Hiking Gear Guide Part 2: Beyond the Basics for Long-Distance Treks in Canada

Essential Outdoor Gear You Won't Find on Every Hiker's List

Gear that Makes the Difference Between Surviving and Thriving on the Trans Canada Trail and Beyond

In Hiking Gear Guide Part 2: Beyond the Basics for Long-Distance Treks in Canada we share some of the items that go beyond the bare essentials, but that we felt were game-changers during our four-year trek on the Trans Canada Trail. In Hiking Gear Guide Part 1: The Basics, we covered the core gear every hiker needs to survive on a long-distance trek across Canada: backpack, footwear, shelter, sleep systems, clothing, cooking essentials, navigation devices, and a first aid kit. However, once you've assembled the basics, the question remains: what else belongs in your pack when the trail stretches for thousands of kilometres and the journey lasts not just weeks, but years?

While travelling with ultralight hiking gear is the current trend, walking across a continent is not necessarily about crushing kilometres, racing for records, or boasting about who carried the least weight. If you're setting out to spend months - or even years - on the trail, this isn't solely a number-driven pursuit. It's a lifestyle. Therefore, to succeed, you need balance.  In particular, you will need to balance weight and comfort, function and budget, simplicity and preparedness. Above all, you need hiking gear for long-distance treks in Canada that allows you to enjoy the journey, not just survive it.

In Part 2: Beyond the Basics, we'll explore the gear that often gets overlooked or rejected as necessary, but which we found made the difference between enduring our four-year trek across Canada and embracing it. These are the unexpected items that kept us safe, sane, and as comfortable as possible as we hiked the Trans Canada Trail from Cape Spear, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and a look at why we chose them.

Hiking Gear Guide Part 2: Balancing Priorities for Treks in Canada

When selecting gear for a thru-hike, four big considerations shape every decision. Weight matters because every extra gram is carried thousands of kilometres in your pack. Function is equally critical since multi-use gear reduces bulk and increases efficiency. Furthermore, budget cannot be ignored on a multi-year hike like the Trans Canada Trail, because every little expense can really add up.  As a result, for us, durability often trumps minimalism or cheaper options that require continual replacement. Finally, in our opinion, comfort should not be dismissed as "luxury," because prevention of injury, exhaustion, or mental burnout is worth far more than any savings on weight during a long-distance hike.  Finding the right balance helped us successfully cover more than 14,000 km of the Trans Canada Trail, from the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland to the urban walkways of Victoria, British Columbia.

What to Pack for Long-Distance Treks in Canada

Finding the sweet spot between minimalism and preparedness is unique for each hiker. Too light, and your safety or sanity may be at risk. Too heavy, and every kilometre becomes a test of willpower. Furthermore, Canada's vast landscapes, from Newfoundland's rugged coastal footpaths, to the endless range roads of the Prairies, to the rail trails of British Columbia, will test your equipment relentlessly. In addition, gear will need to be swapped out as you walk through the seasons, enter new landscapes, and face new challenges. As a result, personal preference, preparedness, and adaptability are keys to packing for a safe and enjoyable cross-Canada hike like ours. Where did we find that balance? In Hiking Gear Guide Part 2: Beyond the Basics for Long-Distance Treks in Canada we share a few of the game-changing gear items we carried that don't appear on most ultimate hiking gear guides.

"Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough."

by Charles Dudley Warner

Beyond the Basics: Unusual Hiking Gear That Makes a Difference

Gossamer Gear Hiking Umbrellas: These light-weight, compact Gossamer Gear hiking umbrellas could be clipped to the shoulder straps on our backpacks for hands-free use. Designed specifically to provide shade on blistering hot days, we also used them to shelter from the rain on days when it was too warm to comfortably wear rain gear. In particular, this item was a favourite on days with many passing rain showers, when popping up the umbrella was much faster than repeatedly putting on and taking off rain gear.  However, above all else, this piece of hiking gear was a life-saver on the exposed Rail Trails of Manitoba, when temperatures routinely climbed above 40 C and there was no shade in sight.

Neck Buff: While packing sunscreen, lip balm, and a wide-brimmed hat for UV protection is second nature to most thru-hikers, we added a neck buff to our arsenal of sun protection solutions. When you have short hair, the back of your neck can be directly exposed to the sun's harmful rays for hours on end while hiking on exposed trails, making an added layer of protection a necessity. In addition, a neck buff can be soaked in cold water to help you stay cool in summer, it can act as a scarf in cooler temperatures, and it can also be used as a towel or pot holder in a pinch.

Trekking Poles: While I do not use trekking poles every day, they can be essential for maintaining balance during narrow stream crossings or extremely muddy trail sections, and they can provide much needed joint support on steep terrain. In addition, they can also be used to pitch the tent or tarp, hang the laundry, or in self-defence if necessary.

Repair Kit & Sewing Kit: While some ultra-light enthusiasts argue that cutting of unnecessary tags, pockets, straps, and patch kits can save valuable ounces, we found that a well-stocked repair kit has been a life-saver on every single trip we've taken. Ours is stocked with high quality sewing thread, several pins and needles, a couple safety pins, a tiny roll of duct tape, a mini tube of crazy glue, the synthetic fabric patches that came with our various gear items (i.e., air mattresses, tent, etc.), as well as an extra roll of stick-on gear tape.

Lightweight Rope: During our cross-Canada trek we carried a length of around 15-20 ft of lightweight rope. We've used it to create clothes lines, as an extra guy wire during awkward tent pitches or in wind storms, to hang our food bags in bear country, to tie on extra gear, and to make temporary repairs to equipment.

Sea to Summit 20 L Folding Bucket: This may seem like a luxury item, but we used it almost every day on our cross-Canada hike, either for fetching water from streams and rivers for filtering, doing laundry, washing dishes more than 100 m away from protected water sources, or easily transporting things like picnics, dishes, or laundry around campgrounds.

Dry bags: Ultra-light hikers often advocate lining their packs with trash compactor bags for waterproofing. However, we chose to use a mixture of durable and reusable ZPacks, Sea to Summit, and Osprey waterproof dry bags to keep our gear dry, clean, and relatively organized during our trek. This was especially important for the electronics, which tended to easily rip through plastic bags.

Planning for the Long Haul: Adapting Your Gear

On a multi-year trek across Canada the seasons change, terrain shifts, and bodies and priorities adapt. As a result, the gear for a long-distance thru-hike in Canada is not a fixed list - it is a toolkit for responding to the unexpected. Here are a few of the items we used, but only in particular sections of the country:

Radical Design Wheelie Walking Trailers: Many long-distance or cross-continent hikers opt to push their gear in a cart or jogging stroller instead of carrying it all on their backs. When terrain is hard-packed and flat, as it is on the highways of Northern Ontario, many parts of the Prairies, and on the Trans Canada Trail in Ontario, we switched to this strategy in order to pick up our pace and cover the long distances between resupply points more quickly.  In addition, using the Radical Design wheelie walking trailers also allowed us to easily carry extra and food water. In rougher and more undulating terrain we carried everything in our backpacks, but this was one excellent piece of gear we would highly recommend using where terrain permits.

Bens Invisinet Head Nets: Weighing next to nothing, Ben's Invisinet Head Nets helped keep the swarms of biting insects away from our faces and necks as we hiked through the Boreal forests of Newfoundland and on some of the best hiking trails in Atlantic Canada during peak black fly and mosquito seasons. Not only do we believe they provided a healthier alternative to using DEET-based insect repellents, especially over long periods of time, they also helped preserve our sanity.

11.5 L Bear Canisters: In bear country, having a safe place to store our food wasn't an option, it was a necessity. On some wilderness trails, like the Fundy Footpath in New Brunswick, back-country campsites had secure food storage lockers. However, other sections, such as the Elk Valley Trail in British Columbia, did not. Bear canisters are heavy and bulky, so while this was a essential piece of gear, we only carried them when necessary.

Insulated Thermos Bottles: Keeping our water cool in insulated jugs was a game-changer for us during the heat wave and drought we experienced while hiking Canada's Prairie Provinces. In particular, with temperatures routinely climbing above 40 C, the water in our regular Nalgene and Sigg bottles was often the temperature of hot tea, and very few rivers had running water to replenish it with. We would not carry this extra weight in our backpacks, but having the ability to lower our body temperature with cold water while using the Radical Design carts helped us avoid heat exhaustion on more than one occasion.

Technology: Documenting the Journey and Staying Charged

Even hikers who prefer to disconnect when they step into nature discover that technology can be extremely useful on long-distance hikes. From top hiking apps to help with navigation and planning, to top nature apps to encourage a deeper connection with nature, Smartphones can be useful tools for outdoor adventure. In addition, many hikers now wish to share their adventures with friends and family, taking and posting photos from the trail. We chose to document our cross-Canada expedition, meaning Sean carried two Nikon D750 camera bodies and three lenses, as well as a laptop for photo storage and editing and a backup hard drive. Whether you choose to rely on your Smartphone, a lightweight drone or GoPro, or a DSLR camera, you will need to keep your technology charged. We carried two BatPower ProE 2 Power Banks with 26800 mAh, and they were a good fit for our needs.  It may not be necessary to carry heavy camera equipment, but being able to share the inspiration, reflect on the memories, and stay connected when necessary was worth it for us. 

Final Thoughts: Your Gear, Your Journey

Every decision about hiking gear reflects personal priorities. Some hikers swear by ultralight minimalism. Others value durability or comfort. Neither is wrong. If you are planning your own adventure, remember that gear is not just equipment. It is the bridge between challenge and wonder, struggle and beauty. Choose wisely, adapt constantly, and allow your pack to support both body and spirit. Ultimately, a trek across Canada is about resilience, discovery, and joy. With the right gear, the journey becomes more than survival—it becomes a celebration of landscapes, people, and connection. 

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