I have 2 boys that bring a raincoat (brand new) to the BWCA. If we are lucky they don't use it, if we are not lucky, they do. They never wear it again after the trip. So, every year I donate 2 lightly used or never used raincoats to GoodWill. Any recommendations for a durable, CHEAP raincoat for next year. (Or, any advice on how to keep children from growing.)

Lands End has decent coats that are not too expensive, and right now they just might be on sale if you are lucky.

+1 on the Lands End. Quality stuff and not too expensive.

I watch for sales on the Sierra Trading Post website for my kid's rain gear.

The White Sierra brand is very reasonable during the sale periods. I have bought these pants for several years running as my kids wear the heck out of their jackets ( so I buy quality) but hardly ever touch their rain pants( so I go cheap).

I've gotten land's end packable rain jackets for $5 and they are decent jackets - buy off season and buy big. IN STORE sales are better if you have one near you - often %70 off clearance price.

One year they all had plastic lined coats from Sam's - worked with fleece underneath for a rainy May trip.

Shop the same places you donate - maybe you can trade up a size.

If you have a Columbia Outlet Store near by you can get great deals if you are there at the right time. At the end of the winter (March) one year we bought each of the girls $140 3 in 1 winter jackets for $22 each and bought them oversized. The outer shell also works great as a rain jacket in the spring, summer, fall. They got 2 full winters out of them and 3 years as rain jackets. Great bang for the buck.

The problem is that a lot of times we go in there and there isn't anything that's a great deal and we don't buy anything. But other times we've gotten kids rain pants for $8/pair, kids zip off convertible pants $5/pair, kids long sleeve wick away shirts $4/pair.

Here's my daughter wearing the shell as a rain jacket last summer.

Loving the pink packs! What a great picture!

thank you

Not sure what your price range is, but this is what I took and used this summer. frog toggs polly woggs

We were out in June during 2 days of downpour. Our first night was the storm that flooded Duluth.

These worked great. And pack down nice and small when not in use.


They do run big. But I won't bring anything else for him now.