gifts for someone who's always cold.
Get them something warm they'll wear at home for hours, not something they'll use once. In order: warm pants, wool socks, a heavy robe, a hot water bottle. Skip the candle. They have six.
Most people who run cold already own the top half: sweaters, hoodies, a coat they love. Open the closet and count the warm pants. The number is usually zero, which is odd, because your legs are about a third of your skin and most of us keep them in thin cotton from November to March.
That gap is the whole guide. Everything below either fixes it or helps around the edges.
what to get
- Warm pants. The thing nobody buys for themselves. A blanket keeps you warm until you stand up. Pants come with you to the kettle, the desk and the front door. Look for a deep pile brushed on both sides, a relaxed cut and a flat drawstring that doesn't dig in. That describes bearpants, which is why we're first on our own list. The first run opens this winter and the list hears first.
- Wool socks. The second most ignored part of the body. Merino or a wool blend, mid-weight, more than one pair. Cold feet make the whole person cold.
- A heavy robe or a long cardigan. For the walk from bed to kitchen and the hour on the couch after. Heavy is the point. A thin waffle robe is a towel with sleeves.
- A hot water bottle. Old technology, still unbeaten. In the bed before they get in, under the blanket, on the lap at a desk. Get one with a knit cover so it can be held.
- A kettle, or a mug that holds heat. Not for the tea. For the ritual of a hot thing in the hands every hour. If they already have a kettle, a heavy stoneware mug.
- A heated throw. If the house is truly cold and they sit in one spot. The honest limit: it stays on the couch when they get up, which is the blanket problem again.
what to skip
- Candles. Counted above.
- The cozy gift set. Mug, socks, cocoa and a small blanket in a crate. Four small things that each do half a job. Buy the full version of one of them instead.
- Thin slippers. On a hard floor they're socks with a price tag. If slippers, then a real sole and a lined inside.
- A space heater. Practical, loud, and nobody wants one wrapped.
by person
- For a dad. He will not buy himself warm pants. He will wear the pair you give him until they're a family joke. Men's cut: relaxed, straight, open hem.
- For a mom. She keeps the house at 66 and wears a blanket like a cape. Women's cut: relaxed through the hip, tapered, cuffed at the ankle so it stays off the floor.
- For a partner. The person who steals your hoodie needs their own pants. Pick the color they'd never pick for themselves: Polar if they live in black, Black bear if they live in cream.
- For a friend who works from home. Eight hours in a chair in the coldest room of the house. Pants they can take a video call in from the waist up.
- For a student. Dorms run either sauna or walk-in fridge. Fleece pants handle the fridge.
- For yourself. Allowed. Encouraged.
sizing a gift
Both cuts come in XS to XL. They run relaxed, so if you're between sizes, size down. The easy trick: check the tag on the sweatpants they already live in.
a note on timing
bearpants aren't on sale yet. The first run opens this winter and the list hears first, so a spot on the list is the gift until the pants are. If the birthday is Saturday, start with the socks.
questions people ask
What do you get someone who is always cold?
Something warm they will wear at home for hours: warm pants first, then wool socks, then a heavy robe. The gap in most closets is below the waist.
Are fleece pants a good gift?
Yes, for a dull reason: almost nobody buys them for themselves. Everyone owns a warm top. Warm pants are the thing people live in once they have them and never think to buy.
What are bearpants?
High-pile fleece pants made for staying in, from a small brand of the same name. Two cuts (men’s and women’s), two colors (Polar and Black bear), a honey drawstring. The first run opens this winter and the waitlist hears first.
Can I buy bearpants as a gift right now?
Not yet. Join the list at barepants.com/join and you get one email when the first run opens.
Is it bearpants or barepants?
bearpants, spelled like the animal. The website is barepants.com. The bears have the other one.
put them on the list.
Forward the email when it comes, or keep the surprise.
one email when the first run opens. that's it.