I love to use good riding equipment, but sometimes it can be difficult to show how good the best equipment is. This time it’s new rise Hardanger HTD long gloves with battery operated heating.
I drove at 50 degrees Fahrenheit and 43 degrees for two weeks and never felt the need to turn on the battery-generated heat. I felt really comfortable for over an hour at 43 degrees and 65 mph Ultimate motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bikethat is equipped with Touratech Defensa handguards. I started wondering how I could test their battery warming ability when checking the upcoming nighttime temperatures here in Portland and it dropped to freezing early the next morning.
I didn’t have to tell myself that the Klim Hardanger gloves keep my hands warm. I just had to bring myself to intentionally take a no-destination ride at 32 degrees. I’ve driven twice in such cold temperatures – one unusual blizzard north of Los Angeles, and the other was in the same area for homecoming-itis. Both times I would have really benefited from these gloves. My only source of hand warmth was alternately warming my gloved hands on the engine as I leaned from side to side.
The Klim Hardanger HTD gloves are feature-rich and all of them benefit the driver directly. They are warm, waterproof, windproof, breathable (Gore-Tex), comfortable, have a visor wiper, mobile phone compatible thumb and index fingertips and have three battery-powered heat levels for up to eight hours.
Here’s a tip that crossed my mind until I started riding that cold morning – keep your hands warm instead of warming them up.
I fumbled around for a few minutes getting my bike ready in 32-degree ambient air before putting on the Hardanger HTD Long gloves. These gauntlets are large and have a wide opening that can be pulled over the jacket sleeve. They are closed at the top and just above the wrist with adjustable Velcro straps.
My hands were already cold by the time I put them on and headed for my eight-minute drive to the freeway. I long pressed the raised button on both gloves to turn them on. You start on the high-heat setting.
Klim designed the Smarts in such a way that the high setting is automatically reduced to medium after 10 minutes in order to extend the battery life. While the reduction can be overdriven, I’ve found that the low heat setting is all I need to be able to ride at 32 degrees all day once the gloves are warmed up.
I measured the battery life at each setting. Low lasted 6:30, medium 3:15 and high 90 minutes (pressing the button every 10 minutes stays high). Remember that lower temperatures will cause the batteries to discharge faster.
Aetwa’s lithium-ion batteries are charged via a proprietary connector on a dual-battery wall charger – another charger that you need to take with you when you travel. You can’t charge the batteries while they’re running, so you’ll need to purchase additional batteries from Klim ($ 30 each) to extend your freezing ride.
The upper hand area is insulated with 100 grams of 3M Thinsulate. Between the wind- and waterproof Gore-Tex and the Thinsulate, it was clear why my hands were comfortable at 43 degrees and still unheated.
The entire grip area is made of goatskin and is not heated. I like that I can feel the throttle and lever without bulky insulation, which reduces tactile input. Your palms and the underside of your fingers are separated from the goatskin by a layer of microfleece material.
I did not feel any chill rising from my palms as the entire inside of the gloves felt warm, even though only the tips of the hands and fingers are. There is goatskin that covers XRD knuckles and palm impact protection foam. There are also five reflective 3M Scotchlite accents on each glove. The gloves are CE Level 1 certified.
Driving in the rain gave me the option to use the wiper on my left index finger, and the wiper does a good job of cleaning my face shield with each wipe.
I thought it would be instructive to soak the seams in a bucket of water for 10 minutes. Although the surface does not repel water, the Gore-Tex layer underneath does. After 10 minutes of immersion, I couldn’t find any leaks.
The touchscreen of the mobile phone works with both index fingers, but only with the right thumb. I can enter my password and phone numbers with both index fingers without any errors.
I wanted the Klim Hardanger HTD Long Gloves ($ 280 / pair MSRP) for two reasons – keep my hands warm and offer a unique, tactile feel of hand control (most winter gloves don’t). These new Klim gloves keep my hands wonderfully warm, with and without a battery heater. Because they are breathable, the Hardanger gloves can be worn all year round. In winter, however, these heated gloves deserve their purchase price.
Klim Hardanger HTD Long Gloves Brief facts
- Sizes: XS-3X
- Color: Black
- Battery type: 7.4 volts lithium-ion
- Battery capacity: 2 Ah
Klim Hardanger HTD Long Gloves Price: $ 280 / pair MSRP
Klim Hardanger HTD Long Gloves Review Photo Gallery
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