Canadian Outdoor Brands We Love🍁

These companies are creating quality pieces we adore

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In light of everything happening these days, we’re sharing some of our favorite Canadian outdoor brands. Whether you’re gearing up for your next adventure, looking for cozy clothes after a day outside, or making an effort to support local, these Canadian-based companies are creating quality pieces we adore. (This post is not sponsored! We just really like the gear from these companies.)

ANIÁN

We love ANIÁN. Based on the West Coast, ANIÁN is a circular fashion company, using recycled materials to make clothes in Canada that are built to last. And unlike a lot of companies these days, they truly mean this — Cailynn still regularly wears the wool sweater she bought in 2018 from the Victoria, B.C. storefront and the Modern Melton she got a few years later. ANIÁN’s outerwear, toques and plaid are all go-to items for us. And this company seems to always be up to something interesting to support its commitment to make clothing responsibly — like turning salvaged oyster farming trays into recycled buttons, or introducing a resale marketplace.

Honestly, our biggest issue with ANIÁN is that we’ve raved about them so much over the years that now our friends and extended family also swear by them, and now everyone matches. Our younger brother, who owns 20 ANIÁN shirts (no joke), tells us he loves ANIÁN because of its cost per use, versatility and fitted look. You can dress it up for a nice dinner out, he says, then wear the same piece in the mountains the next day. Very exciting news for Calgary: Anian is opening a store on 17th Avenue. They told us they expect to open in late April or early May.

Anian warning: Accidental matching may occur

Arc'teryx
Founded in 1989 in North Vancouver (initially making rock climbing harnesses), Arc'teryx is a brand that’s become synonymous with high-performance outdoor gear. (In recent years, their gear has also, weirdly, become a fashion statement.)

Whether you’re using their clothing for hiking, climbing, or skiing, Arc'teryx delivers on quality and innovation. Full disclosure here — Cailynn feels she has never been able to afford Arc'teryx, while Annalise was once a guest of Arc’teryx Trips on a four-day Yukon hiking trip and now owns numerous pieces that Cailynn admires longingly.

Annalise has an older version of this Proton jacket that she wears near daily as a layer in winter, and near daily on its own throughout the spring and fall. Yes, their clothing is expensive but at an estimated 300 days per year of wear and almost six years (and counting) of ownership, the cost-per-use is minimal. We are big quality over quantity people when it comes to our outdoor gear and we’ve also been impressed with Arc’teryx’s warranty.

Do note that while Arc’teryx is still headquartered in North Van, it was sold in 2005 to Finnish retailer Amer Sports, which is now owned by a consortium of companies.

Highly recommend hiking in Tombstone National Park

Camp Brand Goods
As Calgarians, we’re big fans of Camp Brand Goods, a local company that has nailed the art of après-adventure clothing. Their fleece and tees are soft and cozy, offering ultimate comfort for when the day’s outdoor fun comes to an end. Plus they have some fun, nature-themed graphics, from “Happy Camper” and “Lets go Camping” fleece and tees to the very local “Is this heaven? No, it’s Kananaskis Country.”

Similar to ANIÁN, our one issue with Camp is that our friends and extended family also love them, so everyone tends to match.

Kombi
Kombi started in Montreal in 1961 and is best known for their gloves and mitts for all ages, but we only became familiar with them recently. That’s because if you have little ones who love playing outside, Kombi’s character mitts are a must. They’re warm, durable and fun, available in numerous animal designs, like a llama, wolf, shark or parrot, just to name a few.

Cailynn’s toddler has worn his red dragon mitts daily for the past four months, and she loves that the zippered cuff makes them easy to get on and off; they’re bright (harder to lose); and they’re holding up great to all that wear. Her (rather picky with clothing) toddler also loved his Kombi ski socks this winter.

Toddler approved: Kombi’s character mitts, Simply Merino’s toque, thermal top and bottoms

Simply Merino
This is another great made in Canada brand we weren’t familiar with until we had kids. Our kids’ great aunt gifted them thermal onesies and bottoms, and we’ve been loyal customers ever since, for both our kids and ourselves. Simply Merino is based in Vancouver and specializes in merino wool products for babies, kids and adults.

We swear by merino as a base layer to stay warm all winter long, and find our kids like wearing their long johns for year-round adventures because they’re so soft and comfy. Summer camping trips: Merino. Winter ski days: Merino. Bike around the neighbourhood: Merino. The adult tanks and long johns are super comfy and so far have not become hole-y (Annalise’s #1 complaint with Merino wool.)

Another favourite kids’ item is Simply Merino’s beanies — we use these toques all winter long as they fit perfectly under a bike helmet or ski helmet.

Biking in Simply Merino long johns and a toque

The Last Hunt
If you’re looking to score amazing deals on top outdoor gear, check out The Last Hunt. They’re a Canadian online retailer (founded in Montreal) that offers a wide range of outdoor brands, including many Canadian ones. Their prices are discounted to begin with, and they often offer sales on top of those discounts. Annalise has been ordering off The Last Hunt since 2014, and finds it a great way to get reliable clothing and equipment at 25-70% off the retail price, as long as you know your size and are OK with the no return policy. Plus they’re also B Corp certified.

Wait, You Missed MEC?

Founded in Canada in the 1970s and still headquartered in B.C., MEC (now Mountain Equipment Company) has been a cornerstone of the Canadian outdoor gear scene for decades. The brand is a big part of our childhood memories of going outside, with our parents dressing us in MEC gear and wearing the clothes themselves. Cailynn still wears her mom’s fleece jacket (with a Mountain Equipment Co-op logo, R.I.P.) from the 1990s.

However, MEC is currently owned by an American private equity firm, and there’s been recent reports that it’s in the process of being sold again. Plus over the past few years, we’ve noticed some concerning changes. We've run into issues with noticeably lower quality and poor customer service — disappointing for a brand that once set the standard for Canadian outdoor gear. (Read more about how MEC lost touch with its roots in this magazine article). So with the way things currently stand, sadly MEC doesn’t make the cut for us.

Did we miss any of your favourite Canadian outdoor brands or products? Drop your suggestions in the comments below — we’d love to hear from you. Happy adventuring!

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⛰️🥾️ Go Outside is written by Annalise & Cailynn — writers, outdoor enthusiasts and sisters who’ve been hiking, biking and skiing near Calgary since childhood and continue to be happiest outside.