No freakin joke. If you follow me on Insta, you will know that I just returned from a Covid-cation (is that a word in 2020?) to the Canadian Rockies. I had the bestttt time and am still so blown away at just how beautiful my country is. For those of you who have travelled to the Rockies, you know how gorgeous it is. You also know that mountain weather is WILD. It’s very unpredictable and extremely hard to pack for. One minute it’s 1 degree and the next it’s 28 degrees. So.. this is why I’m writing this blog in hopes that it helps you better pack for your trip out west!

First things first – I obviously travelled in the early fall so the weather was much different than if you were to travel in June, July or winter of course. However with that being said, I do feel like we experienced fall, winter, spring, and summer on this trip. Second of all, this was different from other trips as I found it very hard to outfit plan and went through multiple outfits in a given day – a fashion lover’s worst nightmare. Lastly, it’s important to note that I did this trip entirely in a campervan, meaning our accommodation and transportation were all within the same little box on wheels (more to come on this experience in another blog!). But alas, I have put together a Canadian Rockies outfit guide as well as a clothing packing list based on my experience and the overall vibe I was going for.

My suggested packing list:

• black leggings x 5
• jeans x 2 
• track pants 
• long sleeves x 4
• t-shirts x 5
• hoodie x 2
• knit sweater x 2 
• zip-up sweater x 3 
• plaid shirt
• rain coat
• puffer jacket
• vest
• jean jacket 
• baseball cap
• fedora
• bucket hat
• hiking shoes
• blundstones 
• white sneakers 
• sports bras x 4
• warm socks 
• variety of sunglasses 
• mittens/gloves

The way I always try to pack my bag for trips is to break it down by day and the activities that are happening on each day. For example, I will usually have an specific outfit in mind when going to a top attraction of the destination – in this case that was Lake Louise. Once I have that outfit selected for that “highlight” of the trip, I will then work backwards from there and add filler pieces just in case an outfit doesn’t go as planned. Yes, I’m a terrible packer. 

There were several looks I wanted to achieve on this trip keeping in mind my style, but also practicality. There’s nothing worse than the person going on a hike to the top lookout point of the lake wearing heels.It just doesn’t work and isn’t realistic in my opinion. The vibes I based my packing around were the following: 

1. The she-has-her-shit-together vibe – who doesn’t LOVE a matching set?? Since we were extremely active on this trip, I thought what better way to be active (yet cute) and look put together than to rock a matching set! Paired with a practical hiking shoe and some shades, and I was golden. 
2. The this-isn’t-her-first-rodeo vibe – get it..Alberta, rodeo..? But for real, I wanted to embrace this vibe because quite frankly it is the most practical. Most mornings we started with a hike at 7am and it would be 5 degrees outside. Being layered up in a waffle long sleeve, fuzzy zip-up, black fleece-lined leggings, a toque, and blundstones was comfortable, functional, and stylish in the mountains. Some great brands to shop for this look are Patagonia, MEC, The North Face, and Keen. 
3. The cozy-yet-chic-camper vibe – isn’t this what everyone wants to achieve when camping? Just me? Ya, I thought so. Since we were in a campervan, we stayed on campsites and had a fire every night (this means s’mores nightly, no judgements please). I didn’t want to do the classic throw on a hoodie and leggings and call it a day, I wanted to switch it up. So I went with a cute ¾ zip sweater, the comfiest track pants, my blundstones, and a fun bucket hat. 
4. The I’m-a-Canadian-look-at-me vibe – I mean… commmmmon. You can’t not pack your jeans and plaid when travelling within Canada. It’s the same as bringing your wallet – “got your wallet, check; got your plaid, check”. It’s just so classic! This is actually one of the outfits I wore at Lake Louise when we went canoeing and it was perfect. Not only did it photograph well with the stunning blue water, but it was the perfect amount of casual without it being black leggings and a puffer jacket. It was also a great outfit for going into the towns such as Banff & Jasper. 

The nice thing about the campervan is that when you are driving to the different sites you want to see, your wardrobe is also driving there with you. I had the luxury of just running to the van and changing my outfit last minute, grabbing an extra layer, or swapping my shoes if I needed to. I may not have had a steaming hot shower with coco buttercream soap everyday but I sure as hell could change my outfit on the drop of a dime!! Silver lining, friends, silver lining. 

Overall, the Canadian Rockies are freakin unreal and should be on your bucket list if it’s not already. Just make sure you have a big suitcase, layers on layers on layers, and some patience for your looks with the ever-changing weather. I can’t wait to go back at some point in the winter and go skiing… ouuu I’m already outfit planning for that après ski vibe! 

Until next hump day….

Peace & love! 

TL