Gear Review
The Arc’teryx Vertical SV glove is the short cuff version of their big gauntlet glove, the Alpha SV. With a full leather palm, beefy fleece interior and a Gore-Tex membrane to keep you dry, these gloves just look burly. After wearing them on most of the colder, wetter days throughout a whole winter season, I can safely say, they stand up as well as most things Arc’teryx makes. They were bomber.
At first glance, these gloves are a little strange and chunky looking. Thick, anatomically curved fingers gave me pause as to how they would perform doing anything that required a little dexterity. While they struggled with finer movements at first, once broken in they fit like, well, gloves. I could pretty much do everything in them from coiling rope, undoing bindings, buckles and taking skins on and off. They even fared well with zippers and helmet straps, which is no mean feat for such a burly glove.
On the coldest days, which we don’t get too many of here on the south coast, they were warm enough, but I wouldn’t want them as my go to glove in the rockies when it’s minus 30. The great challenge out here on the wetcoast, is a glove that stays warm and dry. I’m happy to report that even on those patrol days where the leather would soak through, which happens no matter what kind of goop you smear on your gloves, my hands stayed warm and dry. This is a tall order and one very few gloves out there can meet, especially when they are used in a work environment.
My only issue with the gloves is the wrist closure. It just doesn’t do that great a job at keeping things snug. The gloves stay on perfectly, and I may be splitting hairs with this a little, but it was a mild annoyance for me. Deal breaker? Absolutely not. After a few weeks I stopped noticing. The fact these gloves stayed warm and dry on even the wettest consecutive days was the great selling point.
Like everything from Arc’teryx, they’re a little on the pricey side ($225 on EVO.COM), but to me, you get what you pay for and these gloves will definitely go the distance.
FIND THE VERTICAL SV ON EVO.COM HERE
The Arc’teryx Vertical SV Glove – By the numbers:
Shell Material:
GORE-TEX® Pro fabric:
– Durably waterproof, windproof, highly breathable and extremely rugged
– Leather reinforcement in high wear zones
Lining:
– Removable Polartec Wind Pro fleece liners
Anatomical Fit:
– Allows for greater dexterity to help you keep ahold of objects
– Short length allows you to wear it over or under your jacket cuff
– Smooth, seam-free fingertips let you pick things up without seams getting in the way.
Features:
– Removable wrist leash allows you to pull off the glove without worry about dropping it.
– Laminated cuffs with wide VELCRO® Brand Closure backed cuff tab
Specs:
Glove Warmth: Warmest
Material: GORE-TEX®, Leather
Insulation: Synthetic
Cuff Style: Under the Cuff
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
