There are two kinds of kids' outdoor clothing. The kind that looks great in the photo and falls apart by June, and the kind that goes through three children, gets handed to a cousin, and is still going. Most of what's sold as kids' outdoor gear is the first kind. Here's how to buy the second kind, and why it costs less in the end.
Why kids' gear fails
Children are the hardest test any garment faces. They slide down banks on their backsides. They kneel in mud. They wear the same jacket to the hut, the sideline and the farm without taking it off in between. And they outgrow things before the fabric has a chance to wear out — which is exactly why it should be built to be handed down.
Most kids' gear fails in predictable places:
- Zips. Cheap zips split or lose teeth. On kids' gear they also get yanked by someone with no patience.
- Knees and seat. Thin fabric wears through in exactly the places a kid spends their time.
- Seams. Under-stitched seams open up at the shoulders and crotch.
- Fabric that pills or thins after washing. Kids' clothes get washed three times as often as adults'. Fabric that can't take it is done in a season.
- Fit that only works for one size. A jacket that's perfect at six is useless at six and a half.
Everything we do with the kids' range is built around not failing in those places.
What to look for
The same fabric as the adult gear. This is the single biggest thing. A lot of brands make the kids' version in a lighter, cheaper fabric because "kids don't need it". Kids need it more. Our Kids Wilder is the same windproof tricot fleece as the adult Wilder II. The Kids Rookie Pants are the same fleece as the Buffer Pants. If it's good enough for a shepherd, it's good enough for his eight-year-old.
Room to grow in. Buy a size up. The bush shirt cut is generous anyway, and a slightly long sleeve on a kid is fine — it just gets rolled. One customer bought a size 6 for her three-year-old, and another told us she's bought the next two sizes up on sale and put them away. That's the right approach. The gear will last; make sure the fit does too.
Soft against the skin. Kids will refuse to wear something that's scratchy, and no amount of telling them it's warm will change that. Fleece is soft out of the bag and stays soft. One mum told us her son has sensory sensitivities and the Rustla Pack is now the only bush gear he'll wear "happily". Soft isn't a luxury feature for kids. It's the difference between the jacket getting worn and the jacket staying in the cupboard.
Pockets that close. A kid's pocket has a rock, a feather, a shotgun shell they found and half a biscuit in it. If it doesn't zip, all of that ends up on the floor of the ute.
A hood. Kids won't wear a hat. They will keep a hood up if it's attached to what they're already wearing.
Elastic waists. On pants, for pulling on over thermals and for the fact that no two kids are the same shape.
The hand-me-down test
Here's the real measure of kids' gear: does it survive to the next child? One of our customers in Ireland — yes, Ireland — told us her kids' Rookie Pants have "been worn camping, canoeing and even climbing", one of her boys refuses to wear any other trousers, and every pair has lasted to be handed down to a younger sibling.
That's three kids' worth of wear out of one pair of fleece pants. Work out the cost per child and the "expensive" pair of pants is the cheapest thing in the wardrobe.
It also changes how you think about buying. Instead of buying cheap and often, you buy once, in a size up, in a colour the next kid won't refuse, and you stop thinking about it.
What's in our kids' range and who it's for
Kids Wilder — the bush shirt. Windproof tricot fleece, hood, long body. The one for cold mornings, the hut, the sideline and the school gate. Parents tell us their kids get "so many compliments" wearing them to school, which we think says something about how far the bush shirt has come.
Kids Rookie Pants — fleece pants with an elastic waist and zip pockets. The hand-me-down champion.
Kids Rogue Tee and Kids Tyro Tee — fleece tees, one hooded, one not. Mid layers for layering under the Wilder, or outer layers on milder days. Good for matching with Dad's Rogue, which several customers have pointed out their kids insist on.
Kids Tahi Onesie — a hooded fleece onesie for the little ones. Soft, warm, goes on in one piece, and reviewers consistently call it the best gift they've bought.
Kids Rustla Pack — the bundle. Everything a kid needs to be out in the bush with you, including thick, long socks, which more than one parent has told us was the unexpected highlight.
How to make it last even longer
- Wash cold, hang dry. Fleece doesn't need hot water and the dryer shortens its life. A cold wash and a day on the line is all it needs.
- Zip the zips before washing. Stops them catching on everything else in the load and saves the teeth.
- Write the name on the label, not the fabric. You'll want to change it when it moves to the next kid.
- Don't iron it. Nobody's going to, but just in case — heat and fleece don't mix.
The short version
Buy kids' gear made from the same fabric as the adult gear. Buy a size up. Make sure it's soft, has a hood, and the pockets zip. Wash it cold and hang it up. Then watch it go through two more kids and a cousin.
Kids don't need a different standard of gear from the rest of us. They need the same standard, in a smaller size, with a bit of extra room to grow into.