I threw out all my heather pants except for one pair of base and plate... I have been fully stocked with the charcoal pants...I only keep my 2 pairs of heather for the occasional HS game where the partner has not converted...
Charcoal has been the accepted color for the College association and pretty universally implemented....
The Honig's poly wool and the Davis pants are very good.... you cant go wrong with them....
As to masks....I am a traditional mask guy, but many of my umpires wear the HSM. It can be a bit awkward to handle when having to attend to our clerical duties....In times when the mask is off to make lineup changes, we teach the user to insert his hand into the mask and basically use the mask side as a desk to support the lineup card....