Kinco Ski Gloves 901 2015

Skier Bio
Hand Span 22.5cm

Glove Size
Medium

Days used 200 plus

Glove Material

Durable Pigskin Leather
Extra HeatKeep thermal lining
Reinforced leather patches sewn with Draylon thread covering the palm area and fingers for extra abrasion protection
Pre treated with REVIVEX waterproofing solution

Style and Fit
There isn’t really much too these gloves in terms of style. They are very simply a bomber outdoor work glove, that happen to be pretty good for skiing. That said the natural leather colouring looks rather nice and is a style seen in many leather ski gloves.

The pig skin leather is very thick and stiff which takes some time to break in properly. Once broken in though they are very comfortable and can perform the basic tasks of a ski glove well. The thickness of the leather means you shouldn’t expect much in terms of dexterity but I’m not fussed by that. Even when I wear thinner gloves I quite often find myself taking them off to do stuff, even when its really cold.

The size medium fits my smallish hands very well. My fingers have less than 1cm space at the end meaning that if it gets really cold, say around minus 20 Celsius, I can put a liner on underneath them. I have only had to do this a couple of times, as the insulation in the gloves is sufficient for me. I am a very warm person though. The insulation inside them is a nice fleece like material that is very comfortable even when is all bobbled up after years of use.

The cuff of the gloves is a tight, ribbed elastic material that sits comfortably against bare skin. They aren’t particularly long and are designed to go under the cuffs of your ski jacket rather than over them.

Waterproofness and Breathability
Leather is naturally good at keeping water at bay so these gloves are better than fabric gloves without waterproof membranes. The Kinco’s came pre treated with a waterproof solution which when tested beaded up water nicely. Reading around these gloves are very popular with lifties, ski patrol and guides due to their durable construction and the general consensus is if you regularly treat them with snow seal or some other wax based waterproofing agents they will serve you well. For general skiing my hands were kept dry and only got wet in heavy, wet snow or rain. This doesn’t matter too much as these conditions usually mean the temperature is warm so you don’t have to worry about loosing fingers to frostbite. If you’re constantly handling wet skis like you may do in spring then the gloves will eventually wet out but I was fully expecting that to be the case. Drying the gloves is as simple as leaving them on a radiator. The pig’s leather means that they don’t degrade through wetting and drying and won’t crack like other gloves.

Breathability was an area I was actually surprised with when I felt how thick the gloves were. Very rarely did I find my hands sweating much in them. Again this is down to the pig’s leather being full of tiny pores that stopped the pigs overheating before they were turned into gloves.


Durability
I can safely say these things are as close as it gets to being indestructible. I have used these every day I have been out skiing regardless of the conditions and they have coped absolutely fine. Once you’ve got over the fact they are stiff and not very dexterous and not fully waterproof there isn’t much not to like. Man handling skis, climbing over rocks and ice, touching red hot heat lamps have all been done in these gloves and they are still going strong. The touching of red hot heat lamps may have resulted in the leather reinforcements burning and coming away from the main glove but the gloves themselves are intact and functional. It would take a serious amount of effort and abuse to destroy these things and that is why I love them so much. Unlike other gloves you just don’t have to worry about them. Best of all they only cost £30. Keep the leather nourished with a bit of wax now and then and they just keep going.

Conclusion
If there were an award for the most indestructible piece of gear in the snowsports market I think the Kinco ski glove would win. And as I said earlier at £30 they’re probably the best value bit of kit too. If you’ve read all of this thinking how good it would be if they made a mitten version you’ll be pleased to know they make just that as well.

• Design
  Clean
  Busy
• Weight
  Light
  Heavy
• Durability
  Fragile
  Durable
• Style
  Uncool
  Cool
• Fit
  Tight
  Baggy
• Waterproofing
  Wet
  Dry
• Breathability
  Pourous
  Airtight
• Warmth
  Cold
  Warm