Our edition · Canada
Canada on Your Own
“Canada on Your Own” is the complete ebook that plans your trip from A to Z. The Rockies and the great West by campervan: rentals, Parks Canada reservations, bears, itineraries and budget.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
10 chapters · 12,000+ words · instant download · 14-day guarantee
You're planning your first independent trip
The guide starts from zero and turns every unknown into a simple procedure: rental, first roads, first bookings. The method behind our Namibia guide, applied to Canada.
You want to avoid the expensive mistakes
Misunderstood insurance, the wrong season, overrated stops, an underestimated budget: the classic traps are well known — and all avoidable when you know where to look.
You don't have 60 hours to cross-check everything
Contradictory forums, dated blogs, sales brochures: we did the sorting and the checking. You get the ordered, actionable digest.
Table of contents
The contents, chapter by chapter
10 chapters that follow the real order of your preparation: decide, book, drive, live the trip.
- 01
Why Canada by campervan (and who this guide is for)
What the van really changes, the four truths to accept before you go, and how to choose between campervan, RV and car + tent.
The country where the campervan makes perfect sense (campgrounds, wildlife, distances) · The four truths: short season, January reservations, distances, bear discipline · Campervan, RV or tent: the right choice for your profile · How to use this guide, nine months before boarding
- 02
When to go: a short season, month by month
The mid-June to mid-September window dissected fortnight by fortnight: high-altitude snow, wildfires, crowds, golden larches.
The full month-by-month, May to October · September, our favourite month (and why) · The date-picking table by priority (wildlife, budget, auroras, larches) · The reverse calendar: when to book what
- 03
Renting your campervan or RV: rates, insurance and traps
The chapter that pays for the guide: mileage that is never unlimited, deductibles, overhead-damage exclusions, the gravel-road clause, stacked fees.
Campervan, Class C or truck camper: real 2026 prices · Trap number one: kilometre packages · Insurance: deductibles, roof/windshield/gravel exclusions, premium cards that don't cover RVs · The fees that stack up (kits, one-way, provincial taxes) · Security deposit, walkthrough and video condition report
- 04
Driving in Canada: distances, wildlife and golden rules
The real risks behind the wheel: moose at dusk, fatigue on long hauls, fuel in the North, vehicle size.
The 4 golden rules: wildlife, fatigue, half-tank rule, offline maps · Never drive at night outside towns · Vehicle size, mountain descents and campground manoeuvres · Wildfires: stay informed and replan · Breakdown, animal collision, police stop: the right reflexes
- 05
The itineraries: 10, 15 or 21 days, day by day
Three proven western circuits with real distances and driving times, plus the Yukon extension for the ambitious.
10 days: the Rockies loop from Calgary (~1,350 km) · 15 days: Rockies and Pacific, Calgary → Vancouver (~1,950 km) · 21 days: the great West loop with Vancouver Island (~2,900 km) · The Yukon fly-drive extension: Kluane, Dawson City, the Dempster
- 06
Sleeping: campgrounds, the January battle and free nights
The Parks Canada system explained, the booking method that works, 2026 prices and what free camping is really worth.
The hierarchy: national parks, provincial parks, recreation sites, private campgrounds · The January battle in 5 steps (and your options if you missed it) · Dumping, electricity, campfires: life in a Canadian campground · Sleeping for free: legal on Crown land, forbidden in the parks · The 2026 price table, from free to full hookup
- 07
The Rockies like a pro: Banff, the Parkway, Jasper
The Moraine Lake shuttle, parking lots full at 7 am, the Lake O'Hara lottery: every mechanism taken apart, and the daily rhythm that wins.
Passes, shuttles, parking: the access system decoded · The perfect morning at Moraine and Larch Valley · Lake O'Hara: the lottery that changes a trip · The Icefields Parkway: live on it, don't just cross it (night at Wilcox Creek) · Jasper after the 2024 fire: what has changed
- 08
Bears, moose and the bare campsite: the discipline that changes everything
The bare-campsite rule, bear spray, hiking in grizzly country: wildlife safety made automatic, without paranoia.
Black bear, grizzly, moose, elk: who does what · The bare campsite: nothing scented outside, ever · Bear spray: buy it there, carry it accessible, know how to use it · Hiking in bear country: noise, groups, trail closures · Bear jams and wildlife watching from the van
- 09
The detailed budget, line by line
Every cost in Canadian dollars and euros, three complete profiles for 2 people over 15 days, and the hidden costs (taxes, tipping).
Flights, vehicle, fuel, campgrounds, activities: the 2026 ranges · The 3-profile table: €2,900 / €4,300 / €7,200 excluding flights · Where to save without impoverishing the trip — and where never to · Taxes added at the till and 15-18% tipping: the daily traps
- 10
Paperwork, health, safety and checklists
The chapter to print out: eTA, international driving permit, the non-negotiable health insurance, and full gear + departure checklists.
The CA$7 eTA, passport, consent letter for minors · Health insurance: the most important point in the chapter · The real risks, ranked (the road before the bears) · The gear checklist by category · The last-ten-days checklist
Sample pages
Judge for yourself
Chapter 3 — Renting your campervan or RV
Canada's trap number one: mileage
« Unlike Europe, unlimited mileage barely exists here. The standard scheme: a base allowance (often 100 km/day, sometimes zero), then prepaid kilometre packages (~500 km for CA$150-190), then the extra kilometre charged on return at CA$0.35-0.45 — the punitive rate. Do the maths BEFORE booking: our itineraries run 1,300 to 3,000 km. Buy the packages at reservation time (they cost less than at the counter and are often refundable if unused), and add a 10% margin: nobody drives the theoretical distance. »
Chapter 6 — Sleeping
The January battle, step by step
« Parks Canada opens summer reservations in January, park by park, at an announced date and time. Two Jack Lakeside or the electrified loops at Whistlers sell out in minutes. The method that works: create your account in December, card saved, vehicle profile filled in; prepare the exact list — park, campground, dates, second and third choices. On the day, you execute, you don't think. Log in 20 minutes before opening, book the bottleneck first. Changes cost a few dollars: book wide, refine later. »
Chapter 8 — Bears and the bare campsite
The absolute rule of the bare campsite
« A bear that gets human food is a conditioned bear — and, eventually, a dead bear. 'A fed bear is a dead bear': the rule protects you and protects it. Nothing scented ever stays outside or in the tent: food obviously, but also the cooler (even empty), dirty dishes, toothpaste, soap, lip balm. Everything goes into the locked vehicle or the metal bear lockers, every time you leave your site and every night. A bear walking through a clean campground doesn't stop — which is exactly the point. »
The order form
The complete guide
Guide « Canada on Your Own »
The Rockies and the great West by campervan: rentals, Parks Canada reservations, bears, itineraries and budget
29 €
- 10 chapters, the complete method
- Day-by-day itineraries
- Printable version (PDF via Cmd+P)
- Complete checklists
Secure payment by Stripe · Instant download · 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
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Before you go
Readers' questions
What format does the guide come in?
Right after payment you receive a download link: the full guide in HTML, readable on any device and printable to PDF in one click (Cmd/Ctrl+P), plus the chapters in Markdown to read wherever you like. No proprietary app, no subscription.
Is the guide available in English?
Not yet: the guide is currently written in French, and an English edition is in the works. Prices, routes and checklists are of course language-independent — but if you don't read French, we recommend waiting for the English edition.
Is it up to date for 2026?
Yes: the price ranges, local rules and advice reflect the 2026 situation. The fundamentals — itineraries, driving or transport, logistics — change very little from year to year.
What if the guide isn't for me?
A simple guarantee: 14 days, money back, no questions asked. One email to our support is enough — full refund within 48 hours. We'd far rather refund you than leave a disappointed reader.
How is this different from the free pages?
Our free pages (the Canada country page, destinations, field notes) give you the panorama. The guide gives you the complete, ordered method: day-by-day itineraries, a line-by-line budget, detailed driving and logistics, and every checklist. It's the digest we wish we'd had before our first trip.