This is a windstop type fleece WITHOUT a barrier layer (I spoke with Patagonia directly about this). The advantage is that it dries quickly ( windstop fleece with films dries very slow, generally). In fact, I got these glove quite wet recently in snowy conditions. That night, temps were about 0 degrees. I slept with the gloves and further dried them on my warm cooking pot. The windproof fleece on the back of the glove actually dried much faster than the "expedition" fleece on the palm side of the fingers. The next day, temps. in the teens and with a breeze, the gloves, slightly damp , actually did well keeping my hands warm. That day was sunny and my body heat had them dry at the end of the day. Glove also has an excellent fit.