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When you think of Canada, I'm pretty sure you think this is a cold and snowy place, did I guess?
I'm not saying it isn't, but it is only during winter. I think one of the things that is going to influence how you are going to experience winter in Canada is your winter clothing.
After spending two entire winters in Canada, let's review what I have learned. In this post, I will share the essential clothes to wear during winter. Let's see!
Table of contents
3. Footwear
5. Neck warmer
6. Hat/Beanie
7. Socks
9. Scarf
I'm going to leave here what our outfits were during our first two winters, and I'm pretty sure this will help you.
Keep in mind that we walked every day all winter long. We didn't have a car, and we did it all with the clothes I'm going to show now.
1. Thermal Layer
Well, I'm always cold, and I'm going to be honest, I wear the thermal layer from November to March 😀 .
I used the thermal layer in my country because I had a motorcycle and also used it in winter. Winter was mild in Santiago de Chile; the extreme cold was -1 to -3°C, not more than that, but I used my motorcycle all year round, so I had some thermal layers.
I brought them to Canada, and they served me well for the fall season. Everything I have from my "Chilean winter" became clothes for the fall season.
So the first piece of advice is: Don't buy clothes in your country thinking that arriving here you have everything solved. Buy it in Canada because they are the only ones who know their climate and have designed clothes for these conditions.
We bought some at affordable prices at Winners and Uniqlo (the last one is highly recommended).
On top of this first layer, you wear your usual clothes.
2. Winter jacket
We tried to extend the use of our Chilean jackets as long as we could, but finally, in November, we decided to look for a winter jacket.
We are vegans, so we prioritized finding a place with that clothing since we didn't want to have a winter jacket with feathers or something where animals have been hurt.
I was researching and found several brands, but the prices were extremely expensive for our newcomer situation, as there are prices of over 1000 CAD per jacket. That was totally out of our budget, and after our first winter, I don't think it's necessary, especially if you're going to live in areas where the weather isn't as extreme.
Here's what we used:
Noize
That said, I found the Noize brand (This is not sponsored; I bought it all with my money). I found out they had a physical store near my house and went to try them out at Square One Mall, in Mississauga. Unfortunately, they are not located in this mall anymore.
They have parkas for men, women and doggies 😃.
I tried it out; the parka would hold up to -20°C, so I bought it. At the time, it cost me about CAD 240. Here's the name if you want to look it up: Trinity Mid Length Parka.
Another recommendation is that if you can wait until Black Friday (end of November), Boxing Day (December 26) or when winter has already started, do it. You will find great discounts.
Point Zero
Aldo wanted a parka that didn't cover his legs, and he got this one. Again, it's vegan, made from recycled plastic bottles, this one he got for 150 CAD on Black Friday from Point Zero.
They have some vegan options and some that are not.
Noize
As I mentioned, we continued to walk every day, I was comfortable, but I still felt my thighs and knees get a little cold on our walk.
One day, well into winter, Noize sent out an email with discounted parkas (for that reason, I mentioned, if you can wait - wait), and I got this longer parka for 100 CAD!!!!.
It's perfect, so now I have two that I'm swapping out depending on weather conditions.
Here's the name if you want to check it out: Kaylee Long Length Parka.
Hood
Note this detail; most parkas have a hood with a fur trim (vegan in this case). This is to protect you when it snows. When you're walking, and it's snowing, the snow stops there and doesn't get in your eyes. It's great!
Aldo's parka doesn't have that fur trim, and his eyelashes get the snow.
3. Footwear
Okay, let's get it straight from the start. Winter boots, in general, are not cute.
These are our boots:
Columbia
These are called Columbia Minx Mid III, and I noticed they are present every year in the market so that you will find them.
I bought them online in February 2021, so they were on sale. If you buy them, read the reviews and order a size up so they fit perfectly. I bought the 9 when I'm normally an 8, and they fit very well.
They are comfortable and keep me warm on my daily walks in the snow, so I highly recommend them.
Another tip to keep in mind is that when it snows, there is a machine or people shovelling snow, and they throw salt on the street, so make sure you always remove the salt from your boots after you go out, so they will last longer.
Call it spring
This brand has vegan boots. Aldo bought these on Black Friday; He loves them; they keep him dry and warm.
The name is Glacier, if you want to check them out.
4. Gloves or mittens
I was able to use the gloves I brought from Chile until mid-January. These were fine (they were a gift), but it was getting harder and harder to keep my hands warm, so I decided to buy new gloves. I finally got my new gloves.
We call them crab gloves. Of course, I am useless once I put them on, but they are super warm. I bought them in the girl's section of Winners, but in size L.
Aldo got these gloves at Winners, but we don't recommend them because at first, they worked fine, but then the inside started to thin, and his hands were constantly wet and freezing.
5. Neck warmer
This was the best discovery of our winter clothing.
We kept our morning walk every day since June 2021 and continued to do so during the winter.
We were coping very well with the winter, and thanks to COVID, we kept our masks on to cover our faces from the cold wind, but it was very painful because they would get wet and then freeze.
One day, someone asked me how my first winter was going at a meeting. Of course, I told them everything was going perfectly, but the only problem was my frozen face when I went outside.
My manager told me about neck warmers and sent me some links; I checked out the one I liked and bought it.
I'm not exaggerating, but my life changed. It's super warm and easy to breathe through.
This is the neck warmer we bought; we highly recommend it.
6. Hat/Beanie
I brought my Chilean beanie, it has survived the winter, but we bought an extra one in Winners.
This was just vanity because we realized that we appeared in the same clothes in our photos, so we decided to buy a new hat. There was a pack, and both were for CAD 20 I got the fuchsia one, and Aldo got the gray one.
7. Socks
Before coming to Canada, I only wore short socks, but having longer and warmer socks is essential.
We bought ours at Winners, I don't remember the brand, but close to the season, there are many.
We recommend them because they are super warm.
8. Hot water bag
I've already told you that I'm always cold. Working from my laptop, I'm often in the same position. My feet turned into two ice cubes, so I bought a hot water bag.
Then I bought another one because Corita kidnapped mine. 😄.
So if you're one of those people whose feet get cold, I recommend having one of these at home, too.
9. Scarf
At first, I bought this scarf, but when I got the neck warmer, it was no longer necessary to use it.
In the end, it's going to depend on your preferences.
The last and most important recommendation is not to panic about winter.
Have fun with winter, go for daily walks, and if you are alone, send us a message, and if you are close, we can go out with you 😀.
And if you're already here, do you have any other recommendations for spending the Canadian winter?