My hands are usually cold when I ski, so I almost always wear mittens. Hestra Heli Mitt kept my hands toasty, without warmers, during a windy, chilly day (around 20F, felt like 14F). It kept me warm until lunch, before I used warmers for the rest of the day. Hestra Heli Mitts lived up to expectations.

It looks as if I'm wearing a great pair of street pants. It's fairly warm but... they are low-riding pants, so if you do not have thermal shirts long enough to tuck into the pants, your mid-section *will* get chilly.

Since it is a slim-fit, boot leg style pants, it's fairly form fitting. If you want to wear heavyweight thermal leggings, it will feel like a tight squeeze. And, if you wear neoprene knee braces -- forget it. No room in the pant legs for the braces.

To get around the knee brace issue, I use CW-X Stabilyx Insulator 3/4 length leggings. It's a compression tight, so it will feel small, initially, but it certainly helps my knees while skiing. It keeps the chill out except for really cold days ... my guess would be below 15F as I've never skied with both items under these conditions.

This bag is much bigger than I expected. I have the SnowAngel hydration pack and wanted a pack with a similar low profile with an extra pocket or something to hold keys and miscellaneous items. Sugar pack is more like a regular backpack.

As the previous reviewer points out, this pant runs big: I normally wear an S and ordered an "XS" ... and it's big around the rear and thighs. I'm 5'6" and 125 lbs... these pants made me look like I gained 20 pounds around the rear and thighs -- think Michelin Man. Very unflattering. It seemed very warm and super insulated, though.