Winter Sock Nirvana

Thriving in Toronto year-round means keeping yourself comfortable and warm during the winter months. A few year years back I wrote about Body Winterization in Toronto describing my favourite (though elusive) socks, the J.B. Fields Icelandic. Made of 70% merino wool these socks are remarkably soft and warm even on the coldest of days.

Thanks to the magic of Google, I figured out that the Great Canadian Sox Company is located in Toronto on the northeastern edge of East York, so my brother and I took a trip to their outlet located in an industrial park on Waterman Avenue.

What a find! On sale were the Icelandics as well as the socks they produce for Sorel, L.L. Bean and others. It turns out that their flagship brand J.B. Field’s was founded in 1877 to make socks for the Canadian logging industry. It’s a shame their branding doesn’t really reflect the pedigree because these could be the next Canada Goose coat.

A decent pair of winter socks from MEC costs around $20. I walked out of there with 7 pairs of -30°C 70% merino wool socks (pictured above) for under $25. They were apparently seconds but I still haven’t found a flaw on them. Regular pairs are $8.00 or 3 pairs for $20.00.

Store hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 5pm.