Ever since Bergen (now 2 years old) was big enough to even start toddling around outside and on play equipment, we had visions of purchasing some sort of one-piece suit for him to wear throughout our 9-month rainy season here in Seattle.  Even when it’s not raining, the ground is still wet and if you’ve ever been around toddlers, you know how clumsy they can be as they lumber around becoming distracted by this or that.

A suit we purchased from another company worked well for him and allowed for a good year or so of adventuring outside in the wet and cold.  When it was time for a bigger size though, I wasn’t completely convinced our previous brand was the best, so I started to look elsewhere.  In my research, I found an amazing little company called, Oakiwear.  Honestly, I’d never heard of the brand, but as I poked around their website, I found so many things I liked:

• Local Company: For us, Oakiwear is a local company out of nearby Vancouver, Washington.  We love supporting our “neighbors”, and also who better to design outdoor gear than people who are living and breathing the same wet and soggy weather as us.
• Quality: I’ll get into the nitty-gritty details below, but just by reading a quick description, I could tell Oakiwear took time to design a rain suit that would last.
• Price: Even with all of the fancy features that the rain suit has, I still feel like Oakiwear keeps their prices reasonable.  They also aren’t shy about putting their products “on-sale”, which I love.

When I first received the Oakiwear suit about a month ago, we were being spoiled by amazing Seattle weather.  It felt like Bergen would never get to try out the suit in all it’s glory.  I’m sure glad I savored those moments though because the doom and gloom is back, and we have had more than enough opportunities to try out the suit! We’ve gone on walks in the rain, hiked through the arboretum, attended several sporting events, and explored the zoo on a misty day all in the name of testing this puppy out.

About the Rain Suit

The Oakiwear rain suit is made of high quality nylon material that is of course waterproof, and allows dirt and mud to wash off easily.  Seams are fully taped, and neoprene is added around the wrists and ankles allowing great protection from water seeping in.  The heavy-duty front zipper goes from just below the waist all the way up to the neck making it easy to take on and off.  The suit also features an attached hood, and reflective tape is sewn in across the chest and upper arms.  There are two drawstrings (strategically placed inside the suit) allowing you to cinch the suit around the waist if desired.

The suit is available in several sizes: 12 months, 2T (Bergen’s size), 3T, 4/5, & 6/7.

What’s to Love? 

• First and foremost, the suit keeps Bergen dry! We encountered some serious rain on a few of our adventures recently, and we felt confident knowing that he’d stay comfortable and protected in the suit.  He’s literally dry from head to toe, and the attached hood stays put!
• Yes, the suit locks out the rain, but the material is still breathable, so Bergen isn’t going to get overheated.
• The suit is comfortable making it easy for Bergen to romp and play.  Even though the 2T size a little big on Bergen right now, the velcro straps on the ankles and wrists allow us to create just the right fit for him so nothing is hanging down or dragging.  In addition to helping with sizing, the ankle straps also come in handy to keep his rain boots more secure.  For some reason, Bergen loves to try to “shake” his boots off, and these straps allow us to gently tighten around the boot so he can’t get them off so easily.
• Oakiwear isn’t messing around with quality.  One of the biggest complaints I had about Bergen’s old suit was the dreaded zipper.  It was small, hard to line up (since it attached at the ankle) and I had no confidence in it lasting for the long haul.  Oakiwear’s zipper is exactly what I was envisioned: big, sturdy, easy to zip up and down.
• Oakiwear has fun, bright colors (purple, red, blue, pink, yellow…)  to choose from, and they’ve also smartly placed strips of black fabric at the knees, which is of course where most of the dirt and stains would collect.

What’s to be Desired? 

Needless to say, we are extremely happy with the product, and from looking at reviews of years past, it appears that Oakiwear has listened to many outdoor families and tweaked little features here and there to make the suit even better.  Good outdoor gear is essential for us living here in Seattle, and I take our clothing choices seriously.

One thing we did love about Bergen’s old suit was the fleece lining that could be added and removed easily depending on conditions.  We’re okay with layering Bergen’s other clothing, but just an idea as an option for Oakiwear to consider.  Also, like his boots, Bergen loves to throw off his mittens.  The little fold-over attached mittens on the other suit were also handy, but it may encroach on the design of the wrist straps of the Oakiwear suit. We may just need to resort to mittens we can attach to outer clothing or ones that strap around the wrist more securely.

To purchase an Oakiwear Rain Suit (approx. $42 to $74):

• Purchase directly from Oakiwear
• Purchase from Amazon

Special Offer from Oakiwear

In addition to their already fabulous and reasonable prices (and by the way rain suits are on sale right now), Oakiwear is giving an additional 15% off to all readers of the blog! Just add the coupon code “wildtales” to the little box at checkout. This code is for your entire order, never expires and can be used on any of their products, not just rain suits.

Please note: The folks at Oakiwear generously provided us with a Rain Suit for review on the blog.  All opinions expressed are my own.  We’re also affiliates of Oakiwear so if you purchase through our links, we’ll receive a small commission.  Thanks for your consideration! 

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