Canadian Rockies attract millions of visitors every year it's no wonder with
a breathtaking turquoise lakes and snow-covered mountain peaks are you
planning to come to the Rockies this summer do you want to be more
adventurous and explore the national parks away from the crowds consider
hiking it's just like walking really but for a day hike in the Rockies you should
pack some essentials with you if you want to know how to gear up for a hike
in the Rockies keep on watching and I'll share with you what I bring with me on a
day trip just for a bit of a background my family and I are pretty new to Canada
and this whole outdoors culture but we're really excited to start exploring
more we moved about a year ago to Calgary in Alberta and we're just an
hour away from the Rockies it's absolutely breathtakingly beautiful we
go out there every chance we get we have to be very careful choosing hikes that
we go on because we have two small children four and two and we always
bring them with us because this is the best way to explore before we go on any
hike I downloaded this app called all trails I really love it because they
have a huge list of different hikes anywhere in the world and you can pick
whether you want an easy hike moderate or difficult kid-friendly dogs on leash
off leash bird-watching lakes forests mountains we always go for easy to
moderate hikes potentially kid-friendly and this apps has been really helpful
they have maps there and reviews some of the trails might have very recent
reviews which is super helpful before you go out there some reviews from a
couple of days ago might say that there is still snow on that trail it's the
middle of May right now here in Calgary so you need to be careful and prepare
what to take with you and what to wear so super helpful app definitely download
that I will link it below in the description so now on to what we take
with us on the hike first of all pick the right shoes I have just recently
bought these special hiking shoes at the store in Calgary
called MEC the staff there is very helpful they asked me what kind of hikes I was
planning going and I said that potentially I will be carrying my
children on me and they said that these with support around the ankles would be
the best even in the summer they are breathable and waterproof so that's
super important I see people wearing all sorts of shoes
on all sorts of trails and I wouldn't wear flip-flops you can certainly go
ahead and just wear your running shoes but shoes with good grip and good
support would be very very helpful these are super comfortable they are from a
Vasque next thing is to have a good sturdy durable backpack mine is from
roots it's a Canadian brand this one is waterproof a lot of compartments
here and it's so comfortable it gets really heavy depending on what
you're bringing with you but we tend to bring a lot of kid stuff a lot of snacks
maybe change of clothes nappies wet wipes all sorts of stuff so
it does get a bit heavy so make sure that it fits well and it's comfortable
to wear even when you wear like next to nothing just like a sports bra just a
small top especially if you come in the summer make sure that the straps don't
rub on your shoulders so in this backpack the number one item but luckily
we haven't had to use over our first year in Canada and hiking is a bear
spray I don't know if you can see this one we just got it yesterday I don't
even know how to use it but I have watched a lot of YouTube videos and I
think it's one of those things that you just need to watch just before you go
because it is unlikely that you will have to use a bear spray but on every
trail head there is a sign saying bear spray is essential you need to
familiarize yourself with how to use it because if you encounter a bear and your
bear spray's somewhere deep inside your backpack
that's not going to help or even if you have it nearby you need to know how
to use it I will link a youtube video that I really like and I will re-watch
it next time we go hiking in the description as well so make sure that
when you come hiking in the Rockies you have a bear spray with you at least one
for your group and that person that carries it knows how to use it
next thing is sunscreen it's very sunny in Alberta we get over 300 sunny
days here it gets really sunny and me coming from Europe I find the sun here
being very strong so we wear sunscreen all the time and take it with us
all the time on our hikes and our trips so this is essential and the higher the
better so make sure you get like a higher SPF with you the next item is
bug spray we went hiking yesterday at lake minnewanka which is really close to
banff town and there were bugs everywhere ticks and mosquitoes big like this I'm
not kidding and this was helpful essentials water you're not gonna be in
the city and having like small shops or supermarkets on hand bring water with
you and bring more than you think you will need because you don't really know
how long you will spend on that trail you might think that you're just gonna
be there for a couple of hours but the weather may change you might decide to
stay and admire the nature at the top of your hike so bring more than you think
you might want snacks especially for kids something that is packed some
things that could give them higher energy and you as well so I like my trail mix
I'm not a huge fan of protein bars but my husband does like those so I like to
bring trail mix with us and what we found is really good when you bring kids
with you bring healthy treats for them as well so when as you walk you can
even maybe bribe them when we get there you'll get your treat
also you never know what kind of weather you're gonna encounter so we spoke about
sunscreen but also a hat to protect your head
I am fair-skinned blonde woman the top of my head burns almost instantly so
having a hat no matter how not cute I might look in it it's very very helpful
and of course sunglasses it gets very sunny here in Alberta some days
especially in the summer it's very lovely very warm so bring all kinds of
protections for your eyes for your head for your skin but speaking about all
kinds of weather in Alberta you never know what will happen you might have a
really lovely day and then at the top of the mountain
it could be getting really foggy or chilly or windy this is my jacket
windproof and waterproof jacket can you believe this so just having this inside my
backpack somewhere at the bottom where I would potentially not use it but
best you have it with me very good lip balm because it gets
really really dry in Alberta and if you come from Europe or the US like
states with different kind of humidity this is very helpful and this one I
think has SPF in it as well there is when you apply sunscreen on your face
you don't apply it on your lips so that's good for protection as well you
will probably head to Alberta after seeing all those amazing pictures on Instagram
or seeing all those beautiful videos on YouTube check out mine here and
you'll want to take some pictures of you of the places that you've been to
and it's definitely worth it bringing your camera equipment with you even if
it's heavy and uncomfortable you will thank yourself later I got this one for
photographs and I've got my little one that I'm filming on right now
for videos so don't forget to check out my videos that we've taken on our hikes
around over there as well so definitely definitely bring your camera bring
different lenses bring video equipment you will be blown away by the beauty of
this place and you will want to capture it one way or another so last but not
least what you wear make sure you've got your comfortable shoes make sure you
bring layers with you at least something like this something that you can do this
with or bring little gloves or mittens with you because you never know what
kind of weather you will encounter here in Alberta bring something that you will
be comfortable in almost running or climbing maybe jeans might not be the
best option the sportswear is actually really helpful wearing something made of
polyester rather than cotton cotton gets you sweaty and keeps you sweaty
whereas polyester doesn't keep you sweaty as much something with long
sleeves something with short sleeves underneath and also something to put
over you in case it gets colder in the evening in case you want to go for a
hike at sunset or sunrise so that's it for me you don't have to bring a lot
with you just make sure you have your bear spray with you sunscreen bug
repellent a lot of water high-energy snacks well packed and comfortable
clothing and shoes if you have any suggestions or advice about how to pack
for a day hike or what to bring with you that I forgot to mention please leave
those down below in the comments I will read them all and reply to them all if
you enjoyed this video give it a big like don't forget to subscribe if you're
new here and we'll see you again next time