Want some cheap ski & snowboard clothing? Look no further!
Aldi isn’t the first shop that comes to mind when looking for ski and snowboard clothes, but you might want to get yourself down there in the next couple of days to snap up a bargain.
I love that little section in Aldi with all the seasonal gear. That’s quite a statement, considering my blood boils every time I set foot on a high street.
I’m not saying that Aldi is a stress-free shopping experience, but sifting through a pile of bargainous nick-nacks is certainly a silver lining! Unfortunately the good stuff always seems to go quicky, so on this occasion it’s great to get a heads-up. A whole bunch of super-cheap ski / snowboard clothing will be hitting the shelves tomorrow (22nd Dec), so get in there quickly if you want to snap any up.
We’ve been sent some samples to play with, and you can read our verdict on them below, but first of all check out the prices: you can get socks for £3.99, gloves for £5.99, trousers for £17.99 and a jacket for £24.95. Getting a full clothing set-up for just over £50 is insane, in my years of ski bargain hunting I’ve rarely seen anything that compares to that. Surely at that price the quality must suffer...
Well, the quality doesn’t suffer to the extent you’d think. This is robust gear. No, you’re not going to get AK style 3 layer Gortex, or down insulation, but you’re not paying £300+! The Jacket and Pants are packed with the old classic “Thinsulate” and they feel pretty cozy. As with most outerwear you’ll need to layer-up in colder times but they’ll handle the mid-temperatures okay I’m sure.
We did a simple waterproof test, as there are no waterproof / breathability ratings on the garments. When water is splashed on the jacket it formed beads, which is a good initial sign. After rubbing in the water it did soak up a little bit. The seams don’t seem to be taped either, like some of the higher value gear. So, when it’s wetter or there’s fresh snow, you might start to get a little soggy (but the same could be said for a lot of the outerwear on the market).
Water test - before and after rubbing
The jacket has a lot of the features you’d want. It has a decent powder-skirt and there are nice stretchy under-cuffs that will stop snow going up your sleeves. There’s also the bonus of having separate mobile phone and tunes pocket, with the fancy hole for the lead to go through and everything!
Looks wise, they aren’t bad. Well, we’ll let you be the judge, look at the picture at the top. Green is hot right now...
Moving on to the gloves – they feel pretty good and have grippy palms for the skiers. They are the gauntlet style long cuffs, so it’s a little bit of a struggle shoving them under your jacket, if you’re a “tucker” that is. They seem to come up pretty big. We had a size medium and I managed to get my XL hands into them quite comfortably, so give them a try if you can.
The socks feel great and are made from a mix of wool and synthetics. They’ve got padding in all the right places for skiers and snowboarders. Good news for all big-footers out there, my size 12s fit perfectly inside size large. I couldn’t give them a definite thumbs up without them spending a day inside my sweaty boots, but at £3.99 they’ve got to be worth a punt!
At the end of the day, this might not cut it for seasonnaires, but if you're going away for the odd holiday and you want super cheap clothes, this gear is perfect.
