The Best Rock Climbing Gloves to Protect Your Hands in 2023

Rock climbing is a sport often best done with rock climbing gloves, to help protect your hands from the roughness of the rocks and other potential hazards.

Often climbers fail to see the need for gloves when climbing and focus solely on standard climbing gear such as climbing shoes, a harness and chalk. However, this gear will not prevent your hands and fingers from being injured by rough rock surfaces or handling climbing ropes. Rock climbing gloves will help keep your hands and fingers in a good condition, preventing any blisters and skin tears from occurring. This is especially the case when climbing on harder and more challenging routes.

To give your best chance of holding on to rocks as you climb, rock climbing gloves can be an excellent solution to complement your other climbing (safety) gear.

Additionally, climbing gloves will give you a better grip and prevent your hands from slipping.

We hope this guide will help you find a great pair of gloves for your future climbing adventures!

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Now, let’s dive into the best climbing gloves for different types of climbers. We will cover gloves for men/unisex, and later also some good options for kids and women.

If you’re interested in learning what to look for when buying a (new) pair of climbing gloves, make sure to read our buying guide below as well.

The Best Rock Climbing Gloves in 2023

1. Seibertron Full Finger Padded Palm Lightweight Breathable Climbing Rope Gloves

These Seibertron climbing gloves are made of reinforced synthetic leather and kevlar thread stitching. They offer great durability and are abrasion-resistant. And flexible rubber round hole on the wrist is convenient for climbers to attach the gloves to their harness.

The gaps between finger joints also increase dexterity dramatically when your fingers are bending during the climb.

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• Hook and loop closure
• Breathable material
• Great grip

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• Quite thick
• Not extremely durable
• Size can run small

2. PETZL Cordex Light-Weight Belay & Rappel Gloves

The lightweight belay/rappel gloves are a win-win for those who need it all. The durable leather palm and fingers protect against the harsh outdoor elements while the breathable nylon back ensures you stay comfortable, no matter what adventure comes your way!

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• PETZL expected quality
• Breathable material

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• Stiff
• Gloves can be slippery when holding rope
• Runs small

3. Metolius 3/4 Climbing Glove

This 3/4 Metolius Climbing Glove is made with cowhide leather that has been triple-stitched for extra durability. It’s perfect to tackle the next climb, since it features three-quarter fingers so you can work at your optimal level of dexterity!

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• Great quality
• Double-stitched finger openings
• Reinforced wear areas
• Good style
• Clip-in loop

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• Your thumb is not covered properly when belaying
• Quite stiff

4. Metolius Belay Glove Full Finger

These Metolius belay gloves are a full-fingered version of the previous climbing gloves, and feature the same cowhide main body with a triple-stitched, split-cowhide palm reinforcement.

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• Great quality
• Reinforced wear areas
• Good style
• Clip-in loop

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• Quite stiff

5. Black Diamond Crag Climbing Gloves

The Black Diamond Crag is the perfect glove for belaying, via ferrate or just general climbing. Made with stretch-mesh fabric and tough synthetic leather, this lightweight cragging glove provides a firm grip while still letting you feel like your hands are free to move about as they please. The breathable design keeps stuffy climbers cool on hot days in any setting!

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• Great value for price
• Breathable synthetic leather
• Hook and Loop closure
• Reinforced index finger and thumb crotch for durability
• Good fit

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• Seams may come undone after continuous use

The Best Rock Climbing Gloves for Kids in 2023

Dedicated climbing gloves for kids are hard to find. Luckily, gloves made for cycling, monkey bars,.. can also be used for climbing by kids, as they usually don’t do the very challenging routes that may require a more specialized rock climbing glove.

1. Monkey Bar Gloves for Girls 5 and 6 Years Old with Grip Control Climbing

These colorful kids’ gloves were made for monkey bars and to prevent blisters. Kids will love wearing them, as they are soft, make it easier to grip things, and overall have a cool design!

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• Great design for kids
• Inexpensive

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• General sport gloves, not designed specifically for climbing

2. 3 Pairs Kids Half Finger Gloves Sport Gloves Non-Slip Gel Gloves for Children

These quality kids’ sport gloves are a great option for your kid’s first climbing experiences. The adjustable strap with hook and loop closure makes it easy to adjust them for different hand sizes, and they feature a non-slip gel design so his/her fingers will not skid.

And best yet, the package includes 3 gloves with each a different design. An excellent choice for girls and boys aged 4-8 years!

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• 3 pairs included
• Very inexpensive
• Hook and Loop closure

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• General sport gloves, not designed specifically for climbing

The Best Rock Climbing Gloves for Women in 2023

Next, there are also some great options specifically designed for female climbers. These often have smaller and more woman-specific sizes, and they come in some more trendy designs.

1. Black Diamond Crag Half-Finger Glove – Women’s

These sleek, women’s-specific gloves are perfect for belaying and via ferrata! They protect your hands without compromising dexterity. The updated finger construction ensures durability while the Velcro wrist strap keeps them securely in place as you climb to incredible new heights of adventure. Available now in two colors that suit any style – bordeaux or blue/green – these Crag Gloves allow you to go boldly where no woman has gone before!

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• Inexpensive
• Great quality
• Hook and Loop closure

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• Sized very small

2. Black Diamond Crag Glove – Women’s

The Black Diamond Crag Gloves were designed specifically to be used while belaying and via ferrata. These gloves are lightweight, breathable, and offer protection without compromising dexterity. They now come in two colors for women: a stylish black with green accents or black with bordeaux accents.

The new finger construction of the Crag provides improved durability as well as an easy grip that is comfortable on your hands when you’re holding onto ropes all day long.

What we like about these climbing gloves:

• Inexpensive
• Great quality
• Hook and Loop closure

What we don’t like about these climbing gloves:

• Sized small

Of course, women can also use the rock climbing gloves for men listed below. However, it is recommended that you choose a better-fitting pair of gloves if you have smaller hands, or just order a much small size.

How to Pick the Right Rock Climbing Gloves: a Buying Guide

When buying climbing gloves, it’s important to consider a few essential aspects and features.

There are many different brands, models and types of gloves available for rock climbers, but these are some considerations when choosing what best suits you.

Finger Length

One of the main visual aspects you will notice is the length of the glove’s fingers.

Full-finger gloves are more protective but sacrifice some dexterity. For long belays or rappels, a good pair of full-finger gloves offer maximum protection. The tradeoffs with these though is that they can be physically limiting and make it difficult to complete tasks like tying knots.

Half-finger gloves, on the other hand, will allow for greater dexterity at the expense of having less coverage over your fingers so you’ll need to take extra care when handling sharp objects during a climb, which could result in cuts from razor edges.

Material

As climbing gloves will be handling rough surfaces and ropes, causing a lot of friction, they need to be made out of quality materials.

In general, they are either made out of synthetic fabric or synthetic/real leather.

Synthetic fabric gloves are the least expensive ones, and are best for less-expensive gloves. They don’t tend to last very long, so you may need to buy a new pair more frequently if you climb often.

Synthetic leather gloves are less expensive, but they are not as durable and flexible as leather ones.

Real leather gloves are more expensive, but they last longer and feel better on your hands. They tend to be more padded (which is good for comfort), but sometimes less breathable than synthetic ones.

Quality

Quality is an important factor when it comes to climbing gloves. If you are a frequent climber, then buying high-quality gear that will last for the foreseeable future makes sense and saves money over time because they won’t need replacing often. However, if you climb infrequently or barely at all, lower-quality gloves might be sufficient for you. Just make sure you don’t skimp and buy something cheap for the sake of it.

Fit/Comfort

Choosing the perfect fit for your gloves can be challenging.

Some brands will have a size chart that allows you to measure your hands and then pick the perfect-fitting gloves, like Black Diamond Crag or Petzl Cordex; other brands may be fitted tighter than their listed sizing—Ocun and Wells Lamont are both popular examples of this type of fit.

If possible, go into a local gym with friends who might already own these types of gloves, and ask if you can borrow their gloves to try them out. Also make sure to buy the right size for the material you decide on, as leather gloves for example, will still stretch quite a bit.

Breathability

A good pair of gloves will increase your comfort while climbing and a great way to do that is by finding ones with breathability.

Ventilation and breathability are mostly determined by the glove material; Synthetic gloves offer great ventilation but lack durability. Leather gloves provide poorer ventilation but offer better protection against wear and tear on the skin from friction.

Velcro

Velcro straps are an essential part in ensuring your gloves stay securely on and won’t fall off mid-climb. There are three key considerations to make when selecting a Velcro strap:

• how effective it is;
• if the fabric will wear over time;
• and the width of the velcro strap.

Price

The best thing about climbing gloves is that they are generally very affordable. You can get a high-quality pair for around $30 to $40, and you’ll probably be able to find them on sale too. A new pair should last you many years with some care and maintenance.

The price of a pair of climbing gloves is often determined by the material it’s made of (synthetic vs real leather).

Clip-in Hoop

Clip-in Hoops are a necessity for climbers, as gloves need to be hooked up to the harness with carabiners. These hoops usually come in two different styles: A clip-on hoop or using a hole at the base of the palm.

Final Thoughts

Rock climbing is a sport best done with the proper gear. If you want to protect your hands while rock climbing, look for gloves that are made from leather or synthetic materials. The best gloves will also have padding and reinforcement at the base of each finger and palm, in order to absorb some of the pressure during falls. You should also find a pair that grips well when wet – a standard requirement for any good climbing glove. Finally, make sure that it has enough support around your wrists so as not to cut off circulation when you’re hanging upside down on an overhang!

In any case, there’s no excuse not to buy high-quality gloves. After all, your hands deserve only the best protection!

And finally to conclude this article, let’s again look at some of our top picks for climbing gloves:

Happy and safe climbing!