Review: handson grip Tracker What's this familiar? Japan-made outdoor gloves that combine the skills of gloves craftsmen
written by Outdoor Gearzine Editorial Department
Whether it fits or not is a very important factor. No matter how high-performance you wear, if it is too small or too large, you will not be able to make full use of its performance at all. The quality and bad fitting, especially in winter, can be directly linked to the cold, and in some cases it can be fatal. Jackets and other items can be adjusted to some extent using drawstrings, but the more accessories they become, the more difficult it becomes. Especially when it comes to gloves, the size of your palms and length of your fingers are completely different for each person, but many people probably compromise and use them while suffering from stress, such as one size or just a few sizes of S, M, and L.
This time we will introduce Tracker from Handson Grip . Higashikagawa City, where this factory is located, is a town of gloves that ships more than 90% of the gloves distributed within Japan. These gloves have been created by craftsmen who have been making gloves in this town for over 60 years, using new materials to generously use the techniques they have accumulated up until now. Now, I've reviewed what kind of gloves they are and whether they can withstand outdoor use.
table of contents
Has there ever been a glove that fits this well? The rough features of Tracker
Handson Grip 's Tracker one of the products of Handson Grip , created by a long-established glove manufacturer that has been making gloves in Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture for over 60 years and has been using its previous technical know-how The main fabric is made of Polartech Power Stretch, which is cut into numerous parts and carefully sewn together to enhance the fit to the extreme. The palms use a thin TEIJIN nano front, providing a fit that fits against your hand, grip due to high friction, and delicate operability, making these gloves packed with attention to detail that is unique to glove manufacturers.
Recommended points
- Very high fit and operability
- Moderate breathability and heat retention
- Lighter than I thought
Points that interest me
- The heat retention and durability of the palm part is somewhat difficult
- I wish it was a bit windproof and water resistant
Item appearance
Main Specifications and ratings
| item | Specifications and ratings |
|---|---|
| Actual measured weight | 46g (M size) |
| size | XS/S/M/L |
| color |
|
| material |
|
| Smartphone compatible finger |
|
| Fit | ★★★★★ |
| Cold protection | ★★★☆☆ |
| Comfort | ★★★★★ |
| Mobility | ★★★★★ |
| Durability | ★★★☆☆ |
| comprehensive evaluation | ★★★★☆ |
Detailed review
Features and shapes
The main fabric Polartech 's power stretch . Power Stretch is a four-way stretch fleece material made of polyester. The back is brushed, so it is well protected to some degree.
Polartech fleece gives you a high sense of security in terms of heat retention.
If the fit is a certain size, it will fit perfectly thanks to its stretchy properties. The sizes themselves are available in the lineup from XS to L, so you won't have to worry about the fit. The material is highly breathable, so it does not get stuffy and keeps you dry even in activities that require a lot of energy, but you may feel cold in low temperatures and strong winds.
Highly stretchy and excellent fit
The palms are made of Teijin 's nano front The nanofront is made of ultra-fine fibers of 700nm. It's not worth it when you say it's 700nm, but it's super thin, roughly 1/7500th of the hair. The fabric woven with this fiber has a very large surface area, which can produce high friction, water absorption and moisture resistance, and is very soft to the touch. In addition to this Tracker, it is also used in golf and motorsport gloves, as well as socks and insoles. It is also used in a wide range of fields, including parasols, shoji paper, towels, and filtration filters. Thanks to this nano front, the palm area has high grip and ease of use.
The palm material fits thinly into the palm and is highly frictional
Careful and detailed construction that is unique to a manufacturer specializing in gloves
Turn the gloves over to see how carefully and carefully they are made. To make the most of the three-dimensional cutting, we use a lot of parts, and all the stitching is very detailed and accurate.
A large number of fine parts are carefully sewn and carefully crafted.
The cutting pattern has been designed to bend to the fingertips.
It cuts three-dimensionally so that your fingertips arch even when placed on a flat surface
The fingers' crotch that is easily torn are reinforced to make the skin feel better. I've started reinforcing like this.
There are patches on the crotch of the fingers to prevent the stitching from being bothered.
The wrist area, which inevitably becomes less durable, is doubled and reinforced. By adding volume to your wrists, it also prevents wind from entering.
Photo (double wrist part)
Simple functional beauty that stands out against simple construction
Smartphone compatibility is essential for gloves with this volume of this era. This Tracker supports your thumb and index finger. Since only the narrow part at the tip is reactive, it seems that it can reduce malfunctions and fine operations can be performed.
The powered panel for touch panels at the fingertips is small, allowing for delicate operation
The wrist has a binding loop to prevent it from losing only one side. This loop is made of leather and is an accent on simple gloves, giving you a sense of detail.
You can prevent loss by connecting it in a loop
The actual measured weight is 46g (M size), making it extremely lightweight. This lightweight design was achieved because it was simple and wasted with only the necessary items.
Impressions of actually using it
The first thing that stands out when worn is the soft fit. It fits perfectly like wrapping your hands around. This is probably thanks to the high elasticity of the materials used other than the palm. In addition to this fit, there are four sizes available, from XS to L, so if you choose the size that suits your hand to a certain extent, you can expect a great fit.
Thanks to the articles that are highly stretchy, the fit is excellent.
The material that creates this fit is Polartec's power stretch. These gloves use exquisitely thick power stretching, not thick or thin, so as long as they are sized, no matter what you move, you won't be blocked. However, it does not have sufficient heat retention and windproof or waterproof properties to prevent the cold. The nano front part of the palm in particular is so thin that it feels cool when you hold the handle of your bike in the middle of winter. It is only used to make it comfortable when traveling, running, hiking, etc. in seasons that aren't too cold. As long as you don't get the wrong scene, it really has just the right amount of cold protection, and when you're running, it really provides sufficient heat retention, and is breathable, so there's no discomfort that the inside of your gloves gets stuffy. However, is it greedy to say they wanted to have some water-proofing?
It is not waterproof or splash resistant, and if water is dripped over it, it will seep into the fabric and spread.
The palm nano front is a material that is used in a variety of fields, not just outdoors, but in the same outdoor field, it is used in the nano towels of finetrack. The nano front used in the palm of this Tracker is extremely thin and feels good on the skin like a thin tanned leather, and it fits perfectly on your skin. It extends not only to your palm but also to your fingertips, so when you pick or grab something, it feels like bare skin. This part is hardly elastic. This material has high frictional force, so it has good grip and is easier to grip than bare hands when holding stock. When your hands are cold, it is difficult to put too much strain on them, which is very helpful. It is originally a highly strong material, but perhaps in mind that it will take some time to grab something, there is reinforcement between your index finger and thumb.
The thumb and index finger are reinforced, which is quite stressful.
It is relatively easy to do detailed tasks, and the freedom of the fingertips is high. Therefore, you can easily do things like taking things in and out of your backpack, opening individually packaged sweets, and raising and lowering the zipper, which you may do while you are taking them out. Incidentally, I'm currently typing this sentence with my gloves on. There is almost no stress when it comes to working with your hands.
The degree of freedom of fingertips is high enough to be able to typing
The tips of the thumb and index fingers are compatible with touch panels, but the compatible part is small so you can tap the target area, so there is less malfunction and even more detailed operations as long as it is a certain degree of operation. It's difficult to type with the QWERTY key, but there was no problem if you were using flicks to typing the numeric keypad.
You can also perform detailed operations using the touch panel.
If you look closely, you will see that they are carefully sewn together to fit perfectly on your palm and fingers. This delicate movement of fingertips is probably due to the careful stitching of the fine parts. There's nothing to complain about this. However, if you sew many parts together with thin thread, it becomes a concern about their durability. There were no fraying or tears in the seams during the review, but that's a bit of a concern.
It weighs 46g with both hands, which is super lightweight. I don't think the weight of the gloves is very strong. For comparison, I measured simple gloves made from merino wool that I usually use during this season and found that it was 48g! The Tracker should have better performance in all aspects, including heat retention and functionality, but when I saw the weight of my gloves, I was quite shocked.
Summary: Recommended for people like this
As expected from over 60 years, as we have been making gloves as a specialized manufacturer, these simple and highly complete gloves are made with a clear understanding of what gloves are needed and what they need. Although there is no know-how that has been accumulated as outdoor gear yet, it is currently the best in terms of fit, functionality, and ease of use among the same type of gloves produced by other outdoor manufacturers. Personally, I was surprised by the weight...
Although it has heat retention, it is almost completely windproof, so it is not suitable for winter activities that cut through the wind. However, activities with a certain level of exercise intensity will allow you to stay comfortable with a well-balanced heat retention and breathable. These gloves can be worn from start to finish, as they allow you to do most of the work without having to take them off in the middle.
As they are carefully manufactured in Japan, the prices are slightly higher for these types of gloves. However, you should be able to get the satisfaction that is worth the price. As it becomes available in a variety of outdoor activities, it will likely bring about a lot of feedback that would not have been possible with regular gloves, and it will improve. This is already possible at the moment. With that feedback, I think it will be one of the fun things about using these gloves.
