MCN's complete waterproof summer gloves guide | What to look for and which ones are best

What are waterproof summer gloves for?

Even in the height of summer (especially in the UK), you can never fully rule out the possibility of a storm to rain on your parade while you ride. But when you start looking into it, it can be difficult to find cool and breathable motorcycle gloves that also offer waterproofing to protect from this surprisingly common occurrence.

Why are waterproof summer motorcycle gloves important?

If your kit won’t stop water ingress then you’ll start getting uncomfortable pretty quick – few things sap the joy out of riding quite like wet hands. A glove that’s breathable and waterproof can also prove essential in hot and humid climates like the tropics, or the Mediterranean, where you’ll sweat your hands into a sauna in waterproof over-gloves, or drench them in thin summer gloves. Either way, it won’t be long until your water-submerged fingers look like they’ve suddenly aged a few decades over the course of your ride.

What to consider before buying

With the advent of Gore-tex and similar membranes, it’s possible to find gloves that are both breathable, and waterproof at the same time. Gore-tex is the big name here, and we’ve always found it performs incredibly well in our reviews. It comes with a lifetime guarantee, and they require manufacturers to submit a garment for them to test before it goes out on sale. But we also recommend Drystar, H2Out, Hipora, and Dryway, as they’ve all performed well under our testing too.

Although, it’s worth considering that true summer gloves rarely incorporate waterproof membranes — most waterproof gloves are aimed at winter or three-season use, where rain is inevitable. That’s why we’ve trawled through the market so you don’t have to — Here at MCN, we’ve tested several waterproof gloves that still work well in summer too, so let’s dive into our favourites:

The best waterproof summer motorcycle gloves

How MCN tests gloves

Here at MCN, we make it our mission to help you find the right kit for you, at the right price for your budget. We don’t crash test (on purpose), nor lab test; there’s no substitute for just putting in the miles, clutching and braking thousands of times over, to put a pair of gloves through their paces.

In short, we test our gloves the same way you’ll use yours; by riding. And, we make sure to put at least 1000 miles in them before sharing our findings. Our word is backed by hundreds of thousands of miles in the saddle collectively, as well as comparing notes in the office, but our recommendations come from each tester individually.

While testing, we mainly focus on comfort, looks, build quality, protection, value, and of course waterproof performance. When we write up our full reviews, we’ll give each pair of gloves a rating out of five stars in each of these categories, and offer a final verdict too. This page is only for the best waterproof summer riding gloves, so every pair you’ll see has been awarded at least four stars overall – that’s the passing grade – but here’s what each score really means:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A glove with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
• 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A glove with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level, and there is much room for improvement.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A glove with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
• 4 stars – A glove has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A glove with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A glove has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A glove with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

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