The first thing I do when I enter the Tilley Endurables flagship store on on Don Mills Rd. is use the ladies’ room.

It may sound odd to say the Tilley washroom typifies the Tilley experience as a whole, but hear this shopping gal out.

Roaming the Tilley store, simply put, is an experience with a capital “E” the moment you enter the door. The specialness of it all is evident everywhere. The toilet is self-cleaning — and I mean cleaning the self here, if you get my gist. They offer a place to check your email, complimentary cookies and coffee, and the team of ever-ready sales staff that appears to be positioned in discrete zones throughout the store.

I meet Tilley associate Zoë Zwolak in “the cave”, a long hallway just inside the doors that has a wall resembling the interior of some craggy enclave. Along the other wall a table with catalogues houses a stack of circular Tilley hat bites that customers can take home as a souvenir.

Customers have written in their suggestions for what the hat piece can be used for, and displayed in a frame is a sheet of paper with everything from “elbow patch” to “arm chair protector” and “eye patch” written on it. That frame is another symbol: of the playful attitude that the Tilley people have towards life and their biz.

Grabbing a couple cookies from the table to my immediate right as I enter the store, I pause, taking in the Tilley vibe.

Dark wood shelving and fixtures pop against a carpet patterned in swirly scrolls in the expansive space, which is filled with tribal looking artifacts from the travels of Alex Tilley, the company’s founder who made the first Tilley hat in 1980.

In case you’re a Tilley virgin like me, the company sells travel wear for men and women and manufactures all of it — save for the socks — in Canada. The famous Tilley hat that started it all, though, is made on site, as with all the other hats in the Tilley collection.

Correction: that very first hat, the canvas sailing hat Mr. Tilley made known as the T-1, has been discontinued, alas. The style just hasn’t been that popular of late, Zoë tells me.

Not to worry: there are 40 or so other styles to choose from, all of which have an Ultraviolet Protection Factor of 50+, basically the highest sun protection you can get. The adult hats come in an astonishing 13 sizes. If you can’t find your size, the Tilley team can make you one custom.

The hats are guaranteed for life not to wear out, and if you need convincing there’s the story of the Tilley hat that was eaten, then, ahem, processed by an elephant not once or twice, but three times.

Turns out the story isn’t just Tilley lore: Zoë says the hat actually is owned by a zookeeper in Bowmanville and that it survived its, um, journey each time. Tilley has even asked to have the hat but the owner just can’t stand to see the end of it.

The real gem for me is the ultra soft felt fedora in black, $145, that’ll be a staple once cooler weather arrives. It has handy pull-down ear-flaps too.

The extra cool thing is that if your Tilley hat is lost, stolen or destroyed within the first two years of owning it, all you have to do is sign the “Straight-Shooter’s Statement of Loss of a Tilley Hat” and swear on your honour that your Tilley hat has in fact been lost, stolen or destroyed and the company will give you another one for half off.

Gents, I won’t say too much about the togs you can get here. Suffice it to say Tilley duds are designed with comfort and durability in mind, and most are lightweight, wrinkle-free and quick-dry with sun protection and nifty features like hidden pockets.

And since the hat factory is on site, dapper globe-trotting dudes can get their Tilley pants, all of which are sold unhemmed, trimmed to their exact specs, sometimes within 20 minutes but on average in about a day.

The ladieswear section is somewhat surprising. I expected semi-sporty zip-off pants and wind breaker jackets — you know, standard run-of-the-mill travelling fare. There are those, true, but there’s also more fashiony fare like wrinkle-free, washable and easy-dry suiting. The long chocolate brown jacket lined in green and black animal print fabric, $239, is stylish beyond belief.

Other faves: a jersey sleeveless cowl neck top, $59, and a hemp and recycled polyester shirt-sleeved shirtwaist dress, $149, that’s so soft it feels like down.

There’s a 4-in-1 (at least) white wrap skirt in the new Island Breeze collection (that’s replaced the collection Linda Lundstrom used to do) that can be draped into various skirt and dress combinations, $129. The button-down hoodie in the same fabric for $95 would be fab for the beach.

You truly may need to travel to warmer climes to wear some of this garb given our crappy summer, and if you’re doing so be sure to pick up the “Tilley Tips for Travelers” brochure that provides packing tips.

For those of us toughing it out in the rain capital of Ontario this summer, more weather-appropriate attire may be in order. With the help of her scheming cohorts, Zoë dons the Tilley Waterproof Jacket in Sage Green, $219, that has sealed seams to keep out the rain and wind, along with the TWP1 Waterproof Nylon Hat, $78.

Colleague Mandy Kane officiates by pouring a pitcher of the coldest tap water over Zoë’s head. The water beads off her and she’s dry as a bone.

I find my tribute to tropical climes and exotic baubles with a handcrafted pair of earrings by Israeli costume jewellery designer Ayala Bar (http://www.ayalabar.com), $40. They’re chandelier dangly things that incorporate tiny coloured beads, a wee swatch of dark velvet, and a sparkly material with gold fluffs.

Pure magic. Just like my Tilley shopping experience, toilet and all.

900 Don Mills Rd., 416-444-6944 www.tilley.com