Hi

We are from the UK and are a young at heart couple in our early 60s travelling on an organised coach tour. We always pack too many clothes and this time we are going to try and travel lighter! Never having been to Canada before any suggestions would be appreciated. From what we've read it's best to layer and no doubt there will be quite a difference in temperature between say Montreal and the Rockies, especially at the top of the gondola rides. We'll also be going on Maid of the Mist at Niagara and hopefully on the snocoach at Athabasca. In Vancouver we hope to have a trip on a seaplane and also do some whale watching.

Are you on a coach tour all the way from Vancouverto Niagara Falls?

That's a long way.

Lows will be 40-45. Highs will be, maybe, 90. Layers is the answer.

During the day, expect low to mid-seventies most of the time. A seweater and perhaps a nylon shell jacket to cut the wind, andyou'll be OK.

The Maid of the Mist will be one of the highlights of your trip, and they give you a free raincoat to wear.

BAK

YOu are so right. Layering is the answer. I'd perhaps get a fleecy jacket for those chilly nights and up on the gondola. And a light jacket, maybe waterproof in case of rain. When I went away for a month last year, I only took 1 fleecy and 1 rain jacket that would fit over the fleecy.
Most days you won't need either ( hopefully!). Don't bog yourself down with sweaters. They take up too much room in your luggage. YOu will really only need the one fleecy.

Also, we could have a heat wave and I've had British friends that were very uncomfortable with the high temps. So prepare for that too. Some light cotton t shirts or cotton short sleeve shirts. ( YOU can always put on your fleecy if it isn't really hot). Also, you may want to bring a pair of shorts or capri's and a pair of sandals.

In addition to what BAK and kodi said, you'll need practical lace-up shoes (either light weight hiking boots or runners, which I think you call trainers in the UK).

I like to pack as lightly as possible, and over the years have worked on paring down my travel wardrobe.

The "What To Pack" page of my website provides fairly detailed information about what to pack for the Canadian Rockies.

http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...urwebpage.msnw

Thanks for all the advice.

Temperatures in the mid seventies will be heaven, we only get a few days like that where we live. Don't mind if it gets hotter, can cope with that but hate being cold. We will bring our fleece jackets and leave the sweaters at home.

Our coach tour starts in Montreal and we do Ottawa, Quebec, Toronto and Niagara over the first 7 days and then we fly out of Toronto to Calgary. Over the next 6 days our coach then takes us to Banff, Jasper, Kamloops and finally Vancouver. We have 4 nights in Vancouver with the tour and we are staying on for a further 3 nights on our own. Really looking forward to the trip.

Your trip sounds wonderful. Hopefully the weather will be beautiful and in the 70' and not the 90's. It can be really hot. But I agree, I'd rather be hot than cold.
If one fleecy isn't enough, you can follow my mom's advice... she used to say, "We can always buy something, dear".!!You could buy a nice Canadian sweatshirt.

Have a great time.

That sounds like a great trip.

In Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa the evenings are closer to day temperatures than in Calgary and the Rocky Mountains, where it gets colder.

Have a good time.

BAK