The North Face Etip Recycled Gloves review: the thin glove every winter kit needs
Every cold-weather glove system starts with a thin one. It is the glove you hike in when the morning is cool but you are working hard, the one that stays on while you fiddle with a stove or a phone, and the dry spare that rescues a day when your warm gloves get wet. The North Face Etip Recycled is the thin glove we would put in every kit: stretchy, grippy, touchscreen friendly, and light enough that there is no reason to leave it at home.
Quick take
A thin, stretchy fleece glove with a grippy palm and touchscreen fingertips. It works on its own on cool, active days, as a liner under a shell mitt or insulated glove, and as the dry spare pair every cold trip needs. It is not a winter glove on its own: it offers little warmth when you stop moving, no wind or water protection, and the seams on some pairs wear early. At this weight, it earns a place in almost every pack.
What it does
The Etip Recycled is a lightweight glove made from a double-knit fleece of 93 percent recycled polyester and 7 percent elastane, so it stretches to fit closely without bunching. Silicone grip on the palm and fingers holds trekking poles, bottle lids and a phone securely, and conductive fingertips let you use a touchscreen without taking the glove off. The North Face shapes the fingers to sit in a slightly curved, relaxed position, which reduces the tug across the knuckles you get from a flat-cut glove. It is sized unisex from extra small to extra-extra large and can be machine washed.
What verified buyers say
Across verified-purchase reviews, the same points come up:
- Comfortable and easy to live with. Owners describe a soft, slim, flexible glove they forget they are wearing, and many keep a pair in every jacket.
- The touchscreen fingertips work. Being able to use a phone, a camera or a GPS without exposing a hand is the feature owners mention most.
- Grip is good. Owners use them for driving, running, cycling and holding poles, and the silicone palm keeps a secure hold.
- Warmth is limited, as expected. Owners who bought them as a winter glove are disappointed, while those who use them for cool weather, running or as a liner are happy with them.
- Sizing is inconsistent. Some owners find them snug and recommend sizing up; others, often women with slim hands, find them loose around the palm. The unisex cut does not suit every hand.
- Seams are the weak point. A minority of owners report fraying or a split finger seam within a season of regular wear.
Worth knowing
A fleece glove this thin is warm only while you are moving. Stand still in wind below freezing and your fingers will cool quickly, so pair the Etip with an insulated glove or mitt in winter rather than relying on it alone. It has no wind or water protection: wet snow soaks straight through, which is why we value it most as a spare kept dry in a bag. Measure your hand before ordering, because the unisex sizing runs large around the palm for some hands and short in the fingers for others.
Who it is for
The Etip earns our Everyone tier because it does one job for every hiker. A first-timer can wear it on a chilly spring walk, and an experienced winter traveller carries the same glove as a liner and a dry spare. For a warm winter glove at the entry level, look at the Carhartt waterproof insulated gloves (men's / women's). For colder, longer days, step up to The North Face Montana (men's) or the Dakine Camino (women's), and for serious cold the Hestra Army Leather Heli 3-Finger (men's and women's sizes).
Specs at a glance
- Typelightweight fleece glove and liner
- Fabric93% recycled polyester, 7% elastane double-knit fleece
- Palmsilicone grip
- Touchscreenyes, fingertips
- Sizesunisex XS to XXL
- Trade-offslittle warmth when static, no wind or water protection, seams can fray
- Listed weight3.2 oz (91 g) · pair, size XL
- Best forcool active days, liner, dry spare pair
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The Verdict
The Etip Recycled is not a warm glove, and it does not pretend to be. It is the thin, dexterous layer that every other glove on a cold trip depends on: the one you hike in, the one you work in, and the dry pair you pull out of your pack when the others are soaked. Buy it for that job, pair it with something warmer for winter, and it will earn its place on every trip. How gloves fit into a full layering system is in what to wear in the bush.
