Style: A pound on the foot equals five on the back, so don’t buy more boot than you need. The two big variables are the height of the boot and the length of the shank (the stiff piece of material in the midsole). If you never stray from the trail, a mid-height, half-shank boot is enough, but get a higher cut if you have weak ankles. For heavy loads and bushwhacking, a stiff and burly boot is best.

Materials: Nubuck and full-grain leather are the most durable. Synthetics are lighter and more breathable. A waterproof-breathable liner is a good choice everywhere except hot, dry places, where you’ll want lots of mesh instead.

Features: For rugged terrain, look for a wraparound rubber rand to reduce nicks. Scramblers will want sticky-rubber soles, while those who tromp a lot of mud should look for deep traction.

Fit: Take hiking socks and your favourite insoles to the store. There should be no heel lift, pinching or pressure points, and you should be able to wiggle your toes without feeling the end of the boot.

Seal the deal: Test drive your new boots for an hour or more at home. If you’re happy with your choice, apply a waterproofing treatment to your new kicks and plan some short hikes to break them in.

Size: Shop at a quality outdoor store and ask the staff to measure your torso length—the distance from the top of your hip bones to the bump at the base of your neck—to figure out what size you need.

Fit: Load some weight in the pack and put it on. Now tighten all the straps: hipbelt, shoulder, load lifters (from the shoulder straps to the pack), sternum and finally load stabilizers (between the hipbelt and pack). The shoulder straps should attach to the pack just below your shoulders. The load lifters should drop at a 45-degree angle from the pack to just in front of the shoulders. All straps should have room for adjustment and most of the weight should rest on your hips.

Volume: If you’re only going to own one backpacking pack, pick one in the 65- to 85-litre range. A 50- to 65-litre pack is fine for long-weekend trips. For serious trekking, go 85 litres or more.

Access: Top loaders are light and carry maximum gear for their size, but digging stuff out can be a chore. Multiple pockets make organization easy, but add weight. Clamshells and back-access packs open wide, but don’t fit as much gear.
Other factors Swivelling hipbelts make hiking more comfortable, and adjustable torso lengths help dial in the fit. Mesh back panels will keep you cooler. A rain cover is nice.

Style: Sport-specific or general use? Four-season or summer only? Keep in mind that cramming into a backpacking tent at a drive-in campground gets old just as quickly as that 12-pound monster will on a five-day hike.

Size: Manufacturers seem to size tents using skinny people who like to spoon. We go with a tent rated one size bigger (e.g., a three-person tent for a party of two). Each person should have at least 15 square feet of floor area and five square feet of vestibule space. Note that vertical walls, big vestibules and having two doors all make tents feel roomier.

Essentials: Fully seam-taped floors and flies. Doors that stow away off the ground. Lots of guyline lash points. At least one interior pocket.
Priorities If you’re hauling the tent under your own steam, put weight near the top of your list. For car camping, why not go for standing room? Mesh walls rule in the summer.

Other factors: Multiple vents are good. Bathtub-style floors and door sills equal a drier, cleaner tent. Colour-coded poles and snaps help during set-up. Reflective hits make it easier to manoeuvre around your tent in the dark.

Temperature rating: Start by considering the coldest temperature you’re likely to sleep in. Summer-only campers will find a 5 to 10°C bag perfect for most of Canada. For three-season camping, start at a 0°C rating, or go as low as –12°C for the mountains or the Arctic. For four seasons, drop to at least –20°C. And if you tend to sleep cold, subtract another 5° for any time of year.

Filling material: Pick a down bag if weight and packability are priorities. Otherwise, synthetics are easier to care for, usually less expensive, warmer when wet and hypoallergenic.

Sleeping style: Front, back, side or sprawl—yes, they make a bag for that. Some have extra warmth on the top side, perfect for those who don’t thrash around at night. For toss-and-turners and hot people, there are now bags more like duvets. Mummy bags are warmer, but more constricting. Rectangular bags are roomy, but bulky.

Other factors: Always look for bags that are lighter, that pack smaller and that have longer zippers. Any other extras—such as venting footboxes and handy pockets—are a bonus.

Hike Strachan Mountain

While crowds toil up the uninspiring Grouse Grind for bragging rights, expend your energy on a more worthwhile objective in welcome solitude. Strachan Mountain is not an impressive looking peak from downtown Vancouver—tucked behind the Cypress Mountain ski resort—but from this strategic pinnacle it’s possible to look up Howe Sound, into the Coast Range, across the Fraser Valley to Mount Baker, and over the Strait of Georgia as far as Victoria. Plus, besides short sections at the beginning and end, the hike has a real wilderness feel. It follows the start of the Howe Sound Crest Trail, climbs an avalanche gully to twin summits, and returns down the other side of the mountain through old-growth forests. Expect to sweat and also be inspired.

Length: Four to five hours.

Directions: From Highway 1 in West Vancouver, take the Cypress Bowl exit and drive 16 km to the ski area parking lot.

Resources: Get trail info at the Cypress Mountain day lodge or from Don’t Waste Your Time in the BC Coast Mountains, by Katy and Craig Copeland.

Climb Lighthouse Park

It’s hard to imagine a more scenic place to throw up a rope than this sunny oceanside crag, the closest rock climbing to Vancouver. The pillows of granite at the northern point of the city’s harbour drop into the ocean in a vertical 65-foot pitch, and the salt spray has cut into the rock creating edgy face climbing. The views—south to UBC, east to downtown, north up Howe Sound and west to Vancouver Island—are some of the best around. Anchors are in place for top roping; just set up a rope, walk or rappel to the water’s edge, and start climbing. There are about a dozen climbs in the area ranging from 5.6 to 5.12.

Length: Two to eight hours.

Directions: Take the Trans-Canada Highway west through West Vancouver to the Collingwood exit. Follow the switchback down to the ocean and turn right on Marine Drive toward Horseshoe Bay. Turn left onto Beacon Lane and drive to the parking lot. Take the Juniper Point Trail to access the top of the bluffs.

Resources: Stop in at the Edge Climbing Centre in North Vancouver for beta.

Paddle the Ladner Marsh

Less than an hour from downtown Vancouver is one of the most important wildlife reserves in North America—and you’ve probably never heard of it. The Ladner Marsh at the mouth of the Fraser River Delta is a gourmet buffet on the migration path of 1.5 million birds from 310 species, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, great blue herons and snow geese. California sea lions, river otters, beavers and muskrats are regularly spotted here as well. The best way to see them is from the cockpit of a sea kayak. Launch at Ladner Harbour and cruise through float homes and fish boats up the Fraser River and into the marsh. Aim for high tide so you can get into the backwater.

Length: Two to three hours.

Directions: Take Highway 99 to the community of Delta, then exit onto River Road heading west and follow it until it ends. Turn right and then immediately left to the water access next to the Ladner Outdoor Store.

Resources: Rent a kayak, get directions or arrange a guided tour at the Ladner Outdoor Store.