We broke down and bought the kids long underwear for Christmas. When we were in Yosemite in October, they were so cold in the mornings. It was cause for a lot of whining and grumpiness. Warm kids are happy kids, right? Yosemite convinced us we were going to have to get them long underwear rather than rely on just layering clothes.
We decided to go to REI for two reasons. First, REI carries really well made brands and we felt that we would be able to get something that would really keep the kids warm. Secondly, we wanted something that our daughter could hand down to our son – something that would last through two kids. Instead of buying two new pairs a year, we are hoping that she can pass hers down to him each year.
We settled on the REI brand Mid-Weight Long Underwear in turquoise for The Girl (we figured this is kind of a boy/neutral color) and the REI brand Infant Mid-Weight Long Underwear for The Boy. The Girl’s long underwear ran $22.50 for each piece. I believe The Boy’s ran for about $19.50 for each piece. Quite an investment in long underwear for two growing kids, but after Yosemite we thought it was worth the cost.
The kids have been wearing them for about 6 months. They are wearing really well (no holes or tears). The make a great base layer. We just pull their clothes up over the long underwear and the kids have even taken to sleeping in them. They definitely keep the kids warm and have cut down on the early morning complaining when it is still crisp outside.
Overall, we are really happy with the REI brand Mid-Weight Long Underwear.
Camp-Pants 