Best Gloves for Riding in Cold Rain
For cold rain the leather pick is the Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $145, worn over the jacket sleeve with a thin liner underneath, and the honest caveat comes in the same breath: no unlined leather glove is waterproof, including this one. What a gauntlet does is stop the water that runs down your sleeve and into the glove, which is how most riders actually get soaked hands. Rain landing on the back of a glove takes a long time to work through good hide. Rain funneling in at the wrist takes about four minutes.
So this ranking splits by how long you are out in it. For a commute measured in minutes, a sealed leather cuff plus a dry spare liner is a cheaper, better feeling answer than most people expect. For four hours of cold rain on an interstate, leather loses and a membrane glove wins, and we will name one even though we do not sell it. Below the mid 30s with rain in the mix, heated gear is the real fix. Everything from us here is unlined or fleece lined leather, unarmored and not CE rated.
How These Were Scored
Wet weather changes what matters. Cuff sealing came first, because water entry beats water resistance every time. Then how the glove behaves once it is wet, meaning grip on the levers and whether the leather goes slippery or stiff. Then drying time, since a glove that is still damp the next morning is a glove you will not wear. Warmth counted, but it counted less than the other three, because wet and warm rarely survive together.
These numbers are editorial. They come from riding in the wet and from handling the construction, not from a lab. We run no water column testing, we do not claim any certification for this gear, and a score is not a prediction about crashes. Prices verified August 2026. Treatment products, including Obenauf's Water Shield at $15.99, are in the leather care range, and they help a glove shed water for longer without ever making it waterproof.
1. Classic Deerskin Gauntlets, Best Leather Glove in Cold Rain
Rain on a bike does not fall, it travels. It hits your chest, runs down your arm and looks for the first opening, and on a short wrist glove that opening is the gap at your wrist. The Classic Deerskin Gauntlets close that path by flaring over the outside of your jacket sleeve, so water sheds off the cuff rather than pooling in the palm. Deerskin will still wet out eventually and it will take a day to dry properly. Inside an hour of steady cold rain, though, this is the setup that keeps hands working, and the same cuff is doing double duty against the wind chill that comes with wet weather.
Price: $145
Score: 8.4 out of 10
Best for: cold rain measured in minutes and short hours, not all day
2. Rev'It Waterproof Winter Gloves, Best When the Rain Lasts All Day
We do not sell Rev'It and we are not linking to them, and if you commute year round through wet cold, they are the correct purchase. A waterproof membrane laminated inside the glove does something leather cannot do at any price: it keeps water out for hours while still letting sweat escape, and it comes with certified protection rather than none. Buy that if your ride is long, regular and wet. The trade is real. Membrane gloves are bulkier, they cost roughly twice what a leather pair costs, and they never mold to your hand the way deerskin does after two weeks.
Price: typically $200 and up, sold elsewhere
Score: 8.3 out of 10
Best for: sustained wet cold commuting where staying dry outranks feel
3. Gators Skin Glove Liners, Best Wet Weather Insurance
The trick experienced wet weather riders use costs $25. Buy two sets of Gators Skin Glove Liners, wear one and keep the other sealed in a bag. When you stop halfway, swap them. A dry layer against the skin buys back most of the comfort a soaked outer glove takes away, and the difference between damp hands and cold wet hands is the difference between finishing the ride relaxed and finishing it counting exits. Liners also add warmth on the cold end, which is why they show up in every winter list we write. They need room to work, so size your wet weather gloves accordingly.
Price: $25
Score: 8.0 out of 10
Best for: a dry swap partway through a wet ride
4. Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves, Warmest Choice With a Wet Weather Catch
The Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves are the warmest short wrist pair here, good to roughly 40F dry, and they come with a caveat you should hear before you buy them for rain. A 3M fleece lining holds water once it takes any on, and a wet lining stays wet a long time, so these are the wrong gloves for a soaking and the right gloves for a cold drizzle where warmth is the bigger enemy. If you know rain is coming, wear the gauntlets and keep these dry for the ride home. At $120 they remain the best value cold weather glove in the catalog.
Price: $120
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Best for: cold drizzle and damp air rather than steady rain
5. Classic Short Wrist Touchscreen Deerskin Gloves, Best Dry Spare
Every wet weather glove plan needs a second pair, and the cheapest sensible one is the pair you already wanted. The Classic Short Wrist Touchscreen Deerskin Gloves at $120 live in a dry bag under the seat and come out when the first pair has given up, which on a long wet day it will. Unlined deerskin dries faster than anything lined, and the touchscreen fingertips mean you can check the radar without stripping a glove off in the rain. They are not a rain glove and we are not selling them as one. They are the thing that rescues the second half of the ride.
Price: $120
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Best for: the dry backup pair in the bag
Rain Rules for Leather Gloves
None of this makes leather waterproof. It makes leather workable in the wet, which is a different and achievable goal.
Cuff over sleeve, always. Water travels down your arm, and a short wrist glove under the sleeve becomes a funnel.
Treat the leather before the season, not during it. A water repellent finish buys minutes of shedding and slows the soak.
Carry a dry second layer. Liners in a sealed bag are the cheapest comfort you can buy on a wet day.
Dry gloves slowly at room temperature. Direct heat from a vent or a fire cooks the hide stiff and shortens its life badly.
Condition after a soaking. Water pulls oils out of leather, and a conditioner from the leather care products range puts them back.
Know when to stop. Cold plus wet below the mid 30s beats every unheated glove made, and no amount of leather technique changes that.
Common Questions
What are the best motorcycle gloves for riding in rain and cold at the same time?
For leather, the Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $145 with liners underneath are the best answer, because the flared cuff stops water running down your sleeve into the glove. Be clear that they are water resistant at best and never waterproof. If you ride hours in cold rain regularly, a membrane winter glove from Rev'It or Held will keep you drier than any leather glove sold, ours included.
Are deerskin gloves waterproof?
No. Deerskin is a breathable hide with no membrane, so it takes on water and eventually soaks through. A water repellent treatment slows that down and a gauntlet cuff keeps the worst of it out at the wrist, but neither makes the glove waterproof, and anybody claiming otherwise is selling you something.
How do I dry motorcycle gloves after a wet ride?
Dry them slowly at room temperature with the cuffs open and nothing forcing hot air through them. Newspaper or a glove dryer on a low setting helps them keep their shape. Then condition the leather, because a soaking pulls oil out of the hide and leaves it stiff if you skip that step.
What Actually Works in the Wet
If your wet riding comes in short cold bursts, buy the Classic Deerskin Gauntlets at $145 and two sets of Gators Skin Glove Liners at $25 each. That is under $200 for a setup that handles cold rain honestly, keeps the feel of leather on the levers and dries out between rides.
If your wet riding is a daily fact of life for months at a time, the runner up is the real answer: buy a waterproof membrane glove from a brand that makes them properly. We would rather tell you that than sell you leather for a job leather cannot do.
