Jan and Jul Winter Gear Review – What’s the Hype About?

January 15, 2025

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Winter is in full swing in Calgary, as are our typical crazy winter temperatures. While most days are pleasantly below zero, we have days with -10 to -20 Celsius. And as you might have guessed, sometimes it’s not easy to enjoy the outdoors.

That’s when the right gear comes in. I’m sure you’ve heard: There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. It’s our mantra on the days when we’d really like to go outside, but the weather seems unpleasant.

When you’re toasty warm, everything outdoors is more fun!

I’ve been raving about Jan and Jul gear for years, ever since I accidentally stumbled upon their sun hat in a thrift store. That’s when my first son was barely walking. Now he’s bigger, faster, and slowly approaching school age.

Since we welcomed a second baby a year ago, we must focus on getting the right outdoor gear for toddlers and preschoolers.

This winter season, my son specifically requested to match with his brother, so we got them following Jan and Jul winter gear:

After testing them in real winter conditions, this is my honest review of the gear. I explain how we used the gear and what features are the most useful but if you’re short on time, just read the last section: Important features in a nutshell.

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What we truly about Jan and Jul snow gear

Snowsuits

First and foremost, let’s talk about how warm and waterproof the snowsuits really are. All kids love to run, crawl, and roll around in the snow, right? They don’t care if their clothing will hold up, that’s for us parents to take care of.

After our trip to the playground, there was not a trace of wetness in either of our snowsuits. You can easily just brush off the snow and dirt and put them away – no drying necessary.

We went outside in -13 Celsius/8F and both kids were toasty warm in their snowsuits.

That’s because the snowsuits are rated to -30C/-22F, and on top of that, Jan and Jul uses 220g insulation while lots of other brands use 150g insulation for ski jackets and snowsuits. And since the fabric is breathable, my son was cozy and not sweating while running around.

When you browse Jan and Jul website, the first thing that catches your eyes are the beautiful prints. While this is not the most important feature of the snowgear, it’s what keeps you browsing. The more you browse, the more beautiful prints you find.

They have many bear and mountain prints in blue and grey, as well as flowers in pink and purple. I feel like the polar bears in Arctic print match our winter conditions perfectly.

Snow mittens

How do you even find snow mittens that stay put on those little hands? That’s exactly what I asked myself before our son’s first winter.

Let me tell you the biggest tip – the longer the gloves’ sleeve, the better.

First, the glove’s sleeve must cover the snowsuit’s sleeve well. Then, at least two straps must be used to tighten the glove so it doesn’t fall off.

Jan and Jul snow mittens have an adjustable strap around the wrist to keep the warm part on the hand, and another string at the end to tighten the glove on the arm so it truly stays put. Trust me, there’s nothing more annoying than constantly adjusting your kids’ gloves, especially when you need to take off your own gloves in the freezing cold.

Insulated ankle boots

What I think lots of companies making kids winter boots get wrong is that they think the bigger & more stiffer, the better. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Kids want lightweight shoes so they can easily move without getting tired of dragging heavy shoes around. They also need flexible enough soles for healthy foot development.

While they’re not advertised as barefoot shoes, these insulated ankle boots often appear on experts’ list of best winter barefoot shoes. So you can rest knowing your kids feet move around as they’re supposed when growing up (and especially for first time walkers as my son).

They’re rated to -10 Celsius/14F and since the feet move the most when being outdoors, they also get warm the fastest. Even though we went outside beyond this temperature, my toddler’s feet were warm while wearing regular socks.

Kids lite waterproof boots

My son is wearing these same winter boots for the third winter. And I truly hope he can still fit their sizing next year.

They have a flexible sole, are waterproof, fully lined, and easy to put with finger holes. We always have at least two pairs of winter boots, just in case, and these are my son’s go-to boots. His feet were never cold or wet from playing outside. To be totally honest, the price is so reasonable that we never look back.