How to Choose Gear
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Canadian Hiking Gear Brands to Support
With a on-going trade war with America due to tariffs, I’m starting to rethink where I buy my hiking gear. I want to find some Canadian hiking gear brands to support instead of buying from American companies. I worked in outdoor retail for over a decade, have been hiking my…
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MEC is For Sale Again: What Happened?
Update May 16, 2025: MEC announced today that they are now owned by a Canada-based group of investors, led by Tim Gu, a textile manufacturing exec. They have announced that they plan to shift more manufacturing to Canada. I’m curious to see where this goes. My original post about the…
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20 Ways to Save Money on Hiking Gear
Getting outfitted for hiking and backpacking can seem overwhelming. When I was first starting out, I felt like there was so much gear on the market and that it was SOOO expensive. Plus I felt like the list of gear you need to buy for hiking and backpacking was never…
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Is Merino Wool Worth It? Pros and Cons
If you’re shopping for hiking clothing you’ve probably heard all kinds of great things about Merino wool. But Merino isn’t perfect – to start with, it’s expensive. You might be wondering, is Merino wool worth it? I’ve been hiking and backpacking for two decades (I even wrote a hiking guidebook)…
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Microspikes vs. Crampons vs. Snowshoes: What’s the Difference?
If you’re heading out for a hike in the winter, you are probably going to encounter ice and snow. But how will you stop yourself from slipping? Should you bring microspikes? Or crampons? Or snowshoes? And what’s the difference? In this post, I’ll break down microspikes vs. crampons vs. snowshoes.…
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20+ Ways to Reduce Your Backpack Weight
Backpacking is a natural extension of day hiking as you trek further into the wilderness. The major downside is having to carry all that gear. I’ve been backpacking for 20 years and have come up with lots of ways to reduce your backpack weight. I’m definitely not an ultralight hiker…
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How to Choose Snowshoes – Get the Right Ones for You
In the last few years snowshoeing has gotten really popular. And honestly, it’s about time. Basically, snowshoes let you keep hiking all winter long. And unlike skiing, there’s not much to learn. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. To get started snowshoeing, you need some winter hiking clothes, some…
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What to Wear Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing
So you want to go winter hiking or snowshoeing, but… What do you wear? How do you stay warm? And how can you transition your summer hiking wardrobe into the winter season? I definitely had all of these questions when I first started winter hiking and snowshoeing, and through years…
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How to Choose the Best Backpacking Meals
There are so many moving parts to planning a backpacking trip: permits, weather forecasts, gear packing… And of course the meal plan. It can be tough to figure out what to eat in the backcountry. You’ll be exhausted at the end of the day and you want something delicious and…
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Which Women’s Specific Hiking Gear is Actually Worth Buying?
If you’ve been shopping for hiking or backpacking gear recently, you may have noticed some women’s specific gear. I’m not talking about clothing or shoes (obviously we need those)… I’m talking about backpacks, sleeping bags and more. Often this stuff seems to follow the same tired formula: “Shrink it and…
