Tactical Gloves
Our tactical gloves protect your hands without taking away the feel you need for a trigger, a radio or a rope. This collection holds more than thirty Rothco gloves for police, security, military training, shooting, rescue and hard work.
- Duty and search gloves: lightweight all-purpose duty gloves, rapid fit duty gloves, police duty search gloves, touch screen and multi-purpose neoprene duty gloves, and Street Shield cut-resistant police gloves.
- Cut- and fire-resistant gloves: Special Forces cut-resistant gloves, hard knuckle cut- and fire-resistant gloves, a carbon fiber hard knuckle version, and fingerless carbon hard knuckle gloves.
- Rope and rappelling gloves: full-finger rappelling gloves and SWAT / rope rescue gloves.
- Flight gloves: G.I. type flame and heat resistant flight gloves and G.I. Nomex flight gloves.
- Leather and work gloves: D3-A type leather gloves, leather knuckle gloves, mechanics gloves, Griplast gloves and safety green gloves with reflective tape.
- Fingerless and padded gloves: fingerless biker gloves, fingerless padded tactical gloves, and fingerless gloves/mittens.
- Cold weather and parade gloves: insulated, soft shell and leather police gloves, G.I. glove liners, and white parade gloves including a gripper dot pair.
Look at the palm, the knuckles and the cuff when you compare. Those three areas decide how a glove grips, protects and stays on.
A note for service members: DA PAM 670-1 lets Soldiers buy commercial gloves for uniform wear only if they are plain, all black, four-finger-and-thumb slip-on gloves with no logos, unless the commander restricts them. Many tactical gloves have knuckle guards, logos or cut-off fingers and are best for training and duty outside the uniform rules. See the guide below.
How to Choose Tactical Gloves
No single pair does everything. Match the glove to the work you'll do most often.
Tactical Gloves for Shooting and Duty
Choose a thin, close-fitting glove so you can press a trigger, work a mag release and use a radio. Lightweight duty gloves and the ultra-light high-performance glove give the most feel. Touch screen gloves let you use a phone or in-car computer without taking them off.
Cut-Resistant and Hard Knuckle Gloves
Officers searching people and vehicles face needles, blades and broken glass. Cut-resistant liners add a layer of protection to the palm and fingers; no glove is cut-proof, so search carefully either way. Hard knuckle gloves add a molded or carbon fiber guard over the knuckles for breaching, climbing and rough work. Several also resist fire, which helps around vehicles and heat.
Rappelling and Rope Gloves
Rope work generates real heat through the brake hand. Look for a reinforced leather palm and full fingers, like our rappelling and rope rescue gloves. Never rappel in thin shooting gloves. Check the palms for wear spots before each climb and replace gloves that have glazed or thinned.
Flight and Flame-Resistant Tactical Gloves
Flight gloves are typically thin, with a leather palm and a flame- and heat-resistant back, and are popular with shooters, drivers and armorers who want dexterity.
Cold Weather Tactical Gloves
When winter shifts call for warmth without bulk, the soft shell, insulated and cold weather duty gloves add a lining while keeping the trigger finger usable. G.I. glove liners and polypropylene liners can go under a thin shell for extra warmth. For more cold-weather choices, see our winter gloves.
Sizing Tactical Gloves
Measure around your dominant hand at the knuckles, with the hand flat and fingers together. A good fit leaves no more than about a quarter inch of empty space at the fingertips. Leather stretches a little with wear; synthetic gloves don't, so if you're between sizes, size up in synthetics.
Tactical Gloves and Army Uniform Regulations
DA PAM 670-1 paragraph 20-15 governs gloves with Army uniforms.
- Utility gloves are clothing bag issue in a slip-on four-finger-and-thumb design and can be worn alone or with inserts.
- Commercial gloves are optional unless the commander restricts them, and must be all black and plain with no logos or designs.
- Army-issued flame-resistant gloves are allowed even when their colors or logos don't meet the utility or commercial glove standards, unless the chain of command directs otherwise.
- White dress gloves are optional with dress and mess uniforms, and military police may wear them with service uniforms when the commander prescribes.
Which Tactical Gloves Fit the Army Rule?
Only a plain, all-black, full-finger glove with no visible logos fits the commercial standard. Fingerless, hard knuckle, reflective and printed gloves don't. The issued flame-resistant glove exception covers Army-issued gloves, not commercial ones. The white parade gloves suit honor guards, drill teams and cadet programs. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps rules differ, and units may be stricter, so ask your chain of command when in doubt.