[Review] The Galaxy Gore-Tex Mitt by Dakine

The Galaxy Gore-Tex Mitt by Dakine should also be referred to as the trifecta of awesomeness in the glove and mitten world. Packed with three key features, the Galaxy Mitt will keep your hands dry and warm on the deepest and wettest of days. The combo of a Gore-Tex® waterproof lining combined with Primaloft® insulation and a wool liner had me at hello (and not to mention how good looking and minimal this mitt is).

The Gore-Tex® is of utmost importance when it comes to mitts as I’ve learned over the years. Yes I absolutely love the all leather look but no matter how many times I Sno-seal my all leather gloves, my hands still get wet on pow days. With the Galaxy Mitt, you are not only getting the lovely look of the minimalist leather mitt but you are also getting Gore-Tex which is guaranteed to keep you dry. The leather outer is also treated with a DWR coating so this is a pretty failsafe system folks. I’ve definitely had the chance to test this waterproofing and I can say hands down that it works. The nice thing about combining the DWR coating with the Gore-Tex is that I know for many seasons down the road the waterproofing capabilities of these mitts are not going to deteriorate over time.

The problem that I run into all the time is that my hands are never warm. Like, I have to wear mittens when it’s 30° and sunny and it can be a little disappointing. The Galaxy Mitts now have me covered for any day because of the Primaloft® insulation. I love that these mittens are insulated but I don’t feel like I’m wearing bricks on my hands. They’re relatively slim and they don’t feel overly bulky. There is a bit more insulation on the top of the hand versus the palm of the hand so your dexterity isn’t at all compromised.

The leather alone feels durable and like it can withstand anything. We occasionally ride snowmobiles for backcountry access and most of the times if you put on a brand new pair of mitts in the morning, by the end of the day they look like something your grandparents passed down to you. I was really surprised to see that after wearing the Galaxy Mitts on the sled they didn’t show any signs of wear. There is also a bit of reinforcement on the palm, which adds to the durability and longevity of the mitts.

I saved my favorite feature for last and it’s one of those things that makes you think why didn’t I think of that. These mitts have a wool lining that not only makes sense but it just really feels good. The wool lining is beneficial in more ways than one. First of all, it is soft and warm. Secondly, wool is breathable and works well to pull moisture away from your skin. I can’t tell you how many times I started out the day sweating and thought oh boy my hands are done for, only to find out by the next run they were dry again. Your hands won’t be soaking wet by the end of the day if you decide to hike out to your favorite side-country stash.

Now that I’ve had the chance to have nice and soft wool liners, it will definitely be hard to wear any mitts that don’t have that. If you’re looking for a warm, waterproof, gnarproof, minimal-looking mitt for the best pow days of your life look no further than the Galaxy Mitt by Dakine. Once you slip these on you’ll wonder how you ever skied without them.