Playing cowboy
In the province of Alberta, there are many cowboy crafts: belts, boots from Alberta Boot, leather hats from Smithbilt Hats, the town's official place to buy cowboy hats from the province's ranches. You can also purchase a lucky horseshoe from an Alberta ranch. Great souvenirs to take home.
On the lookout for trends
Canadian signs will grab your attention if you want to stay fashionable in spite of the cold temperatures. The Roots store is typical of Canada and offers a range of quality apparel for men and women. To complement your clothing style, Herschel brand bags are made in Vancouver and are very practical for short trips and city tours. They can be found in all major city malls such as The Core in Calgary and Pacific Center in Vancouver.More cultural and artistic
The crafts of the Amerindian communities of the Pacific coast and the plains are very present in the souvenir shops of British Columbia and Alberta. Wooden Native American statuettes, jewellery, leather clothing and moccasins, dream catchers, bags and other handmade products are the flagship products of western craftsmanship. Beware of gadgets made in China! Think of the museums that usually honour local artists and market their authentic objects.
Sportsman at heart
Whether your favourite hockey team is the Calgary Flames, the Edmonton Oilers or the Vancouver Canucks, you're sure to find plenty of signs to take home labelled sporting goods. Since mountain hiking is a popular activity in Western Canada, many stores such as Mountain Equipment Co-op in Vancouver carry high-performance equipment and clothing. Winter and sports clothing is much cheaper in Canada, including Canada Goose jackets that you can try on in the West Edmonton Mall in the store itself, which has a cold storage room that can go down to -25 degrees, giving you the opportunity to test the strength of the textiles for yourself. Other quality brands such as Kanuk, Chlorophyle and Arc'teryx outdoor apparel are representative of Canada.
