Winter Clothes for Families

Winter clothes pack list for your first family snow trip

Last week I talked about embracing the cold weather to experience more of life with your kids. One of the tips I suggested was wearing the right clothes and gear to keep you warm, and since then a few people asked what we used. It’s a great question, since figuring out what clothes/gear we’d need was a significant adventure in itself! (We live in the subtropics.)

So if you’re new to the cold, here is the breakdown of what you’ll need, including all the obvious things that experienced cold-weather-families take for granted you might know:

Winter Clothes for Kids:

Thermal layers (long sleeves and pants) or a wool singlet
Long thick socks
Weatherproof shoes (snow boots, gumboots or just walking shoes for general times)
A long sleeve top and pants
A jumper
A puffy vest or jacket to wear on top if necessary
Gloves, beanies, and a scarf for my daughter (fashion more than anything)
When the kids were skiing, they only wore thermals and then ski pants and a ski jacket on top, with waterproof gloves.

Wearing the right clothes means the kids can play freely without worrying about getting wet or cold!

Winter Clothes for a Woman (i.e. what I wore)

Thick thermal socks
A wool singlet
Thermal pants and long sleeve top
Jeans or pants (or snow pants)
A t shirt
A jumper
A ski jacket or waterproof winter jacket (filled with down)
A warm vest if you’re likely to be quite active and get hot with a full jacket (e.g. hiking on a sunny day)
Beanie and gloves and scarf. (I had waterproof gloves for the snow, and normal gloves for other times.)
Waterproof hiking boots, or warm tall boots

Winter Clothes for a Man (i.e. what Chris wore)

When he was snowboarding, Chris wore thermals under his snow gear. He was too hot if he wore them any other time.
Pants
Shirt
Jumper
Beanie
Waterproof hiking boots with thick socks
Waterproof gloves for the snow

Chris would rather be a bit cold than risk being too hot. I would rather be toasty and warm than risk being too cold. So it depends on the person!

The kids were usually warmer than the adults, as they tended to always be running around and playing. They always wanted to strip off their warmest outer layers, so making sure they had something still decent underneath worked well.

These clothes were all we needed to go camping in winter and to go on a skiing holiday.

What to wear skiing (for kids and adults)

I needed more layers in the snow than my hubby, but EVERYONE needs a snow-proof jacket! (A jacket with a ‘snow skirt’ keeps the snow from wetting your under layers if you fall over.)

Before I left, I couldn’t quite figure out exactly what you’re supposed to wear on the slopes. Everyone had a different opinion! Now I’ve got it figured out (for a beginner, anyway). Here’s EXACTLY what you’ll need:

Thermal layers
Warm thick socks
Snow/ski pants
Snow jacket (with a ‘snow skirt’)
Waterproof gloves
Scarf or neckwarmer if it’s windy, otherwise not really necessary
A beanie for wearing when you’re not skiing, otherwise you just wear a helmet
Ski goggles or polarised sunglasses (to protect your eyes from the glare)
Lip balm
Sunscreen

I would wear a tshirt over my thermal top just so when I was inside the café area I could take my jacket off and not feel silly in my thermals. We wore our snow pants and jacket right from when we left home, and didn’t get them off until we got home. You don’t get changed up on the mountain.

As an extra tip, I would put sunscreen and lip balm on too. If it was sunny we were protected, and if it was windy it gave our skin a bit more of a barrier too. Definitely load the kids up with lip balm. They either get cold or they’re eating snow all day (honestly, they all do it) and it makes their lips red and raw.

And DON’T FORGET your Ski Pass! Many jackets have a zip in the wrist/arm area for a ski lift pass.

Going skiing for the first time includes some huge learning curves (literally). Figuring out just what you’re all going to wear is one of the initial challenges, but once you’ve got it sorted, you’ll be able to make the most of your time in the snow.

Your Turn

Have I missed anything? What do you wear in the snow?
Anything else you’d like to know about gear/clothes for the cold?

Let me know in the comment section below!