The water-repellent finish actually works — I got splashed pulling the kayak out and these were dry in maybe 20 minutes sitting in the sun. The liner feels soft against wet skin, no chafing at all on the hike back.
Wore these straight from the raft into a cold alpine lake and they were basically dry by the time I got back to camp. The water-repellent finish really does what it says, and the liner keeps them from sticking to my legs when wet.