Goods worth bringing from west Canada to Germany

I'll be going on a 3-week holiday next week to Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the Rockies. Is it worthwhile to shop around there e.g. for outdoor clothing or quality binoculars or are the prices for those items higher than in Germany? Anything else you'd consider to get a better deal on in Canada? (and will fit in a suitcase).

You might have problems at customs but BC is famous for one particular product.

edit: will fit in a suitcase in can be legally exported

Pretty much everything except alcohol and cigarettes is cheaper in Canada.

I always load up with Pacific salmon. My German friends and family love it. You can get it in pretty vacuum packed foil pouches that don't need any special cooling or storage so just pop in the suitcase. Also many of my German friends are crazy about Indian stuff, so I always bring back some hand-made items - leather work or jewelry or wood carvings. The west coast Indians have their own very distinctive designs that are quite different from "the usual". Check out the museum in Victoria - they have a great exhibit. Enjoy your trip!

You'll definately find warmer outdoor clothing in the Rockies than you would ever need in Germany. A lot of the clothing there is quite touristy and not exactly stylish, but if you're in it for the sentimental value and not a fashion statement, there are some well-made pieces of clothing. Canadians swear by the fudge made at the Fudgery; it's actually quite good, but who am I kidding. Will it ever compare to German chocolate? *sigh* Not so much. The Native Americans do make a lot of neat things that are good to take back, but not so popular to wear or carry around on the rest of your trip there. And a word to the wise: Don't call them Indians. They really don't take kindly to that these days...

Outdoor clothing and gear is significantly cheaper there! Go to MEC or any number of places and you will find most stuff costs the same in Canadian dollars than Yoyo's so you are saving like 30% or so. Clothing too! As ER says, just about everything except for booze and tobacco is cheaper there! Even elecronics! ipods are like 30% less there! its nuts!

Thanks, people, seems I'll have to leave some space in the suitcase to fill up. I'm really looking forward to it, hoping to see whales and grizzlies and such. Exciting

Hmm... I'll have to mention that to my good friend from way back. She keeps calling herself a full-blooded Mohawk Indian who's escaped from the Reserve to anyone who asks. Works in an art gallery in Toronto.

What I really wanted to add was: buy mocassins lined with fur! I always get cold feet in the winter, and those lined mocassins are fantastic to use as slippers around the house.

Outdoor stores in Vancouver

I did a bit of shopping around for outdoor stuff in Vancouver a couple years ago and found that, as it says on the link, most of the outdoor shops are on West Broadway.

I used to hate Mountain Equipment Co-op (or MEC), which is a bit of a cult in Canada. Especially since you have to pay $10 for a membership which you always lose the card for so you have to make sure you're getting enought to make it worthwhile or find someone else to use their membership. Their stuff also used to fall appart on me and their bags have only just recently become a bit smarter in their design (all their bags except for specialised mountain climbing used to be quite boxy and uncomfortable to wear)

Oh, quite possibly. I grew up in Alberta though, and have spent a lot of time in that area/Rockies area. That's just what I've noticed in those specific areas. It might be different out east. Come to think of it, almost everything is different out east.