Toronto What to Pack

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Everyday Footwear:
One comfortable running/walking shoe
One dress shoe
Seasonal Footwear:
Winter: Pair of winter boots (warm hiking / ski are great)
Spring: Rain boots, galoshes
Summer: Sport / dressy sandals
Fall: Dress boots

CLOTHING
Winter: warm coat/parka, fleece (pants, tops, etc.), undershirt and long johns (underpants), warm hat, gloves, and scarf, clothes you would wear in early spring or fall (see below) in DARKER colours

Spring: Sweaters (fleece, wool, cotton, etc.), hoodie, ponchos, leather jacket, long & short sleeved shirts, heavier jeans, rain jacket, umbrella, sun hat, sunglasses, etc. in PASTEL, METALLIC, or LIGHT colours with some DARKER.

Summer: thin and light cottons, linens, and sport nylons, shorts, cropped pants, tank tops, skirts, sun hat, sun glasses, light jeans, khaki's, etc. in LIGHT colours (white, beige, etc.)

Fall: Sweaters (fleece, wool, cotton, heavy linen, etc.), hoodies, ponchos, long & short sleeved shirts, heavier jeans, etc.. in DARKER colours

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Unless you have a favorite toiletry, why not skip most of it and visit our popular Shoppers Drug Mart which has buckets of small sized toiletries one can buy for between $1 and $3.50 (at time of post) and during spring and fall you can buy a bag of toiletries for around $7. Shoppers Drug Marts can be found all over the place.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Swimsuit

Miscellaneous: Toronto has four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Spring usually goes from April to May; Summer, June to September; Fall, October to November; and winter, December to March.

Check Weather
A couple of days before you depart on your trip, if possible, check the weather reports.
Check the 7 and 14 day forecast to get an idea of what the weather will be like and re-pack if necessary.

It can become very cold in summer and very warm in winter for a few days to a week at a time while the rest of the time it's pretty much what's to be expected plus or minus better or worse weather.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Contrary to some of our neighbours to the south's impression of our country, it is not winter all year round here. Hot & humid June - August....September (summer wear), September/October - cool & comfortable (light jacket/sweater), November - March - cold, really cold (winter jacket, gloves, hat). April/May/October/November can be anything from 0C to 30C - so best to be prepared for all of it. Even if before you leave you check the weather, it can change in a day from cold to hot.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: I've been here in the spring and summer and there was always at least one day where it was quite cool and windy. Always pack a jacket with hood or bring a hat and wear socks even in August

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: It can get cold in August. July seems to be the time when you will get the most wear out of your swimsuit.

Miscellaneous: Toronto sits on the Northwest shore of Lake Ontario and covers 641 square miles. Its name means "fishing weir". As of 2001, the population reached 2,481,494 and is considered to be one of the most multicultural city in the world. There are over 100 dialects and languages spoken here.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: As there is always lots of questions in the Toronto Forum about our weather and what to wear, I recommend the following for travelers coming to Toronto at certain times of the year. During the winter, the coldest time is from mid December to the end of February, you should bring warm clothes like sweaters, winter coats, boots, scarfs and thick socks. The warmest time of the year is from the beginning of June to late September. It is frequently over 30C at this time of the year so bring summer clothing like t-shirts, shorts and maybe sandals. Do not bring heavy winter coats unless you want to be snickered at by custom officers.

Miscellaneous: I call this picture "Artic Toronto" because it leaves the impression that alot of people in other lands think of when I mention that I come from Toronto, Canada. They ask me if it is cold there. Well it was -12C when I took this photo in January 2005. Unfortunately alot of folks seem to think that it is like this 12 months of the year. In fact Toronto Harbour only freezes over like this for about 8 weeks in winter if at all with global warming and all.
This past summer I actually saw an American couple at the airport with winter coats. When questioned by laughing security guards, they said they thought that it would be colder. It was 26C(81F) that day.

Miscellaneous: You can get everything you want here, really! They have 24 hour drug stores, a ton of malls, and quite a few shoe stores!

I came from a conference, so was loaded with my computer and all the peripherals that entails AND my travel pillow (small bag on my side) as well as my clothes, shoes and toiletries (big bag on my back) .... despite this being a small ammount of luggage for some, it was a bit much when taking public transport. I was able to keep tabs on it all - it was just quite a load to deal with during morning rush hour on the subway :)

So keep it small, and keep it fun.

Luggage and bags: I happen to have my actual packing list for this trip. Much of it is my normal packing list for travel to anywhere. Not much is specific to Toronto.

Leaving Sunday and returning Friday (5 nights-6 days), I took:

Computer in computer bag with spare discs.
Hardside carry-on-sized Bag with wheels (checked)
Large Waist Pack with cameras and spare set of underwear.

Camelbak (water)

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: In addition to what I wore on the plane, I had three pairs long pants, 5 tops, one denium jumper (double as pool cover-up), nightgown, underwear, and two pair of shoes. I wore a jacket (which I left on the plane and had to go back for), and had a sweater and a thermal vest for layering in case it was cold.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Toothbrush, hairbrush, and tweezers.

Photo Equipment: Two point and shoot 35 mm film cameras (didn't have a digital at that time), film and mailers. One of the cameras had panoramic capability and the other was my work camera.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Small flashlight, thermal hood (lives in my coat pocket with my gloves), folding umbrella.

Since hotel had a pool, bathing suit, goggles, and Aurodri (for my ears), small absorbant towel which had a plastic carrying envelope in which I could carry a wet swimsuit.

Miscellaneous: Earplugs (for the plane noise), inflatable pillow (for plane), scotch tape, small notebook with stapler (where I staple my receipts), AAA book, maps and travel info, hotel and registration information, snacks, calculator, and sunglasses.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Definately bring clothes to cover a variety of temperatures; sometimes the weather here can be a bit sporatic. If you're here during the summer and we are having a heatwave, chances are you're ok with the normal summer gear....but early and late summer the temperature can change quite drastically

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: You can find pretty much anything you're looking to buy if you run out or need any type of toiletries or medicine. There are pharmacies and drugstores and in every major neighbourhood there will always be one that is open for 24hrs.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Unless you plan to go to a Campsite outside the city, there is no real campground here. There is a beach which is pretty much used for sunbathing only. Many people don't go into the lake water as it is not the cleanest. We do have a lot of public pools and there are various water parks, so if you plan to swim you can do it here!