Zpacks Conductive Brushtail Possum Gloves Review

Overview

The Zpacks Conductive Brushtail Possum Gloves are a 36g (1.27 oz) knit liner glove built from a blend of New Zealand brushtail possum fiber and merino wool, made entirely in New Zealand. They sit at an interesting niche in a backpacker’s kit: too warm and substantial to call a true liner, too thin to be a standalone winter glove — they’re the kind of versatile piece you grab when you’re not sure what the weather has planned. The conductive fingertips on the index finger and thumb make them functional for phone use and GPS navigation without the fumbling ritual of taking them off.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	36g (1.27 oz)
Materials	52.12% merino wool, 28.43% brushtail possum fiber, 15.71% nylon, 2.12% acrylic, 1.25% elastic, 0.37% steel
Origin	Made in New Zealand
Touchscreen Compatible	Yes — index finger and thumb
Care	Hand wash or machine wash; line dry recommended
Comparison	See how Conductive Brushtail Possum Gloves compares to similar gear

Performance

The star of the show is the fiber blend itself, and it’s worth understanding why it performs the way it does. The hair of the brushtail possum is hollow, just like polar bear hair, which provides incredible warmth and water resistance. Despite each fur fiber being only 18 microns thick, every single fiber is hollow — meaning each has a pocket of air that acts like self-insulating armor. That’s not marketing copy; it’s the same physics that makes down so effective, just in a knit form you can wash in a creek.

Warmth: Dexterity is excellent and they wear just like a pair of lightweight wool gloves, although they stay much warmer when they get damp and dry quickly with just the body heat from your hands. They’re good to around 15–20°F alone before you need to cover them with a shell glove to retain more heat. That’s a solid temperature range for a 36g glove. One reviewer tested them in Southeast Alaska, famously a wet and chilly place, and came away impressed with the warmth-to-weight ratio.

Moisture Management: This is where the possum fiber really earns its price of admission. The brushtail possum fur and merino wool combination is especially useful here — the added resistance to moisture and quick-drying properties make for an effective synergy. In the rain, the way they shrug off light moisture compared to regular gloves is noticeable. That said, they’re not waterproof. In wet or windy conditions, an outer waterproof shell is in order — they’re warm but not windproof. Pair them with Zpacks’ own Vertice Rain Mitts as an overmitt and you have a credible wet-weather system.

Touchscreen: The conductive ends on both the index finger and thumb allow you to use your smartphone and other touch screen devices without removing the gloves. In practice it works, but there’s a catch: if the gloves run large on you, the excess fabric around the fingertips makes texting a little clunky. If the fit is right, it works without issue.

Sizing: Sizing feedback from users is mixed and worth paying attention to. Some reviewers find them snug at first, with one SectionHiker commenter noting they’ll feel tight on larger hands but loosen with use. Other users’ experience, backed up by reader comments, suggests they may run a little large — if you’re on the fence about size, opt for the smaller one. The inconsistency in feedback likely comes down to individual hand shape. When in doubt, go a half-size down and let them stretch to fit.

Durability: Here’s the honest trade-off. Durability is so-so — they’ll last about a year before one of the fingers develops a hole and needs to be sewn shut. Some users have reported holes in most of the fingers faster than any other glove they’ve bought. This is a known issue with possum-merino blend knit gloves in general; the fingertips take the most abrasion and thin out first. The nylon content in this blend (15.71%) helps compared to older pure-possum versions, but go in with realistic expectations: these are not bomber workhouse gloves. They’re expendable comfort, and at their price point, most people seem to accept the tradeoff.

The Conservation Angle: It’s worth noting that buying these isn’t an ethically fraught decision the way some animal-fiber products can be. Brushtail possums are native to Australia but invasive in New Zealand, where there is a significant conservation effort to reduce their population and protect endemic bird species. Repurposing their pelts in a merino blend has the dual purpose of contributing to native New Zealand species conservation while producing a fiber with excellent warmth and water resistance thanks to its hollow structure.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Exceptional warmth-to-weight ratio at just 36g
• Hollow possum fibers offer genuine moisture resistance and quick drying
• Conductive fingertips work reliably on index finger and thumb
• Soft and non-itchy against skin — the merino/possum blend is noticeably plush
• Thin enough to layer under a rain mitt or overmitt
• Purchasing supports an active conservation effort in New Zealand
• Machine washable

Cons

• Durability is a real concern; fingertips can develop holes within a season of heavy use
• Not windproof — a shell layer is needed in sustained wind or precipitation
• Sizing is inconsistent enough across users that it’s hard to know if you’ll land on snug or loose
• No cuff to seal the wrist; a few users wish it came down further

• Line drying is recommended — putting them in a dryer may cause some shrinkage, though they do stretch back out

Who Should Buy This

These are a strong pick for three-season and cool-weather thru-hikers who want a lightweight touchscreen-capable liner that can handle a light rain without immediately becoming a liability. They’re particularly well-suited to hikers doing variable shoulder-season miles — the kind of trip where morning temps start in the 30s and you’re in a t-shirt by noon. They also work well as sleep gloves inside a quilt when temps dip. If you’re heading into sustained winter conditions or spend a lot of time doing tasks that abrade fingertips (trekking poles, rock scrambling, heavy pack adjustment), durability may make this the wrong choice — or at least factor in budget for replacement pairs.

Verdict

At 36g with genuine warmth, real moisture resistance, and touchscreen function built in, the Zpacks Conductive Brushtail Possum Gloves punch well above their weight class for three-season and shoulder-season use. The durability ceiling is real — treat them as a one-to-two season consumable rather than a forever piece — but if you’re honest about that, the warmth-to-weight value holds up. I’d rate them 7.5/10: an easy recommendation for the ultralight hiker who’s willing to buy another pair in a year or two.