Voted #1 in Canada.
Motion Heat Insole Features
- 🕐 3 hours on high / 9 hours on low
- 🔥12V Easily Heats up to 50°C
- ✋ Full heating on the base of toes
- 🏔️ Portable & Easy-to-use
- 🔋 Perfect outdoors accessory
How To Save 15%
Note: You must click on a link from this post to navigate to the appropriate Motion Heat website to receive your 15% discount code.
I have made arrangements with Motion Heat to save members of the coolwildlife community and my followers 15% on all products ordered from their online storefront. When you make a purchase and go to your cart ignore any pricing or discounts you see on that page,
Once you hit checkout, if you used one of the links in this post to access the Motion Heat website you will automatically see the discount code coolwildlife15 populated in the discount field. You will now see that a 15% discount has been applied across each item in your cart as shown in the image above.
If for some reason the discount code field is empty, enter coolwildlife15 manually and the 15% discount will be applied.
Canada/US/International Purchases
Motion Heat is based in Calgary, AB, Canada which is the default online storefront for Canadian shoppers.
For US and international shoppers, there is a US/International storefront offered online as well. If you click on any one of the links shown for USA/International shoppers you will be directed to the USA/International home page for Motion Heat. As stated above, the discount code should be automatically form-filled and the 15% applied when you get to the checkout. If it does not auto-populate you can manually apply the discount code coolwildlife15.
I trust your winter shooting this season will be much more enjoyable with toasty warm hands and feet. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at bmaynard@coolwildlife.com.
Thank you for your continued support of the coolwildlife channel.
