What to Pack for Banff in Early Spring: Family Edition

When we went to Banff last spring, I packed 3 different pairs of snow pants but forgot my daughter’s snow gloves. Needless to say, her fingers did not stay warm and dry, and we ended up purchasing gloves while we were there. 

Knowing what to pack for a dream trip can be overwhelming and stressful, and it’s so easy to forget essential items. That’s why I’ve put together a list that includes everything you should pack for Banff with your family, so your kids don’t have frozen fingers while playing in the snow.

We’ve spent the last decade packing for trips with our kids, and unfortunately, leaving so many essential items behind. We’re making the mistakes so you don’t have to – you’re welcome!

Last spring, we spent a week as a family in Banff in the snow, and we’ve pulled together a list of what to pack. This list isn’t the basics because we all know we need shirts and pants for a week long trip. 

Instead, it’s a list of the items we brought with us (and a few we forgot) that made our trip smoother and more enjoyable. Basically a list of the essentials families need when visiting Banff in the colder months – think ice spikes, ski goggles, and bonus pairs of waterproof gloves.

We’ve also included our family packing tips on luggage, organization, and how we manage the airport with bags and kids.

🧤 Don’t want to forget the gloves like we did?

I made a printable version of this packing list so you don’t end up panic-buying snow gear in a Banff gift shop.

It’s the exact list we used (plus a few things we forgot). It’s yours when you join our email list, where we share real tips from actual trips.

👉 Send Me the Free Packing List!

Winter Essentials

The most important items you’ll bring to Banff will be the winter specific gear to keep your kids warm and dry. Layers are essential, and an extra pair of gloves and mittens will be your saving grace when the snow gets inside and soaks little hands.

We brought an insulated pair of hiking boots instead of both hiking boots and snowboots. This saved us luggage space and the hiking boots were easier to move in than clunky snowboots. 

Bringing our own ice spikes enabled us to do several hiking trails on our own without a guide. The trails in winter and early spring are often still snow-covered and icy, so ice spikes are necessary to keep everyone safe.

• Thermal underwear/base layer
• Wool tall socks
• Sweatshirt/fleece
• Waterproof/warm hiking pants
• Ski jacket
• Snow bibs
• Beanie
• Scarf
• Neck warmer/Balaclava
• Mittens (2 per kid)
• Ski gloves/waterproof gloves (2 per kid)
• Ski goggles
• Ice spikes for icy trails (these must go in a checked bag)

Kid Specific Gear for Banff

Once you add kids to your travel adventures, the amount of things you need practically doubles. We always bring their favorite stuffies, tupperware with their favorite snacks, and wired headphones for the plane. 

We also pack a slew of non-screen things to do for long travel days or for if we have a rainy day or get snowed in. These are things like card games, sketchbooks or coloring books, and graphic novels or chapter books.

We also love to bring items that help them interact with the world around them when we’re sightseeing or hiking. We pack travel art sets, magnifying glasses, and binoculars. 

• Stuffies/Comfort items
• Travel watercolors & sketchpad
• Books, colored pencils, notebook (or any easy non-screen activities)
• Card games or travel games
• Refillable snack box/Tupperware 
• Travel binoculars (for wildlife)
• Magnifying glass (for rocks, fossils, and ice)

Packing Tip: Put stuffies, medicine, and your child’s most valued objects in their personal items. This way they aren’t able to get lost in checked luggage!

🧳 Our printable gear list will save you time, stress, and suitcase space. Grab it here!

Travel Documents

There have been an embarrassingly high amount of times that we have almost left for the airport without our passports. It now goes on every packing list I make.

You’ll need a Parks Canada Pass to visit the national park. This pass needs to be printed and displayed on your rental car’s dashboard. If you’re getting the Discovery Pass, the annual Parks Canada pass, you’ll need to time your purchase so it can arrive in the mail or purchase it within 30 days of your trip. Parks Canada accepts a printed confirmation email within one month of your purchase.

The cell service is also pretty low in the national park, so we always print our tour tickets and booking confirmations and bring them with us. It’s stressful to rely on spotty cell service!

• Passports
• Printed booking confirmations & tour tickets (cell service is spotty in the park)
• National Park Pass (must be printed & displayed on car dash)

Unexpected Basics

A bathing suit may seem strange on a winter Banff packing list, but our rental in Canmore had a private hot tub. We loved sitting in it after long days in the snow, and the kids say hot tub + snow is a 10/10. 

We were unprepared for the intense sunburns from the snow reflection, and how our skin and lips would feel in the cold air (we don’t get real winters where we live). Definitely pack your favorite SPF, a good chapstick, and electrolytes to help stay hydrated.

• Bathing suit (if your rental has a hot tub!)
• Insulated waterproof hiking boots
• Day pack for adventures
• Reusable water bottle
• Electrolyte powder
• Sunscreen (snow reflection burns)
• Chapstick (the cold air is very dry)
• Sunglasses
• First aid kit

Family Packing Tips

Pack the Basics

When I start making my list to pack for a trip, I count how many days we’ll be gone (including travel days) and then add one. That’s how many outfits I pack per person. I lay out the airport outfit, put one set in their backpacks, and the rest goes in the suitcase.

We only own one week or so of outfits per person, so if our trip is longer than that, we either plan to rewear our clothes or I find ways to wash on our trips. I use Google Maps to find laundromats or choose accommodations with laundry facilities, like a VRBO with its own washing machines or a hotel with laundry service.

For Banff, our basics for the kids looked like sweatpants and warm leggings, mostly short-sleeve tees, one or two long-sleeve tees, and two of their favorite sweatshirts.

Consider Luggage Size & Kids Ages

Running through the airport with tiny kids and a lot of luggage is a struggle. But I promise they do get older and are eventually able to carry not only their own backpacks but also their luggage. Sometimes they ride their luggage like bumper cars, but you get the idea. 

We limit our luggage to 1 bookbag per person, 1 suitcase per kid, and 1 carry-on and/or 1 checked per adult. We don’t always need that much luggage, but for destinations like Banff in winter we definitely did. 

We put all of our snow gear, warm jackets, and heavy boots in the checked luggage. We packed each person’s regular clothes and items in their own carry-ons. 

Organization

When we put all our gear in one large suitcase, we almost always use packing cubes to organize our things. Each person gets one packing cube and all their gear goes inside. The packing cubes help to compress puffy jackets and keep each person’s gear together and organized.

I also make a packing list, so I can check as we’re packing that we have everything we need. Sometimes I also do a double check one final time before we zip the suitcases. It helps my brain feel way less stressed to have a list to refer to!

Accommodations

Think through where you’ll be staying and what things will make your stay easier! Bring what you have, so you don’t have to make unnecessary purchases that could sink your travel budget.

We stayed in a VRBO rental that included all of our basic needs. We added nightlights and personal fans to our suitcases to make sleeping more pleasant.

Excursions

If you have any planned excursions, make sure you check their websites or your confirmation emails to see if there is any specific attire required for your tour. We went dog sledding with Snowy Owl Tours when we were there for spring break last year, and they had a list of appropriate attire for the tour.

We also went snowboarding for a day at Sunshine Village and needed extra layers and wind protection while on the slopes. Think through your specific excursions and add any additional gear to your packing list!

Before You Buy Anything

We tested a ton of cold weather gear on this trip, and most of it was great! Some of it, like the “waterproof” gloves we got for our daughter, did not stand up to true winter conditions.

We’ve put together a list of the exact family travel gear we used in Banff, including which Amazon finds were worth it and which ones we’d never buy again.

👉 Read: Our Favorite Family Travel Gear for Banff (Amazon Finds We Actually Used) or skip straight to our Banff Amazon Shop