Gifts for the Man Who Is Always Cold: What to Buy Instead of Another Coat

Gifts for men who are always cold come down to one thing: the layer that holds warmth against his body, not a bigger coat. What keeps a man warm is the still air trapped close to him by a jumper, a gilet or a brushed cotton shirt, and that is the gift. At Ghillie that means the Tarbert Fisherman's Jumper at £115 for the man who is cold when he sits still, the Torr Wool Gilet at £185 for the man who is cold first thing, and a flannel shirt at £95 under either. The Arkle Wool Jacket at £240 is the one big gift.

Why is he always cold, and what does that change about the gift?

A man who is always cold is usually missing a layer under the coat, not a coat: he loses heat across his chest and back when he stops moving, and at the neck, where a coat collar leaves a gap. A thin tee under a shell is warm for twenty minutes of walking and cold for the hour of standing that follows.

So the gift is the layer that goes under what he has: a jumper with enough weight to trap air, a gilet that keeps the chest and back warm while his arms work, or a shirt with a brushed face that holds warmth against the skin. None of them asks him to give up the coat he trusts. They make it work. We would rather you bought him the right layer than a fourth thing he does not need.

What should you buy a man who is always cold?

Buy by the moment he gets cold: the Tarbert when he sits still, the Torr first thing, a Munro or Brae flannel under everything, and the Arkle for the dry, bright days when the big coat stays on the hook.

Cold when he sits still: the Tarbert Fisherman's Jumper

The Tarbert Fisherman's Jumper in Slate, £115, is the gift for the man who is cold on the touchline, in the hide, at a desk in a cold house. It is a fisherman's jumper in a wool blend, knitted in a heavyweight 5 gauge fisherman's rib. The rib is the point: a deep rib is thicker than a flat knit of the same yarn and holds more still air against him, and still air is what warmth is. The yarn is 20% wool, 30% recycled polyester, 30% polyamide and 20% viscose, so the warmth comes from the weight and the stitch rather than from a high wool content. He can hand wash it cold at home, reshape it and dry it flat. It is cut in a Relaxed Fit, S to 3XL, and every size is in stock at the time of writing.

Cold first thing: the Torr Wool Gilet in Heather Green

The Torr Wool Gilet in Heather Green, £185, is for the man who is cold for the first hour of every day: the early dog walk, the drive before the heater catches, the yard before the sun gets over the hedge. A gilet puts warmth across the chest and back, where he loses it, and leaves his arms free. It is cut from Ghillie's own Tech Wool, 60% wool in the main fabric with synthetics blended in for strength and shape, and a brushed cotton inner neck means nothing sits cold against the skin when he zips it to the top. It is dry clean only, and aired between wears rather than washed. Heather Green has every size in stock. If you are choosing between this and the Arkle, read gilet or jacket.

Cold under everything: a Munro or Brae flannel shirt

A Munro or Brae flannel shirt, £95, is the gift for the man who is cold under everything, because brushed cotton has a raised face that holds a layer of warm air next to the skin, which a smooth cotton shirt does not. The Munro Flannel Shirt in Rifle Green is the plain one, brushed cotton with two deep pleated chest pockets under buttoned flaps. The Brae Flannel Shirt in Rifle is the check, 100% cotton brushed on both sides. Both have a hidden button-down collar that keeps the collar points still in the wind, and both are a regular fit, cut to layer under a gilet or a jumper. If two of you are buying together, there is 20% off two or more flannel shirts, so two at £95 come to £152 for the pair. Check his size is in stock on the product page before you order.

Cold on the dry days: the Arkle Wool Jacket

The Arkle Wool Jacket, £240, is the one big gift, for the frosty, dry days when a man who is always cold still wants to be outside. It is the same Tech Wool as the Torr, 60% wool in the main fabric, in a cut that sits between a jacket and an overshirt, so it goes over the Tarbert or a flannel with room to spare and does not feel like a coat. On the wettest days it sits under a shell. The rest of the time it is the jacket. Dry clean only, aired between wears. Every size is in stock.

What should you not buy him from this page?

Do not buy a warm hat, gloves or socks from Ghillie. The caps are cotton and canvas, made to keep low sun out of his eyes, not to keep his ears warm in January; buy those three elsewhere. The same honesty applies to rain: nothing on this page replaces the shell he already owns for the wet days. These go underneath it.

How do you get his size without asking?

Lay a jumper or shirt he wears often flat and measure straight across the chest 2.5cm below the armhole, then match that figure to the "Chest, flat (cm)" column for the exact garment on the size guide. Do not double it. As an example, the Tarbert in L measures 56cm flat and fits a 104 to 109cm chest. The flannels, the Torr and the Arkle are all cut to layer, so his usual size is the right one; size up only if he sits between sizes or will wear something heavy underneath. The worked example is in how to find his size without asking.

Can he exchange it after Christmas?

Yes. Ghillie exchanges are free, and orders placed between 1 November and 24 December can be returned or exchanged until 31 January. You request the swap from the account that placed the order, so that is you rather than him; the steps are in what if it does not fit. Standard orders go by Royal Mail Tracked 48 and UK delivery is free over £150, which the Torr or the Arkle clears on its own; check the delivery policy nearer Christmas.

Should you buy him a Ghillie gift voucher instead?

The Ghillie Gift Voucher is sent by email, works across the whole range, does not expire, and comes in six amounts from £25 to £250, so it suits the man whose size or colour you cannot pin down. Gift cards, as the returns policy calls them, cannot be returned. The voucher section of the gift guide covers how it works, and the gift guide itself sorts the whole range by what he does and what you want to spend.

Questions about warm gifts for a man who feels the cold

What is the best gift for a man who is always cold?

The best gift for a man who is always cold is a layer under the coat that he will wear daily: Ghillie's Tarbert Fisherman's Jumper at £115 if he is cold when he sits still, the Torr Wool Gilet at £185 if he is cold first thing, or a Munro or Brae flannel shirt at £95 under everything.

Should I buy him a bigger coat instead?

Usually not: a man who is always cold in a heavy coat is cold because of what is under it. A jumper or gilet with real weight, worn under the coat he already has, changes more than a second coat would, and it gets worn on the days the coat does not.

Is the Tarbert warm at 20% wool?

Yes. The Tarbert Fisherman's Jumper is a fisherman's jumper in a wool blend, and its warmth comes from its weight and its heavyweight 5 gauge fisherman's rib rather than its wool content: a deep rib holds more still air than a flat knit. The blend is what makes it easy to care for: hand wash cold, reshape and dry flat.

Built to be passed down.