Maternity Snow Pants?! The journey to create snow pants for pregnant expecting moms

The Struggle to Find Maternity Snow Pants

In 2022 I had a BIG dilemma– I was pregnant. And, ski season was coming. AND, my husband is an avid snowboard / skier. AND, he just bought a Ford Bronco. AND he expected me to join.

Now, I’m from the boonies where it can hit -21* F but I also am soft and, well, a bit of a weather-wuss.

I had NOTHING to wear pregnant for the cold coming soon.

And was very pregnant. And nauseous. And emotional. And, feeling fat and bloated.

And just generally exhausted. BUT I still was going to go outside darn it.. Only one problem – there were NO, maternity snow pants. And my snow pants no longer fit…

NOTHING existed specifically for pregnant women that were the exact look and feel and thickness I wanted. I wanted REAL snow pants, that fit the baby bump.

That’s when I started getting on Reddit, BabyBump and more..Like other forum-users, I was sooo annoyed, tried keeping my zipper open and even tried my husband’s snow pants (FWIW – male snow pants are often longer and just a really awkward fit for many women).

Being a past seamstress of sorts, I got to work and started designing / tinkering with snow pant sewing ideas.

After MONTHS of hard work, creating sew patterns, working with factories, and custom-designing myself, PowderPants.com was founded.

Looking back, no way I would have done this.

I funneled my own money, thousands into the idea, dusted off the sewing machine, built the site, sewed the pants myself, designed and more…

Have no idea how I had the energy, but I assume it was the haze of being postpartum and depressed and I had to do SOMETHING with all that pent up sadness / rage.

We ended up with an emergency c-section, and a miracle baby on New year’s eve. Which was comical because we had ALLLL these natural home birth plans. Which probably added to my depression, which I refused to accept at the time.

So, I mostly funneled all my rage / sadness / emotions into this idea.

I built out a nimble team and we picked out the highest quality materials we could find given the specifications and requirements to ensure moms would stay warm, dry, and comfortable while out in the snow.

The hardest was the actual changing body element and making sure they’re still comfy and flattering as an expecting mom’s belly changing.

The folks who helped make these snow pants come to life included experienced moms who volunteered to help me with fitting and feedback. It was a long long trial period but FINALLY, we had a size that fit generally.

I could go on and on about how we landed upon these designs and such – but I’ll get to the point!

About the maternity snow pants

The most important!!

So, these pants we made are a blend of Bib, with an expanding pocket.

And, we ended up going a few MMs thicker than name brands,think REI / Northface, which I love but I also don’t layer much / like them warm. I’m less into shells, and more into “one layer and we’re out this door”.

The hardest was the straps, you have NO IDEA (or maybe you’re a pants /suspender wizard and know all about straps). Turns out when you try to have a factory in a place with no snow, they will have very little clue and you have to get so detailed it’s down to the exact buckle type and material. Not to mention, to make these the right way, costs go up EXPONENTIALLY.

For instance, the first quotes I got, from a factory were $200 for my original designs. That excluded shipping.

So, after 3 iterations, and negotiating hard on costs, we got the strap as good as could be.

Now, there were 100 other roadblocks, lessons learned, and shipping lessons – BUT ALAS!

We shipped our first batches out in 2023 and they were a success. We didn’t strike it rich, in fact I basically lost money. A lot actually, but it was so nice to know that these pants exist in the wild.

We’re still selling them and if you’re interested you can pop on over to Powderpants.com.

Since I’ve now tried what feels like almost every snow pant under the sun, here’s what I’d say as the creator of these.

I’ve also heard back from every customer.

Pros

• They work well and 9/10 pregnant women are fans
• Those who get them state they are thrilled there is something for them
• Stretch!! No more tightness on the belly bump
• Snow / slush-proof – Each pair has a coating to ensure that water drips off versus absorbs – ANOTHER thing that you have to be very specific about
• Bib-style so you don’t need something constricting your belly
• VERY warm – I’ve tested them in freezing and below conditions and was very toasty inside.
• They work with or without thermals underneath (if you’re going to be in Northern Canada, you’ll likely want thermals too).
• Tested in -30*F by Alaskan / Northern Canadian moms (thank you moms!!) – also those women are badasses.
• Maternity-built sizing: Of all the pants I’ve tried these are hands-down the most comfy for being pregnant. They even work after pregnancy.
• 2XL – moms who order this size have reported they love them
• Zipper pockets + snow pass / resort / CC pocket

Cons

• Short if you’re past 5’6″ – We need to make a longer version – Usually moms will buy anyways if they’re at that height and wear long boots but that’s been the feedback there
• Size selection – This goes for ANY pants I’ve found – If this was a 100% solvable problem the clothing industry would be so thrilled (I’m sure there is an AI / tech solution but it doesn’t exist as of writing this / it isn’t publically accessible). Often we’ll have our fitter expert have to jump in and we’ll specifically ask for the expecting mom’s weight and height and what trimester she’s in. That can shift our recommendation. The most popular are Medium – X-large
• Long if you’re <=5″ – I’m 5’2″ and if you’re <=5″ I’ve heard they’re long. Some moms improvise with taller boots / fold but that was some feedback.

And that’s the primary feedback both good and bad! I think the most touching is when a mom messages us and says thank you. We hand-mail EVERY box of snow pants out so when we get those messages / reviews it means a lot!!

If you’re interested in a pair for yourself or a friend for the winter / a trip, you can check out powderpants.com.

Just wanted to share the journey!! And wishing you a best-ever pregnancy, birth & lovely family.

~Alice & The Powder Pants Team