Sizing Your Mainers Mitts
How to fit winter mitts the right way
Just like your boots, helmet, and goggles, your mittens need to fit right to provide optimal performance. A great fitting mitt can deliver its best-possible combination of dexterity, feel, warmth, and weather protection. An incorrectly sized mitt can make you cold, uncomfortable, and prone to dropping everything from keys to ski poles.
Measure Hand Length & Width
Measure Hand Length
The distance from the tip of your middle finger to the fold of your wrist (where your palm meets your wrist) is your hand length. Using a ruler or tape measure, record this distance for your dominant hand. If you don’t know which is the dominant hand, make them thumb wrestle to see which one wins.
Measure Hand Width
Hand width is the circumference of your hand just below your knuckles, excluding your thumb. Unless you’ve got special powers to bend objects with your mind, use a tape measure to determine hand width, as this measurement requires you to wrap the tape around your knuckles, sides, and palm.
Determine Your Mitt Size
Compare your measurements with the charts below to determine your correct mitten size.
| Mitt Size | Hand Length | Hand Width |
| Small (S) | 6.3-6.85" 160-174mm |
7-8" 178-202mm |
| Medium (M) | 6.9-7.3" 175-186mm |
8-9" 203-228mm |
| Large (L) | 7.35-7.85" 187-200mm |
9-10" 229-253mm |
| Extra-Large (XL) | 7.9-8.5" 200-215mm |
10-11" 254-278mm |
Determine Your Fit Preference
If you measure your hand and find yourself straddling two sizes, ask yourself this question: Do you care more about warmth or dexterity?
Sizing Down for Dexterity: This is pretty self-explanatory. A tighter mitten is going to more closely resemble your skin. You’ll have an easier time feeling objects in your hand, and there will be fewer folds of fabric getting in the way when you try to do something requiring fine motor skills. You know, like operating your phone’s touch screen so you can ‘Gram that pic of you sending it in the terrain park.
Sizing Up for Warmth: At the end of the day, a primary function of insulation is to trap air around your skin. Why? Air is one of nature’s best insulators. A mitt with a looser fit will allow for a larger layer of air around your fingers, helping to keep you warmer.
Naturally, a mitt that’s too tight will be uncomfortable to wear, and a mitten that’s too loose will feel awkward. So when in doubt, go with the fit that feels best.
