One thing is for sure, there isn't a bad mitt in this bunch, but some were better than others, and some were more suited to specific tasks. Read on to find out which mitts won our best in test, and why. The palms are reinforced with a grippy, rubbery material that is fairly robust, but not as tough as leather. We wouldn't want to climb tens of rough Cairngorm routes in these. Sustainability is good. The durable water-resistant treatment is PFC-free and there’s 58 per cent recycled polyester in the fabric. The comfortemp filling is 100 per cent biodegradable, and Maier says its production method is efficient in using less water and adhesive.

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The liners felt great, with a micro-fleece on the palm side giving a warm touch and also quite a lot of dexterity, and a puffier thermolite insulation behind the hand for added warmth. We've some of the best mitts on the market in this test, and although mitts generally break down really into two different types; the rugged waterproof Mitts that you can actually use for technical climbing (obviously not as technical as gloves), and the super-fatty pairs for those who are either wheezing up at high altitudes or want something for winter Alpine bivvies (masochists!), we've mainly covered type 1. The exception to this is the super lofty Berghaus mitts, which are very fat and very warm, but not dextrous. Read the review for full info!The Montane Meteor and Craghoppers Dynamic will suit those on a limited budget. The former will suit fast movers while the latter has a design that doesn’t look out of place on the High Street as well as on the country trail. Weighing in at 260g, these aren't the lightest mitts in the test, more mid-weight. They are filled with synthetic insulation (Rab's own 'Cirrus') and they are shelled with a water resistant Pertex outer. On further inspection it becomes clear that where the ME Pinnacles differ slightly from the BD offering is in the fit/sizing. The ME mitts are slightly smaller sized, with a very slightly smaller sized cuff. They are a little more technical in their fit, and hug the hand well. They are clearly a high quality product and seem well put together. They have really easy to use drawcords, nice and chunky, and a large gauntlet that covers the wrist easily. We had them in size large, and they were roomy for the size, swallowing hands easily. Alpkit has built its business on providing good-value gear without compromising performance, and the Definition fits that description. It’s nicely cut, with durable fabric and good quality fittings. The unbranded waterproof membrane has performance figures comparable with many well known membranes.

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The palms of the mitts have a grippy reinforced material that seems fairly hard wearing (so far) but we don't think it has quite the beef of a real leather palm (get it!).

But its Gore-Tex Paclite construction offers complete protection against the elements, and good breathability and, despite its light weight, feels robust. You can tell these are a well-thought-out product, and the little extras like the red loops to clip them to a harness (upside down of course) and the slight curve to the palm to follow the natural shape of the hard, means they aren't just a big bag full of down.

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On sustainability, Montane says it uses C6 PFCs in its durable water-repellent treatments, but is not yet satisfied that adequate performance can be achieved by PFC-free treatments. It says it puts durability at the heart of its garments and offers a paid-for repair service. The Meteor uses a 40 Denier PERTEX® SHIELD for full waterproofing with a DWR coating for highly effective water shedding. PERTEX® SHIELD fabrics offer enhanced protection alongside ample breathability without added weight so you can keep performing at your best. Our test team climbed Scottish grade V in these bad boys, as well as days skiing, and the obligatory wet walk-ins and outs! They have performed excellently throughout and it was actually very hard to tell the difference between these and 'Best in Test' winners from Mountain Equipment. They were very very similar in spec. The Gravdal also has a powder skirt to keep out the snow on the slopes or when winter mountain walking. It has twin press-stud fastening and can be removed by unzipping it.This is the updated Ridgemaster, introduced this season and made from Gore-Tex three-layer Performance Shell fabric, with a combination of polyester and polyamide material. The little extras were all there with Mountain Equipment obviously trying hard to make these the perfect mitts. They have small tabs for clipping them on to a 'biner, and carrying them on your harness (cuffs pointing down, no snow inside), and they have a really nice elastic wrist loop, and an effective one-handed cuff closure system. Our only tiny criticism of these mitts was that the elastic on this was a little long, so when we pulled them tight it was a bit distracting - answer was, we cut 3cm off the end of the elastic - job done. They have a really comfortable micro-fleece liner, and the Pertext outer fabric, whilst not as tough as the leather palm, certainly held the down well and was completely wind-proof. It’s among the lightest in the test and has a clean, simple design. Despite its lightness, the nylon fabric feels robust. It uses Pertex Shield for waterproofing, which has a rated hydrostatic head of 10,000mm.

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Rather than pit zips, the Definition has twin zipped side vents. These sit under the sleeve area and are easier to open and close than zips in the sleeves, which can be fiddly to use and access, but the side vents do have a slight tendency to gape open, with the chance of letting in rain in crosswinds.

I liked the clean and minimalist design of the Salewa Moiazza, which performed very well and is the best choice for hillgoers who want minimum weight and pared-down features, yet with good performance. The three-layer fabric is quite stiff and rustly when on the move. It does feel pretty bomb-proof though, and should give long service. We did come up with a negative for the Nebulas though, and that was fit. You can't go far wrong with mitts, as they aren't the most complex of designs, so of course the Nebulas went over our hands and kept them warm! But if we are looking closely then we thought that the mitt itself was slightly too narrow in shape, and the thumb section was hard to find with the thumb, and slightly too high up the mitt. Also we found the insulation or lining behind the hand on just one of the mitts seemed to fold over slighty, as if the inner was wider than the outer and didn't have anywhere to go. It could just have been our test model, so we'd say try before you buy. In this review we've looked at warmth, dexterity, water resistance, durability and overall design. We've climbed, skied, hiked and camped in these mitts at low temperatures and in terrible weather, and here are our findings. Warmth-wise we found these Nebula Mitts to be perfectly warm enough for Alpine winter, Scottish belays and probably beyond.