Rain Gear for Kids in Sweden: Galon, Shell Clothes, Boots & What You Actually Need

*Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…*

A familiar rhyme. Swedish weather does not always cooperate.

If you have moved to Sweden from a warmer or drier country, children's rainwear can be surprisingly confusing. You may reasonably assume that a waterproof jacket and a pair of boots will do the job.

Then you hear galonbyxor. A shop suggests skalbyxor. You discover lined and unlined rubber boots, waterproof mittens, one-piece rain overalls and rain hats with unusually long backs — and suddenly dressing a child for rain feels like another Swedish vocabulary list.

The good news: the system becomes much easier once you separate three things — waterproofing, breathability and warmth. They are not the same thing.

01Rainwear at a glance

And then you still need to think about boots, mittens and head protection. Let's translate the terminology.

02What is galon?

Galon is one of those words you may never have heard before moving to Sweden. In everyday Swedish it is used for the smooth coated rainwear children wear at preschool: rain jackets, bib trousers and rain sets designed for properly wet play.

This is what galon looks like: a shiny, rubbery coated fabric with welded seams that wipes clean. If a garment's surface looks glossy like this, it is galon. A matte, soft "technical" fabric is shell — not galon.

Technically, Galon® is a trademark owned by the Swedish outerwear company Didriksons. Didriksons describes its Galon® as PU (polyurethane) coated fabric with welded seams, with a water-column rating of 5,000–8,000 mm, designed to be fully waterproof. The word *galon* is also used more generally for this type of coated rainwear.

Its appeal is obvious once you watch small children in rain. They do not simply walk through it. They sit in wet sand, kneel beside puddles — and sometimes sit in the puddle. Coated rainwear is made for exactly that, and it is easy to wipe clean.

The trade-off is breathability: Galon® does not let water vapour through the way breathable shell garments can.

03What are skaljacka and skalbyxor?

Skaljacka means shell jacket and skalbyxor means shell trousers. A good waterproof shell protects against rain and wind while letting moisture from an active child escape. That breathability is the big difference.

For example, Polarn O. Pyret's WeatherPRO shell garments specify at least 12,000 mm water column, fully taped seams and breathability of at least 7,000 g/m²/24h. Kappahl similarly distinguishes coated rainwear from breathable shell garments, noting that shell clothes suit active play.

04Galon vs shell: which one should you choose?

How to tell them apart in the shop

There is no universal winner — they have different strengths.

For a child who spends an hour sitting, digging and splashing in a wet playground, coated rainwear is extremely practical. For a child running, cycling and climbing for longer, breathable shell clothing may be more comfortable.

05What about one-piece rain overalls?

For babies, toddlers and younger preschool children, a one-piece waterproof overall can be extremely practical. There is no jacket-trouser gap at the waist when the child crouches, crawls or sits on wet ground.

One-piece overalls come in the same two types as the clothes above — and Swedish uses the same words:

Skaloverall — shell overall

A one-piece version of a shell jacket and trousers: matte, soft technical fabric that breathes. Reima, for example, sells shell overalls with water-column ratings above 10,000 mm, fully taped seams and high breathability for active play.

Galonoverall — coated rain overall

A one-piece version of galon: shiny, coated fabric with welded seams, made for sitting in puddles and slush. These also come lined: Reima offers a lightly insulated rain overall for cold rain and slush.

How to tell them apart in the shop

Removable linings

Some overalls — both kinds — are 2-in-1 models with a removable lining. The lining is a soft fleece overall that zips or press-studs into the shell, so the same garment works on a mild September morning and a cold wet October day. Polarn O. Pyret, for example, offers a 2-in-1 shell overall with a removable fleece lining — wear the outer alone on milder days and add the lining when it gets colder.

How to check in the shop: open the overall and look inside. A removable lining has a zipper or press-studs around its edge and comes out as its own soft overall. A fixed lining is sewn into the seams and cannot be taken out. "Fodrad" (lined) on the label does not mean the lining comes out.

06Fodrad or ofodrad: lined or unlined?

Two Swedish words worth remembering: fodrad = lined and ofodrad = unlined. You will see them on rainwear, overalls, mittens and boots.

The difference is about warmth, not waterproofing. Kappahl, for example, sells fleece-lined galon rain trousers with an 8,000 mm water column and welded seams, alongside unlined versions.

07Rain boots, mittens and hats

Gummistövlar — rubber boots

Unlined rubber boots suit milder wet weather; adjust warmth with socks if there is room in the boot. Lined rubber boots add insulation for cooler wet days. Tretorn, for example, sells both. Again: lining adds warmth — not extra waterproofing.

Also check: grip · flexibility · heel fit · weight · removable insoles. A removable insole makes drying much easier.

Regnvantar — rain mittens

They can seem unnecessary until you watch a preschooler play: wet sand, buckets, leaves, mud, puddles. Hands go straight into all of them.

There are two main types of rain mitten, and the difference is the same as for jackets: coated material versus shell textile.

Galon mittens are the classic shiny pair — waterproof, wipeable and inexpensive, best for mild wet weather. Shell mittens are softer and warmer thanks to the fleece lining, and work better for cold autumn rain. Again: the lining adds warmth — not extra waterproofing.

One more thing to check: the shape. Most children's rain mittens are lappte (mitten-style, no separate fingers) — warmer and much easier to pull on than five-finger gloves. Almost all waterproof children's mittens in Swedish shops, from Reima to Tretorn, are lappte.

And they come in two cuff lengths:

Sydväst — the rain hat

A sydväst or regnhatt is a waterproof rain hat. A hood works, but a good rain hat gives more freedom of movement and protects the sides of the face and neck.

Check: face coverage · ears · neck coverage · chin strap.

08What does vattenpelare mean?

You will often see numbers such as 5,000 · 8,000 · 10,000 · 12,000 mm. This is the vattenpelare — water-column rating: a lab measurement of how much water pressure the material withstands before water gets through. A higher number generally means more resistance.

Not every "waterproof" label means the same thing. Two jackets can both say waterproof and behave very differently in a puddle. Check the mm figure on the label before you buy:

• Below ~3,000 mm: resists light drizzle, but a child kneeling in wet grass will soak through
• 5,000–10,000 mm: everyday preschool rainwear — fine for playing and walking in real rain
• 10,000 mm and above: heavy rain, sitting and kneeling in puddles, long days outdoors

But seams matter too. Stitching creates tiny needle holes, so waterproof garments use taped seams, while coated materials such as Galon® can use welded seams with no stitch holes at all.

09What should my child wear when it rains?

There is no perfect chart for every child — activity level, time outside and how warm they run all matter. But this is a useful starting point:

10What should stay at preschool?

Ask your preschool first — requirements vary. A practical wet-weather setup could be:

Do you need two pairs of boots? No. But some families keep one pair at preschool and one at home, because wet footwear does not always dry in time. A sensible approach: one main pair + one second-hand backup pair. Convenience, not a requirement.

11Rain gear is often worth buying second-hand

Children grow quickly, and a rain set is often outgrown long before it is worn out. Second-hand is especially good for preschool backups, spare boots, an extra set for grandparents and fast-growing toddlers.

Inspect waterproof items more carefully than an ordinary sweatshirt:

• Rainwear: check knees, seat, seams, foot straps and the coating for cracks or peeling.
• Rubber boots: bend the rubber gently and look for cracks around flex points and the sole.
• Shell clothing: inspect the fabric and the taped seams.

12Wet boots again? Meet the skotork

Another useful word: skotork — shoe dryer. It blows warm air into shoes or boots through hoses. Models sold in Sweden can dry several boots at once and may have a timer, temperature settings and attachments for mittens. When tomorrow's boots are still today's wet boots, it is genuinely useful.

And don't put galon in a hot drying cabinet

Galon is easy to care for: Didriksons says it often only needs wiping with a damp cloth, and turning it inside out helps it dry faster. But Galon® is sensitive to high heat — Didriksons advises against a tumble dryer or heated drying cabinet (torkskåp), which are common in Swedish preschools and homes. For any waterproof garment: check the care label first.

13Which rainwear brands will you see in Sweden?

You do not need a particular logo to keep a child dry, but these are brands you are likely to meet. They are examples, not a ranking — product specifications matter more than the name.

• Didriksons: Swedish outerwear company closely associated with Galon®.
• Polarn O. Pyret (PO.P): technical children's shell clothing and overalls, some with removable linings.
• Reima: Finnish brand with rainwear, shell clothing, overalls and rain mittens.
• Tretorn: Swedish brand best known for rubber boots and rain accessories.
• Kaxs by Kappahl: coated and fleece-lined rainwear, shell clothing, rain mittens and sydväst hats.

14Before you buy: the rainwear checklist

• Is it actually waterproof? Check the description rather than assuming.
• Are the seams taped or welded?
• Is it lined or unlined?
• Does my child need breathability for active play?
• Can they move comfortably and fit layers underneath?
• Does the boot fit securely without being tight?
• Will water get in at the wrists, neck or ankles?
• How does the manufacturer say it should be dried?
• Do we actually need this, or do we already have something that does the same job?

15The Swedish rainwear system, translated

Swedish rainwear looks complicated the first time. But the logic is simple: keep the water out, add warmth only when needed, and let active children breathe.

*Rain, rain, go away?* Perhaps. But until then, at least galonbyxor no longer needs translating.

Sources

1. 1Didriksons — What is Galon®? Galon® construction, waterproofing, water column, breathability, care, and taped vs welded seams.
2. 2Polarn O. Pyret — WeatherPRO shell clothing and 2-in-1 shell overall Shell specifications, taped seams, breathability and removable linings.
3. 3Kappahl — Children's rainwear guide and Kaxs range Coated vs shell rainwear, fleece-lined rain trousers, rain mittens and sydväst.
4. 4Reima — Shell overall, lined rain overall and rain mittens Examples of one-piece shell and coated rain overalls.
5. 5Tretorn — Children's rubber boots and rain mittens Lined and unlined boots and rubber-boot care.
6. 6Clas Ohlson — Skotork Example of a multi-shoe dryer with timer and temperature settings.