All Rights Reserved © 2008 Thomas W. Day
Aerostich Triple Digit Insulated Glove Covers $57.00 (Aerostich photo) If you pick your motorcycle gear by trying it on and looking in the mirror, you will probably pass on the Triple Digit Rain Covers. They look stupid. This product will turn your elegant, well trimmed five digit manipulators into three-fingered cartoon-character paws. This is a product that appeals only to those self-assured, style-ignorant types. Freaks who ride year-around, don't like being defeated by the weather, and don't care what they look like in the process.
Triple Digit Rain Covers saving me from the cold. $47.00 (T Day photo)
My only true complaint about this product is that I found it too late to save a good bit of my 2007 trip to Alaska. So, I need to go back and do some of that ride again. I was set from head to toe and chest to wrist for the trip, but my hand protection plan was a disaster. I carried two sets of "waterproof gloves" to the frozen north; a set of insulated First Gear motorcycle gloves and a pair of REI Goretex-lined skiing gloves. Both of these products failed to keep my hands dry and on several freezing days, my whole body comfort was destroyed because I could not keep my hands warm. It may be that 90% of your body heat is dedicated to keeping your brain and heart warm, but my experience demonstrated that the body doesn't want to let the hands go without a fight. The result of that fight is whole body discomfort.
Triple Digit Rain Covers protecting the back of my hand. (T Day photo)
Late in 2007, a friend and I were exploring the North Shore and stopped in Duluth for his first visit to the RiderWearhouse. I had been looking for a solution to my frozen hand problems and when I tried on the Triple Digit Rain Covers I found it. We both bought a pair and they have been a solution for a variety of cold and wet hand problems. The covers provide flawless rain protection, terrific wind and cold insulation, and the three finger design is absolutely functional, although a little comical. On my 2008 Nova Scotia trip, I was rained on for a dozen days and my hands were well protected. 2,,500 miles of North Dakota's 2009 spring rain and my hands stayed as dry as the rest of my 'stich-covered body. When the weather turned cold last fall, I didn't have to put away my summer gloves until after Thanksgiving. The covers pack small, too, so you can easily carry them in a jacket pocket for wet weather emergencies.
The Triple Digits are laminated ripstop nylon and the design includes an elastic drawcord and a hook and loop wrist cinch to keep the covers in place over your regular riding gloves. You'd think nylon would provide a slippery-when-wet grip on the bars, but the grip is fine. For my troll wrists, the cinch strap is too short to stay in place when I try to sneak my hands into the covers. Aerostich sent me a strip of the hook & loop material to extend the strap. If your hands don't look like hairy hams, you probably won't have this problem. The left thumb has a squeegee for cleaning your visor and you'll want to remember that when you wipe your nose. They come in dark blue and florescent orange and both have a Scotchlite reflective stripe to attract attention in traffic. They're available in M-XL sizes. Aerostich also makes an insulated version of the Glove Covers that adds even more protection from the cold, wet world we live in.
POSTSCRIPT: So, I’ve had my Triple Digits for seven years and they are still exactly as useful as they were in 2008. They extend (downwardly) the temperatures I can comfortably ride and even add a little to my visibility. I wouldn’t go any serious distance without these gloves in my tankbag.
5 comments:
I'll second the recommendation for the triple digit gloves. I've tried every "waterproof" glove that I can find and they all eventually fail. The only other gloves that worked were rubber chemical handling gloves. They never leaked but are so stiff that you cannot properly operate the hand controls (safety fail).
The only issue is that if you wear them on the outside of the sleeve and let your hands hang down when you stop at a light, water will run down the sleeves and get inside the rain gloves. If you keep your hands up on the bars, this isn't a problem. Aerostich does sell a version of these gloves with a less bulky gauntlet that is intended to be worn inside the sleeves and they don't have this problem but you have to put the glove covers on before you put on your jacket. It's pretty awkward putting the rest of your gear on with the triple digit gloves on.
I guess that I prefer the large gauntlet version. It's nice to be able to take off your gloves when stopping for gas without taking off your jacket when you get ready to leave.
I love these. I have the non-insulated ones and they do keep me gloves and hand dry. In addition, they allow me to continue using my regular gloves well into winter.
I threw mine away. They sure are waterproof, so much so the rain runs down the sleeves and fills the overglove. You can't put them on under your jacket sleeve unless you travel with a valet to dress you and even being lazy and running the overgloves over your jacket sleeve entails some ingenious finger work to get the second glove on. I prefer handlebar muffs.
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Such a nice blog. Thanks for sharing these ideas with us. People - especially the outdoor-loving sort, are increasingly demanding sustainability and accountability. Demand for used gear is on the rise as people take more and more pride in finding a new life for gear rather than ponying up top dollar for something fresh off a factory line. Geartrade is a trusted shop for buying & selling gears for men & women.
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