Kids’ Salopettes and Snow Trousers: a review
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My children are at the younger end, so we are still finding our way a bit with snow trousers. Salopettes here get used for skiing, but also get used for lots of sledging, snowman making, and general snowy fun. I want my kids to have good freedom of movement, but also to be warm. In Scotland, the weather on the ski slopes could be cold and frosty, but it could also be a biting sleety wind. Good waterproofing is a must.
Here are some other features I am finding useful:
- Bib-style: this is really a personal preference, but I do much prefer bib-style/dungaree style salopettes to snow trousers for my children. I struggle to avoid cold gaps at the waist with snow trousers. They also look much comfier for young children with large tummies.
- Reinforced knees: children are often down on their knees playing in the snow. Reinforced knees always seem like a great idea to me on kids outdoor clothes.
- Adjustable ankles: these mean that you can put a child in snow trousers that are a bit too big, by cinching in the ankles so that the hems don’t drag the ground. Great for getting an extra season out of a pair of trousers!
Here are the salopettes and snow trousers we’ve tried out so far:
- Spotty Otter Explorer Down Waterproof Snow Pants
- Helly Hansen Kids Rider 2 Insulated Bib
- Reima Loikka Waterproof Snow Pants
Summary
| Spotty Otter Explorer Down Waterproof Snow Pants -Warmest snow trousers (sometimes too warm!) -Stretchy, durable and waterproof -Reinforced knees -Velcro ankle straps -Pretty bulky (because they are so warm!) RRP: £149.00 View at Spotty Otter |  |
| Helly Hansen Kids Rider 2 Insulated Bib -Bib style with great stretchy panels on the sides for easy on/off -Durable reinforced knees -Less bulky style -Velcro ankle straps RRP: £85 (I found some at a great discount at Amazon) View at Amazon |  |
| Reima Loikka Waterproof Snow Pants -Removable braces -Adjustable ankle straps -Quite a tight fitting waist, so good for a slim-build child RRP: £70 (sometimes available at a discount) View at Reima |  |
Spotty Otter Explorer Down Waterproof Snow Pants
Spotty Otter Salopettes are filled with duck down and are seriously seriously warm. Coupled with the matching Explorer jacket, these are too hot for my toddler on a walk if it is only a couple of degrees below freezing. But for the ski slopes, they are fantastic, and particularly if you have a child who runs cold, you can be confident that they will be toasty warm in these trousers.
The main downside is the price tag. We have two pairs that I purchased second hand (check Vinted, Ebay, Facebook marketplace), and that has worked well for us. Salopettes tend to be a less-used item (compared to a jacket), and Spotty Otter is very high quality, so I am confident that these will last through our family.
The salopettes are bib-style, and the bib fits over a base layer and chunky wool jumper.
In the photos below, the red trousers are size 5-6 and the pink ones are size 2-3. They are generous, I would say they fit about one size large.
Highly recommended, especially for very cold conditions, or a child who feels the cold.
Helly Hansen Kids Rider 2 Insulated Bib
We’ve done one season so far with these salopettes, and I really like them. They are a lighter and less bulky style than the Spotty Otter trousers, but the child who uses them has been warm and happy.
Rather than a zip, the Rider 2 Bibs have an elasticated panel on each side of the bib to help the child wriggle into them. This has worked really well, and is one less zip to do up. These trousers also have reinforced knees and velcro ankle straps.
Our pair of Helly Hansen salopettes are an Age 7, and I would say the fit is generous, I expect them to still fit well at age 8. I was able to get them at a fantastic discount at Amazon, so I think these could be a good budget option if you are flexible on colour.
Reima Loikka Waterproof Snow Pants
I really like Reima kids gear, but these trousers haven’t been one of my favourite Reima products. Our main issue has been that waistband is really quite slim fitting, and I cannot get my child’s jumper /midlayer to fit properly. You can’t tuck the jumper in because the waistband is too tight. But you also can’t have it layered over the trousers because of the suspenders; it gets all squished up under the straps. There’s nowhere for the bottom of the jumper to go! Perhaps I’m missing something here.
I do think that these trousers would be a good option for a slim-build child. The material and construction-quality is good. Reima sizing is generous, and I would say these fit roughly a size up. Our pair are size 104cm.
