Craig from Best Friend Apparel sent us a pair of their Walkease gloves – “the first glove designed especially for dog owners”. For the past week Avy and I have put these gloves through their paces to see if they deliver on their promises.
Walkease Gloves: The Technical Information
- Exterior- 100% polyester
- Interior- 100% polyester fleece
- 60% nylon & 40% PU micro fiber
- Two poop bag pockets on back of each glove
- Synthetic grip finger tips on each glove provides ease in opening bags
- Smartphone touchscreen capabilities
- Synthetic palm gripping provides maximum grip while holding leash
- Waterproof
- Form fitting
- Balanced warmth and dexterity
- Exterior fleece on thumb for sweat/runny nose
- Extended wrist cuffs for warmth and comfort
- Clip to keep gloves together
How Do The Gloves Fit?
The Walkease glove is designed to be form fitting so you can maneuver your fingers while wearing them. As a result, the Best Friend Apparel website suggests ordering one size up from your regular size to ensure they fit properly. I usually wear a medium glove, so I ordered a large and I’m glad I did. The large is a snug but comfortable fit.
Walkease Dog-Friendly Features
How do you make a glove “dog-friendly”? The people at Best Friend Apparel have done so by including several features that appeal specifically to dog owners. There are pockets on each glove for tucking away a couple of extra poop bags, a reinforced palm for leash holding, and grips on the fingers to make it easier to open poop bags.
The Fingertip Grips
When Avy and I put these gloves through their paces, the feature I was most anxious to test was the fingertip grips. The worst part about dog walking in the winter is taking my gloves off when I have to pick up dog poop. I tuck the gloves under my arm and, inevitably, one will fall on the ground. Next comes trying to put my gloves back on while juggling a leash (with a dog who is anxious to continue her walk) and a bag of poop. The whole experience is annoying at best.
The Walkease fingertip grips do not disappoint – they have enough grip to open a poop bag. Because these gloves are form-fitting I was easily able to take a poop bag, open it and pick up the poop, all without having to remove my gloves. I was also able to clip and unclip Avy’s leash without taking the gloves off.
Pocket For Poop Bags
The Walkease glove has a pocket on each glove where you can store a couple of extra poop bags. The pocket is a great idea, but I found it was impossible to take a bag out of the pocket without first removing the gloves. While it is always a good idea to have an extra poop bag tucked away (see my post about The Poop Bag Walk of Shame), I will stick with the poop bag dispenser clipped to my leash for everyday poop bag needs.
Reinforced Palm
One priority I have for “dog walking gloves” is durability. Avy LOVES to chase sticks when we’re walking in the woods and picking up and throwing sticks can quickly shred a pair of gloves. I have worn these gloves when walking Avy in the woods several times now, and I can say that they are the perfect stick throwing glove. They are durable, easy to clean, and when Avy playfully pulled one off my hand they stood up to her German Shepherd teeth.
Other Features
In addition to the dog-specific features, these gloves also have a few other features that make them a great winter walking glove. The inside is fleece-lined, which keeps your fingers warm while out on a cold trail. The wrists are extended so they also keep your wrists warm when out and about.
My favourite feature of these glove though, is the fleece on the outside of the thumb. Have you ever been out in the cold and your nose starts to run a little and you find yourself wiping it on your sleeve? These gloves have been designed so that you don’t have to! The fleece on the thumb lets you do a quick wipe without messing up your sleeve or trying to dig for a tissue. And these gloves are easily washable when you get home.
Like many gloves on the market now, the gloves come optimized for using a touch screen phone. While this feature isn’t perfect (it’s difficult to type out a text when your fingers are a little more bulky than usual) it does allow you to answer a call without taking the gloves off.
Overall I would give these gloves two thumbs up. They are durable, suitable for stick throwing, flexible enough to clip and unclip a leash while wearing them, and have features that allow you to open poop bags and pick up poop all while wearing them!
If you are interested in purchasing a pair of the Walkease gloves, you can find them on Amazon. Happy walking!
