Apex & Armor

Best Adventure & Touring Motorcycle Gloves

A long day changes weather at least once, and no single glove covers all of it. Ranked on what the maker actually publishes — a CE EN 13594 rating, a named waterproof membrane, and a cuff that matches your jacket.

By Stephen V.Last updated How we research

An adventure or touring glove has a harder brief than any other glove in your kit, and it is worth saying why before we rank anything. A summer glove only has to be cool. A winter glove only has to be warm. A touring glove has to survive a day that starts at dawn in the wet, runs through five hours of sun, and finishes on a cold pass at altitude — while still letting you work a clutch, a GPS and a fuel cap. No glove does all of that, which is why the honest version of this page ranks two different answers and tells you which trip each one is for.

The ranking runs on three published facts, in this order. Does the maker publish a CE EN 13594 rating for this exact model? Most do not, and in this category that gap is the single most useful filter you have. Is the waterproofing a named, warranted membrane — GORE-TEX, Drystar, Aqua-barrier — or an unnamed “waterproof” adjective on a listing? And does the cuff go over or under your jacket sleeve? That last one sounds trivial until you buy a gauntlet for a jacket with a storm cuff and find you cannot close either of them.

Every certification, membrane and construction detail below was read on 10 September 2026— from the maker’s own product page for the three KLIM gloves and the Alpinestars Andes V3, and from the maker’s published specification sheet as carried by an authoritative retailer for the Alpinestars SMX-Z Drystar and the Tourmaster, whose own product URLs both returned 404 that day. We own none of these gloves, we run no abrasion lab, and nothing here is a test result of ours — our methodology page sets out exactly what that means.

How this is funded: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which gear we recommend, and we’ll tell you plainly when to skip a pick. Full disclosure.

Quick picks

Ranked on certification, spec and buyer fit. Select a row to jump to the full write-up. We haven’t crash-tested this gear — here is exactly what we do instead.

#GearBest forPrice
1
Alpinestars SMX-Z Drystar

Alpinestars SMX-Z Drystar

CE EN 13594:2015 Level 1 KP

The cheapest glove we found that publishes both halves of the job: a CE EN 13594 2015 Level 1 KP certification and a named waterproof membrane. Full-grain goat leather at the palm and impact zones, a nylon hard knuckle, a hook-and-loop wrist closure and touchscreen index and thumb. For all-day mixed-weather touring this is the sane default, and Alpinestars' own more expensive adventure glove cannot match it on paper.

Best overall
$109.00 · View on Amazon

Price as of September 22, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

2
KLIM Badlands GTX Long Glove

KLIM Badlands GTX Long Glove

CE EN 13594 Level 1 KP

The one glove here built for the day that starts at 40 degrees in the rain and does not improve. GORE-TEX with GORE Grip Technology, 60 grams of 3M Thinsulate on the backhand only, a polycarbonate knuckle guard over XRD foam, and a published CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594. KLIM puts the certification in the product name; almost nobody else does.

Best for cold and wet
$269.74 · View on Amazon

Price as of September 22, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

3
KLIM Adventure GTX Short Glove

KLIM Adventure GTX Short Glove

CE EN 13594:2015 KP Level 1

The same GORE-TEX and the same published certification as the Badlands gauntlet, in a glove KLIM describes as a short design for under-cuff use, and with no insulation. If your adventure jacket has a tight storm cuff, or you ride wet-but-not-cold, this is the more useful of the two KLIM waterproof gloves here and it costs less.

Best short-cuff waterproof
$199.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of September 22, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

4
KLIM Baja S4 Glove

KLIM Baja S4 Glove

The hot-weather adventure glove in KLIM's line: perforated goat leather palm and fingers, a KARBONITE micromesh backhand, a TPU vented knuckle and perforated XRD pads at the thumb, palm base and wrist. Read the certification line carefully, though. KLIM publishes it as a pending CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594 — pending is not certified, and we are not going to round it up.

Best for heat and dust
$99.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of September 22, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

5
Alpinestars Andes V3 Drystar Glove

Alpinestars Andes V3 Drystar Glove

The only glove here whose maker publishes actual waterproofing numbers — Alpinestars states 5000 mm of waterproof protection and 5000 g per square meter of breathability for the Drystar membrane — on a goat leather and textile shell with viscoelastic knuckle armor, reflective panels and touchscreen fingertips. The catch is what is missing: Alpinestars publishes no CE EN 13594 rating for it at all, while publishing one for its own cheaper SMX-Z Drystar.

Most membrane data published
$169.95 · View on Amazon

Price as of September 22, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

6
Tourmaster Super-Tour Waterproof Adventure

Tourmaster Super-Tour Waterproof Adventure

The budget entry to a category where the budget entry is usually junk. Genuine goat leather backhand, palm and overlays, an Aqua-barrier waterproof breathable membrane, a 3D molded knuckle protector, SuperFabric overlays on the knuckle, fingers and heel, and a waterproof zippered cuff gusset — for a fraction of the Badlands price. No CE rating is published for it, which is the honest reason it is not ranked higher.

Best budget
$64.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of September 22, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

The picks in full

#1Best overallCE EN 13594:2015 Level 1 KP

Alpinestars SMX-Z Drystar

The cheapest glove we found that publishes both halves of the job: a CE EN 13594 2015 Level 1 KP certification and a named waterproof membrane. Full-grain goat leather at the palm and impact zones, a nylon hard knuckle, a hook-and-loop wrist closure and touchscreen index and thumb. For all-day mixed-weather touring this is the sane default, and Alpinestars' own more expensive adventure glove cannot match it on paper.

Strengths

  • CE EN 13594 2015, Level 1 KP — a published rating on a waterproof glove, which is genuinely rare
  • Drystar membrane rather than an unnamed waterproof claim, with full-grain goat leather at the palm and impact zones
  • Short hook-and-loop wrist closure sits under a jacket cuff, and the index finger and thumb work a touchscreen

Trade-offs

  • Level 1 KP, not Level 2 — this is a road and touring glove, not a track gauntlet
  • The wrist closure covers less of the joint than a gauntlet, so it is the weaker choice in heavy weather
  • No insulation at all: waterproof is not the same as warm, and in real cold this needs a liner or a heated glove
Safety standardCE EN 13594:2015 Level 1 KP
ConstructionFull-grain goat leather palm and impact zones, suede side-hand reinforcement, Drystar membrane
Key featureCE Level 1 KP + Drystar waterproof membrane
Fit / sizingSM-3XL; short hook-and-loop wrist closure; touchscreen index and thumb
Best forTouring and adventure riders who want a certified waterproof glove without paying flagship money

Specs and certification read from the manufacturer and retailer listing, on September 10, 2026. “Check current listing” means the maker doesn’t publish that figure — we won’t guess it.

#2Best for cold and wetCE EN 13594 Level 1 KP

KLIM Badlands GTX Long Glove

The one glove here built for the day that starts at 40 degrees in the rain and does not improve. GORE-TEX with GORE Grip Technology, 60 grams of 3M Thinsulate on the backhand only, a polycarbonate knuckle guard over XRD foam, and a published CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594. KLIM puts the certification in the product name; almost nobody else does.

Strengths

  • CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594, published by KLIM on the product page itself
  • GORE-TEX + GORE Grip Technology, with the membrane laminated so it does not shift inside a soaked glove
  • 60 g 3M Thinsulate on the backhand only, which keeps the palm thin enough to still feel the levers

Trade-offs

  • By far the most expensive glove on this page, and the gap is not small
  • Insulated, so it is genuinely too warm for summer touring — a second pair rather than the only pair
  • The long gauntlet has to go over a jacket cuff, which some adventure jackets are not cut for
Safety standardCE EN 13594 Level 1 KP
ConstructionGoat leather with GORE-TEX + GORE Grip, polycarbonate knuckle guard over XRD foam
Key featureGORE-TEX + 60 g Thinsulate, CE Level 1 KP
Fit / sizingSM-3X; long gauntlet worn over the jacket cuff; MULT-E-TOUCH touchscreen
Best forCold, wet, long-distance adventure and touring days where staying dry decides whether you keep going

Specs and certification read from the manufacturer and retailer listing, on September 10, 2026. “Check current listing” means the maker doesn’t publish that figure — we won’t guess it.

#3Best short-cuff waterproofCE EN 13594:2015 KP Level 1

KLIM Adventure GTX Short Glove

The same GORE-TEX and the same published certification as the Badlands gauntlet, in a glove KLIM describes as a short design for under-cuff use, and with no insulation. If your adventure jacket has a tight storm cuff, or you ride wet-but-not-cold, this is the more useful of the two KLIM waterproof gloves here and it costs less.

Strengths

  • CE certified to EN13594:2015, KP Level 1 — published by KLIM in the same field as the Badlands
  • GORE-TEX + GORE GRIP with the membrane laminated to the outside, so the glove stays thin
  • Carbon fiber knuckle protector over a PORON XRD palm, plus 3D silicone finger pads

Trade-offs

  • No insulation, so it is waterproof rather than warm — in real cold this needs a liner
  • A short cuff leaves more of the wrist exposed than the gauntlet version
  • Still a premium price for a glove with no thermal layer
Safety standardCE EN 13594:2015 KP Level 1
ConstructionGoat leather and stretch woven shell with GORE-TEX + GORE GRIP, carbon fiber knuckle
Key featureGORE-TEX short cuff, CE KP Level 1
Fit / sizingSM-3X; short design for under-cuff use; MULT-E-TOUCH touchscreen
Best forWet-weather adventure riding where the jacket cuff seals over the glove rather than under it

Specs and certification read from the manufacturer and retailer listing, on September 10, 2026. “Check current listing” means the maker doesn’t publish that figure — we won’t guess it.

#4Best for heat and dust

KLIM Baja S4 Glove

The hot-weather adventure glove in KLIM's line: perforated goat leather palm and fingers, a KARBONITE micromesh backhand, a TPU vented knuckle and perforated XRD pads at the thumb, palm base and wrist. Read the certification line carefully, though. KLIM publishes it as a pending CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594 — pending is not certified, and we are not going to round it up.

Strengths

  • Perforated goat leather palm and 3D mesh backhand — mapped airflow rather than one token mesh panel
  • TPU vented knuckle plus perforated 3 mm XRD thumb and palm-base pads and a 5 mm XRD wrist pad
  • Current-generation KLIM adventure glove at roughly a third of the Badlands price

Trade-offs

  • KLIM lists the EN 13594 rating as PENDING, not granted — treat it as uncertified until that word disappears
  • No waterproofing of any kind: this is the glove you take off when the rain starts
  • A mesh backhand is a mesh backhand — less abrasion material than the leather gloves here
Safety standardCheck current listing
ConstructionPerforated goat leather palm, KARBONITE micromesh 500D stretch nylon backhand, TPU vented knuckle
Key featureVented mesh ADV glove; EN 13594 rating listed as pending
Fit / sizingSM-3X; short cuff with VELCRO closure; MULT-E-TOUCH touchscreen
Best forHot, dry, dusty adventure riding where airflow matters more than waterproofing

Specs and certification read from the manufacturer and retailer listing, on September 10, 2026. “Check current listing” means the maker doesn’t publish that figure — we won’t guess it.

#5Most membrane data published

Alpinestars Andes V3 Drystar Glove

The only glove here whose maker publishes actual waterproofing numbers — Alpinestars states 5000 mm of waterproof protection and 5000 g per square meter of breathability for the Drystar membrane — on a goat leather and textile shell with viscoelastic knuckle armor, reflective panels and touchscreen fingertips. The catch is what is missing: Alpinestars publishes no CE EN 13594 rating for it at all, while publishing one for its own cheaper SMX-Z Drystar.

Strengths

  • Alpinestars publishes real membrane numbers: 5000 mm waterproof, 5000 g per square meter breathability
  • Goat leather and textile construction with viscoelastic knuckle armor and reflective panels
  • Touchscreen-compatible fingertips, which matters more on a GPS-equipped touring bike than it sounds

Trade-offs

  • No CE EN 13594 rating published by Alpinestars for this model — its cheaper SMX-Z Drystar does publish one
  • Viscoelastic knuckle armor rather than a hard shell, so less to skate on in a slide
  • Costs meaningfully more than the certified SMX-Z Drystar for a glove with less published safety data
Safety standardCheck current listing
ConstructionGoat leather and textile with Drystar membrane, viscoelastic knuckle armor
Key featureDrystar 5000 mm / 5000 g per square meter (maker-published)
Fit / sizingS-3XL; touchscreen fingertips; reflective panels
Best forTouring riders who want published membrane figures and reflective panels, and who accept an uncertified glove

Specs and certification read from the manufacturer and retailer listing, on September 10, 2026. “Check current listing” means the maker doesn’t publish that figure — we won’t guess it.

#6Best budget

Tourmaster Super-Tour Waterproof Adventure

The budget entry to a category where the budget entry is usually junk. Genuine goat leather backhand, palm and overlays, an Aqua-barrier waterproof breathable membrane, a 3D molded knuckle protector, SuperFabric overlays on the knuckle, fingers and heel, and a waterproof zippered cuff gusset — for a fraction of the Badlands price. No CE rating is published for it, which is the honest reason it is not ranked higher.

Strengths

  • Aqua-barrier waterproof breathable membrane and a waterproof zippered cuff gusset, not a water-resistant coating
  • SuperFabric overlays on the knuckle, fingers and heel — the abrasion panels sit where a hand actually lands
  • Genuine goat leather backhand, palm and overlays at a price where synthetic is the norm

Trade-offs

  • No CE EN 13594 rating published anywhere we could find — judge it on construction, not on a certificate
  • A 3D molded knuckle protector is softer than the polycarbonate and carbon shells on the KLIM gloves
  • Uninsulated, and the leather will need feeding if you ride it wet often
Safety standardCheck current listing
ConstructionGenuine goat leather with Aqua-barrier membrane and SuperFabric overlays
Key featureAqua-barrier membrane + SuperFabric overlays
Fit / sizingS-3XL; dual hook-and-loop wrist closure with waterproof zippered cuff gusset; touchscreen index and thumb
Best forRiders who need a waterproof adventure glove now and cannot justify triple the money

Specs and certification read from the manufacturer and retailer listing, on September 10, 2026. “Check current listing” means the maker doesn’t publish that figure — we won’t guess it.

The certification is your shortlist, and it is a short one

EN 13594 is the European standard for motorcycle gloves. It measures abrasion resistance, cut resistance, tear and seam strength, and it rates a glove Level 1 or the tougher Level 2. Separately, a glove can carry a KPmarking, which means the knuckle protector was assessed against the standard’s impact requirement rather than simply being present. Our guide to choosing motorcycle gloves works through the whole standard properly.

Two things about it matter for adventure gloves specifically. The first is that EN 13594 is not a US requirement, so a glove sold here can be excellent and publish nothing at all. A missing rating means the maker has not published one — not that the glove failed. The second is that the makers who do publish are not evenly distributed: they cluster hard at the premium end of this category, and the gloves below are ranked partly on that because a published number is the only thing on a spec sheet that somebody outside the marketing department measured.

Here is what each glove on this page actually publishes, quoted rather than summarized.

GlovePublished EN 13594 ratingWaterproofingInsulatedKnuckleCuff
Alpinestars SMX-Z Drystar“CE EN 13594 2015, Level 1 KP”Drystar membraneNoNylon hard knuckleShort, hook-and-loop
KLIM Badlands GTX Long“CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594”GORE-TEX + GORE GripYes — 60 g Thinsulate, backhand onlyPolycarbonate over XRD foamLong gauntlet
KLIM Adventure GTX Short“CE CERTIFIED TO EN13594:2015, KP LEVEL 1”GORE-TEX + GORE GRIPNoCarbon fiber over PORON XRD palmShort, under-cuff
KLIM Baja S4“Pending CE Level 1 KP rating” — pendingNoneNoTPU vented knuckleShort, hook-and-loop
Alpinestars Andes V3 DrystarNone publishedDrystar, 5000 mm / 5000 gNoViscoelastic armorShort
Tourmaster Super-Tour WPNone publishedAqua-barrier membraneNo3D molded protectorShort + zippered gusset

Two findings you will not see on a retailer’s comparison page

First: on Alpinestars’ own shelf, the certification runs backwards against the price. The SMX-Z Drystar publishes “CE EN 13594 2015, Level 1 KP”. The Andes V3 Drystar, which is the better-known adventure glove and costs substantially more, publishes no EN 13594 rating anywhere on its product page — what it publishes instead is membrane performance, at 5000 mm of waterproofing and 5000 g/m² of breathability. Both are real data. They are just not the same kind of data, and paying more here buys you the membrane figure and loses you the safety certificate. That is a genuinely odd result and it is the reason the cheaper glove is ranked first.

Second: KLIM will tell you when a certification has not arrived yet. The Badlands GTX Long carries “CE Certified” in the product name itself. The Adventure GTX Short reads “CE CERTIFIED TO EN13594:2015, KP LEVEL 1”. And the Baja S4, in the same field on the same site, reads “Pending CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594”. One word apart, entirely different claim. Almost nobody in this market publishes the pending state at all — they simply say nothing until the certificate lands, or they say “CE” and let you assume. We have taken KLIM at its word and recorded the Baja S4 as uncertified until that word disappears, which is why it sits fourth rather than higher.

Waterproof or vented: you are picking the trip, not the glove

This is the fork that decides your purchase, and no amount of marketing copy resolves it, because a membrane and real airflow are physically opposed. A waterproof glove works by putting a continuous film between your hand and the weather. Perforated leather works by putting holes in exactly the same place. You cannot have both in one glove, and any glove claiming both is doing one of them badly.

If most of your riding is wet, cold or unpredictable — Pacific Northwest, spring in the mountains, anything involving a schedule you have to keep — buy the membrane. The SMX-Z Drystar is the value answer, the Adventure GTX Short is the premium uninsulated one, and the Badlands GTX Long is the one for genuine cold as well as wet.

If most of your riding is hot and dry— desert, summer touring, dual-sport days where you are working the bike — buy the vented glove and carry a cheap waterproof overglove for the two hours a month it rains. The Baja S4 is built for exactly this, with perforated goat leather at the palm and a mesh backhand. So is the KLIM Induction, which is not ranked here only because it is a street-focused glove rather than an adventure one, but which does hold the very certification the Baja S4 lists as pending.

The riders who get this wrong are usually the ones who buy one expensive waterproof glove and then sweat in it for nine months. Two mid-price gloves beat one flagship on almost any touring calendar, and our rain gear guide covers the overglove-versus-membrane trade in more detail.

Cuff length is decided by your jacket, not by you

Every glove on this page is short-cuff except the Badlands GTX Long, and that is not an accident — adventure jackets tend to have adjustable storm cuffs designed to seal over a glove. If yours does, a gauntlet fights it: you end up with the gauntlet inside the sleeve (pointless) or the sleeve rucked up over the gauntlet (cold, and a water channel straight down your forearm). KLIM is explicit about which is which, describing the Adventure GTX Short as a “short design for under-cuff use”.

The gauntlet still wins in two cases. One is genuine rain, where a long cuff over the sleeve is the only arrangement that does not funnel water into the glove. The other is cold, where the wrist is a major heat-loss path and covering it is worth real degrees. If your riding includes both, that is the argument for the Badlands and against everything else here. Our gauntlet versus short-cuff comparison works through the protection side of the same decision.

What the touchscreen finger is actually for

Every glove on this page is touchscreen-compatible, and on an adventure or touring bike this is closer to a safety feature than a convenience one. You are running a phone or a GPS, you are re-routing at junctions, and the alternative to a working fingertip is taking a glove off at the roadside — which in the rain means putting a wet glove back on, and in the cold means losing ten minutes of hand warmth you will not get back.

The implementations differ more than the spec line suggests. KLIM’s MULT-E-TOUCH covers multiple digits and, on the Induction and Adventure GTX Short, adds what KLIM calls precision pads. Alpinestars specifies the index finger and thumb on the SMX-Z and full fingertips on the Andes V3. Tourmaster specifies the index finger and thumb. If you navigate a lot, that is a real difference between these gloves and worth reading before you buy.

Sizing an adventure glove

Gloves are sized on hand circumference measured around the knuckles, excluding the thumb, and every maker here publishes a chart. Two things go wrong specifically in this category. The first is buying a waterproof glove in your summer glove size: a membrane and a liner take up volume, so a glove that fits perfectly in leather can be tight enough in GORE-TEX to cut circulation, which makes your hands colder rather than warmer. The second is sizing up so a liner will fit underneath, which leaves the knuckle protector floating somewhere other than over your knuckles.

Measure, buy the size the maker’s own chart gives you, and if you need more warmth add it with a heated grip or a heated gloverather than with a liner inside a glove that was not designed for one. All six gloves here run at least S/SM through 3X, so there is no size-availability excuse in this category — unlike the strap-on armor we ranked on the elbow guard page, where two-size ranges are common.

Where these fit in the rest of your adventure kit

Gloves are the piece riders most often leave until last, and on a touring bike that is backwards — your hands are on the controls for every minute of the trip, and cold or soaked hands degrade your inputs long before they become a comfort problem. If you are assembling adventure kit from scratch, the jacket comes first, and our adventure and touring jacket roundup is the direct sibling of this page. Boots come next, because they are the piece that has to work both on the pegs and off the bike — see the best adventure and touring boots. The helmet decision is its own thing entirely, and dual-sport and adventure helmets covers the peak-and-visor trade properly.

For a longer trip, our touring gear checklist is the page to work through before you leave, and it is the place the two-glove strategy above actually pays off: a vented pair on your hands and a waterproof pair in the top box weighs almost nothing and removes the single most common reason riders cut a day short.

What we did not rank, and why

  • REV’IT! Sand 4.A genuinely certified adventure glove — REV’IT! publishes “CE certified to EN 13594:2015 Level 1 Knuckle Protection” — and it would otherwise have made this list. On the day we checked, the retailer we link to listed it only in 3XL and 4XL. Under our availability rule we do not rank a product most readers cannot buy in their size, so it is named here instead.
  • Heated gloves. A different product solving a different problem, with their own page at best heated motorcycle gloves. Worth knowing before you compare: not one heated glove we have found publishes an EN 13594 rating, so the trade against a certified waterproof glove is real and not just about price.
  • Winter and summer gloves generally.If your riding is genuinely seasonal rather than all-day-variable, the season-specific pages are the better fit — winter gloves add insulation this page mostly does not, and summer gloves go further on airflow than any adventure glove will.
  • Gloves claiming “CE” with no standard named. The budget end of this category is full of listings that say CE without naming EN 13594, a level, or a year. Because two gloves here publish the full string and two others honestly publish nothing, there was no reason to include a claim we could not trace to a specification.

Before you buy

Four checks, in order. First, decide waterproof or vented before you compare anything, because the two are not competing for the same rider and the price order will otherwise choose for you. Second, look at your jacket cuff and buy the cuff length that works with it rather than against it. Third, read the certification line literally— “CE certified to EN13594:2015, KP Level 1” and “pending CE Level 1 KP rating” are different sentences and you should treat them differently. Fourth, measure your hand and use the maker’s own chart, allowing for the fact that a membrane takes up room a summer glove does not.

And if these are the first proper gloves you are buying rather than a second pair, start with our best motorcycle gloves roundup, which covers the all-round picks that handle most of the year without asking you to own two pairs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an adventure glove and a normal touring glove?

Less than the marketing suggests, and the useful distinction is construction rather than category. An adventure glove usually assumes some off-road riding, so it favors a shorter cuff that works under a storm-cuffed jacket, more airflow, and a knuckle protector sized for a get-off rather than a slide. A touring glove assumes tarmac and long hours, so it favors a membrane, a longer cuff and comfort over ventilation. In practice the two overlap almost completely, which is why the gloves on this page cover both and why the real decision is waterproof versus vented, not adventure versus touring.

Do adventure motorcycle gloves have a CE rating?

Some do, and in this category the ones that do are worth seeking out. EN 13594 is the European glove standard, rating gloves Level 1 or the tougher Level 2, with a KP marking where the knuckle protector was separately assessed. It is not a US requirement, so many gloves sold here publish nothing. Of the six gloves on this page, three publish a full rating: the Alpinestars SMX-Z Drystar at CE EN 13594 2015 Level 1 KP, the KLIM Badlands GTX Long at CE Level 1 KP certified to EN 13594, and the KLIM Adventure GTX Short at CE certified to EN13594:2015, KP Level 1. Two publish nothing, and one — the KLIM Baja S4 — publishes that its rating is pending.

What does a pending CE rating mean on a glove?

It means the maker has submitted the glove for certification but does not yet have the certificate, and it is a claim almost nobody in this market makes out loud. KLIM publishes the Baja S4's rating as 'Pending CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594'. We treat that as uncertified, because pending is not certified and a rating that has not been granted cannot be relied on. It is not a criticism of KLIM — publishing the pending state is more honest than most of the category, which either says nothing or writes 'CE' and lets you assume. If you are buying that glove, judge it on its construction and check whether the wording has changed by the time you order.

Are GORE-TEX gloves worth the money over a cheaper waterproof glove?

It depends how often you actually ride in sustained rain. What GORE-TEX adds over a cheaper membrane is a warranty-backed waterproof claim and, in the KLIM gloves here, GORE Grip Technology, which laminates the membrane so it does not shift inside the glove when everything is soaked — the failure mode that makes a wet cheap glove feel like it is full of loose plastic. If you commute or tour through real weather several times a month, that is worth paying for. If you get caught out twice a year, a membrane glove at a third of the price plus a pair of waterproof overgloves does the same job for less money.

Should adventure gloves be short-cuff or gauntlet?

Look at your jacket before you decide. Most adventure jackets have adjustable storm cuffs designed to seal over a glove, and a gauntlet fights that — you either tuck it inside the sleeve, which defeats it, or ruck the sleeve over it, which channels water down your forearm. KLIM builds for this explicitly, describing the Adventure GTX Short as a short design for under-cuff use. The gauntlet wins in two situations: sustained rain, where a long cuff over the sleeve is the only arrangement that keeps water out, and real cold, where covering the wrist is worth measurable warmth. If your riding includes both, the gauntlet is the right buy.

Do I need a waterproof glove and a vented glove, or can one do both?

One glove cannot do both, because they work in physically opposite ways. A waterproof glove puts a continuous membrane between your hand and the weather; a vented glove puts perforations in the same place. Any glove claiming both is compromising one of them. The practical answer for a touring rider is two mid-price pairs rather than one flagship: a vented pair for the bulk of the riding and a membrane pair in the luggage, which together weigh almost nothing and cover a far wider range than the single most expensive glove on this page.

Why is the cheaper Alpinestars glove ranked above the more expensive one?

Because it publishes more of what matters. The SMX-Z Drystar publishes a CE EN 13594 2015 Level 1 KP certification alongside its Drystar membrane. The Andes V3 Drystar, which costs meaningfully more and is the better-known adventure glove of the two, publishes no EN 13594 rating at all — what it publishes instead is membrane performance, at 5000 mm waterproofing and 5000 g/m2 breathability, which no other glove here quantifies. Both are real data and the Andes is a good glove. But on a page ranked by published safety certification first, a certified glove at a lower price is the buyer-first answer, and we say so rather than ranking by price.

How much do adventure and touring motorcycle gloves cost?

They span a very wide band, from the Tourmaster at the entry end up to the GORE-TEX KLIM gloves at three or four times that, and prices move constantly with size and color availability. We do not print a number into this answer — the price on each card above is pulled live from the retailer and time-stamped, which is the only figure worth trusting on a page you might be reading months after it was written. As a rule of thumb, the certification and the named membrane are what the money buys in this category; the badge is not.

Sources

  • Alpinestars — SMX-Z Drystar Glove (published spec sheet via RevZilla) — Alpinestars' published SMX-Z Drystar spec sheet: "CE EN 13594 2015, Level 1 KP safety certification", "Waterproof Drystar performance technology membrane for breathable all-weather protection", "Full grain goat leather palm and impact zones", "Suede side hand reinforcements", "Nylon hard knuckle", "Hook and loop wrist closure", "Touchscreen compatible index finger and thumb", sizes SM-3XL. Read from an authoritative retailer because the alpinestars.com product URL for this model returned 404 on this date (accessed September 10, 2026)
  • KLIM — Badlands GTX Long Glove (CE Certified) — KLIM's published Badlands GTX Long specs: "CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594", "GORE-TEX + GORE Grip Technology" with the "GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY" promise, "Goat leather construction", "60 Grams 3M Thinsulate insulation on backhand", "Polycarbonate knuckle guard with XRD Impact Protection Foam", ceramic print in the knuckle, palm pad and gauntlet cuff pad, MULT-E-TOUCH screen functionality, sizes SM-3X. KLIM carries the certification in the product name itself (accessed September 10, 2026)
  • KLIM — Adventure GTX Short Glove — KLIM's published Adventure GTX Short specs: "CE CERTIFIED TO EN13594:2015, KP LEVEL 1", "GORE-TEX + GORE GRIP", "GOAT LEATHER/STRETCH WOVEN CONSTRUCTION", "SHORT DESIGN FOR UNDER-CUFF USE", "CARBON FIBER KNUCKLE PROTECTOR", "PORON XRD PALM UNDER CARBON FIBER KNUCKLE PROTECTOR", "3D SILICONE FINGER PADS", "CERAMIC PRINT IN SLIDE AREAS", MULT-E-TOUCH functionality, sizes SM-3X. No insulation is listed (accessed September 10, 2026)
  • KLIM — Baja S4 Glove — KLIM's published Baja S4 specs: the certification line reads "Pending CE Level 1 KP rating certified to EN 13594" — pending, not granted. Also "Perforated goat leather palm and fingers for airflow", "KARBONITE micromesh 500D 4-way stretch nylon backhand/thumb", "3D mesh backhand for airflow with temper foam for protection", "TPU vented knuckle & palm pad", "Perforated 3mm XRD Impact Protection Foam thumb & palm base pad", "Perforated 5mm XRD wrist pad", MULT-E-TOUCH functionality, sizes SM-3X (accessed September 10, 2026)
  • Alpinestars — Andes V3 Drystar Glove — Alpinestars' published Andes V3 Drystar glove specs: "Goat leather and textile construction", "Drystar waterproofing: 5000mm waterproof protection", "Breathability: 5000g/m2", "Viscoelastic protective armor on the knuckles", "Reflective panels for improved visibility", "Touchscreen-compatible fingertips", sizes S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL. No CE EN 13594 certification is published anywhere on the page (accessed September 10, 2026)
  • Tourmaster — Super-Tour ADV Waterproof Gloves (published spec sheet via MotorcycleGear.com) — Tourmaster's published Super-Tour Waterproof Adventure spec sheet: "Aqua-barrier waterproof, breathable membrane inside keeps you dry", "Genuine goat leather backhand, palm, and overlays", "3D Molded knuckle protector", "Superfabric overlays on knuckle, fingers and heel", "Dual hook and loop adjustable wrist closure", "Waterproof zippered cuff gusset", "Touchscreen-compatible index finger and thumb", "3M Scotchlite Reflective accents", sizes S-3XL. No CE certification is published; read from an authoritative retailer because the tourmaster.com product URL returned 404 on this date (accessed September 10, 2026)
  • KLIM — Induction Glove — KLIM's published Induction specs: "CE CERTIFIED TO EN13594:2015, KP LEVEL 1", "PREMIUM GOAT LEATHER CONSTRUCTION", "CARBON FIBER HARD KNUCKLE PROTECTOR", "5MM XRD IMPACT PROTECTION FOAM IN PALM AND KNUCKLE PADS", "MAPPED PERFORATIONS FOR AIRFLOW AND ABRASION PROTECTION", "MESH BACKHAND", "VELCRO + ZIPPER DUAL-ENTRY CUFF SYSTEM", MULT-E-TOUCH with precision pads, sizes XS-3X. Cited here as the vented KLIM glove that does hold the certification the Baja S4 lists as pending (accessed September 10, 2026)
  • REV'IT! — Sand 4 Gloves (published spec sheet via RevZilla) — REV'IT!'s published Sand 4 spec sheet: "CE certified to EN 13594:2015 Level 1 Knuckle Protection", 3D air mesh and PWR|shell 500D stretch outer with goatskin, injected ventilated flex knuckle with Temperfoam, TPR palm slider, "Smart connect fingertips", sizes XS-4XL. Cited here as a certified adventure glove that this page names but does not rank, because on the date of writing it was only listed in 3XL and 4XL at the retailer we link to (accessed September 10, 2026)

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