Outdoor Research Heated Mittens for Skiing & Snowboarding
I bought the Outdoor Research Lucent Heated Mittens in 2021 in size small to use for snowboarding. I usually wear size small in gloves/mittens. They have updated the product and it is now sold as the Prevail, not the Lucent, but it appears to be the same product.
Here’s an in-depth review for any fellow cold-blooded humans considering buying them for skiing, snowboarding, or really any other winter activities.
The Good: They Keep My Hands Warm
In general, I’m satisfied with my purchase. I have Raynaud’s Syndrome and it affects my hands pretty severely (they will go all white and waxy just from the temperature change of getting out of a hot shower). Before I got these mittens, I had to use disposable hand warmers for most of my snowboarding outings, and if I forgot them, I had to cut my days short. The Outdoor Research mittens have been pretty life-changing in terms of my ability to enjoy the outdoors in winter in Wisconsin, and to go snowboarding when temperatures dip below 20 degrees (Fahrenheit). My hands stay warm as long as I wear a pair of thin liner gloves with them.
The battery lasts about 2.5 hours on high. Outdoor Research at one point claimed the high setting would last three hours, but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten three. Also, they say you can get eight hours on the green setting, but the green setting gives off so little warmth that I’ve found if it’s warm enough to get by on the green setting, it’s actually warm enough to get by without any heat. So I pretty much use these on red or not at all.
I bought an extra pair of batteries (for $50) so that I could have heat for a full day of riding. I have generally found that if it’s so cold I need more than 4 hours of high heat in the mittens, my feet (and generally the rest of me) will get too cold to continue before my second battery runs out.
Having a second set of batteries is also very helpful for multi-day snowboarding trips because it takes about eight hours to charge each set (yeah…it’s a lot). So unless you remember to plug them into the charger right away after your first day ends (and you have access to an outlet, etc.), you may not have time to get them fully charged overnight. If it’s not insanely cold out, I can get by with just one pair each day and leave the spares to charge while I’m out riding.
Durability: Decent
Since I’ve now had these for three full seasons, I can say that the durability is decent. Mine have one small hole in the leather on one of the thumbs, maybe from the ratchet on my bindings? Honestly can’t say. But since I’m a snowboarder, it’s safe to assume I’m putting these guys through a little more wear and tear than most skiers would with all the strapping in and out. Besides that one little hole, they look like new.
I have also occasionally worn them for outdoor winter workouts that involve pushups and burpees on concrete (don’t ask). I have tried to minimize this, because I’m worried about ripping up the leather, but they really haven’t shown any wear. However, I will absolutely never risk wearing these mitts on a rope tow lift, because I know they wouldn’t hold up to that.
The Meh: Dexterity
Like most mittens, you can’t do much of anything with your hands while wearing them. You definitely can’t actually use your phone, except for actions that you could alternatively perform with your nose (you know you’ve done it, lol). Because they’re leather and warm (and thus do a pretty good imitation of human skin), they do make touch screens respond, but the lack of dexterity prevents that from being a very useful feature. This might come in more handy with the glove version, but I imagine they’re pretty bulky as well.
I end up slipping them off in order to use my phone, get anything out of my pockets, or adjust anything with my jacket/bibs/zippers. The elastic leash cuff makes that easy and secure, and I’ve never once dropped them accidentally.
One notable limitation of these mittens is that I have found it impossible to wear them during cross-country skiing, because they are so bulky you can’t fit the pole straps over the gauntlet portion. And the bulkiness of the main mitten part makes for a tight squeeze on the handle of the poles. Luckily I’m terrible at XC ski so this wasn’t a big loss for me. I don’t know if this would also be a problem for downhill ski poles since I’ve never tried that.
One surprising thing you can use them for? Winter birding. You have just enough dexterity to adjust the focus on a pair of Nikon Prostaff binoculars. And since birding involves a lot of standing very still, these were complete gamechangers for me. I’m more of a birder by association than the primary birder of the household, so I don’t spend much time doing it, but before getting these, accompanying my wife on any kind of winter birding excursion was totally out of the picture.
The Bad: Mostly Just the Price
Let’s talk about the obvious first: these things are expensive.
They currently cost $339 full price, which is pretty steep for snowboarding or ski mittens. In comparison, I bought my wife a pair of (unheated) 686 Gore-Tex Apex Mitts for less than $100, full price, and she loves them. She doesn’t have Raynaud’s and tends to have pretty warm hands (which honestly baffles me — I didn’t know hands could generate their own heat before meeting her, lol). My heated mittens act like an equalizer between us. Her hands are never colder than mine if she’s wearing her mittens.
In full disclosure, I was able to buy my mittens with a pro discount, which cut about 40% off the price. Otherwise, it would have been hard to justify paying more for a pair of mittens than I paid for my second snowboard.
Outside of the price, I have very little to complain about with these mittens specifically. I think my remaining complaints would apply to all heated gloves or mittens:
I wish the high heat setting lasted longer than 2.5 hours, but when I researched heated mittens, this was the longest battery life I could find.
It’s annoying that you have to charge the batteries every three months to ensure they last more than one or two seasons. I have to set a reminder on my calendar to charge them in the middle of the summer and then again in the fall.
It’s one more thing to charge. On a trip, those things easily add up and it can be easy to forget to charge everything. If you’ve got bluetooth speakers in your helmet, a phone, an e-reader, Airpods, a power bank … you get the point.
Conclusion: Great for Raynaud’s
If you’ve got Raynaud’s and you love being outdoors in the winter, these mittens are life changing, and I highly recommend them. I think I would even buy them at full price, now that I know they work as well as they do.
About the Reviewer
Name: Olivia Barrow
What is your gender? Woman
What is your height? 5'7"
What is your weight? 135 lbs
What's your level of experience as a snowboarder? 100+ days riding
Describe your skill level: Advanced - I ride confidently on any groomed run, as well as in trees and on bumps/moguls, and I am comfortable taking small jumps, whether they're in a park or off of a side hit. I can ride some boxes and rails.
