The Best Budget ADV Motorcycle Gloves Under $100

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Adventure gear is notoriously expensive, but there's something particularly frustrating about blowing $200 on what should be the simplest piece of gear in your kit.

The best budget ADV motorcycle gloves get back to the basics, and do it for well under $100.   

"Teammate Garrett tackling WABDR last summer with a pair of budget Alpinestar gloves."

We don't care who you are or what you ride: Klim's latest Badlands GTX gloves are nice, but they're also overkill for 99% of adventure riders. There's an easier and much more affordable way to get out there and explore in comfort.   

We've tested a few dozen pairs of gloves over the last year or two, and a few in particular stand out as the best ADV motorcycle gloves under the $100 mark.

Here are the pairs we'd recommend to anyone and everyone.   

Quick List of Budget ADV Gloves:

What Makes A Glove Adventure Worthy?

Choosing the right glove for adventure riding is easier than you might think. Here are the three factors we look for when buying budget-friendly ADV gloves.  

Safety First

"The worst part of any wreck should be picking up the bike. Safe gear is key."

Proper protection is often the first casualty of any budget-friendly ADV motorcycle glove. There are plenty of gloves out there under $100, but you'll have to do some digging to find a pair you really feel protected in.

Because adventure riding involves both street and off-road riding, any glove you choose should meet some minimum requirements for on-road use. A full leather palm (or the synthetic equivalent) and molded knuckle protection are a good starting point. 

Ideally, any glove you choose will carry a general CE level 1 certification, the minimal safety requirement according to the European Union.

It's worth nothing that some US market manufacturers skip this certification to save money. That doesn't necessarily mean they're less safe, mind you, but you'll want to pay extra close attention to the materials and construction of any non-certified glove. 

Seasonality and Weather Protection

"Weather can change dramatically with elevation, and there isn't a one-glove-fits-all solution."

Our approach to seasonality here at RIDE Adventures has always been a two glove system. You want one pair of lightweight, highly breathable gloves for good weather, and one pair of beefy, full-length waterproof gauntlets for the worst weather. 

Depending on the conditions where you plan to ride, you may also want to consider adding insulation to your bad weather gloves of choice. If you've gotta pick just one pair, its better to have insulation and not need it. 

Don't Limit Yourself to "ADV-Specific" Options

"When you're riding in the heat, ventilation is paramount."

When a brand designs a glove for the "adventure" market, they often tack on a 20-50% upcharge for no apparent reason. If you want to save money on ADV motorcycle gloves, consider looking outside the "dedicated ADV genre" for what you need. 

Take your warm weather gloves, for instance. Some of the best budget ADV motorcycle gloves we've used over the years are actually just repurposed summer street gloves that go heavy on the mesh. 

"When the weather's good, fabric and mesh are your friends."

The same goes for your cold-weather gloves. Look, we've tested some of the best ADV-specific options out there are we'll say this: The difference between $250 Klim gloves and a well-made generic $80 winter touring glove isn't worth losing sleep over. 

The Best Budget ADV Gloves We've Tested

We're keeping it simple with this one. Below you'll find our three favorite budget ADV motorcycle gloves for under $100, and wouldn't you know it: two of them aren't even designed for adventure-style riding. 

Rev'It! Cavern Gloves: Best All-Around

If we had to recommend one all-purpose ADV glove under $100, it'd be Rev'it!'s latest Cavern short cuff glove. The Caverns aren't the best in any particular terrain or weather, but they're comfortable, protective, and work well in most situations.

The secret to the Cavern's success is its microfiber-over-mesh construction. The material is lighter and more breathable than full-grain leather, but still substantial enough to keep us comfortable for early starts on chilly mornings. 

"Rev'it!'s Cavern gloves have had our back in all but the coldest conditions."

We also dig the soft and pliable knuckle protection, which is made from Rev'It!'s SEESOFT armor and backed with memory foam for added comfort when gripping the bars. All together, there's enough protection here for street use and a CE level 1 certification.

As for drawbacks, the Cavern's all-rounder construction means there are more breathable gloves for summer use and much warmer ones for cold weather. We also noted that they tend to run small, so you might want to size up for best results. 

CHECK PRICE:
Rev'it! Cavern ADV Gloves
REVZILLA | AMAZON

Alpinestars SMX-1 Air V2: Best Summer ADV Glove

We've been running Alpinestars' SMX-1 Air V2 gloves all year out scouting new tours, and they're perfect for warm-weather adventure riding. The price is right, and we dig that you get this much leather for so little cash.

The Air V2s are a great example of outside-the-box thinking for ADV gear. Sure, they're a dedicated summer street glove, but the combination of perforated leather and mesh delivers great ventilation, even in the sweatiest off-road conditions.   

"For warmer weather and off-road intensive ADV rides, the Alpinestars Air V2 Gloves deliver."

We'd say the same for the Air V2's carbon knuckle guard: it's beefy enough for high-speed touring, but also works great at keeping branches and brush from whipping your hands when you're out in the woods. 

The only downside we've found is that the black dye used on the palms of the gloves bleeds onto your hands when you get them wet. Whether that's from sweat or rain, you can expect purple palms for the first few rides when you hop off the bike. 

CHECK PRICE:
Alpinestars SMX-1 Air V2 Gloves
REVZILLA | AMAZON

Tourmaster Polar-Tex 2.0 WP: Best Affordable Winter ADV Glove

The issue with most budget-friendly winter ADV gloves is that they're little more than glorified ski gloves. Big, bulky, heavily insulated, and utterly lacking in proper impact or slide protection. Tourmaster's Polar-Tex 2.0 WP gloves are something else entirely.

It's hard to believe you can pick these ADV gloves up for under $60 all day. A full goat leather palm, Superfabric slide protection, PrimaLoft insulation... Tourmaster's specs for the Polar-Tex 2.0 read like something you'd expect from a top-shelf Klim product.

"The Tourmaster Polar-Tex 2.0 has kept our hands warm and dry in the gnarliest conditions."

We also appreciate that Tourmaster includes molded protection over the knuckles and additional sliders on the wrist and fingers. It's the kind of over-engineered approach to safety that gives you real confidence in your riding gear. 

Our main complaint with the Polar-Tex 2.0 WP is that because Tourmaster insulates both the top and palm sides of the glove, you lose some feel at the controls. It's a fair trade for warm hands with or without heated grips though, especially at this price. 

CHECK PRICE:
Tourmaster Polar-Tex 2.0 WP Gloves
REVZILLA | AMAZON

Thanks, we hope you saved a few bucks from our experience riding with these gloves and posting about them.

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