Gauntlet gloves are what riders reach for when the miles get long and the wind gets cold. This page is the buying decision for gauntlets and for cold weather generally: which pair for which temperature, what the warmest leather we sell actually is, and what to wear below 40 degrees. For the deeper explainer on how insulation works and how to build a shoulder-season setup, read our companion article, Gauntlet Motorcycle Gloves: A Shoulder-Season Buying Guide.
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Cold is not one condition, so we picked these four by temperature band rather than by rating. A glove that is right at 55 degrees is useless at 25, and the mistake most riders make is buying one glove and expecting it to cover both. Read down the table until you reach the temperature you actually ride in. One honest note up front: we make exactly one true full gauntlet, the Classic Deerskin Gauntlets. The Classic Longer Cuff is a longer cuff rather than a full gauntlet, and we would rather say so than blur the two.
| Product | Temperature band and why | From |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Deerskin Gauntlets | Roughly 45 to 65 degrees, and the only true full gauntlet we make. Unlined, so it costs you nothing in feel, and the cuff wears over the jacket sleeve to close the wind gap at the wrist. Blocking wind is worth more than a thin lining in this range. Widest size run we offer at XS through 2XL, and the least expensive pick here. Rated 4.88 from 112 reviews. | $75.00 |
| Classic Longer Cuff Deerskin Gloves | Roughly 50 to 75 degrees, for riders who want extra cuff without committing to a full gauntlet. Longer than a short wrist, easier to live with than a gauntlet, and it adds conductive thumb and index fingertips so you keep navigation. Rated 4.93 from 107 reviews. | $120.00 |
| Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves | Roughly 40 to 60 degrees, and the best insulated leather glove we make. Fleece inside the same deerskin shell: enough warmth to matter, thin enough that you can still feel the brake lever. Fleece also keeps insulating when damp, which matters in fall. Rated 4.90 from 104 reviews. Runs snugger than unlined, so size up if between. | $85.00 |
| Deerskin Insulated Mittens | Below 40 degrees, and the warmest thing we sell. A mitten keeps your fingers together in one shared air space rather than in four separate tubes, which is a genuinely large warmth difference and the reason mittens beat gloves in real cold. It trades finger dexterity to get there, deliberately. Rated 4.83 from 80 reviews. | $120.00 |
The two-pair setup that covers most of a riding year in most of the country is the Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $75.00 plus the Fleece-Lined Deerskin at $85.00, which together clear free shipping at $160.00. Add the Insulated Mittens if you genuinely ride below freezing. Prices shown are current at time of writing. Orders over $150 ship free.
Why gauntlet gloves for cold and highway riding
The gauntlet cuff does one job and does it well: it stops wind travelling up your sleeve. At highway speed, air hitting the back of your hand looks for the shortest path inside your jacket, and on a short-wrist glove that path is the two-inch gap at your wrist. Cold air entering there does not stay at your wrist. It runs up your forearm, and within twenty minutes your hands feel cold even though the glove leather itself is doing its job.
A gauntlet closes that path by overlapping the jacket sleeve rather than tucking under it. The cuff sits outside, the sleeve sits inside, and the wind has nowhere to enter. That single detail is why a moderately warm gauntlet often outperforms a heavier short-wrist glove on a cold morning, and why blocking wind is the cheapest warmth you can buy. Gauntlets shed rain better for the same reason: water running down your sleeve hits the outside of the cuff and drips off instead of channelling into the glove.
What a gauntlet is not: it is not insulation, it is not waterproof, and it is not armor. Our gauntlets are unlined deerskin, which gives abrasion resistance and wind blocking. They carry no CE rating and we do not present them as impact protection. Riders who want certified impact armor should look at the Bohn Airtex armored shirt, the Unik armored flannels, the Knox CE knee armor set and the armor-ready jackets.
What are the best insulated leather motorcycle gloves?
Our answer is the Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves at $111.00, rated 4.90 from 104 reviews. It is the same American whitetail deerskin shell we use across the range with a fleece lining inside.
The reason we build it with fleece rather than something loftier is a deliberate trade. Insulation works by trapping still air, and more loft means more warmth. It also means more bulk between your fingers and the controls. There is a point past which you cannot feel the front brake, and on a motorcycle that is a worse problem than cold hands. Fleece sits at a useful place on that curve: warm enough to extend your season by a couple of months at each end, thin enough that you keep meaningful control feel.
Fleece has a second advantage that matters more than riders expect. It retains most of its insulating value when it gets damp, where a lofted down or fibre fill collapses and stops working. Cold-weather riding is frequently damp riding, so a lining that survives moisture is worth more than a lining with a better dry rating.
Two honest limitations. First, a fleece-lined glove runs noticeably snugger than the unlined version, because the lining takes interior volume in both width and length. If you are between sizes, or if you have long fingers, take the larger size. Second, this is a glove for roughly 40 to 60 degrees. Below that you need a different tool, which is the next question.
What are the warmest leather motorcycle gloves for winter?
The warmest thing we sell is the Deerskin Insulated Mittens at $111.00, rated 4.83 from 80 reviews, and the reason is the mitten shape rather than the insulation.
A glove puts each finger in its own leather tube. Every one of those tubes has its own surface area radiating heat away, and a finger on its own has very little mass to generate warmth. A mitten puts all four fingers into one shared space, so they warm each other, the total surface area losing heat is much smaller, and your hand behaves like one warm object rather than four cold ones. This is why mittens outperform gloves of identical construction in genuine cold, and it is not a small effect.
The trade is dexterity, and it is real. You keep the thumb, so you can work a throttle and a clutch and a brake lever, but you lose independent finger use. Two-finger braking is awkward. Anything fiddly means taking the mitten off. Riders who commute through actual winter accept this readily. Riders who want to feel the front brake precisely will not.
If you want the warmest thing with individual fingers, that is the Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves at $85.00, and its honest floor is around 40 degrees unless you add a liner underneath.
What gloves do riders wear below 40 degrees Fahrenheit?
Below 40 the honest answer is that no unheated glove alone is comfortable for long, and riders who tell you otherwise are riding shorter distances than they think. At highway speed 40 degrees ambient is roughly 25 degrees of wind chill on the back of your hand, and it keeps dropping the longer you are out there. What works is a system, not a glove.
Heated grips first. This is the single best cold-weather purchase a motorcyclist can make, and we do not sell them, so take that as disinterested advice. Heated grips put warmth into your palms directly rather than trying to slow heat escaping, and they cost you nothing in dexterity because they add no bulk. A thin glove with heated grips beats a thick glove without them at any temperature.
Then block the wind at the wrist. A gauntlet cuff over the sleeve, or a jacket with a proper storm cuff. Cold air up the sleeve will defeat any glove you buy. The Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $129.00 do this job.
Then insulate, and layer rather than buying one thick glove. A thin liner under a correctly sized outer glove is more adaptable than a single heavy glove, because you can strip a layer when the sun comes out. Our Gators Skin Glove Liners at $31.00 are made for this. Size the outer glove up if you plan to run a liner, because a liner needs room and a compressed liner does not insulate.
Below about 30 degrees, go to mittens or bar muffs. The Deerskin Insulated Mittens at $111.00 are our answer. Handlebar muffs, which we do not sell, are the other genuinely effective option, and combined with heated grips they will keep hands comfortable in weather where nothing else does.
And shorten your exposure. Stopping for coffee every 45 minutes is not weakness, it is the technique. Cold hands get worse cumulatively, and once your core is cold your body stops sending blood to your extremities regardless of what your gloves are doing. Staying warm from the neck down is a prerequisite for warm hands.
What motorcycle gloves keep hands warm in cold weather?
Working from mild to severe, this is the whole progression in one place:
- 60 to 75 degrees. An unlined short-wrist deerskin glove. The Classic Short Wrist Touchscreen Deerskin Gloves at $97.00, rated 4.90 from 106 reviews.
- 45 to 65 degrees. Block wind rather than adding insulation. The Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $129.00, rated 4.88 from 112 reviews.
- 40 to 60 degrees. Add a thin lining. The Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves at $111.00, rated 4.90 from 104 reviews.
- 30 to 45 degrees. Fleece-lined glove plus a Gators Skin liner at $31.00, sized with room, ideally with heated grips.
- Below 30 degrees. The Deerskin Insulated Mittens at $111.00, rated 4.83 from 80 reviews, plus heated grips or bar muffs.
Two things that help at every band and cost nothing: keep your core warm, because a cold body shuts down circulation to the hands before anything else, and keep your gloves dry, because a damp glove is dramatically colder than a dry one at the same temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best gauntlet motorcycle gloves?
The Legendary Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $129.00 are our full gauntlet, and the only true one we make. Unlined American whitetail deerskin, a cuff that wears over the jacket sleeve to close the wind gap at the wrist, and the widest size run we offer at XS through 2XL. Rated 4.88 from 112 reviews. If you want extra cuff without a full gauntlet, the Classic Longer Cuff Deerskin Gloves at $97.00 sit between a short wrist and a gauntlet and add touchscreen fingertips.
What are the best insulated leather motorcycle gloves?
The Legendary Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves at $111.00, rated 4.90 from 104 reviews. Fleece rather than a loftier fill is a deliberate trade: insulation works by trapping still air, and more loft means more warmth but more bulk between your fingers and the brake lever. Fleece sits at a useful point on that curve, and it keeps most of its insulating value when damp, where a lofted fill collapses. It runs snugger than the unlined version, so size up if between sizes, and its honest range is about 40 to 60 degrees.
What are the warmest leather motorcycle gloves for winter?
The Legendary Deerskin Insulated Mittens at $111.00, rated 4.83 from 80 reviews. The warmth comes from the mitten shape more than the insulation: a glove puts each finger in its own tube with its own surface area radiating heat, while a mitten puts all four fingers in one shared space where they warm each other and far less surface area loses heat. The trade is dexterity, since you keep thumb use but lose independent fingers. For the warmest option with individual fingers, the Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves at $85.00 have a floor around 40 degrees.
What gloves do motorcycle riders wear below 40 degrees Fahrenheit?
Below 40 no unheated glove alone stays comfortable for long, since 40 degrees ambient is roughly 25 degrees of wind chill at highway speed. What works is a system. Heated grips first, which put warmth into your palms without adding bulk and are the best cold-weather purchase a rider can make. Then block wind at the wrist with a gauntlet cuff over the sleeve, such as the Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $75.00. Then layer a liner like the Gators Skin at $25.00 under a correctly sized outer glove rather than buying one thick glove. Below about 30 degrees, go to the Deerskin Insulated Mittens at $120.00 or bar muffs.
What motorcycle gloves keep hands warm in cold weather?
Match the glove to the band. From 60 to 75 degrees, an unlined short-wrist deerskin glove at $120.00. From 45 to 65, block wind with the Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $129.00 rather than adding insulation. From 40 to 60, add a thin lining with the Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves at $111.00. From 30 to 45, add a Gators Skin liner at $25.00 underneath and ideally heated grips. Below 30, the Deerskin Insulated Mittens at $120.00 plus heated grips or bar muffs. Keep your core warm and your gloves dry, because both matter as much as the glove itself.
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Legendary USA gauntlets are cut and sewn in the USA from American whitetail deerskin. Orders over $150 ship free.
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