Best Budget Mitts

Essentially the unofficial brand of the ski patroller and ski bum, Kinco is a cult favorite in mountain towns. Using a very comfortable liner with finger slots surrounded by soft leather, these gloves have surprised a lot of our testers. They’re also warmer than expected and quite stylish. The cotton backing on the hand does reduce the water resistance and allows a lot of heat to escape, but for $20 it is hard to go wrong. Limited accessories but surprising performance would make these gloves the perfect Spring skiing companion and have made them the Best Budget Mitts.

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See Our Best Winter Ski Mitten Review 2021 Article HERE!

Ski bums of the world unite. Kinco is not exactly what I would call an “outdoor” brand; they definitely produce quality gear for use in the outdoors, but you are more likely to see Kinco at a construction site than a ski hill. That being said, the Kinco Lined Premium Grain Pigskin Palm Mitt with Knit Wrist (say that five times fast) is seen on the hands of the most hardcore of skiers, as well as ski patrollers who don’t want to break the bank on mitts.

Material

The main star of the mitt is the genuine leather pigskin palm. I immediately noticed that they were really supple and ready to go. Now the key here is that this leather will require some care if you want to get the most out of it; a leather waterproofing wax by a company like NikWax or SnoSeal will go a long way. Sure, they are only $20 mittens, but if you give them some love they should last you a couple of seasons.

The trademark and easily identified striped cotton-blend canvas fabric along the back of the hand helps everyone immediately know you mean business. Sure it isn’t waterproof…at all, but it looks good. The internal fabric is also extremely soft and really comfortable while wearing. Along the wrist is a knit fabric that is cuff style, so it’s tight to the wrist to fit underneath your jacket, but it’s soft and comfortable as well. I’ve been able to fit my watch under the cuff comfortably without any issues.

Insulation

The Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts are warm and hold heat extremely well. However, there haven’t been many wet powder days to test the mitts, which only have a treated leather palm, and untreated cotton on the back of the hand, which is likely to absorb water like a sponge. Wet hands are not warm hands, so if you are in a wet ski area, it is definitely something to consider. Kinco does sell other mitts that are fully leather, though they are more expensive.

If your hands run cold, these are not the best mitts. Some testers have needed to use thinner insulating gloves underneath the mitten on colder windier days. The wind does cut through the cotton patch on the back, which has been noted by several testers.

Dexterity and Fit

Other Accessories

The Bottom Line

We have said it before, but these bad boys are only $20. We really don’t need to say anything else. Every outdoor brand has their own version of the rawhide glove or mitten made for the “hardcore.” Kinco is the original and it really is hard to beat the price; sure, they may only last a season or two but at $20…who cares? Honestly, a few testers were blown away by how warm they were after a couple of runs. The dexterity is terrible and that’s a bummer but not a game changer; mittens aren’t made to be dexterous, so long as they are warm enough for some early season laps and spring skiing. If you ski in a colder area, they probably won’t hold up unless you run really hot.

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