Winter....brrrrr!
 

Hi there,

Me and the family will be making the move to Toronto in the next 6 weeks. Just a quick question. I'm sorry to put a downer on the lovely summer you're having but with winter time not that far off, where's best to buy our woollies? Is clothing cheaper here or Canada? We have an 18 month old, so that goes for kids clohes too.

You can pick up some half decent cosy snow & chilly clobber in Milletts or Blacks for only a few quid, is there an equivalent in Canada?

Thanks.

Re: Winter....brrrrr!
 

apparently here is best for clothing but snow boots when you get out there.
im not sure about the east but theres no big outdoor clothing retailers in the west apparently so items not so cheap.

Re: Winter....brrrrr!
 

Where on earth did you hear that? Every major department/clothing store offers a range of winter wear, and there are a myriad of more specialist stores too.

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Im guessing the Cabelas stores in Edmonton, Saskatoon & Winnipeg are not suitable :lol:
Are there any WalMarts, Canadian Tire, Zellers, The Bay & Sears stores west of Thunder Bay?

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i bought my winter jacket and snow boots from sportsdirect.com whilst still in the UK. They have some good deals if you buy last winter's stock rather than pre-ordering for the next ski season. A ski jacket, and snow boots is all you need for toronto (besides hat and gloves which can be bought anywhere) and it wont get cold till jan/february time. The boots cost me around 5 quid and the jacket less than 100 (last summer). I bought a winter jacket when I first moved to ontario from marks workwearhouse for about 100 dollars but it wasnt anywhere near as warm and was worn out within a couple of years.

Re: Winter....brrrrr!
 

Cheers, much appreciated.

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How strange, we all must freeze in the winter then - where are you? The back of beyond?

I would recommend Zelleers if it's still open or The Bay for a snow suit for the 18 month old. For adults then you should be able to find something good in Ontario, if you want really good but don't want to pay North Face/Patagonia prices then check out your local Eddie Bauer for something nice and warm but lightweight. Not too sure of the winter climate where your going but if it's wet/wet snow then you will either need something with water proofing or a synthetic fibre opposed to down, as something like Primaloft will still hold it's 'loft' when its wet still retaining your body heat. Down compacts into lumps when wet.

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To be fair, the Saskatoon store only opened a few weeks ago. But I think I'm using Marks' Work Wearhouse coat and boots and they've been fine at fifty below zero.

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woah lol
what i meant was the uk stores such as go outdoors, sports direct where you get good quality products that you dont have to pay through the nose for, may be the better option.
i have friends in canada who have said its better to buy stuff in the uk when theyre over visiting as the value is better.
please dont get your expensive base layers in a twist....it could be painful especially if its cold :lol:

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Walmart for lowcost stuff.

For adults 'Bluenotes' they are in most malls.

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Is everyone on this forum just plain cheap? Seriously, you buy your winter clothes at Walmart, Canadian Tire, Zellers?

I'm a cheap Scotsman and you're much better off buying the proper layers with some decent name brand gear - it lasts way longer, its usually lighter and warmer not to mention you don't look like a walking Walmart special.

Try MEC or last years gear at the smaller stores as they are usually trying to move last years stock for this years stuff.

Re: Winter....brrrrr!
 

What the chuff is MEC?

As for winter gear the only stuff I have here that is different to the UK is a decent pair of boots and a warm coat. The insides of buildings are heated here ;) so extra warm sweaters etc are not needed.

Sporty stuff is different of course but everyday then nothing fancy.

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Have to be cheap, everything cost a fortune here and is low quality...[

QUOTE=Hawk13;10231450]Is everyone on this forum just plain cheap? Seriously, you buy your winter clothes at Walmart, Canadian Tire, Zellers?

I'm a cheap Scotsman and you're much better off buying the proper layers with some decent name brand gear - it lasts way longer, its usually lighter and warmer not to mention you don't look like a walking Walmart special.

Try MEC or last years gear at the smaller stores as they are usually trying to move last years stock for this years stuff.[/QUOTE]

Re: Winter....brrrrr!
 

+1. When we first got here we bought "cheap'n'cheerful" and were regretting it by January!

To the OP, it is really worth spending a bit more on winter gear... a lot of it has a temperature rating to help you decide. There are a lot of hi-tech fabrics too, which make the stuff more comfortable to wear.

The winters in Eastern Canada are loooong!

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My OH wear a Marks Workwearhouse down coat in the winter. I found my one not to be so warm. Since working at Eddie Bauer I have had an education. I have a BC200 microtherm jacket, I was lucky enough to win it last year, for something so light it is warm. I comfortably wore it in -30. I also bought a parka last year weather rated to -17, it will be confident wearing it in -30 when walking the dog. This one I bought in the sales for a whole $57.00, but i had to wait until February for it. I would proudly recommend Eddie Bauer down coats and jackets to anyone, it's something they do really very well. I personally wouldn't buy Sears - crap quality.

For those that don't know MEC = Mountain Equipment Co-op.

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I had to wear gloves a couple of times in january. I got them from sports mart - they seem ok.

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yeah, they are moving to toronto - it only gets to -20 a couple days per year. Most of winter is at the 0 to -10 range. No need for specialist winter gear/ down coats etc.

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I too like Eddie Bauer and MEC. Both have online shopping sites, so you can check out products, prices and reviews.

Good luck with your move.:)

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I froze to death last winter so this is coming from the grave.

I live out west.

Re: Winter....brrrrr!
 

Thanks to everyone for their advice, I really appreicate it. To sum up the consensus, Toronto doesn't get the harshest of winters in comparison to other areas but when you do need to wrap up, wear something of good quality and there's plenty of stores to choose from...although Canadian Tire sounds like somewhere I'd take my car! :)

Thanks!

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I wouldn't set foot in those stores. The latter is closing anyway. I got my jacket at the Tractor Supply Store for $40 4 years ago.

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Army and Navy...its the Primark of Canada to me anyway...great for cheap snow boots and winter coats esp for kids..gloves and hats for 99c you cant go wrong really.

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Im cheap. The stuff from Walmart, Canadain tire or Marks workwearhouse etc works just fine for everyday wear. Its not super technical, and there is lighter more breathable stuff out there, but for everyday in Ontario you dont need it.


MEC seems expensive to me. Iget most of my technical ski stuff off ebay from the states for a fraction of the cost. My local specialist store is very expensive, but makes a good living from impresionable teens with a thing for the latest stuff.

For kids stuff that they will outgrow the better secondhand stores are great, and the school lost property when they are clearing it out is an absolute treasure trove.

So yes, if not wasting your money on overpriced stuff you dont need is cheap, then count me in.

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**** me, living outside of Vancouver seems bloody expensive, and quite hard work :thumbdown:

No wonder it's always the most liveable place in the country.

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Why do people need technical clothing to walk from the house to the car, and then from the car to one's place of work? If one intends to scale Everest, fair enough. Do all those that wear "technical gear" work outside? I would love to see a manual worker wearing the brands talked about here (with the exception of MWW) while working outside.

Great for posing down the pub though:p

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Way too hot to wear down the pub surely?

I seldom even bother with the fleece in my shell, unless Im stuck on a windy ski hill with the kids there is seldom any need

Mind you, my better half is bundled up like nanook of the north, so clearly some people feel it more than others.

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Try a thing called Google - it's the first thing that pops up when you type in MEC

I guess if you moved here just for a salary and only walked from your house to your car or hung out in pubs, you have a point.

For me, I spend most of my free time outdoors on a bike, hiking, skiing, etc. and I'm willing to fork out a few more bucks for quality. And yes, I use my old gear underlayers for work as it lasts a lot longer than the cheap stuff - I'm not too interested in working ouside and freezing my ass off to save a few bucks.

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In my case it's out on the mountain bike, waiting at the bus stop and occasionally waiting outside the supermarket for a taxi home.

$25 boots from Zellers if there's snow or ice around and one of those 3-in-1 jackets. It belonged to my wife's ex and I've been wearing it since 2004.

A hat to cover your ears is a must and mittens are warmer than gloves. I think my mittens were about $12 from Walmart - where both the kids' nice and warm jackets came from.

It's also enough for going out and shoveling snow.

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These are my thoughts too in all honesty, I would prefer not to try to sell the technical gear we have in store. All Albertan Eddie Bauers are cold weather stores - not sure about other Provinces, so they all have the First Ascent products and they all get winter gear a month or so earlier than the non cold weather stores. Trouble is the lack of mountains in Red Deer. To my knowledge we have just one customer that regularly climbs mountains that visits our store and then he gets disappointed as we don't sell the full range of First Ascent. Saying that a lot of oil field workers will buy the downlight sweaters/vests or the Microtherms for wearing under their winter coats for the extra layer of warmth.

The most popular coats we sell for men and women are the ones priced at $100, used to be called the Yukon, changed to the Essential last year. Good basic warm jackets (and coats for women). Dead easy to sell:rofl:

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I like my $10 Olympic mittens for walking the dog.

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I've got an eddie bauer water proof jacket (it's not fleeced or anything) for walking the dog when it's raining, which is 10 months of the year here. It's great, but why does the hood come over my eyes - I have to wear a baseball cap as well otherwise I can't see a thing.

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Chav.

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I have an expensive north face one I wore the first winter here, last year I wore my old navy coat most of the time :o and only wore the north face when it was -40.

my hubs has a £40 3 in 1 coat from an outlet store back home and it does the job just aswell. I get scared by the prices everytime I go to MEC maybe I am cheap:blink:

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You should be able to adjust the hood somewhat. Do you know what piece you have? It is basically so you can either layer up with a hooded something on colder days (if it's a Nisqually/365 - does it have pit zips?) or if it's a First Ascent (no pit zips) one it's so you have room for a helmet, when your doing your skiing/snowboarding/mountain climbing.

It is a problem I have at EB with any of the hoods, I do have a very small head, always had trouble finding a motorbike helmet to fit. EB is undergoing a major revamp of clothes as they do have fit problems, hoping that hoods will get a bit smaller this season:rofl:

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Said the man who paid $50 for his drag night brolly:

http://digital.hammacher.com/Items/8..._1000x1000.jpg

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It's got 'weather edge' written inside and was about $150. The hood thing is my only complaint about it as the waterproofing works perfectly. It being for a helmet I can understand and it's not really that big a deal looking like a chav when I'm out with the dogs.

I know other people are snooty about it, but I like EB stuff; it's generally good quality, lasts well, and you can get it on the internet.

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Walking around with a dog that is two foot taller than you is a more likely cause of you looking like a chav.

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I have climbed all over the Alps and other places around the world too, so I understand that technical is sometimes required. The OP was not asking about such clothing though. It appeared to be they were asking questions about everyday clothing.

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If you'd met be you'd know I have an uncanny resemblance to brian blessed.

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A passer-by says to a wolf "Is that Brian Blessed?"

"Yes." Said the wolf <while looking at passer-by like he's stupid>.