Gear Review | Macna Progress RTX DL Heated Glove, Two Winters

Since breaking both my hands in 2023 and undergoing several surgeries, winter riding has become a little more challenging. On particularly cold days, the aches in my hands can become quite uncomfortable, so I decided these Macna heated gloves were worth trying.

After two winters of regular use, the Macna Progress RTX DL gloves have remained in excellent condition, with the heating performance and battery life still consistent.

Having now used several different pairs, I can say they make a genuine difference. The Macna Progress RTX DL gloves have been one of my favourite solutions, and after two winters of regular use, they’ve proven themselves to be an excellent investment if you are thinking of a pair for next winter.

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I wore the Progress RTX DL throughout 25 & 26 winters, reaching for them on the colder days when ordinary winter gloves weren’t quite enough. They really did the trick. I’m normally an XL in most gloves, and the Macnas fit me nicely in that size. Interestingly, I generally need to go up a size in other Macna gear, including my Protego race gloves, which are XXL. There is one small inconsistency, though, with the right thumb appearing around 10mm longer than the left. Otherwise, the fit is good.

My test pair came with two rechargeable 7.4V 2.2Ah batteries, one for each glove. The system also supports 12V.

The Progress RTX DL is a premium electrically heated touring glove, built using goat leather, polyamide and polyester, with a Bemberg inner liner, Isofur insulation and Macna’s Raintex Direct Laminate waterproof membrane.

Red is the hottest level.

White is the coolest level.

The control button is easy to operate, with coloured LEDs indicating the selected heating level.

The Macna Progress RTX DL gloves feature a four-level heating system, allowing riders to adjust warmth to suit changing conditions.

The direct-laminate construction is a real advantage. Rather than having a separate waterproof membrane sitting inside the glove, Raintex DL is bonded directly to the outer material. This helps prevent the outer shell absorbing water and becoming heavy and cold, while also allowing the gloves to dry more quickly.

Protection includes R.I.S.C. hard knuckle armour, a TPR palm slider, doubled leather across the palm and reflective Night Eye detailing. There is also a double waterproof cuff, with an inner elasticated section sealing around the wrist and an outer cuff covering the jacket sleeve. This is an excellent design and has worked perfectly for me. I’ve never had rain enter through the wrist area.

Double waterproof cuff construction includes an elastic inner wrist seal, helping keep rain from finding its way inside.

The 7.4V batteries sit in dedicated pockets on the gauntlet, with separate connections neatly housed inside the gloves.

Inside, the gloves are exceptionally soft and comfortable, with a lovely cosy feel. They are quite stiff when new, but soften and wear in nicely over the first few weeks. Interestingly, getting wet doesn’t soften them, as the waterproofing is laminated to the outer material.

Both forefingers feature touchscreen-compatible fingertips, making it easier to operate compatible devices without removing the gloves.

The heating system offers four temperature settings, controlled through the glove or the Macna Heated smartphone app. My preferred settings were generally Level 2 or 3. Level 4, indicated by red, is very hot, while Level 1, white, provides relatively gentle warmth. Blue is Level 2 and purple is Level 3.

My test pair came with two rechargeable 7.4V 2.2Ah batteries, one for each glove. The system also supports 12V operation, either through a compatible Macna power supply or a direct motorcycle connection using the appropriate wiring kit.

Macna’s published runtime figures vary with battery capacity. For the 2.2Ah batteries, the figures are approximately four and a half hours on Level 1, two hours and 50 minutes on Level 2, two hours on Level 3 and one hour and 45 minutes on Level 4. With larger 3Ah batteries, those figures increase to around five hours, three hours and 45 minutes, two hours and 40 minutes, and two hours respectively.

In my own testing, Level 2 consistently delivered around two and a half hours, even when I started with the gloves on Level 4 for the first half-hour. That is good real-world performance and has remained consistent despite dozens of charging cycles. Charging both batteries together using the supplied wall charger takes approximately four to five hours, depending on how flat they are. I generally put them on charge before bed so they’re ready for the next day’s riding.

I particularly enjoyed using the Macna Heated app. Being able to switch the gloves on from my phone, while sitting down having a coffee, and pre-warm them before heading out on a cold morning is a real luxury. The app also displays battery status and heating levels, with notifications making it easy to monitor the system, although for me the app always thought I had two right-hand gloves!

There are a few other features that make these gloves easy to live with. The visor wipers on both forefingers are handy, and the touchscreen-compatible tips work well with the BikePlay systems we use on our motorcycles. There’s a dedicated battery pocket in the cuff, with a separate pocket for the electrical connection, keeping everything neat and out of the way.

The Raintex Direct Laminate waterproof membrane helps prevent the outer material from becoming waterlogged in wet conditions.

The zip closure is smooth and secure, while the single Velcro wrist strap provides additional adjustment. After two winters of heavy use, neither the zip nor the Velcro is showing any meaningful wear. You do need to take a little care putting these gloves on and removing them. There are several internal layers, and rushing the process as you might with a conventional leather glove can cause the lining to fold or catch. Eventually, that could damage the interior. I’ve been careful, and after two winters my pair remains in excellent condition inside and out. I’ve hand-washed and air-dried them before storing them away for summer, and they have retained their shape and comfort.

Soft inner lining and Isofur insulation provide warmth and comfort, even when the heating system is switched off.

The Macna Progress RTX DL gloves are a significant investment at $449.95, but after two solid winters, I have no hesitation recommending them. They are warm, waterproof, comfortable and well equipped, with a heating system that has continued to perform consistently after dozens of charge cycles, I’m sure I’ll get a good few more winters from them along with cold overseas launches.

Macna has since introduced the Progress 2.0 RTX DL, with updated Armax finger and knuckle protection, additional cuff protection and revised construction. The original gloves have served me exceptionally well, and I reckon they’ll comfortably deliver another three or four winters if I continue looking after them. I’ll be digging mine out again next June, that’s for sure. Highly recommended.

Progress 2.0 RTX DL
Macna has since updated the range with the Progress 2.0 RTX DL, which builds on the original design with some worthwhile safety improvements. The newer version introduces RISC Armax seamless finger and knuckle protection, additional TPR cuff protection and EVA thumb protection, along with Ergopink construction to improve comfort around the little finger.

It retains the four-level heating system, Raintex Direct Laminate waterproofing, Bluetooth connectivity and Macna Heated app compatibility. The Australian RRP has increased to $499.95 for the battery kit. Having enjoyed two winters with the original Progress RTX DL, the updates make the 2.0 an interesting evolution of an already excellent heated glove. Check them out here…