The Best Men’s Ski Bibs of 2024

Snow bibs keep snow out and warmth in. They’re versatile, comfortable, and perfect for all types of ski days. Bibs offer more storage, work better with backpack straps, and you can ditch the annoying belt.

For bib buffs who are simply searching for a quality pair, we’ve already broken trail on that account. Here, you’ll find our picks for the best men’s ski bibs and best men’s snowboard bibs, ranging from top-of-the-line, pricey options to more affordable kits that won’t break the bank.

If you’re not sold on the benefits of bibs, read on for reasons to hop on the bandwagon and check out our helpful buying advice and the FAQ at the bottom of the article. You can scroll down to the comparison chart to help guide your decision-making process. Otherwise, read our full gear guide below for the best men’s ski bibs of 2024.

Editor’s Note: We updated our Men’s Ski Bibs guide on February 29, 2024, to spotlight newly tested products.

The Best Men’s Ski Bibs of 2024

• Best Overall Men’s Ski Bibs: Flylow Gear Baker Bib
• Best Budget Men’s Ski Bibs: The North Face Freedom Bibs
• Runner-Up Best Men’s Ski Bibs: Trew Gear Trewth Primo Bib
• Best for the Backcountry: Outdoor Research Hemispheres II GORE-TEX Bibs
• Most Sustainable: Jones Snowboards Men’s Shralpinist Stretch Recycled Bibs
• Runner-Up Most Sustainable: Picture Welcome 3L Bib Pants

Men’s Ski Bibs Comparison Table

Scroll right to view all of the columns: Price, Best for, Fit, Waterproofing, Pockets.

Ski Bib	Price	Best for	Fit	Waterproofing	Pockets
Flylow Gear Baker Bib	$430	Resort and backcountry	Semi-loose fit	3-layer construction with Intuitive membrane	2 hand pockets, 1 rear, 1 thigh, 1 large kangaroo, 1 buttoned stow
The North Face Freedom Bibs	$250	Resort skiing and riding	Regular	2-layer construction with DryVent membrane	1 hook-and-loop chest pocket, 2 zippered hand pockets, 2 hook-and-loop cargo pockets
Trew Gear Trewth Primo Bib	$499	Resort and backcountry	Semi-loose fit	3-layer construction with 20,000mm rated membrane	2 hand pockets, 2 thigh pockets, chest transceiver pocket, 1 zippered chest, 1 velcro chest
Outdoor Research Hemispheres II GORE-TEX Bibs	$649	Backcountry touring	Slim	3-layer construction with GORE-TEX C-Knit membrane	1 beacon pocket, 1 zippered bib pocket, 2 zippered hand pockets
Jones Snowboards Men’s Shralpinist Stretch Recycled Bibs	$500	Backcountry touring	Relaxed	30K/30K 100% recycled fabric	2 zippered chest pockets, 2 zippered thigh pockets
Picture Welcome 3L Bib Pants	$387	Backcountry skiing and riding	Straight	3-layer construction 100% upcycled polyester with 20K/20K rating membrane	2 front thigh
Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs	$649	Backcountry/Resort	Regular	3-layer construction with GORE-TEX’s ePE membrane	2 hand pockets, 1 chest pocket
Stio Men’s Figment Bib	$479	Resort and sidecountry	Relaxed freeride	3-layer construction with 20/10K membrane	2 hand pockets, 2 bellowed thigh pockets, 1 chest pocket
REI Co-op First Chair GTX ePE Bib Pants	$269	Resort and backcountry	Regular	2-layer construction with GORE-TEX ePE membrane	Zippered chest pocket, 2 drop-in thigh pockets — 1 with a zipper, 1 with hook-and-loop closure
Helly Hansen Men’s Odin Mountain Infinity 3-Layer Bib Ski Pants	$500	Backcountry skiing and riding, cold and windy conditions	Slightly small	3-layer construction LIFA INFINITY PRO membrane	3 zippered thigh pockets, 1 beacon pocket with D-ring, 1 front pocket
Jones Mountain Surf Bib Pants	$430	Backcountry touring	Baggy	20K/20K	1 zippered chest pocket, two zippered thigh pockets
Patagonia Men’s SnowDrifter Bibs	$399	Backcountry skiing and riding	Regular	3-layer construction with PFC-free fabric, membrane, and DWR-finish, meets Patagonia’s H2No	2 thigh zippered cargo pockets, 1 large zippered chest pocket with inside loop

How We Tested Men’s Ski and Snowboard Bibs

The GearJunkie team has tested a huge variety of bibs over many winters at the resort and in the backcountry. From icy midwestern slopes to deep Rocky Mountain pow, we’ve worn bibs just about everywhere.

With a home base in Crested Butte, Colo., our lead author and tester Eric Phillips likes finding the deep stuff and has tested a huge variety of bibs over many winters at the resort and in the backcountry. From deep and cold powder days to hot and sunny spring days, he used these bibs for skiing, snowboarding, backcountry snowmobiling, boot-packing, search and rescue missions, bonfires, and après.

These men’s ski and snowboard bibs have been carefully assessed for quality, value, sustainability, and long-term durability.

Some of our editors have used their choice ski bib for many years with no signs of wear or a desire to switch. Beyond our team’s experience, we also considered the most popular, most durable, and most acclaimed bibs on the market, as well as a broad range of price points and technical standards.

We’re confident this list is composed of the best ski bibs available today, and we’ll be sure to update the list as new models hit the market.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Men’s Ski Bibs

‏Now that we’ve covered the best ski bibs on the market, we’ll break down everything you need to know so you can find the perfect product for you.

Keep in mind, ski bibs come in many different styles and shapes, from how high the cut comes up the chest, to baggy versus slim fits, and even extra insulation built in.

Reasons to Try Snow Bibs

Other than adding more grams to your kit, there are a handful of pros that come along with swapping out pants for bibs:

• ‏Defense Against the Deep Stuff: Forget a powder skirt — the upper section of your bibs will keep out unwanted snow whether you’re breaking trail through thigh-deep pow, digging a pit, or choking on face shots.
• Pockets Galore: Thanks to additional real estate on the chest, bibs tend to have more pockets than your average backcountry ski pants.
• No Belt Needed: Ditch the belt and rely on suspenders for a more comfortable stride on the skin track.
• Backpack Compatibility: In the backcountry you’re wearing a backpack, and we’ve found that bibs are more compatible with fully-loaded airbags than ski pants, as the hip belt of the pack can rub on the beltline and even cause your pants to sag.

Resort vs. Backcountry

In the backcountry, if you want to go down, you’ve got to go up — which usually means hiking or skinning through unimproved terrain. Also, backcountry skiing and riding tends to involve harsh weather conditions, deeper snowpack, and fewer laps versus at the resort. 

The ski resort is a relatively controlled environment. For the most part, a day of resort skiing involves riding a chairlift uphill and descending on improved or semi-improved terrain. Riders often charge harder in-bounds, utilize pockets over their backpack for storage, and get significantly more ski runs compared to the backcountry. Style, fit, and color also might play a bigger role in the resort and après scene.

Many of the bibs on this list will function perfectly well in both resort and backcountry settings. However, this versatility often means that the bib is a jack-of-all-trades — and a master of none. If you are looking for a bib that you will primarily use for one discipline over the other, you’ll want to buy one that’s purpose-built for your skiing style of choice.

Since resort skiing doesn’t require uphill hiking, resort-style bibs tend to be less breathable than backcountry bibs. Generally, backcountry-leaning bibs have more pockets and storage options, and come with a more durable fabric for repeated laps. 

Backcountry bibs will have accessible places to store essentials such as an avalanche beacon or extra apparel. They’ll be a lighter-weight fabric that’s super breathable for uphill performance. Hopefully, there are dropseats in all bibs now but you’ll absolutely want one in a backcountry bib.

On this list, The North Face Freedom Bibs are perfect for resort skiing or riding. The Outdoor Research Hemispheres II GORE-TEX Bibs thrive in the backcountry.

‏Fit

Bib fit comes down to a matter of preference. Snowboarders tend to want more space in the butt due to continual bending over to deal with bindings. Skiers can rock anything from form-fitting, mountaineering-friendly options to baggier, more stylish kits.

Bibs that are too tight will chafe on the skin track. Most importantly, tapered, unobtrusive, reinforced cuffs will go a long way if you’re planning on wearing your bibs while using crampons. Voluminous pant legs are downright dangerous and will get torn to shreds by crampon spikes.

Reinforced Cuffs

We recommend that the ski or snowboard bibs you choose have internal gaiters that secure well over boots. Gaiters with boot adjustment access are also a plus.

At the bottom of the pant leg, some cuffs have a narrower circumference than others and fit better over ski boots compared to snowboard boots, especially for larger sizes or those with a BOA system that sticks out.

Other cuffs are designed for better customization with either side zippers or snaps, which allow you to widen the circumference when you pull the pant leg down over your boots. We prefer that design approach for snowboard and splitboard boots, especially if there is a BOA system to pull the pant leg down over.

For extra durability, especially for backcountry users, certain cuffs are reinforced with tough materials like Kevlar to help prevent the material from shredding over time or getting cut up by the ski edge or crampons while ascending a peak.

Pockets 

Every bib-pant has different features but one must-have for ski bibs is useful pockets. A couple of our favorites are kangaroo-style pouches on the front chest and zippered avalanche beacon pockets with D-rings. 

Wide and long thigh pockets are especially great if you don’t like pocket-stuffed items (like a cell phone or beacon) bunching up near your hips.

Various pockets with a range of sizes are usually situated on the upper half of the bib, unless the bib is designed to be shorter on the torso. Some bibs also have two zippered hand pockets in the front or even two pockets on the backside.

‏Insulation

When shopping for backcountry outerwear, it’s best to avoid the blubber. Insulation is key to enjoying the backcountry — let alone surviving it — but relying on quality base layers and midlayers is a much more versatile and preferable strategy than simply relying on thicker outerwear.

Be on the hunt for shell bibs or, if you’re touring in colder weather or operating on a budget, very lightly insulated bibs. Fully insulated bibs are best saved for resort or mechanically accessed backcountry days.

‏Ventilation

We highly recommend picking out ski and snowboard bibs with ventilation zippers, which will be placed alongside each leg on the exterior or interior or both. The zippers will be one-way or two-way. The two-way zipper is great for allowing the bibs to stay on while opening a dropseat, for which ventilation zippers can double as a dual purpose.

Very few zippers are fully waterproof but some brands do invest in that upgrade.

Inside the zipper, you sometimes have a mesh liner for protection against sun or snow flurries while other brands opt for no mesh. Overall, the length of a zipper for leg ventilation will vary.

Drop Seat

Using the bathroom in the backcountry, or frontcountry for that matter, can be a challenge. Fortunately, ski bibs have that figured out with the drop seat. You don’t need to take off your jacket in a stuffy stall in order to pull down your snow bibs to relieve yourself. Instead, you snug up your jacket a bit, pull the side or back zipper all the way down or around, and the fabric on the back of the bib will ‘drop away,’ so that you can take a seat and follow your normal routine.

Drop seat designs vary throughout brands quite like cheeseburger recipes are different from one restaurant to the next. 

For instance, the drop seat on the Patagonia SnowDrifter Bibs is unique in that you can unzip both sides of the drop seat without touching the shoulder straps for unparalleled access. 

Other drop seats reach super far down the leg for an even larger opening, which can be convenient for managing varying conditions in the backcountry, like the Trew Trewth Primo Bib.

Bib Straps

One of the most convenient features of bibs is using shoulder straps to hold up the pants instead of a bulky waist belt. Belts are one thing when you’re skiing at the resort, but when you’re touring in the backcountry, they can be a literal pain in the ass. Ditch the belt and rely on suspenders for a more comfortable stride on the skintrack.

Straps give you the adjustability to raise and lower the bibs on your waist. Most of the time this comes from a plastic slider buckle on the elastic shoulder strap.

Some straps go straight like the Jones Shralpinist 3L Bib while others cross in the back like the Picture Welcome 3L Bib and have Velcro adjustments which let you release the suspender from the front for easy entry.

How to Layer

Most bibs are shell bibs meaning they come without insulation. These bibs work best by layering a base layer and a midlayer underneath the bib depending on outside temperatures. It’s important to have these layers underneath the bib for the best comfort and warmth.

A shell or insulated jacket goes on the outside, up top. For cold windows, you could quickly pull on a puffy midlayer over the exterior of the upper bib and beneath a shell jacket but that’ll be based on what’s most comfortable. Also, an insulated layer generally functions best without the bib fabric separating the insulation from the body.

If you’re going into the backcountry make sure to wear your avalanche transceiver in a zippered beacon pocket with D-ring or in a harness underneath your bibs. That’s especially important to do on a warmer day when you’ll be stripping down to the bibs and base layers on the uptrack, and you’ll need to have the beacon protected in case you are caught in an avalanche. 

Waterproofness and Breathability

The waterproofness rating of outerwear is often shared as millimeters, which is based on the amount of water the fabric can withstand before being soaked through when a 1-inch diameter of the fabric is stretched tight for 24 hours.

That waterproofness level is important as you consider where you most ski, because the snow water equivalent — the amount of liquid water in the snow — differs from geographic zone to zone. There are four general snow climates in the United States including coastal, transitional, intermountain, and continental.

Generally, the closer you are to the coast, the water content will be higher in the snow, meaning it’ll be wetter and heavier. Snow in continental climates is dryer, lighter, and accumulates less compared to the coast. That includes most of the Rocky Mountains, such as in Colorado. Intermountain regions and ranges show characteristics of both. Transitional areas are similar to the coast but with less rain and snow.

A bib with 30,000 to 20,000 mm of waterproofness will be supreme for the Pacific Northwest and other coastal zones. A 10,000 mm level of waterproofness is a good choice, that’s generally a smaller bill, for climates with dryer and less snowfall or folks that only go on sunny days out.

The metric is often displayed adjacent to the level of breathability, which is based on how many grams of water vapor can pass through a square meter of fabric from the interior to the exterior in 24 hours.

Here’s a side-by-side glance of the waterproofness level and breathability level of each of our top men’s ski bibs with the most waterproof at the top:

• Jones Shralpinist Stretch Recycled Bib: 30K/30K
• Helly Hansen Odin Bib: 30K/20K
• Flylow Gear Baker Bib: 20K/20K
• Trew Gear Trewth Primo Bib: 20K/20K
• Patagonia Untracked Bib: 20K/20K
• Jones MTN Surf Recycled Bib: 20K/20K
• Patagonia SnowDrifter Bib: 20K/20K
• Picture Welcome Bibs: 20K/20K
• Outdoor Research Hemispheres II GORE-TEX Bibs: 10K/20K
• The North Face Freedom Bib: Unavailable
• REI Co-op First Chair GTX ePE Bib Pants: Unavailable

Water Resistance

Various chemical treatments are used on the exterior fabric of ski bibs to add water resistance. The treatment changes the surface texture of the fabric and allows water to collect in droplets or beads, which then roll away.

Some products like the Helly Hansen Odin 3L Bib are challenging the industry norm by achieving the same performance as a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) without the use of chemicals and also without using a surface treatment that needs to be reapplied for resistance against water.

Other bibs use PFC-free or chemical-based DWR, which needs to be reapplied every season. Make sure you know which type of DWR your bibs have so you can be prepared to reapply if necessary, as well as the exposure you might have to chemicals.

Pushing the outerwear space for 2023-24, GORE-TEX and Patagonia are helping to pioneer ski outerwear kits made with 2-layer and 3-layer recycled fabrics that are totally free of PFCs (per- and poly-fluorinated chemicals), as well as PFC-free membranes and PFC-free DWR. Many brands are starting to launch ski bibs with that GORE-TEX ePE technology including Patagonia and REI Co-op with the REI Co-op First Chair GTX ePE Bib Pants.

Sustainability

As a whole, we’re seeing the ski bib space move toward more sustainable manufacturing practices like recycled materials, PFC-free water repellency and construction, carbon offsets, plus meeting third-party standards and accreditation of workplace health and safety like the OEKO-TEX standard.

The materials that make up the bibs themselves are a priority stop of the sustainability train. Most manufacturers are using some form of recycled materials from parts of bibs to entire bibs made from 100% recycled materials like the Jones Shralpinist. Some manufacturers are using a blend of recycled materials.

In a new technology and effort, Picture has created an upcycled fabric, which is being used in the Picture Welcome 3L bibs, dubbed the Circular. The material is a blend of 40% post-consumer fabric via used garments and 60% factory scraps and used jackets, which replaces Picture’s bio-sourced polyester for an even lower carbon footprint, and boasts the same quality standards as traditional polyester. Kudos.

There’s that acronym you’re starting to see everywhere: PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals). They have been used for decades in the outdoor industry to impart Durable Water Repellent (DWR) properties to technical fabrics, done by coating the exteriors of fabrics. PFCs can also be used in other steps in the manufacturing of textiles.

However, these components can generate health problems for humans and animals plus they’re extremely toxic and persistent in nature. ‍Many brands have switched to PFC-free water repellents that are as good or better than their chemical counterpart. The Flylow Baker Bib offers one of our favorite PFC-free high-performance DWR coatings. 

Third-Party Environmental Certifications

There are a few different certifications in our bib guide including the OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Bluesign certified, and Fair Trade certified. Both Jones bibs in the guide are certified to the OEKO-TEX Standard, which means you can be certain that every component of this article — i.e., every thread, button, and other accessories — has been tested for harmful substances and that the product therefore is harmless for human health.

The TREW bibs, REI CO-OP First Chair bib, and Flylow Baker bib are Bluesign certified, meaning the company that made your shiny new product took painstaking steps to ensure the material impact is low or eliminating regarding the health and safety of the environment, the workers who made the materials, and you, in order to keep chemicals of concern out of the process and product.

All the Patagonia bibs and the REI CO-OP First Chair bib are Fair Trade Certified, meaning, you can be sure those layers meet rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards including safe working conditions, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, and Community Development Funds. 

Some bibs are Carbon Neutral Certified. This means that the brand is offsetting all carbon produced from the manufacturing by partnering with Climate Neutral and Bluesource.

‏Price

Our budget pick for this guide is the North Face Freedom Bib ($250) and boy howdy, do they stack up for the price. Not far off is the REI Co-op First Chair GTX Bib ($269). 

At full price, the most expensive bibs on our list are the most ergonomic and technical when dealing with the elements. These sit around the $500 and $600 range and are tailored for extreme backcountry use due to lighter, breathable, durable, and high-end sustainable fabrics.

If you count grams on the up, these bibs are worth the extra pennies. The Trew Trewth Primo Bib ($499), Helly Hansen Odin Bib ($500), Jones Shralpinst Stretch Recycled Bib ($500), Patagonia Untracked Bib ($649), and Outdoor Research Hemispheres II Bib ($649) all fall in this arena.

The rest of the bibs, including some of our favorite snow bibs for men, fall into the mid-tier $300-$450 range. Here you find the more jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none bibs. These bibs are still made with high-end and sustainable materials but don’t offer some of the lightweight, extreme performance as the more premium-level bibs. This includes the Picture Welcome Bib ($387), Patagonia SnowDrifter Bib ($399), Flylow Baker Bib ($430), and the Jones MTN Surf Recycled Bib.

Frequently Asked Questions