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100% Waterproof Gloves Fail

W

wilson

New member
Joined
Feb 24, 2004
Location
El Cerrito
Moto(s)
Japanese Sport bikes
So I got stuck in a commute in rain, with an older pair of tourmaster coldfront gloves, soaked through on a 50 minute commute in heavy rain. So I go and get myself the latest and greatest, Frank Thomas glove, the tag said it was 100% waterproof. Got caught in Fridays commute and bam....after about 35 minutes the rain got through.............wtf??? What's waterproof mean these days?? I liked the Frank Thomas gloves because they were not as bulky as the tourmaster ones, though the new coldfront gloves with the carbon knuckle, look sleaker, the older style felt like I was wearing punching gloves. Anyways, did a search on BARF but did find exactly what I was looking for. Want a 100% waterproof glove, medium weight, which means medium warmth, good grip and control feel.........but most important 100% water proof, and a really good bonus would be a removable liner, because we all know if the glove is insulated, your hands sweat and after time the glove stinks.........I was looking at the Alpinestar jet road glove...........anyone can comment on this glove regarding the above mentioned criteria???
 
I have the Jet Roads. I've worn them in the rain; but, never more than 1/2 an hour at a time. They're warm and dry.

Now the downsides:

The fit small; but, are bulky. I wear a medium in just about every glove I've ever had and a medium in these is a bit tight.

They don't fit over the cuffs of a jacket very well. That and the "straps," or whatever you call them to close the ends aren't quite long enough. They barely make it back around to the velcro.

I'd say they're decent. I'm not sorry I bought them, they just aren't perfect.
 
I've got some Tourmaster winter gloves, circa $60 and I've never been wet in them, even with all the Oregon winters I've ridden in.

YMMV.

What about some 3M waterproofing stuff to your existing gloves?
 
Even the 110$ Goretex Alpinestars that I use failed after 30 minutes. The seams aren't quite sealed properly, I think. Shitty.

The best solution I've found (and I mean REAL SOLUTION) is the Aerostich Rain Covers. They work awesome and I'm always dry in them. Need to get used to the 3-digit configuration but it's not that bad. And they're cheap & compact so you can carry them all the time.
 
I've "tested" my coldfront carbons riding in some heavy rain a few days ago from berkeley to walnut creek back to sf. Although I wore a inner liner and gloves, it eventually soaked through. Thing is, my hands weren't exactly "wet." I mean, they won't be perfectly dry but its def. good enough.
 
Why don't you occasionally coat your gloves with some waterproofing spray? I bought a insulated freezer suit for an old job and I just opened up the garage and hung it on a coat hanger out there while I coated it. I would sometimes wear it on the bike in the cold but not totally rainy months and it held up in short rains fine. My tour master insulated rain suit worked great year round. I also have some tour master gloves and I would just respray them with water proofing spray occasionally. Now they werent totally impervious to rain but the water proofing spray does help them last longer then usual.
 
the phrase "100% waterproof" should have warned you. anyone claiming this on any clothing is scamming you. it just never works.
 
My gloves are gauntlet style and wear them over the sleeve. Rain water slowly drips down inside the gloves.
 
kevo said:
My gloves are gauntlet style and wear them over the sleeve. Rain water slowly drips down inside the gloves.
Click to expand...

When I am wearing my raingear, I put the sleeves of the rain jacket OVER the gauntlets of the gloves to keep that from happening. Works great.
 
pvd said:
the phrase "100% waterproof" should have warned you. anyone claiming this on any clothing is scamming you. it just never works.
Click to expand...

I would disagree. Many outdoor manufacturers have made 100% waterproof clothing for quite some time. The only real problem is making it breathable enough that body vapor can can escape without condensing on the inside of the waterproof clothing. On a high humidity day it becomes basically impossible to wick this vapor away from the skin to the outside air.

The problem you are likely running in to is that motorcycle gloves are designed by manufacturers that are not well versed in proper waterproof design (good tape/seam sealing), as their manufacturing processes and research are more geared towards abrasion resistance and protection.
 
The only thing that is 100% waterproof is the PVC rain suits. And those things do not breathe!

Other stuff breathes, but they are treated. After a lot of water exposure, you need to retreat it. I have some Alpinestars Drystar gloves, and I love them! Been using them all winter. Last week they started soaking thru after 20 minute rides in the rain. I dried them out and reapplied scotch guard. Soaked them in three applications, allowing them to dry between applications.

Blam! Good as new! :thumbup

It is possible that even new gloves are not treated well. So it is probably a good idea to reapply the treatment before using.

Ride Safe...

:loco Mark :loco
 
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Where in SF (preferably SOMA or nearby) would you find a can of Scotchgard spray?

My DryStars started getting soaked during last week's torrential downpours too.
 
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kevo said:
My gloves are gauntlet style and wear them over the sleeve. Rain water slowly drips down inside the gloves.
Click to expand...



You are supposed to wear the gloves UNDER your jacket sleeve. even the gauntlets. water will always drip down your sleeve and into the glove unless you wear them underneath. I found out while commuting to Marin.....some heavy winter conditions. I have the Alpinestars Dry Star gloves.......third winter with them......they soak through only when I am doing the funeral stuff. They kept me warm and dry on my ride to Placerville last Christmas.......


remember......under the cuff!!!
 
michaeln said:
Where in SF (preferably SOMA or nearby) would you find a can of Scotchgard spray?

My DryStars started getting soaked during last week's torrential downpours too.
Click to expand...



Almost any Wallgreens.....Market @ ninth

All hardware stores.....plenty in SOMA.
 
So it seems, no brand of glove out there is completely waterproof....My jacket and pants, which claim waterproof made it through with no problem............why can't my gloves.........I may look into quality ski gloves or something like that, I know patagonia products work good, like their storm jackets, way superior to North Face.......will keep you dry in a downpour, not like the NF which eventually seep throught eventhough they have tapped seams and all..............man this sucks, I was hoping there would be a brand............
 
the high end outdoor jackets aren't differentiated by their waterproofness. They almost all use Goretex XCR tape sealed, you HAVE to pass certain stringent tests to even use Gore fabric. The differences mainly lie in construction and design. and price.
 
I just told you that Aerostich Rain Covers are totally waterproof, did you not read my post?
 
I just told you that Aerostich Rain Covers are totally waterproof, did you not read my post?

Aerostich Triple Digit Raincovers

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