Plaid and Flannel Gifts for Dad

Big Bill has been making workwear since 1946 and runs a proper Made in Canada line. The Brawny flannel is the heavy, brushed-cotton kind that gets softer for a decade instead of thinner. If he wears one shirt until it falls apart, make it this one.

$95–$115CAD, approx.

See price at Big Bill

Canadian owned and operated out of Banff, with a Made in Canada collection. Softer and less workwear than Big Bill, which makes it the one he'll actually put on to go somewhere rather than to do something.

$90–$150CAD, approx.

See price at Rocky Mountain Flannel

If he's got plaid covered, hickory stripe is the other heritage workwear pattern — railroad blue and white, same weight, same durability, and almost nobody gifts it. Big Bill makes these too.

$95–$120CAD, approx.

See price at Big Bill

The shacket: flannel outside, quilted lining inside, worn open over a hoodie. It's the layer for the shoulder seasons when a coat is too much and a shirt isn't enough, which in Canada is roughly five months of the year.

$140–$230CAD, approx.

See price at Big Bill

If you want to see it on before buying, Mark's and Canadian Tire carry the widest plaid shacket selection in the country and stock real sizes. Less romantic than a heritage brand, considerably easier to return.

$60–$120CAD, approx.

See price at Canadian Tire

Plaid where it counts rather than where it shows. Flannel-lined trousers are the single most underrated cold-weather item for a dad who's out walking the dog, at the rink, or working in an unheated garage.

$90–$160CAD, approx.

See price at MEC

The most-used gift on this page. Brushed cotton flannel sheets change how a cold bedroom feels in January, and no dad has ever bought himself a set. Look for weight quoted in grams per square metre — heavier wears better.

$70–$150CAD, approx.

See price at Canadian Tire

The blanket that lives in the back seat for hockey, camping and roadside emergencies. Wool over fleece: it still insulates when it's damp, which is the entire point of having one.

$60–$180CAD, approx.

See price at Canadian Tire

Rocky Mountain Flannel does pyjamas, nightshirts and robes alongside the shirts. It's a boring gift that gets worn 200 nights a year, which is a better ratio than almost anything else you'll buy him.

$50–$110CAD, approx.

See price at Rocky Mountain Flannel

Made in Truro, Nova Scotia since 1856. The flannel is the visible layer; this is the one that decides whether he's actually warm. Merino because it doesn't smell after two days, which matters more than he'll admit.

$60–$130CAD, approx.

See price at Stanfield's

Not Canadian-made, but Dixxon has a Canadian storefront and ships domestically, and their patterns are the opposite of subtle. This is the gift for the dad whose flannel collection is a personality rather than a wardrobe.

$95–$140CAD, approx.

See price at Dixxon Canada

The next step up from cotton flannel: a wool-blend overshirt in a heavier check that reads as outerwear. Warmer, holds its shape, and doesn't look like he's about to split firewood unless he wants it to.

$120–$250CAD, approx.

See price at Canadian Tire