Review- Bench Canada

As a blogger I’ve had a chance to try out some cool gear and products such as water bottles, protein bars, camping gear, apparel, fitness equipment, food, etc. But I finally felt like I had “made it” in the blogging world when I was approached to try out and review $200 worth of clothing from Bench Canada. Say what??

I have never shopped at Bench before. As you know, I do most of my shopping at Winners, Old Navy, and Value Village so a chance to go to a quality clothing store was really exciting. Even better was the fact that I went when they were having a crazy sale and I bought $300 worth of stuff for $200! It was one of the best days of my life. I don’t think I have ever spent $200 on myself clothes shopping at one time- ever!

Of course I needed clothes for working out and getting out; here is what I walked away with.

Slinker II Fleece ($99) / Braddah Legging ($69) /Braddah C Legging ($69)/ ERRIN Beanie ($25)/ Grey Beanie (no link)/ Gloves (no link)

Isn’t that a haul? I was grinning from ear to ear on my way out of the store.

 Hiking 

The first outfit I wore was to go winter hiking in the mountains.

Fleece- I picked this hoodie because it was the softest fleece I had ever felt in my whole life. My awesome sales girl Angie told me how to wash it to maintain the softness for as long as possible. I really liked how the collar doubled as a scarf. It’s high and comfy enough that I was able to wear it under my winter coat when it was windy and it protected my neck and chest.

 Toque- The ERRIN beanie is windproof. Windproof people! For anyone living in Southern Alberta you know amazing that is. It didn’t matter that the wind was howling on the top of that mountain, my head was protected.

Leggings- I was so happy to finally have a quality pair of black leggings! When I brought these home I threw out the ones that were too sheer, that slid off my butt and the ones with the hole in the crotch because I knew these would be all I needed.

I hiked up a heavy incline and up steep trail stairs with a pair of snow pants over these leggings and they did not even remotely slide down my butt which was so nice! They were comfy and felt tight but not restrictive.

Gloves-  Isn’t it funny how things work? I put smartphone gloves on my secret santa list at work and then I bought a pair at Bench! These are essential for cold weather bloggers. It is such a pain to pull off your glove to snap pictures and if it’s cold enough (like it was when we went) our hand gets numb really fast.

Workout 

After my hike in the mountains, I still had a pair of leggings and a toque to test out so I took them up to a nearby lake for my final outdoor run because I am not hard core enough to run in the cold.

Leggings-  Just like the black Braddah leggings, these cute patterned grey ones didn’t ride down my butt like every other pair of leggings I have purchased.  They were comfortable and it was nice not to worry about pulling them up as I ran. The wind was freezing though and my skin underneath the leggings got cold fast. I’ll be using these as a base layer as the temperatures drop. 

Toque– I don’t know why they don’t sell this toque online because it is so cute and comfy! I had been complaining to Ryan how I wanted a cute plain toque for wearing around, to and from work, etc. and here it is! It is fleece lined and though it’s not wind proof, it’s pretty warm.

Now that I know about the quality of Benches clothing and that they have amazing sales on a regular basis I’m going to start walking by their store when I’m at the mall. I want to add some more of those hoodies to my wardrobe!

Disclaimer- I was compensated by Bench Canada in the form of a gift certificate to purchase the clothing of my choice in exchange for a review. My thoughts are, as always, my own.