Trail Mix: Yes, Camping Gear Is Being Hit With Tariffs
On March 4, 2025, U.S. tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian goods, and 10 per cent on energy exports from Canada imported into the U.S. from Canada, came into effect. Canada has responded to the U.S. imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods by introducing a first set of countermeasures designed to compel the U.S. to remove the tariffs as soon as possible. Sadly, camping gear is among the items listed which includes such items as tents and tarps (Tariff item #6306), camping stoves and fuel (Tariff item #7321) and more.
While the counter-tariffs have only just been announced, it will take a little while for the dust to settle so we can see how it affects the prices here in Canada. Considering it is specifically for U.S. made goods, some of the brands that will be impacted are MSR, Therm-a-Rest, Nalgene, Big Agnes, and more such as U.S. dehydrated meals maker Backpackers Pantry.
These tariffs will directly impact these great companies, which is quite a shame. This is however an excellent time to support local and Canadian-made products and camping manufacturers. Head over to our list of Canadian Camping Gear Manufacturers, Canoe Manufacturers, and Paddle makers.
Hopefully these tariffs disappear as quickly as they came as camping gear is commonly known as price-prohibitive to begin with for new campers.
Trail Mix is an assortment of outdoors related blog posts that can be fun, quirky or just thought provoking.
