rain gear, Vancouver

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Out of the 25 days I spent in Vancouver (10 in June/July, 15 in December) it rained every day but one! So yes, you've guessed it, I would highly recommend bringing a raincoat! I've been told that 2007 was a particularly bad year weatherwise so you might get more lucky than I did but still, if you wait for the rain to stop, you might find yourself spending a whole lot of time in your hotel room or at the nearest shopping centre. Plus, even on the most cloudy and rainy days, the sun would sometimes come out for a few hours and I was glad to be outside when it did. So just pack up a raincoat and don't let a few drops get in your way!

Luggage and bags: Standard backpack with enough room for rain gear.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: If you are in Vancouver in the fall, winter or spring and are here for an extended period you will most definately experiece some kind of liquid sunshine. In the summer months the notorious stretches of rain are few and far between but pack a light rain coat just in case (always have an umbrella handy). The fall has been great lately (until late/mid-october) and even the late winter into the spring has been mild as of late. But this IS Vancouver and consistent weather is never consistent, so regardless of your season of visit to Vancouver be sure to pack appropriately.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Everything you need is available in our pharmacies and you may find will be cheaper than the U.S.

Photo Equipment: Widely available. Costco is good for large amounts of film if you are a member. Bring lots as the city is very photogenic.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: If you are a hiker or climber bring your gear. The North Shore mountains are great for hiking and climbing at the Chief is very popular. Free camping sites in southern B.C. are abound.

Miscellaneous: There's so many things to do here, that it would be too much to give all tips on what to bring. Something you can't do without is some rain-gear (for hikers) or an umbrella (for city-slickers). The climate here is very mild, but rainy as well. Fall, winter and spring tend to be changeable and also in summer you can have some showers. And here's a map to guide you around as well.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: It rains a lot in Vancouver (liquid snow, at least you don't have to shovel it) so bring an umbrella virtually any month of the year. A hardy lot, most Vancouverites don't both using one (unless they have a suit on) since, I guess, you get used to it. (However, in most Asian countries it's de rigeur.)

Miscellaneous: I walked out of the airport terminal and into a light rain. As we got downtown the rain was getting heavier, but the locals weren't even hurrying to get out of it. Most of them hadn't even broken out an umbrella. And so it went, there was rain the three days I was in Vancouver, there were periods of up to a couple of hours of brilliant sunshine before the skies opened up again. Make sure to pack a raincoat on your trip to Vancouver. It will be used:)

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Bring a good pair of walking shoes. Alot of what Vancouver has to offer requires you to be on your feet! Leave your high heels at home.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Sunscreen in the summer.

Photo Equipment: Vancouver photo labs are very up to date with technology. You can easily get your digital photos burned to CD when you memory stick gets full. London Drugs is a great place to go!

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: If your heading into the woods in the summer you may want to bring bug spray.

Miscellaneous: Bring a versatile jacket. Vancouver and surrounding areas are well know for our rain. You will see many Vancouverites walking around in gortex jackets. They are great for layering clothing under and they keep you dry. At the very least bring an umbrella!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: When it comes to Vancouver, the watchword is WATERPROOF. Let's face it, Vancouver is WET. We get more rain than I care to think about and, I'm proud to say, THIS is the rain that WETS. If you have one, bring a Gore-Tex jacket; it will be your saviour. (Don't worry too much if you're coming during June-September, but otherwise, be prepared for some rain.)

Luggage and bags: Take what you can carry and remember you carry it.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Vancouver has a temperate Climate thus you should rmember to have an Umbrella handy as it can rain unexpectedly, but summers are hot, and winters are not to cold, so dress accordingly.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: You can get what you need here.

Photo Equipment: You can get what you need here.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Bring an umbrella!!! Vancouver is famous for its rain and has the mildest climate in Canada meaning it rarely snows or drops below freezing but also means that it generally doesnt get as hot humid and the other cities do with more extreme climates. Early Autumn is very pretty but at the end of October, the rain usually starts and may not stop until spring...and then it is gorgeous with all the bloom.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: The local philosophy is that you should always expect rain when coming to Vancouver, but if it's sunny and clear out, consider it a bonus. Of course, this is more true in the winter months than in the summer, but it's something to take into consideration year round.

Raincoats and gumboots aren't necessary, but having a pair of shoes that won't get ruined or soaked in the rain is ideal.

Although some locals like to proclaim that no real Vancouverite uses an umbrella, I beg to differ. I recommend carrying one of those tiny umbrellas that can collapse into a backpack, especially when you're going outside for any length of time. The small umbrellas are especially useful around downtown when navigating around the sidewalk crowds.

Umbrellas aren't so useful when you're going hiking in the forest as the trees act as a natural canopy. For that, I recommend wearing a waterproof (GoreTex) jacket with a hood.