Kristin Sinnott (& Linden): I am a big fan of mittens — for myself and my son. When I find a good pair, it makes me quite happy, and there are so many reasons to love Chopper Mill’s mittens.
Since they arrived, they have been the only mittens my son will wear while skiing because they are warmer than his others and they provide better dexterity; that latter point is becoming more important for him, now that he uses poles and can zip his own jacket. The mitt’s goat leather exterior, waterproof / windproof insert, and 3M Thinsulate insulation have proven to be a versatile combination. The mittens aren’t very bulky and yet every time I take his mittens off, his hands are warm. And we’ve had some really cold days lately, with temperatures sticking in the single digits Fahrenheit (about -17 to -12°C).
The Chopper Mill kid’s mitts come in 5 sizes and are based on hand measurements, not ages. I measured my son’s hands and used their size chart to settle on the size 2. They fit well and there’s still room for him to grow into them throughout the season. Chopper Mill also makes adult mittens; when I measured my own hand for those, I ended up with a slightly too large size. I can confirm they are a warm and wonderful mitten but I’m hoping to downsize before I provide a full review.
The cuff of the kid’s Chopper Mills mitts is plenty long enough to go over his jacket, but the cuff is not as wide as other mittens like those I’ve tried from Stonz. Regardless, it’s still easy to pull the mittens over his jacket sleeves. The cinch at the cuff and Velcro strap at the wrist keep the mitten in place and keep out drafts.
I’ve also come to love Chopper Mills because of several of their other features: personalized leather name patches, mini carabiners on each mitten, and their lost mitten policy. The patches are Velcro and included in the cost of the mitten. My son loves seeing his name on his mitten and I love that they will be easier to keep track of. Plus, replacement patches can be ordered if / when the mittens become hand-me-downs.
The mini carabiners make clipping the mittens to a backpack or jacket pocket easy — a nice feature that makes it less likely to lose a mitten. Lastly, the replacement policy. Chopper Mills calls it their re/PAIR(™) plan and here’s how they sum it up: “the first Chopper Mill you lose, we mail you a replacement free. And you can purchase a single replacement anytime without buying a new pair. Just click ‘Replace’ and move on.”
We have only ever lost one of Linden’s mittens but I am still frustrated that we could no longer use the lone mitten. This policy helps eliminate this potential frustration.