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.
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 it all over. 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.
Two years ago, 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 problem 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. When the weather turned cold this fall, I didn't have to put away my favorite summer gloves until just before Thanksgiving. The covers pack small, too, so you can easily carry them in a jacket pocket for wet weather emergencies.
The covers are laminated ripstop nylon and the design includes an elastic drawcord and a hook & 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 paws, 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.
Thomas Day
Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly Magazine
http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/
http://geezerwithagrudge.blogspot.com/
thomas@motorbyte.com -Thomas Day
I've used these for a few years and they've always kept my hands and gloves dry. They pack very small, so it's easy to keep them on your bike and have dry gloves after an unexpected rain shower. I totally agree with the comments about the retention strap being too short, Aerostitch should fix that immediately. Other than that major flaw -Daniel Glennie
I have found these hard to work with when wearing gloves. The velco strap is not long enough and pops out of its connection. I use them without gloves, but that is not good in the colder months and also of course in a dismount. If they velco straps were about 2 or 3 inches longer it wouldn't be a problem. I called aerostitch and they cannot correct it. Hopefully, down the road they will just add the extend the straps. -John Fisher
They work okay. It was hard for me to get used to vulcan hand position. Sizing seems to be off, they run small. I wear a size 9 1/2 - 10 glove. I bought a size large rain cover and they are snug and the fingers are a bit short. I wish I would have bought an XL. The velcro strap is useless. The elastic top is a nice touch and does help keep the rain out.
Bob O.
Shelton, WA -Bob Okada
I bought these gloves about a year ago. They work great as an outer wind glove in cool/cold and damp weather. They also have worked great in light rain, fog, and mist. The first time I rode in extended heavy rain I experienced leakage, but then I rode for over 5 hours in driving downpour after driving downpour down I81 and through N Carolina to a BMW ralley at High Country Morotcycle Camp. My hands were soaked, but then so was everything else even under my rainsuit. (Everyone else was too, I might add.) Since then I have sealed the seams and they seem to work well, but I do experience some leakage down the sleeves. I would buy them again. -Clark Wallin
I've had these for years; they never leave my tank bag. Water will infiltrate on super-soakers or on day-long rides, but I've never sealed the seams, and I suspect some water runs down the jacket sleeve into the covers rather than thru the covers. Yes, they don't grip the levers like gloves do, but I don't find that to be a major problem. I ride more slowly and carefully in rain anyway. And the 2nd one is necessarily more difficult to don than the first, but I can't envision how that could ever be rectified. I find my Triple Digits work great as windbreakers on very cold days, too, including the 9F ride I did about a week ago. -Douglas Hyde
Slippery finish, difficult to use cuffs, and cut all wrong--short and fat. The XL isn't nearly long enough for my fingers, and the resulting pressure this puts on the fingertips is not what you want on a cold, wet day. On the other hand, they're so wide that hand, glove and all move inside of them. I never use them and feel more comfortable and safer with wet gloves. Save your money for one of the good things Aerostitch sells! -Eric R Jensen
They do what they are supposed to do, but they are too slippery for a motorcycle or bicycle application. Aerostich could remedy this by putting a rubberized pad over the entire palm area, preferably on the inside and outside surfaces of the mitts, and taping the seams. This would add 2-5% cost to the item, but well worth it. -Nick Bauman
These things are a major PIA. I added a button to the too short wrist strap, as suggested by others. This strap constricted the opening to the point where putting these things on over my knuckle protector gloves was difficult at best. The slippery material gave me no grip or caliper feel. And the too voluminous thumb made operating my turn signals or opening my visor nearly impossible. They actual made my regular commute a hazardous experience. -Matt Perelli
Very well made. Used several times in the rain and never a leak. When it's extremely cold out, can be used as an over-glove. -Jay Brosch
I have had a pair of these for at least 10 years. I agree with Randy "My pet peeve with this product is that the wrist retention strap can slip out of its d-ring as you put them on." I solved this problem by having my wife sew a blace button on the strap so it cannot pull thru the d-ring. Wear your regular gloves and slide these over them for rain. They have always kept my hands dry.- Keith Henline Friday, Septemaber 7, 2007 -keith henline
I have been lucky enough not to need to use these much, but they do work. Decent rain protection, additional warmth, etc. Nice sewing. They definitely reduce dexterity. You won’t be able to count any change, but you will be able to operate levers. Small packing size means they always get thrown in. My pet peeve with this product is that the wrist retention strap can slip out of its d-ring as you put them on. Threading the strap back in to the ring is a little tedious, and may require teeth and other crude implements of improvisation once your hands are turned into lobster claws. I had a seamstress sew tabs on the end of my straps to eliminate this problem. I have suggested this fix to Aerostich, and assume they will address the issue at some point. -Randy Mattran
These are ugly, and difficult to get on over your regular gloves, but they really work. I ride all year-round in the Seattle area and usually pull these babies out in the fall and winter. Not the most convenient for a short commute, but if you are doing any long stints in the saddle and expect to encounter any rain, these are the ticket. Super lightweight and packable. Ask someone to get these for you for a birthday or Christmas gift, or better yet, give these as a gift to your favorite motorcycle-riding pal. A really good value. -Randy Willoughby
Rode from Leadville, CO to Colorado Springs last Sept. Poured rain and was in the 30s all the way I had my frogg toggs on and these gloves. The only thing wet was my feet, my motocross boots aren't waterproof, as I unfortunately found out. I swear by these and my friends have bought them based on my recommendation -Larry Wilson
500 miles of pouring rain from Deals Gap, NC to Hattiesburg, MS last month...not a leak, not a drip. Perfect. Hard to get on and off over your gloves and forget manipulating anything...but what can you expect? The closures are easy to use and the shield wiper is acceptable. I was dry when I arrived----definitely recommended -william morris
They work very good keeping you dry but they are very slippery on the controls. They need some kind of texturing on the inside of fingers and palm. -Robert Cyr
As a moto-journalist, I have chances to test out a whole lot more gear than most people. And these are one of the most innovative pieces of raingear I've come across in 15 years of riding.
Simply put, they work. The strap system is a breeze to use, even with gloved hands; more thought was put into ease of use on these gloves than in any two other rain products I've dealth with in my time as a rider.
I'm not kind to my gear, and I've had a set of these glove covers for over 5 years, used for commuting and travel in San Diego, LA, and the SF Bay area (where we get a LOT of rain). It's hard to tell them from new, even with tens of thousands of rain riding miles on them. And I get all the protection of my quality gloves without having to sacrifice crash survivability to get durability, waterproofness, and lack of bulk. At $47, they're a tremendous bargain.
So what are you waiting for? Order a pair already! ;) -Adam Wade
