There are a lot of options to choose from – gauntlet gloves for an all-weather, touring approach … and then more of a motocross-style for heavy off-roading and summer use. What I did was I picked the best option in each category – which of course are super expensive – and then I chose a budget alternative to each.
Klim Element Long Glove
First up is the Klim Element Long Glove. I took one look at the materials list on this guy, and knew it was going to be a winner.
We have a Gore-Tex membrane, which means I get the 100% waterproof and breathable guarantee. The knuckle armour is titanium, which has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal known to mankind. The softer armour is no slouch either – Poron XRD has insane impact absorption and breathability. On my palm, there’s ceramic and aramid-reinforced leather in case I go for a slide, and silicone printing for grip on my grips. To close us off, there’s a smattering of 3M scotchlite all over to make sure my hands are visible at night, and a goggle squeegee on the index finger.
It’s not just the materials that make this glove special. It’s how they’re used . The Poron armour is baked into this separate knuckle plate, so the Titanium has some travel and my hands feel breathable and movable. I also get Poron on three of the fingers, on the low-side danger zone at the outside of my hand, and over the pointy bits of my wrist.
My palm is 9-inches around, which puts me in this size large and it fits great. The gauntlet closes with a main Velcro tab, and then a secondary noose around the wrist. It’s a very thin gauntlet, so I could probably get it under my jacket sleeves if need be. There’s a load of stretch panelling which makes the Element comfortable to move, and the seams are external so the contact feel on my controls is great.
This is an amazing glove, and the 275-dollar price tag seems fair considering all the premium materials. But that still doesn’t mean I can afford it.
Icon Patrol Waterproof Gloves
The poor man’s alternative to the Klim Element is the Icon Patrol Waterproof Glove at 100 bucks. We’ve slashed almost 200 dollars from the price tag, so let’s see what else we lost.
The membrane in here is Hipora, which is supposed to be waterproof and breathable. In my experience, it’s pretty good at staying dry, but Hipora doesn’t ventilate nearly as well as Gore-Tex.
The armouring on the knuckles is rigid rubber instead of Titanium, so obviously that’s not as hard. What nobody wants to tell you, though, is that most rubbers and plastics will actually protect better than fancy Titaniums and Carbon Fibres. So I have no problem with the knuckle armour here. The TPU on the four fingers, though, is definitely inferior to Poron.
Flipping the glove over, we have no armouring on the wrist bone, the palm, or that low-side danger zone. So that’s sad. But , the material itself is good. While most of this glove is textile, Icon has done a reinforced-goatskin palm. Goat leather is more durable than cowhide, so it has a great abrasion resistance.
On the index finger there’s a lens squeegee, and I have plenty of reflective material across the top. So essentially equal with the Klim there.
My 3 and 3/4-inch palm puts me in this large, which fits a little bit snug. People with meatier hands should probably size up. The Patrol closes with a main Velcro tab and a noose around the wrist, just like the Klim. I’d say that the Patrol is just as movable and comfortable as the Element, but the contact sensitivity isn’t as good. Might be the insulation, might be the internal seams. Either way, I have a harder time feeling my bike’s controls through this glove.
Overall, I’d say the Patrol sacrifices two big things. It’s much stuffier and hotter than the Klim … and it’s down on protection. But the Patrol is still an amazing glove, and an amazing value at 100 bucks.
Klim Adventure Gloves
Now, we can go to more of a motocross style with the Klim Adventure Glove. When I’m off-roading, it’s nice to have something like this. Compared to a full armoured gauntlet, it has way better movement, better airflow and it’s much lighter.
We have lots of Poron XRD here – across four knuckles, three fingers and on that common impact zone at the palm. Poron feels a lot like memory foam – super comfortable, great impact absorption and breathable to boot.
The chassis is full leather, and it’s actually quite thick. I wouldn’t worry about going for a slide in these and they also hold up well over time. This is my own pair, which I bought about 12,000 kilometers ago, and they haven’t degraded too much.
Klim says the leather is water-resistant. But with a shorty glove, and these perforations on the wrist and between the fingers, it honestly doesn’t matter. When it starts to rain, I have about 5 minutes before these gloves soak through.
My palm is 9-inches around, which puts me in this size large, and it fits great. I’d say that the Klim Adventure is the most comfortable glove on my list. I can probably thank the stretch fabric and the soft armouring for that. There’s also a smidge of 3M Scotchlite just in front of the knuckle and this KIim logo is Hi-Viz, so that’s nice. Contact feel is awesome, as it usually is with a summer glove. I’ll normally wear these guys down to about 15 degrees.
Fox Racing Bomber and Bomber S Gloves
And finally, the budget alternative to the Klim Adventure. This is Fox Racing’s Bomber Glove and it’s not just in the motocross style. This is actually a motocross glove.
The Bomber is really bomb-proof. Hard plating across the knuckles, hard shields on four fingers, TPU armouring across the fingertips and some impact padding on the low side zone.
That brings us to the palm. If I were dual-sporting, I’d go with this standard version. It’s doubled-up Clarino which is strong enough for hauling a tree off the trail or biffing it on a gravel road. But , if I’m an ADV rider who sees a lot of pavement, I’ll go with the Bomber S Version, which has a doubled-up leather palm.
Fox Racing did their due diligence everywhere else. Lots of neoprene, lots of stretch fabric. Perforated leather on the back of the hand, breathable textile between the fingers. And on the two lever fingers there’s some sticky silicone.
I’d say the Fox Bomber isn’t quite as comfortable as the Klim Adventure. But it looks cooler, it breathes better and – if you get the S version – it’s actually more protective. My hands are 7 and 7/8ths of an inch long, and this size large fits me perfect.
Right now, I can get the regular Bomber for 60 bucks and the Bomber S for 80, so both gloves are quite a bit cheaper than the Klim. I bought the Klim Adventure last year but – if I were to do it again – I’d get the Fox Bomber.