About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the mittens, which I purchased with my own money in December 2021.

My take

The Dakine Sequoia GORE-TEX Mittens are a solid mitten for any beginner to advanced rider who is riding at the resort in the elements. They are warm, waterproof, and offer a lot of versatility for their price point.

About this gear

• Model: Dakine Sequoia GORE-TEX Mittens
• Size: Medium

About me

• Height: 5’7”
• Weight:130 lb
• Experience: 23+ years

Test conditions

• When I bought them: December 2021
• Days used: 40+
• Weather conditions used in: Sunny spring days, rainy days, white-out snowy days, 15-degree cold days
• Where I’ve used them: Mt. Bachelor, OR, Mission Ridge, WA, Solitude, UT, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Palisades Tahoe, CA, Chamonix, France, etc.
• Terrain: Resort and Backcountry Splitboarding

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was looking for warm, waterproof mittens. I was done with gloves because my hands get too cold in gloves, and I was looking for mittens to use at resorts mainly. I was looking for a good deal and didn’t want to break the bank on mittens.

Why I chose this gear

A friend of mine actually purchased these mittens and was raving about how warm they were. I looked them up and decided they looked like a good deal for being GORE-TEX so I bought them.

I had been looking at some Hestra mittens, particularly the Hestra Fall Line Mittens, and also some Burton GORE-TEX mittens. The Hestra’s were just so expensive I didn’t want to pull the trigger without really knowing if they were worth the extra cost, and the Burton ones looked great, but they were under-the-cuff and I was really wanting over-the-cuff ones. When I saw the Dakine ones with similar specs to the Burton’s, but with an over-the-cuff design, I jumped on them!

What I love about it

• Fit: These mittens fit my hands great. I can get them on and off very quickly, but they stay on perfectly and provide a full range of motion for my hand. They are warm without being bulky, so I can still easily get my snowboard bindings on and off. They also have a strap around the wrist that I can easily tighten or loosen to get the perfect fit.
• Comfort: I find these mittens really comfortable. They are soft inside and slide on easily. There are no pressure points or spots where the fabric bunches or is uncomfortable at all.
• Ease of movement: The Sequoia’s provide a great amount of movement while still fitting well. I love mittens for the fact that I can move my fingers around, and there’s plenty of room inside the mitten without feeling bulky.
• Warmth: These are rated pretty high on the warmth scale, and I’d say they live up to that rating. I often have cold hands, and I would say down to about 35 degrees F or so, I don’t even need the liners. After that, I have yet to be too cold or need hand warmers with the additional liners on.
• Waterproofing: I have used these mittens even on rainy days and my hands have not gotten wet or damp. Snowy days are no problem, and the only problem on the really rainy days was the outer layer wetted out just a tiny bit.
• Weight: For how warm they are, I would say they are pretty lightweight. The materials used are low profile and not bulky or heavy at all.
• Conditions: These mittens thrive on snowy resort days. They are warm even at pretty low temperatures and very comfortable. Only on really warm days or uphill are they too hot.
• Features: I love the goggle scraper on the left thumb, it helps a ton when it is icy and snowy outside. I also love the low-profile zipper pocket on the top of the mitten. It is generally for a hand warmer, but I put my season pass in there and can easily swipe through the gates at the lift no matter how high or low the card reader is. Sometimes I also zip in a credit card or some cash and know it won’t get lost.
• Quality: These mittens are really high quality for the price in my opinion. The material on the palm is grippy, and the top is stylish yet waterproof. The zipper is super sleek and doesn’t let any water leak into the pocket either.
• Durability: I’m really impressed with how durable these mittens are. I have used them for at least 40 days if not more, and they still look new. My old mittens definitely ripped around the seams after that amount of time, but these are still going strong.

Issues I’ve encountered:

• Breathability: These mittens are so-so in regards to breathability. They are great in cold weather, but not my top pick for skinning uphill or snowboarding on a really warm spring day, although that is not what they are designed for so it makes sense!
• Touchscreen compatibility: The inner storm liner glove is touchscreen compatible and works okay, sometimes I have to push harder or try a few times though. The outer mitt is not useable with a touchscreen.
• Other: The straps to go around the wrist were pretty low quality, in my opinion, they didn’t stay on very well. I upgraded to some stretchy Hestra wrist straps for a few dollars though and they work seamlessly with these mittens and now I never have to worry about taking them off on the lift and dropping them.

Favorite moment with this gear

There are really too many moments to think of! These mittens have stuck with me through so many storms, awesome powder days, rainy days when I’m thinking “why am I out here?!”, and I even take them in the backcountry and put them on for the way down. I took them up Mt. Scott and Mt. Shasta recently, and even at the top of mountains in the blustery wind they are super warm and comfortable.

Value for the money vs. other options

I think these are hands down great value for their cost. Their MSRP is in the $70 range but I consistently see them on sale closer to $40 even. The Burton GORE-TEX mittens are not too much more expensive, so those would be the most comparable. There are so many other brands that go for well over $100, I’d like it to be proven to me why they are twice as good!

Final verdict

For any resort rider looking for a warm and comfortable mitten for the dead of winter, the Sequoia’s will do the trick. They feature Dakine’s stylish look, with high-quality materials that don’t fray or tear. They adjust to my hand easily and provide a nimble feel with lots of movement without being too bulky. They are a great bang for the buck!