Regatta Kids Stormbreak Waterproof Overtrousers Review: cheap, basic rain protection that actually works

I’ve been using these Regatta Kids Stormbreak Waterproof Overtrousers in size 9–10 for typical British weather with my kid: school runs in drizzle, muddy park trips, and a couple of very wet weekend walks. I’m not an outdoors gear nerd, I just wanted something that stopped him coming home soaked from the knees down. These are basically plastic-y rain pants with an elastic waist, but they do the job better than I expected for the price.

In practice, we’ve used them mostly over joggers or school trousers. They live in his backpack or by the front door and get pulled on when the sky looks dodgy. He’s worn them in proper downpours, not just light drizzle, and his trousers underneath have come out dry every time so far. That’s really what matters for me: less laundry and fewer “I’m cold and wet” complaints.

They’re not fancy. No fancy zips, no breathable membranes, no crazy features. It’s just thin waterproof polyester with welded seams, two side openings to get to the pockets underneath, and poppers at the ankles. Because of that, they’re very light and pack down small, which is handy for school trips or camps where you don’t want to send bulky gear.

So overall, my first impression after a few weeks is: functional, cheap, and pretty solid for regular wet-weather use. They’re not perfect – sizing is a bit generous, they can feel a bit sweaty if the kid runs around a lot, and they’re not exactly stylish – but if you just want a simple barrier between your kid and the rain, they make sense.

On the value side, these overtrousers are hard to argue with. They’re usually priced in the budget range, often cheaper than a lot of supermarket or high-street options, and you’re still getting a proper outdoor brand (Regatta) with some track record. For something that your kid might only wear on school trips, camps, or on really wet days, that matters – you don’t feel like you’re overinvesting, but you also aren’t buying total junk.

What you’re paying for here is simple, reliable waterproofing, not fancy features. No breathable membranes, no insulation, no technical adjustments. Just a lightweight shell that keeps their normal clothes dry. In my view, that’s enough for most parents. Considering how effective they’ve been at keeping my kid’s trousers dry and how light and packable they are, I’d say they offer good value for money. You could spend double or triple on more advanced kids’ waterproofs, but for basic use, I don’t think most families will see a huge benefit.

There are some compromises at this price, of course. The fabric isn’t breathable, the side openings aren’t real pockets, and the care instructions are a bit fussy (hand wash only). If your child does all-day forest school in all weathers and runs around constantly, you might want something more breathable and tougher, which will cost more. But for normal school runs, weekend walks, and the odd camping trip, these are more than enough and won’t hurt if they get lost at camp or left on a coach.

Taking everything into account – performance, durability, comfort, and price – I’d rate the value as very solid. They’re not fancy and they’re not perfect, but they do exactly what most parents need: keep kids dry without spending a fortune. For a basic, practical bit of kit that you don’t have to stress about, they’re a sensible buy.

The design is very straightforward, almost old-school. Plain black, regular fit, mid-rise waist, and a straight leg. No patterns, no bright panels, just a small Regatta logo. From a parent point of view, that’s fine. They work with any jacket and don’t scream “technical gear”. For a kid, they’re neutral enough that mine didn’t complain about wearing them, which is already a win.

The two main functional bits of design are the elasticated waistband and the press-stud hem. The waistband is properly stretchy and holds up well, even when the trousers are a bit big. My kid has run, climbed, and kicked around in them and they haven’t started slipping down once. The poppers at the bottom are handy because you can make the ankle narrower so they sit over wellies or hiking boots. That helps stop water splashing up inside the leg, and also stops them flapping around too much.

The side openings instead of pockets are a mixed bag. On the plus side, they keep the design simple and mean there’s no extra stitching or zip to fail. Your kid can still get to their house keys or tissues in their normal pockets. On the downside, they’re just open slits, so they’re not for storing anything directly and they could be a weak spot if your child literally sits in a puddle. We haven’t had water come through them yet, even walking through long wet grass and heavy showers, but I wouldn’t trust them for kneeling in water.

From a design comfort point of view, there’s no ventilation panels, no mesh lining, nothing fancy. So when the kid is running hard or the weather is mild but wet, they can get a bit sweaty inside. That’s kind of expected for this type of simple waterproof trouser. If you want breathability and fancy design features, you’ll need to spend quite a bit more. For school runs, camps, and normal walks, I think this simple design is good enough and less likely to break.

Comfort-wise, my kid hasn’t really complained, which is usually the most honest review you’ll get. The elasticated waist is the main plus: it’s soft enough and stretchy enough that it doesn’t dig in, even over thicker joggers. He can pull them on and off by himself without any help, which is handy for school and camps where adults don’t have time to dress every child.

The fit is on the roomy side in this 9–10 size. Over normal trousers they feel loose but not ridiculous. There’s enough space so they don’t cling or feel tight when climbing steps or running. The downside of the baggier fit is that if your child is on the skinny side, the legs can feel a bit flappy until you snap the press studs at the hem. Those studs help a lot – they tighten the bottom so it sits better over wellies and stops the trousers dragging in the mud.

The main comfort drawback is the lack of breathability. On colder, wet days, they’re great: they block the wind and rain, and my kid stays warm and dry. On warmer rainy days, after an hour of running around, his legs get a bit sweaty inside. The trousers don’t stick to the skin badly, but when you take them off, the base layer can feel a bit damp from sweat, not from rain. For walking to school, light play, or a normal hike, that’s not a big deal. For all-day forest school or very active camps, I’d keep that in mind.

Inside, there’s no lining or soft fabric, just the same waterproof polyester. My child doesn’t seem to mind it over joggers or school trousers. I wouldn’t put them directly over bare legs for long though – it would feel sticky and not very pleasant. So as long as you treat them as overtrousers, not standalone pants, the comfort level is perfectly acceptable, especially for the price. Not luxurious, but practical and kid-approved in our house.

The trousers are made from 100% polyester Hydrafort fabric with welded seams. In plain English: it’s a thin, coated fabric that blocks water and wind, and the seams are sealed so rain doesn’t sneak in through the stitching. When you touch it, it has that slightly plasticky, raincoat feel. It’s not soft like cotton, but that’s normal for this sort of budget waterproof gear.

In use, the material has held up well to typical kid abuse: sliding on damp grass, sitting on wet benches, and general messing around in the park. After several wet outings, there’s no peeling, no flaking, and no obvious thinning spots. It’s not bulletproof – if your kid constantly scrapes themselves on rough concrete or climbs trees, I wouldn’t be shocked to see scuffs eventually – but for the price bracket, the durability feels pretty solid so far.

One thing to be aware of is breathability – or more honestly, the lack of it. There’s no stretch and no breathable membrane. On cooler, windy, or properly rainy days that’s fine and even nice because it blocks the wind well. On milder days or when the kid is really running, it can feel sweaty inside. My son’s legs have come out a bit clammy after long, energetic play, even though they were dry from the rain. That’s the trade-off with cheap waterproof polyester: it keeps the water out, but it also keeps the sweat in.

Care-wise, the label says hand wash only. In reality, I’ve mostly just wiped off mud with a cloth or rinsed them quickly and hung them up. They dry quickly due to the thin fabric. I haven’t risked the washing machine yet because I want to keep the waterproof coating intact as long as possible. If you’re the kind of person who wants to just throw everything in a hot wash and tumble dry, this material is going to annoy you a bit. But if you’re fine with a quick wipe-down, they’re very low-maintenance.

Durability was one of my main questions, because kids are not gentle on gear. So far, after a good run of use in mud, rain, and general rough play, these Regatta Stormbreak overtrousers are holding up nicely. The fabric hasn’t ripped or thinned anywhere obvious, even on the knees and bum where kids tend to slide and sit on rough surfaces. For something this lightweight, that’s pretty reassuring.

The elastic waistband is still tight and springy, with no sign of getting loose or twisted inside the casing. The press studs at the hem still close firmly and haven’t snapped off, even though my kid fiddles with them a lot. The welded seams haven’t started peeling or coming apart, which is usually where cheap waterproofs start to die. I also like that there aren’t a lot of extra features that can break – no zips, no fancy adjusters, nothing like that.

I’ve mostly stuck to wiping them down instead of full-on washing, partly because the label says hand wash only and partly because I don’t want to kill the waterproof coating. Mud brushes off once it’s dry, and if they’re really filthy I just rinse them and hang them up. They dry quickly and look ready to go again. Based on other parents’ reviews (including that one person using them across three kids over several years), I’m pretty confident they can survive regular school runs and weekend walks without falling apart.

Realistically, I think most kids will outgrow these before they completely fail, as long as you don’t shove them in a hot wash and tumble dry every week. They’re not indestructible mountaineering kit, but for everyday kid use – parks, camps, muddy fields, school trips – the durability is better than you’d expect at this price point. If you want something that will last through several siblings, these stand a decent chance if you treat them halfway decently.

In terms of pure performance, these do what they’re supposed to: keep water out. We’ve tested them in light drizzle, steady rain, and one proper downpour on a windy day. Each time, when we took them off at home, the trousers underneath were dry from waist to ankle. No damp patches, no soaking knees, nothing. That alone makes them worth it for me, because wet school trousers are a pain.

The welded seams seem to do their job. I checked the inside after the heaviest rain and didn’t see any water creeping in along the stitching lines. The fabric also sheds water well – rain beads up and runs off. In wet grass and puddle splashing, they’ve kept his socks and lower legs protected, especially when combined with wellies and the hem poppers done up. If the poppers are left open, the legs can ride up a bit and you get more risk of water getting in from the bottom, but that’s more about how you wear them than a design flaw.

Wind protection is also decent. On colder, windy days, my kid has been noticeably warmer with these over his normal trousers. They block the wind chill quite well. The flip side, like I mentioned, is that in milder conditions they trap heat and sweat, which can feel stuffy over time. There’s no magic here – it’s standard coated polyester behaviour. For the typical “cold and wet” combo we get a lot, I’d say they perform well.

From a usability point of view, they’re quick to put on, light to carry, and pack down small into a school bag. That means they actually get used, instead of sitting at home because they’re bulky. After multiple muddy uses, a quick wipe with a damp cloth has been enough to get them back to a reasonable state. I’ve seen more expensive kids’ waterproofs fail at the seams or lose their coating faster, so at this price, the performance is honestly better than I expected. Not perfect, but fully functional for everyday family life.

Out of the bag, the Regatta Stormbreak overtrousers are as basic as it gets. One pair of black waterproof trousers, no bag, no extras, no instructions apart from the usual label. The material is a lightweight, slightly stiff polyester that feels similar to the classic school raincoats. It doesn’t feel luxury, but it doesn’t feel like pound-shop bin liner either. I’d call it “decent but nothing more”.

The cut is pretty simple: straight-leg trousers with an elasticated waist and press studs at the hem. There are two side openings instead of proper pockets, which basically let your kid reach into the pockets of the trousers they’re wearing underneath. No zips, no flaps, just open slits. That’s practical for access, but if they sit in deep water or mud, I could imagine that being a weak point. For normal rain and wet grass, we haven’t had any leaks through there so far.

Size-wise, the 9–10 years feels slightly on the big side. My kid is average height for his age and there’s some extra length and width, which is not a disaster because they’re overtrousers. It actually means you can probably get two seasons out of them, but if your child is between two sizes, I’d seriously consider going down one. The elastic waist keeps them up anyway, so a slightly smaller size would still be fine over normal trousers.

Overall presentation is very no-frills: plain black, no loud logos, no weird colours. For school use that’s actually a plus – they don’t clash with uniforms and don’t look silly. If you’re expecting fancy technical outdoor kit, this is not it. If you just want something simple that’s easy to understand and use, it’s actually quite refreshing. You pull them on, they keep the rain out, end of story.