How to keep kids dry (and warm) on a cargo bike

By Gav Hudson, Big Butternut at Butternut Bikes. 24 October 2026.

Yes, kids stay dry on a cargo bike, as long as you have a rain cover made for the bike. Tern, Bike43, Veloe and Muli all make a fitted cover that encloses the kids. Most need the bike’s own seating kit fitted first. Below: why it matters, what each brand offers, and how they compare.

Why bother? Aren’t kids fine on a ten-minute ride?

• You dress them for nursery or school, not for the ride. Same as getting in the car.
• Wrangling two toddlers in and out of puddle pants and rain suits four times a day is not a job parents need.
• Kids get cold on a bike because they are not pedalling. The rider is warm; the passengers are sat still in the wind. A Storm Shield prevents wind better than any blanket.
• They like it. Snug, cosy, their own little den.
• It makes a huge difference to whether the bike gets used in November, which is the whole point of buying one.
• It’s well handy to be able to leave your stuff in the back. It doesn’t get wet, and the kids’ seats don’t get wet either. Helmets, coats, school books, fluffy toys, laptops. The back of the bike becomes a car boot.

Tern: GSD, HSD, Quick Haul and Orox

Either way, you need a Clubhouse to fit any of Tern’s covers. On the bigger bikes (GSD, Quick Haul Long and Orox) that’s the Clubhouse, for up to two kids. The smaller Quick Haul and HSD use the Clubhouse Mini, for one kid. All the generations of Tern’s kit work together, and the shields all work with kids’ seats.

The new Clubhouses open up for easier access, which means the Captain’s Chair isn’t so needed any more. You can still fit the Storm Shield to a bike with a Captain’s Chair and Sidekick Joyride Bars.

Storm Shield

The Storm Shield is the full cover. Fitting it takes about 5 minutes, but it’s a bit fiddly, so it’s very much the sort of thing you leave on for a season rather than fit daily. There’s a Storm Shield Mini for the HSD and Quick Haul.

Underneath, the Storm Box (or Storm Box Mini) covers the kids’ legs and feet and keeps the bags dry. It’s not part of the roof, but it’s what makes the whole thing a dry boot.

Sun Shield and Rain Shield

The Rain Shield needs the Sun Shield to work. I actually like this combo, though it costs more. You can leave the Sun Shield on day to day, it offers decent protection from a shower, and then you pop the Rain Shield on when you need it. It’s quicker to fit than the Storm Shield once the Sun Shield is on, and the combo is a lot lighter than the Storm Shield. The HSD and Quick Haul have the same pair: the Sun Shield Mini and Rain Shield Mini.

Tern’s photos of a GSD with the Storm Shield, then with the Sun Shield and Rain Shield. Both have a Storm Box underneath for the kids’ legs.

Bike43: Short, Mid and Long

Each Bike43 model has a Rain Canopy that fits, and you need the Bench Kit. The nice thing about the Bike43 canopy is that it lifts up for easy access. It’s a really nice design. It covers all the kids on the bike, aside from one in a front seat. You don’t get cover for the legs, the way you do with Tern’s Storm Box.

It takes about 10 minutes to fit, assuming you can leave it assembled in a garage or shed.

For a child in a front seat, there’s the Thermal Child Seat Cover. It’s for warmth, not rain.

Veloe: Multi and Multi Lungo

The Multi and Multi Lungo both have a Rain Cover. They work well and have a more permanent frame, but are perhaps a little less elegant than some others. They need a few bolts undone if you want to remove them, so it’s the sort of thing you might do once a year. The cover needs the handrails that come in the Family Pack.

Muli

The Muli rain cover is great. There’s only one size of Muli, so it fits them all, the Muli Motor and the Muli Muskel. It’s super nice and cosy, and very easy to fit and remove. It’s easy to keep on the bike for when you need it: just pop it under the kids’ seat, or take it off when you fold the bike up.

How they compare

Prices are for the cover, then the total with the parts it needs fitted first.

Free installation of these accessories when you buy them from us.

Every cover can go on Cycle to Work alongside a bike. See our Cycle to Work page.

Cold but dry?

A lot of London days are dry and 4°C. For those, the cheaper answer is warmth rather than a full canopy: the Bike43 Thermal Child Seat Cover for a child in a front seat, or the Clubhouse Seat Pad and Backrest on a Tern with a blanket over the top. Veloe make a Feetcover for the footrests too. Just bear in mind that a Storm Shield prevents wind better than any blanket, and wind is what makes a sitting child cold.

What to expect

• Popemobile vibes. You do get used to the mini popemobile vibes you give off.
• Crosswinds. They do catch a bit of a crosswind, but you can mitigate that by rolling the sides up.
• Seeing the kids. They have windows all round so you can see the kids, but obviously it’s not the same.
• Hearing the kids. It does muffle their voices a bit, which can be a problem or a blessing depending on what they want to chat about.
• The rider still gets wet. The cover is for the passengers. You need a jacket or a cape.
• Height. A cover adds height, so check your shed or bike hangar.

Parking outside?

A cover keeps the kids dry on the ride. If the bike lives outside, a BikeParka Longtail Cover keeps the whole bike dry when it’s parked.

Questions we get asked