Galibier Barrier Deep Winter Gloves

With a few clever details that really help them do their job well, Galibier's Barrier Deep Winter Gloves ensure toasty hands when temperatures drop to low single figures and below.

• Pros: Very warm, surprisingly cheap
• Cons: No touchscreen compatibility

No single detail makes the Barrier Deep Winter Gloves stand out. What's impressive here is that Galibier has managed to combine a host of features such as lots of insulation, total windproofing (the barrier of the name), reasonable water-resistance, reflective details, a comfortable neoprene-and-Velcro cuff, and a grippy palm in a pair of gloves that cost less than 25 quid. And you also get things you'd expect in gloves at this price like soft fabric on the back of the thumb to wipe a runny nose, and gel padding at the bottom of the palm to cushion your hands.

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This is all achieved without excessive bulk. The Barrier Deep Winter Gloves are more substantial than the Pearl Izumi Pro Softshell Lite Gloves I reviewed previously, but they're also much warmer. Where those gloves really bottomed out around 5°C, the Barrier Deep Winter Gloves are still going strong down to freezing temperatures and below.

The warmth comes from the combination of a fleece internal glove and windproof layers over the top to keep out the chill. That's enough to keep your hands toasty even if things get a bit damp. The softshell outer layer resists water for a while, but if it's really bucketing down it eventually gets through.

Galibier doesn't bill the Barrier gloves as waterproof, so that's to be expected. I asked Galibier's Myles McCorry how water-resistant the Barrier gloves were supposed to be and he told me: "They will only fend off a shower and are designed for thermal insulation rather than rain."

McCorry says there's a layer made from HiPORA, which is waterproof and breathable, between the fleece inner glove and outer foam and foil insulation. But the outer layers will still get wet and that's enough to eventually allow water to seep through. It takes a while, though. I had dry hands on a drizzly commute, with water beading off the backs of the Barrier gloves.

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In dry conditions though, they're marvellous. My hands have been actually warm – rather than just 'not cold' – so far this winter, and there's enough headroom in the Barrier gloves' performance so far that I'll still be reaching for them however bad January and February get.

The Barrier Deep Winter Gloves come up a shade small, so if you're anywhere near the cusp of typical sizing or Galibier's recommendation, go for the next size up. I usually take an L or XL in gloves, and could have really done with an XL in the Barrier Deep Winter Gloves. Our size L samples weren't tight enough to impede circulation, but I'd have liked just a bit more room. McCorry says they flatten out a bit with the first wash, but I couldn't detect any difference after washing them.

Perhaps the most significant missing feature is lack of compatibility with touchscreens. When it's cold and miserable I'd rather not have to take off a glove to answer the phone or respond to a text.

That said, how often do you get a call or text that's really urgent? I can live without that ability if the alternative is to pay almost twice as much for similarly-warm gloves that like my iPhone.

And that's the big advantage of the Galibier Barrier Deep Winter Gloves. Similar gloves like the Specialized Element 1.0s or the Sportful Sotto Zeros are £45-£55. To get this level of performance for just £25 is a bargain.

Verdict

Excellent cold-weather gloves at a very keen price, lacking only touchscreen compatibility to make them perfect