How we research gear

Our gear guides follow the same steps, so you can see what a recommendation is, and isn’t, based on.

1. Start from what Canadians can buy

We only consider products with a Canadian listing and a price in Canadian dollars. A great product that doesn’t ship here isn’t a recommendation.

2. Read the primary sources

We read the maker’s product page and sizing guide, then retailer listings, and then owners’ reviews for recurring themes about fit, durability and how a product behaves in wet or cold weather.

3. Sort by the job

Instead of ranking everything on one list, we sort picks by the job they do best, for example “best for slush” or “best for salted sidewalks”, and say what each one gives up.

4. Say what we haven’t done

We haven’t tested the products ourselves, and each guide says so. Pros and cons come from the sources we link. Prices carry the date we checked them and can change.

See our editorial policy for how we handle independence and corrections.