Australian Hiker

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Outdoor Research Active Ice Spectrum Sun Gloves Review

I have spent most of my life working outdoors so being in the sun is something I am very much used to. These days I’m usually wearing long pants, a long sleeved top and a hat with the only part of me exposed to the sun being my hands. Over the years as a trekking pole user I’ve learnt the hard way in both the Australian Alps regions and arid regions, how badly the tops of your hands can get burnt. For a while now I have been eyeing-off the Outdoor Research Active Ice Spectrum Sun Gloves to keep my hands protected.

Over the years these gloves have remained relatively unchanged in both design and colour with the platinum colour (very light grey colour) being the consistent model. Occasionally different colours are available and the current options available from Outdoor Research are a bright lime yellow and a forest green colour but from an Australian perspective platinum is going to be the easy one to locate.

In designing what is essentially a simple lycra glove, Outdoor Research has put a lot of thought into the design. Firstly the sizes cover all but the smallest adult hands with my large male hands fitting into a large size and Gill who has an average female hand comfortably fitting into a medium glove.

A long sleeve goes beyond most other gloves on the market comfortably covering past the watch line on your wrist which means you are unlikely to get a burn mark on the wrist. These gloves are fingerless leaving just the top part of your fingers exposed to provide a sense of tactical feel for when you need it but at the same time protecting the areas of your hands that are likely to burn. The palms of the gloves have a series of small low level rubberised dots that allow you to grip your tracking poles or for that matter any other object you pick up.

Now for the only real negative for these gloves and that’s the price sitting at around AUD $85.00 RRP. Even when purchasing them out of the USA by the time you land them here they work out at a similar pricing. Having said that we made the decision to pay the price and so long as you look after them they will last for many years so if you are a trekking pole user and spend time in the hotter climates or hike above the tree line in the Australian Alps these gloves are well worth considering.

He Said

• These gloves have been on my ‘to buy’ list for a number of years but for some reason I hadn’t gotten around to purchasing a pair. Over the past few years I have spent a fair amount of time in the Australian Alps with a fair amount of time above the tree line so finally I decided it was time. These gloves will accompany me and all my warm weather hikes.

She Said

• There are a few things that I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older; don’t over pluck your eyebrows in your thirties, don’t wash your face with harsh soap and protect your hands from the sun. The first two I’ve mastered but the third one hasn’t been high on my list mostly because it wasn’t that easy. These Outdoor Research Sun Gloves have changed all that. They fit well and provide great protection particularly for the top of your hands. They are definitely worth the investment.

We Like

• UPF 50+ Sun protection
• Suitable for water sports as well as hiking
• Excellent length keeping your wrists protected
• Anti-slip palm print for added grip
• Breathable and lightweight
• Good fit

We Don't Like

• As thin as they are they make you hands warmer in the hotter months
• The price, they aren’t cheap!

Buy One

You can purchase the Outdoor Research Active Ice Spectrum Sun Gloves online from Amazon Australia or from Amazon USA

Disclosure: We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

If you have worn the Outdoor Research Active Ice Spectrum Sun Gloves or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Investment

AUD $85 RRP. Keep an eye on freight charges and combine them with a larger order or if you are an Amazon Prime member, the freight is free over a minimum purchase amount

The UV radiation in the Australian Alps is pretty high and if you are using trekking poles burnt hands are a real possibility. This can also be an issue in the Australian arid zones as well

Outdoor Research Active Ice Spectrum Sun Gloves Platinum Colour

Showing fit: The base of the gloves is a good length. I am wearing the Large size which suits my large male hands well. Only short sections of my fingers are exposed which allows enough tactile sensation

Sticky dots on the palms provide grip

Old colour option that you may still find

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased by Australian Hiker

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