We all know about beanies, but not so sure about toboggan hats. We remember the story of one of our friends. One day, she was in the company of her friends and it happened to be a very cold season. The friends were couples and with their young kids. Our friend mentioned that they should get a toboggan for their kid. She got a look that could freeze her alive. Apparently, there was no snow on the ground and the couples thought that our friend was out of her mind. They shot back asking why their young one would need a toboggan. Our friend told them the kid needed to stay warm in the cold weather. It dawned on our friend that the couples had a different meaning for “toboggan”. Later she realized a toboggan to them was a wooden sled. We were left in stitches of laughter by this story.
But again we realized how true this revelation was to a lot of people. The world over, a lot of people do not know toboggan as a hat but as a wooden snow vessel. Only a few know it as a type of cold-weather hat. Luckily, we are on the side of the few and we would like you to join that side. In this post, we’ll tell you what a Toboggan hat is. We will also do an in-depth comparison of beanie vs toboggan. It is time you shed off some of that ignorance by knowing the options you may have for headwear to beat the winter season.
With that out of our way, let us now get into the matter of the day.
What is a toboggan?
Toboggan is a winter hat and has its origin in the south of the USA. It is not just any other winter hat that is referred to as toboggan; it has to be a knit hat. It is also important to point out that toboggan, to New Englanders and a majority of northern USA, is a wooden sled.
In some other regions, a toboggan hat is also referred to as a beanie, snookie, Sherpa, watch cap, or burglar hat. We can all agree that there is a regional difference to the name and meaning of a toboggan, but we can all agree it is a type of a hat.
What is a beanie?
Beanies are brimless caps that tend to hug the head tightly when you wear them. Typically, beanies either have or do not have a visor. While beanies can be made from a range of materials, they mostly use cloth fabric and felt. In some rare instances, you will find beanies made of leather and silk. We feel that a beanie is the umbrella name for all winter hats. That means toboggan also falls under beanies.
Beanie vs toboggan
A lot of people have a hard time drawing the line of difference between a beanie and a toboggan. If you are one of them, it is not your fault. The two winter hats are almost the same thing and in some quarters are used interchangeably. However, that does not mean there are no differences between the two. While beanie is the universal name for winter hats made from a plethora of materials, toboggan specifically refers to knitted winter hats. Of course, there is a convergence of the two in that knitted winter hats are also beanies but there is no way that a beanie can be a toboggan hat.
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Final thoughts
Whether you call it a beanie or toboggan, it may have a lot to do with where you come from. But from us, we have shown you where the cutline is between the two. Beanies are the bigger group, while toboggans are a subset of the former. As you wear your winter hats, now you know what you are wearing. Do you want to stay posted on headwear fashion information? Keep it on this site and you will be the first to know.