Didriksons Slaskeman Kids Waterproof Set
20th Nov 2014
These are a basic and sturdy set of children’s waterproofs, ostensibly designed for sailing.
The waterproofs come in funky, gender neutral colours - in this case a bright green jacket and yellow dungarees with contrasting poppers. There are plenty of reflective strips for additional safety in poor light.
They were greeted with a cartwheel from the tester which is always a good start.
They are made from PU on the outside with polyester tricot inside and are very soft and supple with a bit of stretch to them – great for mobility and comfort. They aren’t breathable, but for messing around on land or the sailing conditions you’d wear them in this shouldn’t be a problem.
The dungarees are by far the best designed part of the set. They come up nearly to the armpits to ensure water doesn’t get inside and have elastic around the bottoms and under feet loops to hold them down in wellies. Elastic straps and chunky clips make them simple to slip on and off while 2 poppers adjust the width, all easy to operate with small cold hands.
The jacket has a soft fleece collar and detachable hood, both helpful features for reluctant waterproof wearers. The hood doesn’t have a peak, but does have well positioned elastic sections to ensure a good fit. It also contours lower at the back which looks stylish whilst keeping water out at the back and helping mobility at the front.
However there are a couple of features which would worry me in heavy wind and rain. The jacket is only fastened by quite widely spaced poppers. Anything but the most vertical rain, and any spray especially whilst sailing on a starboard tack, would go straight between the poppers and soak the child inside. The hood is also attached with poppers which, although there’s a good overlap with the collar, allows plenty of opportunity for spray to get inside. It would also benefit from a bit of a peak and draw cord for adjustment according to wind speed and direction.
Overall a fun, funky and comfortable set of waterproofs but with couple of design flaws which could seriously undermine their effectiveness.