I asked my friend Jo, who has two gorgeous and very active, young children to put a pair of Spotty Otter Patrol II kids waterproof dungarees to the test. Here’s her review.
Jo writes: With two small and very lively children, we have a general rule in our household: “Never let rain stop play.” The officials at Wimbledon might not approve but we’re often the only family in the park with our hoods up and waterproofs on.
However, we’ve not yet found a set of waterproofs that don’t necessitate a change of clothes due a a soggy bottom when we get back to the house. That is, until Fiona introduced us to Spotty Otter outdoor gear for kids.
The Spotty Otter mantra is “high function, high fun” and their website tells us their gear is designed with a wish for kids to “have fun – good old-fashioned, rough-and-tumble, jump-and-splash, scream-and-shout type of fun”. So we had something in common.
Spotty Otter Patrol II waterproof dungarees
Initial impressions were good. The Spotty Otter Patrol II dungarees might be functional, but they also look great! Little details like a Velcro front pocket with reflective Spotty Otter logo are not only cute, but very appealing to small people with trinkets to stash. The petrol blue colour was a hit with my daughter and will be fine to pass down to her little brother in time.
The quality was immediately obvious. The fit is generous leaving plenty of room for both layers beneath and the inevitable lengthening of limbs. Adjustable, easy clip braces, part-elasticated waist and ribbing under the arms gave a snug and comfy fit. Inside they are fleece-lined to keep kids nice and warm. I was already envious – and we hadn’t even left the house.
A morning of stair-rod rain followed by drizzle and cabin fever gave us the perfect chance to try them out. We then discovered another great piece of design: Velcro ankle straps that allow you to easily tuck wellies underneath, or even put them on first, which is ideal for a not-always-rational toddler.
Off to the park we popped. The windproof, waterproof OtterTex fabric held its own in some threshold puddle jumping along the way. Good start.
The park, as suspected, was water logged but soaking swings and rain-slicked slides were no match for the Patrol IIs. My two-year old jumped off the end of the slide without even a drop of water attaching itself to her bottom!
The stretchable fabric came into its own as we climbed frames, rotated on roundabouts and paused to crouch and look at worms. Soon the dungarees had a new name: “Magic trousers.” It was a good sign. Their reputation has stuck and I never have a problem persuading my tempestuous toddler to step into them.
This is very good as we’ve been out a lot in them! They are cosy enough to work with just a sweatshirt or jumper underneath on dry days or a single layer waterproof in the rain.
I feel we’ll be unstoppable this winter and can’t wait to try them out in the snow. Oh, and they are machine washable too so mud doesn’t phase us either.
There are cheaper products on the market (the Spotty Otter dungarees RRP at £50 but they are on offer at £45 just now), but their performance is so good and they are so adaptable I think they top the table in terms of value.
There is one negative though, they don’t do them in my size!
Spotty Otter pic showing different dungaree colours.
The full Spotty Otter range is available from their online store Spotty Otter.