A tog is a unit of thermal resistance — and it is measured in a laboratory The number printed on a duvet label is not a marketing grade or a rough guide. A tog is a defined physical unit of thermal resistance, and the value assigned to a duvet is the result of a standardised laboratory test rather than an estimate by …

Does "togs" mean the same thing on both sides of the Irish Sea? The short answer is yes — in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, "togs" means swimwear, the thing you put on to get in the water. Ask someone in Dublin or Galway where their togs are and they will reach for their swimming costume; say the same in much of …

Two iconic Aussie surf brands — and they no longer share an owner Here is the fact that quietly explains most of this comparison: Rip Curl and Billabong, the two surf labels that grew up together on Australia's coast and once looked like natural rivals from the same world, are now owned by entirely different companies …

Timing the purchase is how you stop overpaying for togs The single biggest lever on what you pay for swimwear in Australia is not the brand or the store — it is the week of the year you buy. Togs follow a predictable retail rhythm: full price when the season turns warm and demand peaks, then steep, reliable markdowns …

When the duvet you love in January starts working against you The first genuinely warm night of a UK summer tends to expose the same problem: the winter duvet that felt perfect in January is now a sweat trap by midnight. Kicking a leg out, flipping the pillow, throwing the cover off entirely — these are the small hours …

Cross one state line and the word in your beach bag changes Drive from Wodonga into Albury — two towns that all but touch across the Murray River — and the thing you packed for the pool quietly changes its name. On the Victorian side it is your bathers. Cross the bridge into New South Wales and the same garment is your …

What should you actually look for in a pair of girls togs? In New Zealand, "togs" simply means swimwear — and for a girl, that single word covers everything from a school-lesson one-piece to a beach two-piece to a full sun-suit for a long day at the lake. The word is so embedded that Kiwi kids grow up with "don't …

Kitting a boy out for an Australian summer Buying boys togs in Australia usually starts with a specific job to do: a new school swimming term, a club nipper season, a beach holiday, or simply replacing a pair that no longer fits a fast-growing kid. Each of those jobs points to a slightly different garment, which is why …

The one tog rating most UK homes never need to look past For a centrally heated British home, a 10.5 tog duvet is the rating that quietly does the job for most of the year. It is warm enough for spring and autumn, comfortable through a mild winter with the heating on, and only really struggles at the two extremes — a …

What a tog rating actually tells you The first frost of the year is usually when the question arrives. The heating clicks off overnight, the bedroom drops a few degrees, and a duvet that felt perfectly comfortable in October suddenly leaves a cold gap along one shoulder. The instinct is to reach for "something warmer" …