Hestra Windshield Liner

The Hestra Windshield Liner is a five-finger liner glove, not a ski glove: a windproof fleece backhand over a grip-print palm you can work a phone through. Hestra rates it 3 out of 8 for warmth and lists Waterproof: No. It blocks wind and keeps your hands working. It will not keep them dry.

Fabric and construction

Hestra lists one outer material: a 250 g fleece, 91% polyester and 9% spandex. The polyester blocks wind on the backhand; the spandex lets the fleece move with the hand, which is why Hestra scores mobility 6/8, "Agile". The palm carries a grip print and touch points on index finger and thumb. A brushed polyester cuff closes the wrist; there is a puller loop, and it is machine washable. Durability is rated 4/8, "Dependable": daily wear, not a work glove.

Warmth and weather

Warmth is 3 of 8, the level Hestra labels "Warm" and defines as "light insulation for crisp days and shoulder-season wear." Hestra claims windproofing for the backhand only, not the palm.

The structured spec reads Waterproof: No: the glove "does not include a waterproof membrane. It may offer water resistance from its outer material but is not designed to keep hands dry in sustained wet conditions." Windproof and waterproof are not the same word. With no membrane, wet snow soaks the fleece, and wet fleece insulates poorly. Keep a shell over it, or save it for cold, dry days.

Fit and sizing

Hestra sizes by hand circumference, measured around the widest part of the palm, and notes that "the recommended size is an indication. Hands vary, and some models have a tighter fit than others." No measurement chart is published for this model, so put it on your hand.

Hestra makes it in sizes 6 through 11. PTO stocks one color, Navy, in sizes 7, 8, 9 and 10. Layering changes fit: 250 g fleece is not a silk liner, and a snug ski glove ends up tighter and colder with this underneath, not warmer.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

It works as a wind layer for the hands: under a ski glove on cold days, or alone in dry cold when you need fingers and a phone.

Do not buy it as your only winter glove; 3/8 warmth and Waterproof: No settle that. For one glove that covers full ski days, you want a membrane: Hestra's Army Leather Gore-Tex is rated 6/8 warmth ("Insulated"), Waterproof: Yes. Want a thinner, more dexterous layer inside an already-snug glove? Hestra's Merino Wool Liner Long is rated 8/8 mobility ("Second skin"), but it is cooler at 2/8 warmth, rated 2/8 for durability, with no windproof claim.