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Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts Review: Best Budget Mitts

Best Budget Mitts

  • Warmth 60% 60%
  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Dexterity 70% 70%
  • Durability 70% 70%

Price: $20

Finger Slots: Yes

Cuff Style: Cuff

Waterproof: No (Can Be Treated)

What We Like: Inexpensive, Super Soft

What We Don’t: Need To Waterproof Before Using

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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  • Warmth 80% 80%
  • Comfort 90% 90%
  • Dexterity 90% 90%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Pros

Finger Slots, BD.dry Insert

Cons

Different colors have different features

Finger Slots: Yes

Cuff Style: Cuff

Waterproof: Yes (BDDry Insert)

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  • Warmth 90% 90%
  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Dexterity 70% 70%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Pros

Gore-Tex Liner, Comfortable Leash

Cons

Gauntlet Sizing

Finger Slots: No

Cuff Style: Gauntlet

Waterproof: Yes (Gore-Tex Insert)

A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker

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  • Warmth 60% 60%
  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Dexterity 70% 70%
  • Durability 70% 70%

Pros

Inexpensive, Super Soft

Cons

No (Can Be Treated)

Finger Slots: Yes

Cuff Style: Cuff

Waterproof: No (Can Be Treated)

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  • Warmth 90% 90%
  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Dexterity 70% 70%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Pros

Waterproof and removable glove liner

Cons

Bulky mitten, the shell can wet out

Finger Slots: Trigger Finger Liner

Cuff Style: Gauntlet

Waterproof: Yes (BD.dry Insert)

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  • Warmth 70% 70%
  • Comfort 70% 70%
  • Dexterity 70% 70%
  • Durability 60% 60%

Pros

Inexpensive

Cons

Overall fit and leash system

Finger Slots: No

Cuff Style: Cuff

Waterproof: Yes (Nylon Shell)

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  • Warmth 90% 90%
  • Comfort 90% 90%
  • Dexterity 90% 90%
  • Durability 70% 70%

Pros

Replaceable liner, very soft and warm

Cons

No waterproof membrane

Finger Slots: No

Cuff Style: Gauntlet

Waterproof: No

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  • Warmth 90% 90%
  • Comfort 90% 90%
  • Dexterity 90% 90%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Pros

Low-profile warmth

Cons

Price, no wrist leash

Finger Slots: No

Cuff Style: Gauntlet

Waterproof: Yes (Gore-Tex)

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  • Warmth 80% 80%
  • Comfort 70% 70%
  • Dexterity 90% 90%
  • Durability 90% 90%

Pros

Good insulation with plenty of dexterity

Cons

Lacks long term waterproofing

Finger Slots: No

Cuff Style: Gauntlet

Waterproof: Yes (Pretreated Leather)

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  • Warmth 70% 70%
  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Dexterity 80% 80%
  • Durability 80% 80%

Pros

Liner gloves and Gore-Tex waterproofing

Cons

Fit issues

Finger Slots: Yes

Cuff Style: Gauntlet

Waterproof: Yes (Gore-Tex Insert)

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.

A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker

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.

A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker
A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker

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

Kinco uses proprietary HeatKeep thermal insulation on their gloves and mitts; it is laminated to the very soft TR2 lining found throughout the mitten. The 5-finger design inside the mitt allows for individual insulation around each finger. One tester after a run through some glades on a mild morning had to take the mitts off because they were getting too warm on his hands. This is something that wasn’t expected for a $20 pair of mitts that have been called “work gloves” on first inspection.

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.

A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker

Dexterity and Fit

Sure, they look a bit like oven mitts or even a burly pair of gardening mitts at first glance. When tasked with keeping your hands warm, they perform well. We tested the large mitt and it feels quite roomy throughout, even in the 5 individual finger slots. There is definitely plenty of room to wear a thinner glove underneath if temperatures take a nosedive.
The 5 finger slots do add some dexterity and help to handle larger objects like a backpack buckle or zippers. However, any tasks that require actual dexterity will prove rather difficult. The extra room in the top of the mitt and thumb really hinder the overall dexterity of this version of Kinco mitts.
The knit wrist cuff keeps a tight hold on your arm to stop the mitt from sliding around and it keeps powder out. The knit is tight around the “pulse-point” of your arm and helps to keep the blood headed to your fingers nice and toasty.
A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker

Other Accessories

There’s not much to report here; they are $20 mittens, after all. Kinco has included a little plastic clip to keep the mitts together when you take them off, but they are a bit of a pain and a lot of testers avoided using them and just kept them together. The cotton area is soft on the nose but may get a bit gnar after a season of use.
A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker

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.

A Comparison and Review of Ski Mittens: Kinco Lined Pigskin Ski Mitts - Gear Hacker

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We participate in affiliate programs to help us fund Gear Hacker. Some of the links in this website are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product using our link, we will earn a small commission. Don’t worry! This comes at no additional cost to you, and we will never base our reviews on whether or not we earn a commission off of a product. With that said, if you find our review helpful and decide to purchase an item we review, we would be very appreciative if you use our links to do so. It will help us bring you more awesome content in the future!