Features

 News Desk
 News Briefs
 News Summaries
 Columnists
 Sports
 Editorial
 Arctic arts
 Readers comment
 Find a job
 Tenders
 Classifieds
 Subscriptions
 Market reports
 Northern mining
 Oil & Gas
 Handy Links
 Construction (PDF)
 Opportunities North
 Best of Bush
 Tourism guides
 Obituaries
 Feature Issues
 Advertising
 Contacts
 Archives
 Today's weather
 Leave a message


NNSL Photo/Graphic

NNSL Logo .
Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall text Text size Email this articleE-mail this page

Winter hats come in all shapes, styles and materials

Jason Emiry
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, October 1, 2008

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Weaver and Devore sells thousands of toques each year, but Ken Weaver says the best toque is a matter of personal choice.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

John Murray at Weaver and Devore knows a lot about winter hats. He said two of the best are the 100 per cent sheepskin Eglis Ice Trooper, left, and the Crown Cap Aviator which is made of nylon, polyester and rabbit fur. - Jason Emiry/NNSL photo

"If you ask 10 people what the best toque is, you'll get 10 different answers," said Weaver.

Upstairs at Weaver and Devore are a variety of toques and other winter hats. Esther Weaver said they will have a lot more stock coming in of different winter head gear.

"I know our rabbit fur aviator hat is popular," said John Murray at Weaver and Devore. "Some of them are down-filled and they have rabbit fur and flaps around the ears. The rabbit fur ones are great and warm. These are by Crown Cap and I think they're Hollofil. The Canada Goose ones actually have down filling."

"The Eglis sheepskin are pretty warm too," said Murray. "We have the hardhat liners and the toque versions that don't have the holes in them to secure your hardhats."

Murray said some people wear toques to look cool, but most choose headwear for the practical purpose of staying warm.

"We have stylish toques. They are wool with a fleece lining. Wool is great because it absorbs moisture and doesn't cling to your skin.

"It is good to have a little polypropylene and a wool. Polypropylene actually wicks moisture away from your body and stores it in the wool. You don't want to go with cotton. Cotton when it gets wet stick and keeps you cold. You don't want that."

Murray said a good toque is a beanie designed by Canada Goose. On the outside is 100 per cent merino wool and the inside is made of polyester. He wears the toque all winter and says it is great.

"It keeps you dry," said Murray. "When you are dry, you are warm. You don't want something tight. Air is one of the best insulators ever. If it's tight the air can't circulate and doesn't keep you warm."