The X-Mid Pro 2+ tent from Golden, B.C.-based Durston Gear fits two people and weighs just 630 grams.Durston/Supplied
While American megabrands dominate the outdoor space, Canada’s top camping-gear companies are quietly making some of the most innovative – and dependably rugged – equipment.
Here are author and outdoorsman Chris Nuttall-Smith’s field-tested Canadian picks for summer 2025.
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The tent for two
When my X-Mid Pro 2+ from Durston Gear arrived this spring, the box weighed so little I was convinced that the packer had forgotten to put anything inside.
The X-Mid Pro 2+ tent.Durston/Supplied
The company – based in Golden, B.C., and run by Dan Durston, a hard-core distance hiker and gear nerd – makes the most covetable and lightweight tents on the planet. Its top-of-the-line X-Mid Pro 2+ easily fits two wide sleeping pads, is tall enough so the six-foot-plus set can sleep and sit up comfortably and has nicely sized vestibules at two entrances – a rarity in ultralight shelters. At just 630 grams, it’s also the world’s lightest, actually roomy two-person tent.
The company makes plenty of less pricey (yet no less storm-worthy) options, too. But for uncompromising outdoor types who want one shelter to do it all, this is the ne plus ultralight and then some. $1,089, durstongear.com
The cookware
Carbon steel is the lighter, slicker, far more user-friendly cousin to cast iron cookware, but until two Canada-based companies each launched camping versions this spring, there weren’t many great options for outdoor use.
Goso Cookware’s 10-inch Everywhere Pan + Handle.Autumn Schrock/Goso
The 10-inch Everywhere Pan + Handle from Goso Cookware, based in Nelson, B.C., is the burlier of the two new options. It has just the right heft to distribute and retain plenty of heat, while still being responsive to temperature changes. For car, cottage and base campers, it’s a standout pick. $159, gosocookware.com
The Carbontrail 12 Adventure Cookset from Agawa Canyon, based in Uxbridge, Ont., combines a lightweight 12-inch skillet, a wok (which doubles as a Dutch oven and steamer) and a multipurpose lid into a supremely versatile and trail-ready set. The plus-sized skillet, in particular, is fantastic for a crowd, and wilderness bakers will love the Dutch oven set-up, which is many times lighter than most other options. $199, agawagear.ca
Agawa Canyon’s Carbontrail 12 Adventure Cookset.Agawa Canyon/Supplied
Both companies’ pans are shaped with a gradual lip, so you can toss and flip food easily. And like most carbon steel pans, they become dependably non-stick with minimum effort – and without the scratch-prone forever-chemical coatings that are standard on many camping skillets. The innovation that really sets both offerings apart, however, is their easy-on, easy-off handles, which lower the risk of scorching your hands when cooking on a grill or over a fire.
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The getaway bag
RUX-70L Collapsible Gear BoxRUX/Supplied
It takes exactly one outing with the RUX 70L to wonder how you ever moved your outdoor gear before. The weatherproof hauler from RUX, based in Squamish, B.C., is basically a lighter, more versatile (check out the built-in backpack straps) and lifetime-guaranteed tote bin – one you can collapse flat in a snap when it’s not in use. Not that there’ll be much chance of that.
Mine has been in heavy rotation since early spring, variously filled with camping gear, tools, groceries and fishing tackle for early-season trips north, and plenty of dirty laundry on the trips back home. $369, rux.life
RUX 25-litre Waterproof BagRUX/Supplied
RUX’s 25-litre waterproof bag, meanwhile, is what you’d get if you crossed a tripping-worthy dry bag with a stylish city tote. On a weeklong getaway to Ontario’s Spanish River in May, I couldn’t help referring to my tangerine model as a “backwater Birkin.”
It is perfect for the beach, the boat or the bed of a 4×4, and (unlike its higher-end it-bag brethren) is easy to scrub free of sunscreen and mud. $185, rux.life
The warm brew
Cypress Ride Pocket Coffee Drip Bag.Cypress Ride/Supplied
Few aspects of being outdoors have improved more drastically – or rapidly – than the making of camp coffee. You can now find precision-milled bean grinders, hand-pump espresso makers, fanciful pour-over kits and not-even-awful instant at most good outfitters.
But to my mind, the coffee innovation with the greatest effort-to-awesome ratio is the pour-over coffee drip bag. They’re similar to tea bags, but they perch over your mug and tear open at the top. Just pour in hot water for barista-worthy joe. Better yet: Some of Canada’s best small-batch coffee roasters have begun offering their own camp-ready takes.
Hammer & Chip Coffee’s Jet Pack Ready-to-Brew Coffee.Hammer & Chip Coffee/Supplied
The Cypress Ride pocket coffee drip bag, from the Kop Coffee Roasters in Delta, B.C., delivers a sweet beautifully balanced brew with hints of caramel. $19.50 for eight, thekopcoffee.com
Calgary-based Hammer & Chip Coffee’s Jet Pack ready-to-brew coffee, meanwhile, combines comforting butterscotch and apricot notes along with smooth, rich body – a far cry from the bitter, gritty “camping coffee” outdoorsy old-timers used to choke back. $2.50 each, hammerandchip.com
The stylish flannel
Hooké’s Women’s Canadian Oversized Shirt.Hooke/Supplied
High-tech, high-performance clothing may be invaluable in many outdoors-lovers’ gear bags, but sometimes a good old-fashioned forest tuxedo is exactly the right thing.
The heavyweight flannel shirts from Quebec City-based Hooké are some of the best in the field, made with supersoft fabric and riveted metal snaps, and backed by a lifetime replacement warranty. Women’s Canadian Oversized Shirt, $125, hooke.com
Chris Nuttall-Smith is the author of Cook It Wild: Sensational Prep-Ahead Meals for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors.
