I needed a pair of everyday winter gloves for those middling days where I’m hanging outside, hiking, or just standing around taking photos, where basic liner gloves won’t cut it but I didn’t need the heavy guns. What I found and since fallen in love with are the OR BackStop Gloves. Just 100 weight fleece, but with Gore WindStopper fabric and a tacky palm they’re light weight and help cut the air and keep your fingers nimble but warm.

So far this season they’ve been warm, dry, the windproof-y-ness has proven itself useful, but in more extreme conditions such as biking in just under freezing air, their lack of insulation does start to show itself. But that is OK by me, because I wasn’t expecting them to be all things all the time.

I bought these gloves a little on the small side. They don’t have the stretch of a liner glove, but I wanted to be able to use them as such in real extreme conditions, and when fiddling with gear didn’t need any loose fabric on the fingers. I picked up the BackStop Gloves at EMS earlier this season. So far they’ve been great, and they look to be quite durable (another problem I’ve had with liner gloves).

When I need to make sure my hands stay warm for long periods of time these have been great. These are heavy fleece gloves with a bit of a grippy palm and fingers, and a windproof cover/mitten that can cover the fingers. Long stints in 20 degree snowy hikes and photowalks haven’t been a match for these, and unlike the less insulated ORs they’ve been able to cut it even on the windy bike rides.

The only downside to these gloves is that they may wind up a bit wet and soggy—not so much an issue if you’re active and warm, but not the greatest gloves for snowball fights, snow shoveling or other cases where you’re putting them on and taking them off often going in and out of your house.

I bought these gloves last season and wore them all year. I think I had gotten them at REI, but I don’t see them on the site now. But you may find the Hatchback Converible Gloves at Campmor.