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If you take your climbing seriously, then it’s time to consider getting a pair of gloves that will elevate you to the next level.

From leather to synthetic material options, these climb gloves have been thoroughly tested and reviewed by experienced climbers worldwide.

No matter what challenge awaits you, you can be sure that with the right gloves – you can conquer them all.

Best Half Finger Gloves

Black Diamond Crag Half-Finger Climbing Gloves

 

Material: Faux Leather \ Leather | Type: Half Finger Gloves

Price: $19.95

The black diamond crag half finger gloves are great for any type of activity, they are inexpensive and are made of breathable materials.

If you’re looking for great belay gloves, then this is a great candidate, they fit perfectly on your hands, and will help your grip tremendously.

These climbing gloves protect your hands while hiking, they are great if you struggle with rope burns, and can also be used for crack climbing.

Black Diamond Crag Half is one of the best half finger gloves that is not expensive and also comfortable.

These are the half finger version, and are also available in full finger.

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Good Protection & Fit
  • Breathable Stretch Mesh Fabric

Cons

  • Stitching Can Be Irritating

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Best For Rope Handling

Petzl CORDEX Lightweight Gloves

 

Material: Leather & Synthetic | Type: Full Finger Gloves

Price: $33.09 – $39.95

The Petzl Cordex Gloves are perfect for climbers and hikers who want a durable & protective glove yet agile and comfortable.

The Petzl Cordex Gloves provide an extra layer of protection where it matters, in high wear areas like fingertips and between the thumb and forefinger.

These are great rappel gloves due to the leather protection on the palm, minimizing rope burn.

They are easy to take off and put on, with a Velcro hook and loop closure for easy use.

These climbing gloves are truly something every climber should have, we absolutely love how they feel on the hand, the design is great, and the durability is unheard of.

Pros

  • Durable & Breathable
  • Great Finger Dexterity
  • Easy To Use

Cons

  • A Bit Expensive
  • Uncomfortable For Wearing A Watch

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Most Durable Belay Gloves

Metolius Belay Gloves

 

Material: Leather | Type: Full Finger

Price: $35.21 – $45.95

The Metolius belay gloves are a work of art when it comes to climbing gear.

They are reinforced in all wear areas, very durable climbing gloves that go a long way, we’ve been using these for 3 years, and they are still in amazing condition.

Although they are a bit expensive, they are truly worth it, as you will end up using them for your everyday adventures.

They provide good finger protection and sit very well on your hand and wrist.

One of the best full finger length climbing gloves out there, we absolutely love these.

Pros

  • Very Durable
  • Comfortable
  • Good protection

Cons

  • Quite Expensive

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Best Durable Climbing gloves

Black Diamond Crag Gloves

 

Material: Plastic | Type: Full Finger Gloves

Price: $21.95 – $23.39

The Black Diamond Crag Gloves exceed all safety expectations as they are certified to EN 420 and EN 388.

If you are looking for the best gloves for belaying, then these feel like they are made specifically for that.

Reinforced synthetic leather on the index finger and thumb.

With these gloves, you can be free of blisters and burns, the black diamond is a great full finger belay glove.

Easy to use with a hook-and-loop cuff closure, it’s important to note that it will be difficult to wear a watch with these as they go pretty high up the arm.

Pros

  • Great For Belaying
  • Durable
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Can’t Wear A Watch

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Best Full Finger Climbing Gloves

Intra-FIT Climbing Gloves Rope Gloves

 

Material: Leather & Synthetic | Type: Full Finger Gloves

Price: $24.99

Made from goat leather, these climbing gloves are soft, comfortable and provide you with amazing dexterity.

The Intra fit climbing gloves are padded on the palm for extra protection on the palm when rappelling a lot.

These include a stretchable spandex for improved breathability and agility.

They can be attached to your harness.

The only issue we had with them is that on the first few uses, they will dye your hand black, and it’s a bit tough to wash away.

Pros

  • Soft & Comfortable
  • Flexible
  • Very Breathable
  • Durable

Cons

  • Will Dye Your Hand Black
  • Not Waterproof

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Best Crack Climbing Gloves

Ocun Crack Climbing Gloves

 

Material: Rubber & Suede | Type: Fingerless Gloves

Price: $39.95

These crack climbing gloves are highly rated by climbers everywhere, as they provide a mixture of perfect hand protection and maximum comfort while climbing.

These climbing gloves have been designed with CAT Rubber 1.1, which is a sticky substance, that will improve your friction.

We love how comfortable they fill, being fingerless climbing gloves, you can use them not only for crack climbing but also in the gym or other outdoor activities.

The only issue we notice is that the Velcro strap can get worn out quite fast.

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Great Performance
  • Secure
  • Durable

Cons

  • A bit expensive
  • Velcro straps can get worn out rather fast

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Best Half Finger Climbing Gloves

Metolius 3/4 Climbing Glove

 

Material: Leather | Type: Half Finger

Price: $36.95 – $44.95

The search for the best half – finger climbing gloves is over, these climbing gloves are super comfortable and durable.

Metolius climbing gloves is made from high quality thick leather, they will last forever.

Being half finger gloves, they are super comfortable to grip and climb, although they are pretty bad belay gloves.

All the wear areas are reinforced, and the finger openings are double stitched for maximum durability.

Although great climbing gloves, the Metolius gloves aren’t as great for belaying.

But these climbing gloves also have a full finger version that is great for belaying – the Metolius belay gloves.

Pros

  • Durable
  • All Leather Gloves
  • Fingers Free

Cons

  • Bad Belay Gloves
  • A Bit Expensive

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Best Work Gloves

Kemimoto Tactical Gloves

 

 

Material: Rubber | Type: Full Finger Gloves

Price: $19.99

Designed with the best microfiber materials, these will provide extra protection at all times.

Available in 3/4 and full finger versions, these are great for everything, not only hiking, climbing or belaying, but even as work gloves.

The best thing about them is the touch screen material on your fingers, it responds very well and is super comfortable, you will feel as if you don’t wear gloves as it feels super natural.

These are super durable, and will last forever even though they’re made of rubber.

We recommend these if you’re going hiking, climbing, or really anything general, we like them so much we’ll name them as one of the best climbing gloves out there.

The only issues we found with them are – if you have big hands, these can fit pretty badly as the sizes are pretty small, an XL can feel like a Medium and the thumb is a bit too long.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Durable & Comfortable
  • Breathable
  • Can Use Touchscreen

Cons

  • Small fit
  • Thumb Is Long

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ATERCEL Workout Gloves

 

Material: Microfiber | Type: Half Finger Gloves

Price: $11.85 – $14.95

This half finger glove is designed to withstand the toughest challenges.

Designed mainly as workout gloves, these are outstanding for climbing as well.

Made from strong microfibers, they also have a unique palm design to provide you with protection and maximize your rope handling capabilities.

Being half finger can help you get a better grip, and they function as crack climbing gloves as well.

The best thing about them, is the price, they are very durable and inexpensive.

Trust us, wearing these gloves feels like you don’t wear gloves at all because of how breathable they are.

Sizes for women might be tricky, so women – size down.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Breathable & Durable
  • Unique Palm Design

Cons

  • Isn’t made for climbing and hiking specifically

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Seibertron Padded Palm Breathable Climbing Rope Gloves

 

Material: Faux Leather | Type: Full Finger

Price: $18.99 – $19.99

Made from synthetic leather and strong stitching on the palm.

The design is super nice and looks wonderful on the hand.

They feel very comfortable in the hand, and the grip is strong.

Those are great gloves for cold weather and should be in everyone’s climbing equipment for winter.

Although they are stitched well, the durability isn’t the best for climbing, after continued usage they can get ripped.

We don’t recommend these for tough hiking routes and hard climbs, rather for rappelling.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Great rappel gloves

Cons

  • Not very durable

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How to Choose the Best Climbing Gloves for Your Needs

Before choosing your climbing gloves, you have to consider a few important criteria.

These criteria will make sure your climbing experience will be comfortable, secure and exciting.

Material & Durability

The ideal climbing glove should be lightweight and long-lasting, while also providing you with a great grip.

Most gloves are made from leather, synthetic leather, or rubber, some combine those materials to create a comfortable climbing glove.

Leather gloves offer more durability and better protection, while still maintaining a great grip.

While synthetic leather and rubber gloves are more affordable and weather resistant.

Fit and Comfort

When using climbing gloves, you want to feel as if you’re not wearing gloves, it must feel natural and comfortable.

A perfect glove provides you with mobility and dexterity while maintaining a safe, snug fit.

When searching for climbing gloves, this is the criteria that matters the most, so put extra care on this while searching.

Types of Climbing

The climbing gloves that you choose should directly correlate with the type of climbing you do.

For example, if you are climbing mountains and ice climbing, then we recommend you take water-resistant, highly durable gloves full finger gloves.

If you are rock climbing, then it’s better that you buy a more flexible, breathable and agile climbing gloves.

When belaying, or crack climbing, you should choose very specific gloves which will maximize your success, the classic gloves might not make the cut for you.

Budget and Quality

The prices of climbing gloves range from $15 up to $50.

The higher the price doesn’t mean that the quality of the climbing gloves is better, it’s simply an evaluation made of the material and type of glove.

For example, crack climbing gloves are usually more expensive than other climbing gloves.

Leather gloves are more expensive than synthetic or rubber gloves.

It all depends on what you need, gloves don’t have to be expensive, you just have to do your research, luckily – we did the research for you.

In conclusion

We’ve gone over the best climbing gloves we’ve used and found, and gave you our perspective.

We considered what matters when choosing climbing gloves, and the conclusion is simple.

Which climbing gloves should I get?

The short answer is – whatever stood out the most.

The long answer is – weigh the option, ask yourself how much you are willing to spend, what material do you need, what length of fingers do you need.

If you’re mostly into climbing, then the Metolius climbing gloves or the diamond crag half finger can be a great option.

If you need something durable that won’t get ruined in a few days/climbs, then consider getting a leather climbing glove.

Price is also something you have to consider, as the prices can be high for leather gloves and affordable for synthetic leathers.

The climbing gloves we discussed have their benefits and also their disadvantages, and a thorough research will give you the best result.

Saying this, our favorite 3 climbing gloves would be: the black diamond crag half finger, the metolius climbing glove and the Intra-FIT climbing gloves


Written By David Ignatchuk

April 2, 2023