Buy Better: Canadian-Made Outdoor Gear That You Will Love

April 7, 2022

Tired of spending your hard-earned dollars on big-brand gear? Thankfully, you can find amazing products made (that’s right, made) right here in Canada. Shopping locally for your outdoor apparel and equipment comes with a myriad of amazing benefits. You’ll get gear that’s made specifically for Canadian adventures by people who understand the terrain and the climate. You’ll also be supporting local adventurers, just like you, and you’ll massively reduce the carbon footprint of your shopping.

Here are six outdoor brands making gear in Canada:

Wee Woollies

Keeping little ones comfortable on big adventures starts with a quality wool base layer, and kids’ base layers don’t come much cuter or closer than Wee Woollies. Designed on Vancouver Island and sewn in Vancouver, their line is for kids aged zero to 12 and it’s made from 100 per cent New Zealand merino wool that’s just the right weight for year-round adventuring in Canada. Layer them up in winter, wear them solo in summer and do a bit of both in shoulder season. They also sell thoughtful iron-on patch kits, perfect for rough and tumble adventure kids.

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Agawa Canyon

As familiar with wilderness canoeing and backcountry adventures as they are with product design and engineering, the team behind Agawa Canyon set out to create a stand-out piece of Canadian adventure equipment, unrivalled by any other brand. Enter their iconic Boreal21 folding bow saw. Designed and manufactured in Uxbridge, Ontario, it features a durable aluminum frame, a nylon handle that can handle tough weather conditions and three premium blades for clearing trail debris and preparing firewood, fast. Survival experts love the design, the speed and the longevity of the product. It’s light, packable and the perfect companion on backcountry adventures.

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Seed

Seed’s iconic Antidote pants have been hiking mountains, scaling rock faces and downward dogging for more than a decade. Followers hail them as the greatest active-lifestyle pants ever made, with the stretch and versatility to keep pace with Canada’s ever-changing seasons of adventure. Seed was born out of a desire to create ethical, locally made clothing, free from pesticides and chemicals. Over the years, founder and creator Blake Ward has perfected his famous hemp and cotton pants, releasing seasonal colours and mixing up the design with patterned pocket trim. He still sews them in small batches in his hometown of Cochrane, Alberta.

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Little Shop of Hammocks

Integrated bug nets and made-to-measure top-quilts and under-quilts are just some of the reasons Canadian adventurers love Little Shop of Hammocks. Custom-made in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, they promise a comfortable al fresco sleeping experience. The quilts are stuffed with Canadian Hutterite White Goose Down and sewn with specialized baffle stitching that keeps the heat where you need it most. These quilts and hammocks are also designed to use less material, take up less space and weigh less for when you need to travel light.

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Adotec

Founded on the principle of lighter packs meaning longer hikes, faster trail runs and bigger adventures, Adotec gear strives to make every gram count. Founded by avid hiker Dan Peshko, who designs most products from the trail, Adotec makes front and back packs that can be used alone or integrated with other carrying systems. Most of their products are made using Dyneema Composite Fabric, which you’ll also find in performance sailing and windsurfing sails where strength and weight are paramount. Their biggest seller is a front pack called the Gear Gut, a super-organized, waterproof front pack that attaches to the shoulder straps of any backpack in seconds. Wearing your essentials up-front is better for weight distribution and means fewer stops to access the items you use most frequently. All products are made in their base in Georgetown, Ontario.

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Frank’s Campfire Sticks

Engineered to roast anything from a marshmallow to a bratwurst, Frank’s Campfire Sticks have been made in Salmon Arm, BC for more than 20 years. Featuring a 72″ strand of 10-gauge wire, twisted securely around a solid wood handle, the result is a durable, 34″ campfire stick that has no joins or welds and is strong to the finish. The twisted design also means minimal heat transfer from the fire to the handle. Frank’s sticks were originally sold by Frank direct to campsites and corner stores around BC and Alberta, but you can now find them in big box hardware and grocery stores, too.

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