MEC Travel Light Day Pack

I’m off to Colorado this week to catch a few runs at Aspen and Crested Butte, and I’ll be packing along my new favourite ski accessory: MEC’s Travel Light Day Pack. I’m one for packing a bottle of water and a Lara bar, but it’s also, frankly, a bit of a drag when it means a dragging around a bulky backpack. The Travel Light weighs in at just 225 grams, so I honestly don’t even notice it’s there – and best of all, it’s totally collapsible, meaning I can easily squeeze it into the corner of my carry-on. (The pretty leaf-green colour is a nice bonus too – my friends won’t miss me on the slopes.)

MEC Travel Light Day Pack, $26, available in Vancouver and Calgary at MEC mec.ca

Outdoor Tulum Chair

When I’m on deadline (countdown to our giant [and redesigned!] September issue going out the door: two days!), I’m most likely to fantasize about downtime with a great book in the sun (I’m currently devouring The Financial Lives of Poets—a hysterical page–turner of a summer read). And this sunny outdoor Tulum chair is just the right size for such a task: pretty in yellow (or teal, or black and white) with a body–comfortable design. Pair it with one of food editor Neal McLennan’s Bees Knees cocktail and deadlines are just a distant memory.

Tulum chair, $395, available in Vancouver and Calgary at Country Furniture, countryfurniture.net.

Stylish Deck Chair

I spent the last week at one of my favourite places on the planet—Palm Beach, just south of Powell River, BC., with a few dear friends. It was one of those highly stressful times when the most pressing thing on my agenda was what we were going to heat for dinner (local spot prawns, barbecued corn and fresh peas was one highlight of a meal) and how many books I could clear though (Janette Walls’ latest, The Silver Star, proves a great beach read.) The only downside was the lack of true lounging chairs, so next year I’ll be BYOC’ing it with this beauty from Gallant & Jones. The Ogunquit deck chair features vibrantly printed outdoor polyester and an
organic cotton pillow hanging from a Vancouver-crafted, North American white oak frame, and the on-trend chevron is only slightly brighter than my mood when I’m at Palm Beach, book in one hand and watermelon slushy in the other. (Have I mentioned I’m a little Ninja obsessed these days?)

Ogunquit deck chair from Gallant and Jones, gallantandjones.com

Brooklyn Cruiser

When I moved to Vancouver almost 12 years ago, a friend gave me her old GT mountain bike, once a “trick” bike before it had another life transporting a courier in Toronto. (I’m told its “radical geometry” made it super “rad.”)

So while the bike has some street cred, it’s also well over 20 years old and starting to hurt a little. Plus, there comes a time in a woman’s life when she needs to move on from trick bikes and radical geometry to something, well, prettier.

Enter the lovely Brooklyn Cruiser, with its classic Dutch bike form and pretty colours like tangerine and Columbia blue. (It’s so charming that Calgary’s Hotel Arts has purchased a few for its guests.)

It’ll be perfect for a seawall cruise and the commute to work, though I may take a pass on the optional wooden cargo box. There’s only too much precious one can do when transitioning from practical to pretty.

Brooklyn Cruiser, from $399, available at Whoa! Nellie in Vancouver, whoanelliebikes.com, BikeBike in Calgary, bikebike.ca.

Stylish Camping Gear

I like to think of myself as a camper, but the fact is, I haven’t slept under the stars in at least a year, and frankly, I was ruined for anything but four-poster beds in my tent after the “camping” I did at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club . But these sweet new tents from Vancouver design company Gallant and Jones could get me out in the summer night some time soon. Appropriately called FieldCandy, the tents range from the quirky (a Big Top-inspired circus tent) to the pretty (butterflies on a night sky), and are constructed in old-fashioned cotton—which means they don’t get condensation the way that newfangled material does, but they’re still water resistant. Of course, it also means it weighs a fair bit more—but that’s what car camping was made for. Gallant and Jones FieldCandy tent, from $630, gallantandjones.com

Sophisticated Patio Lantern

It’s that in between time of year when one day we seem ready for patio season (bring on nachos at Jericho Sailing Centre!), and the next I’m wearing a scarf and tights. But that doesn’t stop me from planning how my patio’s going to look this summer. I’m pretty enamored with this Solvinden lamp from Ikea, for two reasons. One, it fits right in with a mod set of loungers I’ve had my eye on, and two, it’s solar and wind powered—meaning no wiring or extension cords for this low-tech editor. (Plus, it gives the perfect excuse to get out to the new supersize Ikea that just opened in Richmond.) Solvinden, $29.99, in Vancouver and Calgary at Ikea, ikea.ca

Molo Hobo Lantern

Best part of summer? Summer parties. You could light up the night with a few tiki torches but, call me a party pooper, I’ve always found the whiff of fuel in the air to be a little off-putting when there’s food involved. So cheers to Molo’s new Hobo lantern: an LED light source tucked into a translucent bag that glows when the battery-powered light is switched on. Hang it from one of Molo’s magnetic cork pegs, or line a back yard with a row of Hobos for a modern alternative to the classic Noma Moonlight. $100. Available online at molostore.com