Mountain Warehouse Kids Ski Jacket & Trousers Set Review: a warm, no-nonsense ski outfit that just works

I bought this Mountain Warehouse kids ski jacket and trousers set in Dark Khaki, size 9–10 years, for a week in the mountains and general winter abuse at home. I wasn’t looking for something fancy, just gear that keeps a kid warm, dry, and doesn’t rip the first time they fall over on ice. So I went for this set because of the decent reviews and the price that didn’t make my eyes water.

We’ve used it for a proper ski trip plus a couple of very wet, cold days back home. So it’s had snow, slush, ski lifts, and a lot of rolling around in it. My kid is not careful with clothes at all, so anything that survives him is already doing better than half the stuff we buy.

Overall, the first impression was pretty solid: it looks like real ski gear, not just a fashion jacket pretending to be warm. The trousers and jacket feel light enough for a child to move in but not flimsy. Zips, seams, and the snowskirt all feel like they’re meant for actual use, not just decoration.

Is it perfect? No. There are small things that could be better, like breathability and the fit of the trousers if your kid is between sizes. But for the price and what it’s meant to do, it honestly gets the job done very well. If you just want your kid to be warm and reasonably dry without spending a fortune, this set is worth a serious look.

For what you get, the value is honestly pretty good. You’re getting both a jacket and trousers that are proper ski-ready: snowskirt, lift pass pocket, fleece lining, snow gaiters, and a decent snowproof outer. If you try to buy those separately from bigger ski brands, you can easily spend two or three times more, especially for kids who will outgrow the gear in a season or two.

What I liked in terms of value is that it doesn’t feel like a toy version of adult gear. It’s clearly designed for real use on the slopes, not just for walking to school. The integrated snowskirt and lift pass pocket are small details that actually make life easier on a ski trip. Those are the kind of features that, on cheaper supermarket sets, are often missing or badly done.

On the downside, you don’t get fancy stuff like high breathability membranes, adjustable hoods that fit over helmets, or reinforced knee pads with crazy tech fabrics. If your kid skis a lot every season or does race training, you might want to invest in higher-end gear. But for most families doing one trip a year plus winter play, this set hits a nice balance between cost and performance.

Compared to other budget options I’ve seen in supermarkets or discount shops, this feels more robust and better thought out. The fit is more reliable, and the technical features are closer to mid-range ski gear than basic snow wear. So if you’re trying to keep costs sensible without ending up with something flimsy, this Mountain Warehouse set offers solid value for money. It’s not fancy, but it works, and that’s what you’re really paying for here.

The design is very straightforward. Dark Khaki is basically a greenish-brown tone that hides dirt well, which I actually like for kid gear. You’re not constantly seeing every mud splash and chocolate stain. There are no loud patterns or cartoon prints, just a solid colour with a few basic details. If you want bright neon colours to spot your kid from a mile away, this isn’t it, but for something that works on and off the slopes, the colour is pretty practical.

Functionally, the design is where this set makes more sense. The jacket has a proper integrated snowskirt, which is something a lot of cheaper kids’ jackets skip. In real use, that snowskirt helps a lot when they fall or sit in the snow; it stops snow from going straight up their back. The sleeves have elastic cuffs that fit under gloves without too much hassle. The hood is fixed (not detachable) and large enough to go over a hat, but not really over a helmet. My kid wore the helmet without the hood, and that was fine.

The trousers are cut quite regular: not super baggy, not skinny. Enough space for a thermal layer underneath without being uncomfortable. The ankle area opens enough to go over ski boots, and the inner gaiter grabs the boot well. My kid didn’t end up with snow inside the boots, which is honestly the main test. The only thing I noticed is that the trousers are slightly more generous than the jacket in terms of length, so if your kid has short legs, you might be rolling them up a bit at first.

Overall, the design choice is clear: it’s built for use, not for Instagram. No flashy logos, no weird cuts, just a decent ski outfit that looks fine and works. If you like simple and practical, you’ll be happy. If you want trendy colours and fancy details, you might find it a bit plain, but that’s not really the point of this set.

From my kid’s feedback and what I saw, comfort is one of the strong points. The jacket is light enough that they don’t feel like they’re in a straightjacket, but padded enough to keep them warm. On our coldest day, around -8°C with wind, he had a thermal top and a thin fleece under the jacket and said he was fine. No complaints about being cold on the lifts, which is usually when they start to moan.

The fleece lining in the jacket makes it feel cosy as soon as they put it on. That helps with getting them dressed without drama. The collar comes up fairly high, so with a neck warmer it covers the whole neck area well. The hood is okay for walking around, but on the slopes he just used his helmet and a hat. The sleeves have enough room so layering is easy, but not so much that cold air gets in. The elastic cuffs help seal things off pretty well.

The trousers are also comfortable, but here I noticed one small downside: breathability isn’t great. On colder days, no problem at all. On a milder afternoon when the sun came out and he was running around a lot, he came back a bit sweaty, especially around the waist and thighs. Nothing dramatic, but you can tell this isn’t high-tech breathable fabric. So if your kid runs hot or you’re skiing in warmer spring conditions, plan for lighter base layers.

That said, he never complained about chafing, itching, or the trousers sliding down. The waistband is soft enough and holds in place. Movement-wise, he could bend, crouch, fall, and get back up without any issue. For a full day on the slopes, the comfort is honestly pretty solid for this price range. Not perfect, but good enough that the kid just forgot about the outfit and focused on skiing, which is what you want.

The whole set is 100% polyester, which is standard for this kind of ski gear at this price. The outer fabric is a ripstop-style material, which basically means it’s woven in a way that helps stop small tears from spreading. In practice, after a week of falls, scraping against lifts, and sliding on ice, I didn’t see any rips or pulled threads. So the rip stop fabric claim seems fair enough.

The jacket has a fleece lining on the inside of the body, which feels soft and warm. It’s not luxury fleece, but it’s comfortable and my kid never complained about it being scratchy or rough. The sleeves and trouser legs have more of a smooth lining, which makes it easier to slide over base layers. That matters when you’re trying to get a half-awake kid dressed in the morning without a fight.

The outer fabric is treated with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) to make it snowproof and water-resistant. It’s not fully waterproof like a high-end shell, but for ski days and playing in the snow, it held up well. Snow beads off at first, and even after a few hours of rolling in it, the inside stayed dry. In heavy wet snow or rain, you might eventually feel some dampness, but for normal ski conditions, it’s fine. The care label is a bit fussy: 30° wash, no softener, and you’re supposed to re-proof it every so often. If you actually follow that, the water resistance should last longer.

Overall, the materials feel solid for kids’ gear. It’s not ultra-breathable or super technical, but it’s tough and warm enough for what most families need. If your kid is doing intense racing or full-day off-piste stuff, you’d want more advanced fabrics. For regular family skiing, sledging, and winter school runs, this set is more than sufficient.

Durability is usually where cheaper kids’ ski gear shows its limits, but this set has held up well so far. My kid is not gentle with clothes. He drags his knees, sits on rough snow, leans against metal barriers, the lot. After a full ski week plus several muddy, cold days back home, the fabric still looks in one piece. The rip stop fabric seems to do its job: I didn’t see any tears or obvious weak spots starting to appear.

The zips are another thing I watch on kids’ jackets. On this set, all the zips (main front zip, pockets, and sleeve lift pass pocket) are still working smoothly. No stuck teeth, no split zip, even though he tends to yank them up and down without much care. The pullers are big enough for small hands with gloves to grab, which probably also reduces the chance of them breaking.

On the inside, the lining is still intact: no fraying, no holes where the seams meet. The fleece hasn’t gone flat or rough yet, though to be fair it’s only been a couple of months. The bottom of the trouser legs, which usually get destroyed first by ski boots and pavement, have a few light scuff marks but nothing serious. No fabric actually worn through.

The only thing I’d keep an eye on long term is the DWR coating for water resistance. Like most polyester ski gear in this range, you’ll probably need to wash and re-proof it if your kid uses it a lot in wet snow or rain. The care instructions are a bit strict (no softener, low heat, re-proof regularly), but that’s standard for this kind of fabric. Overall, I’d say the durability is better than average for the price. It feels like it can easily last one kid’s full use and then be passed down to a sibling or cousin without looking destroyed.

On the slopes and in the snow, the set does what it’s supposed to do. The snowproof treatment is decent: on normal cold, dry snow, it kept my kid completely dry all day. On wetter, slushy snow, by the end of the day the outer fabric looked a bit soaked in some areas, but the inside was still dry and warm. So I’d call it properly snowproof and reasonably water-resistant, just don’t expect hardcore waterproof shell-level performance.

The snowskirt in the jacket works very well. My kid fell plenty of times, sat in the snow, rolled around, all the usual stuff. I checked his base layers at lunch and at the end of the day, and his back and waist stayed dry. Same for the trousers: the built-in gaiters around the boots did their job, no snow in the boots, no icy socks. That’s a big win, because once kids get snow down their back or into their boots, the day usually goes downhill fast.

In terms of warmth, with normal layering (thermal + thin fleece top, thermal bottoms) he was fine even on colder days. He’s not particularly sensitive to cold, but he’s also not the type to pretend he’s fine if he’s freezing. No blue lips, no shivering on the lift, and he was happy to stay out for long stretches. On slightly warmer days, he did get a bit sweaty, especially during more active play, but he never asked to take the jacket off, so it wasn’t unbearable.

Durability-wise, after a full week of skiing plus a few rough playground sessions back home, the set still looks in good shape. No ripped seams, zips still smooth, and the fabric didn’t snag even after some contact with ski edges and rough snow. For kid gear, that’s pretty solid. If you’re planning one or two ski trips and winter use at home, I don’t see this falling apart quickly. For the price point, the overall performance is honestly better than I expected.

The set is simple: one ski jacket, one pair of ski trousers, both in the same Dark Khaki colour. No extra accessories, no detachable braces, no spare parts. You open the parcel and it’s just the outfit in a plastic bag with tags. Basic but fine. It’s clearly not luxury gear, but it doesn’t feel cheap either. The weight is reasonable: light enough for a kid to carry and wear all day, but still padded enough that it feels like winter gear, not a raincoat.

The jacket has several pockets: two zipped hand pockets, plus the small lift pass pocket on the sleeve. The sleeve pocket is actually very handy in practice; my kid could beep through the lift gates without taking gloves off. Inside, there’s a fleece lining on the body, which feels soft and warm to the touch. The sleeves are not as heavily lined, but with a base layer and a mid-layer, it was more than enough in normal ski conditions.

The trousers are straightforward: elastic waist with some adjustment, no stretch in the fabric, and reinforced-looking material at the bottom of the legs. There’s an inner gaiter to go over the ski boots to keep snow out. No fancy ventilation zips or anything like that, but for kids, that’s honestly fine. Fewer things to break.

In terms of sizing, the 9–10 fits pretty true to size. My kid is average height for that age, and there was a bit of room to grow in the legs and sleeves, but not so much that he was drowning in it. If you usually size up to get two seasons out of clothes, I’d say you can probably still do that here, but be ready to roll the trouser legs once or twice. Overall, the presentation is plain but practical: it looks like proper ski gear, not just a fashion set.