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

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.

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.

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

I live out west.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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