Australian Hiker

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Patagonia Unisex 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 and arid regions, how badly the tops of your hands can burn. And for this reason ‘Sun Gloves’ have become an essential part of my kit when hiking in the arid/alpine regions in particular.

This is the second brand of sun gloves that I have used and for some reason, they seem to come and go with newer brands replacing the old. The other thing to note is that grey seems to be the ‘offical colour’ for this product which shouldn’t upset anyone. I’m not sure why, but I know from firsthand experience that coloured lycra fades badly while grey just fades to a lighter version of itself.

First up, for sun gloves to work they don’t need to cover the whole hand and because of this they tend to only go half way down your fingers. If you look at the images of my unprotected hand below, you will see all the burning occurs on the top of the hand and the top of the fingers so fingerless gloves make sense. If you’re using tracking poles this is the part of the hands that are most exposed.

Size wise these gloves have a degree of stretch but Gill purchased the small sizing and I purchased the XL and they fit as we expected. Sun gloves need to cover your wrist so if you are wearing a long sleeved top, then you aren’t going to have a small gap exposed and potentially burn.

The palms of these gloves have a ‘gap’ in them which allows breathing and minimises sweating and also promote a bit more of ‘tactical feeling’ in your hands.

Now for the only real negative of these gloves and that’s the price sitting around AUD $59.99 RRP. These are by no means the dearest glove on the market but rather sitting mid-range in pricing. Really the main difference with the more expensive gloves is durability but given they are essentially made of lycra that isn’t something you’re going to expect to last for more than few years depending on how often you are wearing them.

One other thing worth mentioning is that you can buy brands of gloves that have velcro wrist straps but I just don’t like the way they feel so I stick with the full lycra models.

He Said

•  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 accompany me on all my warm weather hikes, particularly when I’m in alpine and desert regions.

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 gloves fit well and provide great protection particularly for the top of your hands.
• They are definitely worth the investment.

We Like

• UPF 40+ Sun protection
• Suitable for water sports as well as hiking
• Excellent length keeping your wrists protected
• Breathable and lightweight
• Made with 35% recycled polyester
• Good fit

We Don't Like

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

Buy One

You can purchase the Patagonia Unisex Sun Gloves online from Wild Earth

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!

Investment

AUD $59.99 RRP

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

Patagonia Unisex Sun Gloves

Showing fit: Tim wearing his Patagonia Unisex Sun Gloves. Only short sections of his fingers are exposed which allows enough tactile sensation. Note the length of the gloves going up the wrist and covering his watch

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased by Australian Hiker from a retail store

Last updated

24 November 2024

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