A couple of months ago, we got a very nice email asking us if we’d be willing to do a review on a pair of MacWet Sports Gloves. In full disclosure, we had never heard of them prior to then. With a little due diligence we were impressed with what we saw; an all-weather glove used by many athletes both in and outside of watersports, including equestrians, golfers, biking, professional shooters and hunters, and outdoors men. In fact, MacWet is a popular choice in 35 various sports.
Impressed, we sent our reply back that yes, we’d be interested in giving these a try. Within a couple of hours, an email appeared in our inbox, “Great! Now we need you to measure your hand. Please follow our sizing chart.” Our first thought was that these guys took gloves pretty seriously.
The MacWet Sports Gloves are deceiving in their simple design. Free of bulky faux leather padding or rubberized traction points. Rather, the Aquatec is both impressively grippy and naturally breathable, wicking water than any other glove we’ve tested before.
It didn’t take long before a package arrived with our all-black with gold-embroidered MacWet gloves arrived. Looking like a designer glove, the MacWet gloves are beautifully crafted – like something that you really shouldn’t get wet.
What was conspicuously absent from these gloves were the heavy padding, rubberized ribbing or other gimmicky traction-enhancing doodads found on so many other brands. In fact, these feature zero drain holes either. How exactly would these work, we wondered.
As it would turn out, exceptionally well.
MacWet advertises their Sports Gloves as a “second skin” and they’re not lying. The MacWet gloves fit precisely and comfortably. There’s zero bunching or binding, as well as being deceptively breathable. The unique Aquatec material isn’t thick like neoprene or synthetic leather used by other major manufacturers.
Rather, Aquatec wicks water almost immediately; you can literally watch as moisture travels and evaporates off of the surface. While riding at speed, the gloves remained dry and surprisingly warm given the windchill and their minimal thickness. Although not all MacWet gloves have it, the available Climatec – fleece-lined, water resistant option – was definitely the way to go.
All in all, we were wildly impressed with the MacWet Sports Gloves. No other glove we’ve used while riding has provided a better, more natural feel or grip – be them wet or dry. Again, these aren’t the big, padded gloves you might be used to, so such an uninsulated feel might require some getting used to. But if you’re a recreational rider looking for improved comfort and warmth, or a racer looking for better control and grip, we have to admit, the MacWet Sports Gloves are our current favorite.
Unsurprisingly, the MacWet Sports Gloves (including the Climatec all-weather option) are reasonably priced for such a top-of-the-line product, at $49.95.
