Joe Rocket Airforce Tactical Leather Hybrid Gloves Test
Joe Rocket’s Airforce Tactical Leather Hybrid gloves not only have a striking appearance, they are a unique approach to the popular blended textile/leather hybrid glove design.
Leather is the traditional choice for glove construction – it offers natural beauty and flexibility combined with tough abrasion resistance and long-wearing durability. Nearly three-quarters of the Airforce Tactical glove is constructed of drum dyed leather, and the leather has a slightly more robust feel when compared to other leather gloves I’ve owned.
That much leather might suggest poor ventilation, particularly since none of it is perforated. But in use, the gloves breathe well due to the textile construction over the back and down the fingers and thumb. The textile is not mesh, but the gloves breathe through the fabric, allowing them to work well in warm weather. The Airforce gloves are also comfortable in cooler temps.
Leather with high-density knuckle padding overlies the fingers and thumb, but the textile covering the sides and the tip of each finger and the base of the thumb allow for breathing.
More textile is used from the knuckles to the top of the wrist opening. That textile carries the vivid winged star air and space power logo, and the “U.S. Air Force” name framed with six white stars embroidered into the leather on each side.
The palm is reinforced at the heel of the hand with a double layer leather gusset. The palm also features a useful triangular leather pull tab for ease when putting on the gloves. A hook and loop closure tab is provided for wrist fit adjustment.
More double-layer leather reinforcement extends across the palm and fingers for extra protection. The leather is rippled into sewn-in pleats at the base of third and fourth fingers to enhance the fit, and all the external stitching is in Air Force blue to show many of the surface seams are double stitched. The fingers and palm have a mild pre-curve to them, which reduces grip fatigue.
Because the leather is a bit thicker than other products, the seams down each side of the grip surface of the fingers are noticeable, but not to an objectionable degree. The polyester inner lining of the glove is thin and does offset some of the seam. Riding with the gloves on for a few hours did not create any pressure or sore spots, but some riders may notice the seams more than others.
These gloves are great in conjunction with the Joe Rocket Airforce Alpha Textile jacket, also reviewed on Ultimate MotorCycling.
The Joe Rocket Airforce Tactical Leather Hybrid Gloves are offered at an MSRP of $49.99 in sizes small – XXXL. They fit true to size, and are an officially licensed Air Force product. For additional information, visit Joe Rocket.
