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The Ocun Crack Glove is an established favorite among traditional climbers who want robust, heavy-duty protection for hand and fist jams. Similar in concept to the OR Splitter, this is an open-palm glove covering only the back of the hand and knuckles, but it takes a distinctly more protective approach by incorporating a sticky rubber patch across the backhand. Field tests from gear reviewers regularly emphasize the sheer grip and security this glove provides in rough parallel splitters. The CAT 1.5 rubber compound mirrors the friction of climbing shoe rubber, actively helping jams stick in slick or polished rock where standard tape might slide. The rubber also provides significant structural cushioning, taking the sharp bite out of rough granite crystals and jagged limestone pockets. The trade-off for that extra rubber protection is thickness. Because the rubber sheet is noticeably thicker than the ultra-thin synthetic film found on the OR Splitter II, it artificially increases the size of your hand. In tight hand cracks or thin-hands splitters, that extra millimeter can be the difference between a secure jam and having your hand fail to enter the crack. The wrist strap closure can also occasionally snag on deep, recessed placements. **Highlights** * Sticky CAT 1.5 rubber backhand provides exceptional friction inside rock fissures. * Substantial rubber layer cushions bones and knuckles against painful crystal pressure. * Open-palm design keeps fingers and palms entirely free for face holds and crimps. * Elastic finger loops and anatomical patterning keep the rubber firmly anchored. * Microfiber stretch base fabric wicks sweat away from the back of the hand. **Watch-outs** * Thicker rubber profile can make hand jams feel too tight in narrow crack sizes. * Zero utility for belaying, rappelling, or everyday rope handling.
Pros
- High-friction CAT 1.5 rubber grips securely on polished rock
- Cushions back of hand against sharp rock crystals
- Eliminates repetitive tape glove waste and setup time
- Open palm preserves full skin-to-rock tactile sensation
Cons
- Rubber thickness can make tight hand cracks feel impassable
- Wrist strap and hardware can catch inside deep fissures
- Provides no palm protection for belaying or rappelling
Best uses
- Granite Splitter Cracks
- Repeated Crack Training
- Abrasive Jamming Routes
- Desert Sandstone Splitters
Specifications
- Design Type
- Open-palm crack glove
- Coverage
- Back of hand and knuckles
- Primary Material
- Microfiber base with CAT 1.5 rubber
- Closure Style
- Hook-and-loop wrist strap
- Approximate Price
- Around $40
- Palm Protection
- None (open palm)
Pricing
We don't publish a price we haven't verified. The retailer links below open the live listing for this exact model.
Best for
Granite Splitter Cracks, Repeated Crack Training, Abrasive Jamming Routes, Desert Sandstone Splitters
Where to buy the Crack Glove
Prices and stock change often, so check the current Amazon offer before you buy.
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The Ocun Crack Glove is an engineered, reusable alternative to traditional athletic tape gloves, built specifically to guard the back of the hand during sustained jamming. Unlike standard work or belay gloves, this open-palm design leaves the fingers and palm completely bare, ensuring climbers retain direct skin contact on face holds while shielding vulnerable knuckles and metacarpal bones inside rough rock fissures. Central to its design is a slab of sticky CAT 1.5 rubber vulcanized onto a breathable microfiber stretch chassis. While disposable tape gloves merely reduce skin abrasion, Ocun's climbing-grade rubber adds active friction against the rock surface, mimicking the adhesive grip of rock climbing shoes. This compound excels on slick granite and polished sandstone, allowing climbers to hold secure jams with less muscle fatigue and far less pain from biting crystals. The trade-off comes down to bulk and specialization. Adding a layer of dense rubber increases total hand volume, which noticeably changes how your hand fits into tight, parallel splitters. For climbers committed to crack routes who want to eliminate the waste and hassle of taping, Ocun delivers dependable backhand armor, provided you accept its specialized, crack-only utility.
Purpose and Intended User
The Ocun Crack Glove exists for one specific job: protecting the back of the hand during repetitive crack climbing. It is not designed for belaying, rappelling, via ferrata, or general rope work. Traditional crack climbers, desert splitters devotees, and indoor crack trainers are the primary demographic. For climbers logging sustained pitch counts on rough granite, sandstone, or coarse basalt, raw knuckles and sheared skin can quickly end a climbing trip. Instead of spending time and athletic tape crafting disposable tape gloves before every session, this slip-on model offers immediate coverage. It suits climbers who prioritize physical cushioning and extra friction on jams over the bare-minimum profile of thin surgical tape. However, because it provides zero coverage across the palm or fingers, anyone searching for an all-around rock climbing glove will need a separate pair of full-finger or three-quarter leather belay gloves for rope handling tasks.
Materials and Rubber Compound
Construction revolves around a synthetic microfiber base combined with an anatomical layer of CAT 1.5 rubber. The microfiber chassis conforms closely to the back of the hand, wicking moisture and maintaining shape across repeated uses. Rather than using slick synthetic leather or heavy split suede, Ocun utilizes a proprietary rubber blend developed for climbing friction. This material performs much like sticky shoe rubber, gripping parallel crack walls under torque and expansion. Elastic finger loops secure the front end around the base of the four fingers, while a hook-and-loop closure anchors the glove above the wrist joint. The seams connecting the finger loops to the main rubberized panel are reinforced to handle outward tension when removing the hand from deep, constricting fissures. The back-of-hand rubber is substantially thicker than minimal tape alternatives, prioritizing physical impact resistance over ultra-low bulk.
Real-World Jamming Performance
On the rock, the primary advantage of the Ocun Crack Glove is mechanical grip combined with impact dampening. In coarse fissures filled with sharp feldspar crystals, the dense rubber blunts point pressure that would otherwise puncture bare skin or cut through standard cloth tape. In polished, low-friction cracks, the sticky CAT 1.5 compound actively assists the jam, reducing the inward squeezing force needed to stay locked in place. Because the palm and inner finger surfaces remain completely uncovered, transitioning from a pure crack jam to a tenuous face crimp or friction smear feels seamless. Climbers do not lose tactile sensitivity on technical holds. The glove remains planted on the hand during standard hand and fist jams without sliding backward, provided the wrist strap is cinched snugly and the finger loops fit correctly.
Volume and Fit Penalties
The main functional compromise of this glove is physical thickness. While standard athletic tape adds mere fractions of a millimeter to hand dimensions, the Ocun rubber sheet introduces notable volume. In wide hands or cupped hand jams, this extra padding is unnoticeable or even welcome. However, in narrow hand cracks—often referred to as tight hands or rattly fingers—the added thickness can transform a comfortable jam into an impossible squeeze. If your hand barely fits into a crack while bare, the Ocun Crack Glove may prevent you from achieving deep skeletal purchase altogether. Furthermore, the hook-and-loop strap and plastic retention buckle sit on the wrist, which can snag or unfasten when burying hands deeply into horizontal roofs or deep off-width cracks. Sizing must be dialed carefully so the finger loops do not pinch or roll forward during downward torquing.
Durability and Maintenance
Compared to single-use athletic tape, the Ocun Crack Glove represents a major step forward in durability and environmental sustainability. Across an entire season of crack climbing, building disposable tape gloves consumes dozens of rolls of tape and leaves behind adhesive residue. Ocun's rubber sheet resists abrasion well, surviving repetitive scraping against sharp crystal edges without tearing. The primary wear points over extended life are the elastic finger bands and the perimeter stitching where rubber meets microfiber. If finger loops are subjected to excessive shear forces or sized too tightly, the stitching can degrade prematurely. Cleaning simply requires rinsing in cool water to remove sweat, dirt, and chalk buildup, which helps restore the natural tackiness of the rubber. When kept clean, the CAT 1.5 compound retains its friction characteristics across hundreds of pitches.
Market Alternatives and Comparisons
Within the specialized crack glove category, Ocun's main direct competitor is the Outdoor Research Splitter II. The difference between the two designs comes down to thickness versus friction. The Outdoor Research Splitter II uses an ultra-thin synthetic suede backhand with a minimal embossed texture. The OR glove adds almost zero hand volume, making it the preferred option for thin-hands cracks where every millimeter matters, but it offers far less mechanical grip and minimal crystal cushioning. By contrast, the Ocun Crack Glove provides substantially more friction and rock-bite defense due to its true sticky rubber sheet, making it superior in rough, sharp, or slippery splitters. Climbers looking for pure protection on wide to standard hand cracks generally favor Ocun, whereas purists who demand the closest possible approximation of bare-skin sizing lean toward thinner synthetic alternatives.
How we picked
We started with a long list of climbing gloves that people actually buy, cut anything that could not clear our baseline for durability and field performance, then ranked the 10 that were left against the same criteria. Rankings are editorial. No brand pays for placement, and affiliate links never move a pick up or down.
- Handling with gloves and pump
- Gate action, clipping and lowering control when hands are tired.
- Strength rating and weight
- Certified ratings against weight, so lighter never means sketchier.
- Real-world durability
- How the material, stitching, or steel holds up after a season of hard use — not how it looks new.
- Performance in bad conditions
- Wind, rain, cold, and grit are the test. Anything that only works on a nice day gets marked down.
- Weight and packability
- Every ounce has to earn its place in the pack, but not at the cost of something that fails in the field.
- Ease of use
- Setup, adjustment, and maintenance with cold hands, in the dark, without the manual.
Crack Glove — frequently asked questions
- Is the Crack Glove worth it?
- We rank it #10 in Climbing Gloves. The Ocun Crack Glove is an established favorite among traditional climbers who want robust, heavy-duty protection for hand and fist jams. Similar in concept to the OR Splitter, this is an open-palm glove covering only the back of the hand and knuckles, but it takes a distinctly more protective approach by…
- What is the Crack Glove best for?
- Best for granite splitter cracks, repeated crack training, abrasive jamming routes and desert sandstone splitters. Standouts: high-friction cat 1.5 rubber grips securely on polished rock and cushions back of hand against sharp rock crystals.
- What are the downsides of the Crack Glove?
- Rubber thickness can make tight hand cracks feel impassable, Wrist strap and hardware can catch inside deep fissures and Provides no palm protection for belaying or rappelling.
- What are the key specs of the Crack Glove?
- Design Type: Open-palm crack glove · Coverage: Back of hand and knuckles · Primary Material: Microfiber base with CAT 1.5 rubber · Closure Style: Hook-and-loop wrist strap · Approximate Price: Around $40
- Purpose and Intended User — what should I know about the Crack Glove?
- The Ocun Crack Glove exists for one specific job: protecting the back of the hand during repetitive crack climbing. It is not designed for belaying, rappelling, via ferrata, or general rope work.
- Materials and Rubber Compound — what should I know about the Crack Glove?
- 5 rubber. The microfiber chassis conforms closely to the back of the hand, wicking moisture and maintaining shape across repeated uses.
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