Despite what all the manufacturers sell, I don’t need waterproof gloves in the winter. What I need are gloves that are warm, have dexterity, are durable, and are as breathable as you can get. Yet despite the soft shell revolution, there don’t seem to be any winter gloves that meet the following requirements:

Windproof, or wind-resistant, outer fabric that stretches. Material like that used in Patagonia’s Dimension Jackets would be fine, but hard-faced Gore Windstopper or Polartec Powershield would also do. No Gore-Tex XCR, eVent, HyVent, BDDry, or H2No at all.

Leather palms and fingers, preferably from Pittards. A soft and fuzzy nose wipe would be nice, but the soft shell fabric could also serve this purpose.

A non-removable thick fleece inner. Non-removable liners always (for me at least) give greater dexterity for the same amount of warmth as shell and liner combos. And besides, I’m going home at the end of the day so I don’t need to dry glove liners in my sleeping bag. The fleece should be thick, as thick as the pile used on Patagonia Retro Cardigans, and once used in Patagonia gloves.

A long gauntlet that is wide enough to go over jacket cuffs and that closes with easy to handle cords. Also, keeper loops to attach idiot cords.

No straps or Velcro across the wrist.

Now, several types of gloves have come close, but not quite.

Years ago, Patagonia made what I think were called the Fall Line Gloves, but they might have the very first incarnation of the White Smoke Gloves. They meet all of the above but they have synthetic leather palms, which just aren’t as pliable or durable as real leather.

Another incarnation of the White Smoke Gloves (before they decided to add a WP/B barrier) have nice long gauntlets, but they have removable liners and fake leather palms.

Granite Gear made gloves that came with a removable WP/B liner (they looked like surgeons’ gloves), and I have a pair of their Parabolic Gloves that I use without the plastic liners. But the soft shell material is only on the back of the hand, and the fleece/wool liners are removable. They do have impressive gauntlets.

And I recently bought a pair of Diablo Gloves made by the British company Outdoor Designs. They will be awesome touring or spring gloves, but the fleece inner is too thin for winter resort use. Also the gauntlet is a little short.

If they can sell soft shell jackets, why not a pair of warm gloves?