Recommendations
We get a lot of questions about gear and travel booking sites.
You’ll find all our favorite gear and clothing for exploring the Rockies on this page. We’re fortunate enough to spend most of our days exploring the mountains, which means we test a lot of gear. We use and love the following items and services.
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Please bookmark this page and use it to plan and book your next adventure. Below, we have assembled a list of some of the most useful platforms, outdoor gear, and our favorite travel websites, which we have been using for the last decade of travel.
Our Favorite Clothing For Hikes
Down Jacket
It’s always down jacket season in the Rockies, and the Cerium LT Hoody is our favorite. It’s lightweight, warm, and super comfortable. Get it here!
Hiking Shirt
Cotton shirts are slow to dry and pull heat away from your body. Opt for a wool shirt like the Smartwool Merino Sport shirt.
Shorts
We both love lined shorts as they reduce the risk of chafing. Check out the Swiftland Running Shorts and Fast and Free Lined Shorts.
Pants
The Men’s Renegade pants and Women’s Freeflex pants are exceptional for travel and hiking.
Underwear
Wool underwear offers better performance and comfort than cotton. Icebreaker has fantastic underwear for women and men.
Socks
Darn Tough’s Micro Hiker Socks come in a range of cuts and offer tremendous on-trail performance.
Boots
Boot choice depends on their intended use, but for most hikers, the Merrell Moab is a perfect choice.
Shoes
We ditch the cumbersome boot for most hikes and wear the Salomon Speedcross, trail running shoes.
AllTrails
AllTrails is our favorite app for planning hikes. We suggest downloading it and paying for a subscription so you can download their topography maps right to your phone and access them offline. It could be better, and we have our critiques. However, AllTrails provides a lot of the info you’ll need on most hikes in the area, including helpful details like the start of the trailhead, current conditions, elevation, elevation gain, average time, and distance.
Safetywing
We always travel with travel insurance. With all the risks of travel in a foreign country and insurance coverage, we never have to worry about a good health plan. SafetyWing offers incredible flexibility and great plans! You never know if the worst could happen while you’re abroad, and your insurance plan at home often may not cover medical emergencies abroad. Regardless of your decision, search and rescue is free in Canada, so do not hesitate to call in the event of an emergency.
Our Favorite Gear
Poles
Hiking poles are a tremendous aid in the Rockies with uneven and loose rocky terrain. We love these hiking poles from Black Diamond.
InReach
There is not much cell service in the Canadian Rockies. In case of emergencies, we carry an emergency beacon with GPS, Garmin inReach.
Backpack
We recommend a backpack of around 20L for most hikes. Osprey backpacks are a great choice for hiking.
Multiday Backpack
For backcountry adventures, we love the Men’s Gregory Baltoro Backpack and Women’s Deva Backpack.
Capture Clip
This nifty clip from Peak Design secures a camera to my backpack strap for easy reach. No more digging in the backpack!
Microspikes
When trails are icy or have packed snow microspikes are literal lifesavers. Amazing traction devices that we could not live without.
Helmet
If you plan to tackle any of the fantastic scrambles in the Rockies it’s a good idea to protect your head with Half Dome Helmet from rockfall.
Travel Credit Cards
Many financial institutions add a surcharge and a currency conversion fee to every foreign currency purchase, particularly for debit cards. We highly recommend that everyone traveling from another country use a rewards travel credit card for purchases in Canada.
Not only will it save on foreign currency conversions, but it also comes with a ton of other advantages. Most notably, the awesome rewards can translate to free travel.
Resources For Travel Planning
Click one of the logos below to learn more!
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