Over the years, I’ve needed to purchase various things for my kids for exploring the outdoors and staying warm during the cold winter months. If you’re not careful, you could spend a fortune on winter gear! And I’m way too cheap to spend money on fancy gear. So on that note, I thought I’d share some of my favorite bargains for kids gear to get outside and enjoy the weather all year round!
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One of our MOST used items over the years has been these hydration packs. They come in multiple colors, are smaller than the adult sized ones, have little pockets to store little things, and are very manageable for even a toddler to carry on their back. And what little kid doesn’t love having their own personal water hose to drink out of whenever they want? (Warning, make sure your trails have bathrooms or your kids feel comfortable peeing in the woods, because they will want to drink a lot with these babies on). Our kids use these while biking, hiking, skiing, etc. Make sure if you are using these outdoors in the winter, you have them wear them UNDER their coats so they don’t freeze. I just snake the little hose up so it’s sticking out by their neck and they can still access it easily.
Now that they have their water backpack, make sure they have some warm socks! Did you know that cotton socks are NOT a good choice for being outdoors in the winter? If they have big warm winter boots on, the socks may not matter that much, but if they are wearing ski boots and are very active, cotton is not your friend. Cotton doesn’t wick away moisture, so any sweat on their feet or moisture that gets in their boots will eventually freeze and and make their feet cold! However, I found while searching for socks for my kids, it was difficult to find warm socks that weren’t super expensive. As much as I love REI, I have 4 kids and don’t want to spend $15-20 per pair of socks. After lots of research, I have found a few cheaper options that have worked well over the years. When my kids were toddlers/preschool aged, they wore these socks while skiing all the time. They have never had cold feet (and we live in Minnesota- it’s pretty cold here in the winter). Socks with Merino wool are great. For my older kids, I recently purchased these socks on Amazon. They come out to about $9 per pair if you buy a 3 pack, which I thought was pretty reasonable. My 11 year old has been wearing them while skiing and loves them. They fit nicely and are super warm without being bulky.
Just for fun, I found these gloves recently and just had to share. They are more specifically made for Nordic skiing, but they are SO cute. Jessie Diggins, Olympic Nordic skiing gold medalist for the USA, has her own line of Swix ski gloves for women. The small sizes fit my 11 year old perfectly and I just gave her a pair for Christmas and she LOVES them. They come in multiple cute designs and have Jessie’s initials on them. Pretty cool for a young skier enthusiast! They are sold at many ski shops, and I purchased mine at Pioneer Midwest (https://pioneermidwest.com/). They are also sold at Amazon. Click here for the gloves and here for the split mitts (affectionately referred to as “lobster gloves” or as my daughter calls them, “Spock gloves”).
Aren’t these cute? My 11 year old daughter is obsessed. 😉
OK, this next one I got really excited about. I know from experience that outer ski pants for Nordic skiing are NOT cheap. I was looking for something other than big bulky snow pants for my older kids to wear as their outer layer while out cross country skiing, but I didn’t want to buy fancy expensive ones. I found these on Amazon and they work SO well! They are waterproof, fleece-lined, and warm. My kids just wear long underwear and these pants on warmer days (20-30 degrees F) and add a layer of sweatpants or something between the long underwear and outer pants for colder days. They are WAY less bulky than normal snow pants and allow for way better movement.
Finally, for younger kids, I usually buy their long underwear and warm mittens at Costco. They have the cheapest deals ever. Just like socks, I never buy cotton long underwear. I prefer polypropylene, but I’ll get them any type of polyester/spandex combo as long as there is no cotton. As the kids get older, I’ll sometimes look for warmer polypropylene long underwear at local sports shops or on Amazon. There is a store called Fleet Farm in Minnesota that usually has great long underwear deals.
Hope these ideas are able to get you started on getting your kids outside and active this winter! Drop a comment with any of your favorite gear for kids!