The VQuattro Venture gloves are a combination textile and goat leather, designed for predominantly wet-weather use. They are non-heated and contain the Primaloft insulation and the waterproof and breathable membrane found in the other VQuattro gloves. The Venture gloves also have an Outlast phase-change liner, which adapts to the rider’s body temperature for warmth in winter and a cooling effect in summer.
A special dual-cuff gauntlet system allows the gloves to be worn under and over a jacket sleeve cuff simultaneously.
Please read the VQuattro gloves review introduction for more information on the technologies and features incorporated into VQuattro gloves and the background on the company.
The VQuattro Venture gloves have a textile outer shell, with goat leather trim used for the accordion pleating on the fingers. Goat leather is also used in the palms and along the outer wrist portion of the gloves. The Venture gloves also contain the Primaloft ONE insulation described in the VQuattro Lazio gloves review, along with the same waterproof and breathable membrane liner, attached using the mcFIT system, described in the VQuattro gloves review introduction.
VQuattro has incorporated the Outlast phase-change material in the Venture gloves. This material has been described in previous webBikeWorld reviews, such as the Roadgear Multi-Season Adaptive-Tech gloves review.
Those gloves won a webBikeWorld Motorcycle Product of the Year Award in 2007 and they’re still a favorite, even though they’ve taken a beating over the years. Outlast is a technology first developed under a NASA grant in the late 1980’s. The Outlast “Thermocules” incorporate a paraffin-like material that change from liquid to solid as the temperatures change, and this gain or loss of heat keeps the rider comfortable.
It works, and makes a subtle but noticeable difference, keeping the hands warmer than expected in winter and cooler than expected in summer. The Venture gloves have one other distinguishing feature: the dual-cuff liner has one part that can be placed under the sleeve cuff, while the outer gauntlet is zipped over the top of the jacket sleeve.
It’s a bit tricky to do, especially when doing it on the opposite hand once one glove is on. But it effectively prevents water from running down into the gloves.
VQuattro Venture Glove Details
The Venture gloves are the top-of-the-line hybrid textile/leather winter glove choice in the VQuattro 2012 lineup.
They were designed for winter or cold-weather riding in damp or rainy conditions, better suited for textile than leather.
The wet-weather design includes a unique dual-cuff gauntlet is described below, but the other distinguishing characteristic of the Venture gloves is the addition of the “Certified Space Technology” Outlast phase change material as described above.
Sizing
As described in the VQuattro Lazio gloves review, the VQuattro gloves are made in numbered sizes, and these Venture gloves are labeled as a size XL/10.
The Venture gloves fit slightly smaller than the Lazio gloves; the Venture gloves feel more like a size large, or 9.5, than an XL. So the sizing runs about one size smaller than listed.
Men’s gloves usually run about 9.5 to 10.25 for a size L and 10.5 to 11.0 for an XL, although different manufacturers may shade this one way or another.
Fit and Comfort
Designed for winter or cold weather use (including cool summer rainy days), the Venture gloves are not ventilated.
They have the same type of waterproof and breathable membrane found in the Lazio and Squadra gloves and the liner material do a good job at eliminating moisture.
The Venture gloves also use the mcFIT liner attachment system, which works to keep the liner in place when the hands are removed from the gloves, although the membrane works well enough that our hands never got damp enough to worry about this problem.
The mcFIT system is described in the VQuattro gloves review introduction, which also includes a brief animated description of the mcFIT system compared to traditional membrane attachment procedures.
The first three fingers of the Venture gloves have the same flattened accordion pleats between the main and middle knuckles as found on the Lazio and Squadra gloves.
These are very nicely constructed with perfect stitching, just as they are on the Lazio and Squadra gloves.
The fingers also feature the touring style “box” construction, with two “walls” joined in the front and a “ceiling” and “floor”. This provides plenty of wiggle room for the fingers and, when it’s constructed properly, is the most comfortable fit.
Overall, the Venture gloves are very comfortable, but perhaps with not quite the same soft feel as the all-leather Lazio gloves.
However, the pre-curved fingers help make the gloves fit the hand and the curvature assists in reducing muscle strain when holding the grips.
It also help to prevent bunching in the palms when gripping the handlebars.
As on the other VQuattro gloves, the knuckle protector and sliders are nicely shaped and very unobtrusive when riding.
Gauntlet
The dual-cuff gauntlet liner material on the Venture gloves is a type of polyester; that is, the secondary gauntlet (red color in the photos below) is polyester. Past the wrist inside the hand, the gloves are lined with a type of microfleece.
The outer gauntlet has a waterproof zipper.
The idea is to first unzip the outer gauntlet, then place the inner gauntlet under the sleeve cuff, while the outer gauntlet is zipped over the sleeve. This works on some jackets and is more difficult on other jackets, depending on the sleeve type.
The double cuff can also be placed over the sleeve cuff and the elastic at the end serves to keep the gauntlet snug on the arm, preventing water ingress.
Security
The Venture gloves have the same nice carbon fiber main knuckle protector with a semi-matte finish found on the Lazio gloves.
It’s double-stitched on to the back of the gloves and the stitches are perfectly arranged and there isn’t a single hanging thread anywhere on the gloves.
The knuckle protector looks like it’s painted or coated in black, which gives it a nice appearance against the rest of the glove.
The special VQuattro “V4” slider covers the outside of the heel of the hand.
This is described in the VQuattro gloves review introduction; it’s a special design with some of the slider that fits under the leather, then the remaining external piece is sewn directly on to the glove.
This hides the stitches and makes the slider appear like it’s part of the external glove leather. It also protects the stitches from abrading, so it’s altogether a very clever and different design. The stitches used on the Venture gloves are more noticeable, however, as the leather along the outside of the hand is a type of suede.
The V4 construction technique is also used to attach the gel pad slider covering the scaphoid on the palm of the hand.
It’s embedded in the separate piece of leather that runs from the palm, around the outside “heel” of the hand and up the pinky finger. The leather covers the outside of the pinky finger and wraps around the top.
There is no separate piece of hard protection at the pinky and no separate knuckle protectors over the backs of the fingers, typical for a winter touring glove.
The separate section of sueded leather on the Venture gloves is sewn over the palm at the upper part, covering the fingers and under the main knuckles. This is sewn using a precise double stitch, with perfectly aligned rows.
In addition, a section of “digital” leather covers the palm underneath, which provides excellent feel and grip for a winter glove.
The gauntlet has the standard hook-and-loop fastener and there’s enough length on the strap to secure it tightly.
The gloves also have a secondary wrist security strap underneath, also a hook-and-loop type that runs through a square D-ring on the inside of the wrist.
The D-ring is attached with a leather strap. Once the wrist strap is tightened, the gloves can’t be removed until the strap is loosened, even if the gauntlet isn’t closed, which is just as it should be for security.
Water and Wind Resistance
The Venture gloves have an unbranded waterproof and breathable liner, attached using the mcFIT system.
The gloves were waterproof in our “bucket test” (wearing the gloves while holding them under water for several minutes).
So apparently the mcFIT system works, at least with regard to maintaining waterproof integrity.
This is more than can be said for some of the other “waterproof” gloves we’ve reviewed, some of which have leaked through the seams where the membrane attaches to the glove — precisely the problem that the mcFIT system is designed to overcome.
Double gauntlet on the VQuattro Venture gloves helps to keep out water.Conclusion
The VQuattro Venture gloves are comfortable, but not quite as comfortable as the all-leather Lazio gloves.
For motorcyclists who will ride frequently in rain, the Venture gloves are probably the better choice, due to the mostly textile outer shell and the double-cuff gauntlet.
The Venture gloves are just as waterproof and wind resistant as the other VQuattro gloves.
They also meet the CE 13594 standard and they have decent, if not extensive, hard protection. The styling, fit, comfort and overall construction quality of these gloves is outstanding and difficult to beat.
The price of the Venture gloves is reasonable for the quality and features included.
The Outlast phase-change material really does work; you’ll notice that you can wear the gloves in colder and warmer temperatures than you would think this type of glove is suited for.
In other words, it expands the range of temperatures for which the gloves remain comfortable.
If you’re looking for a pair of very nice, textile and leather, non-heated winter touring gloves with the Outlast technology and double-cuff, the VQuattro Venture gloves are the way to go.
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