Review: Black Diamond Midweight Screentap Gloves

Warm, stretchy gloves with the added benefit of full touchscreen functionality, the Black Diamond Midweight ScreenTap Gloves are ideal for uphill skiing, trail running, or hiking with your smartphone.

Key Information

Price (at time of writing): R799
Weight: 42g per pair
Materials: 222g-weight stretch fleece; U|R Powered conductive material; Suede goat leather
Water Resistant: No
Recommended Temperature Range: 0–4°C

Construction

The gloves use a warm, stretchy fleece shell with U|R Powered conductive material covering the palms and fingers, allowing for full touchscreen use. Suede goat leather patches reinforce the palms for extra grip on trekking poles, leashes, and gear.

The stretch fleece provides a close fit and excellent shape retention.

The stretch fleece keeps its form and improves fit, eliminating the usual bagginess around the fingers and palm that many gloves suffer from. Each glove includes a small clip loop and a double-sided clip to keep them paired together in your pack — a small but thoughtful feature that makes them easy to find when you need them most.

Clip loops and a connector keep the gloves paired and organised.

Touch Sensitivity

Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of gloves. Usually, once my hands are cold enough to justify putting them on, I’ve already lost dexterity — and most gloves only make that worse. But the ScreenTap Gloves surprised me.

Excellent dexterity for handling zips, gear, and even stove valves.

These gloves offer outstanding sensitivity — I could easily adjust a gas stove valve, open zips, and use my phone without removing them. After one chilly sunset spent cooking in the snow, I was sold. They’ve since become my go-to gloves whenever the temperature drops.

ScreenTap Technology

With most hikers relying on digital maps and smartphone navigation, touchscreen-friendly gloves are no longer a luxury. Many gloves only have conductive fingertips — but Black Diamond takes it further by covering the entire palm and all fingers with U|R Powered conductive material.

Full palm and finger coverage allows effortless touchscreen use.

This means you can operate your phone from any angle — even with your thumb or side of your hand — without removing your gloves. It’s a subtle but significant upgrade for anyone navigating with a device in cold weather.

Temperature Rating

The stated comfort range of 0–4°C is accurate. I stayed perfectly warm sitting around camp at 2°C, even with a light breeze. While not water-resistant, they dry quickly and layer easily under a shell glove for wetter conditions.

Ideal warmth for early mornings and South African winter conditions.

Conclusion

The Black Diamond Midweight ScreenTap Gloves have turned me from a glove skeptic into a fan. Comfortable, warm, and impressively tactile, they strike the perfect balance between insulation and dexterity. For South African winters or cool alpine mornings, they’re a near-perfect companion.

These gloves were provided by Ram Mountaineering for review purposes and can be purchased from Black Diamond, Mountain Mail Order, Drifters, Agear, and Orca.