---
title: "What it costs to kit yourself for a bear-viewing trip"
description: "The kit for a bear-viewing trip, priced from the Knight Inlet packing list: the essentials are about CA$14,541 (US$10,614) bought new, the whole list CA$15,364. What the operator provides, three things worth buying, and the lists and cost tools that go with it."
canonical: "https://wildernessledger.com/kit-for-a-bear-viewing-trip"
list: "https://wildernessledger.com/knight-inlet-packing-list"
author: "Ben Taft"
---

# What it costs to kit yourself for a bear-viewing trip

> The kit for a bear-viewing trip, priced from the Knight Inlet packing list: the essentials are about CA$14,541 (US$10,614) bought new, the whole list CA$15,364. What the operator provides, three things worth buying, and the lists and cost tools that go with it.

A bear-viewing lodge hands you more than most: at Knight Inlet the rain jacket, the rain trousers, the wellingtons, the binoculars and the life jacket are all theirs, and they are good. What is left to buy is layers, scent-free everything, a soft bag under the floatplane weight, and the camera. The camera is where the money is, and it is also the one thing nobody will lend you.

These are the prices behind the Knight Inlet packing list, added up two ways: the clothes and the small things that every guest needs, and the whole list with the long lens in it. I have priced what I actually carried, at street prices, and the list is the one I packed from in the autumn.

An autumn stay at Knight Inlet Lodge, checked against the lodge's own guidance. Temperatures, weights and what the lodge provides are the lodge's figures.

## Two ways to add it up

| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| The essentials | CA$14,541 (US$10,614), 18 items not marked optional |
| Without the camera | CA$907 (US$662), the essentials less the camera group |
| Everything on the list | CA$15,364 (US$11,214), 20 of 24 items name a product |
| Of which, the camera | CA$13,977 (US$10,202), 7 lines, priced at what I carry |

Approx., at 1.37 CAD per USD. Street prices, not quotes; a sale or a used one changes the sum. Where an item offers a choice, the cheapest prices it and the line says "from". An item with no price is one nobody sells you: a form, a prescription, a weight limit.

## The list, priced

| Group | Item | Product | CAD | USD |
|---|---|---|---:|---:|
| Layers | Long-sleeve base layers | Smartwool merino base layers (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/base-layers/primary) | CA$110 | US$80 |
| Layers | Warm mid layer, fleece or wool | Burton fleece shirt (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/fleece-shirt-sweater/primary) | from CA$123 | US$90 |
| Layers | Long trousers for the tours | Hiking trousers (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/hiking-trousers/primary) | CA$110 | US$80 |
| Layers | Warm hat and a brimmed hat | Burton beanie (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/warm-hat/primary) | from CA$34 | US$25 |
| Layers | Light gloves | Dakine Impreza GORE-TEX gloves (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/light-gloves/primary) | from CA$41 | US$30 |
| Layers | Swimsuit | Swim shorts (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/swim-shorts/primary) | CA$55 | US$40 |
| Feet, and what the lodge already has | Hiking boots or comfortable walking shoes | Meindl hiking boots (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/hiking-boots/primary) | CA$219 | US$160 |
| Feet, and what the lodge already has | Warm socks, several pairs | Wool hiking socks (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/wool-socks/primary) | CA$27 | US$20 |
| Feet, and what the lodge already has | Your own rain shell (optional) | Burton GORE-TEX jacket (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/burton-goretex-jacket/primary) | CA$480 | US$350 |
| Camera and glass | Camera body and the longest lens you own | Sony A1 (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/sony-a1/primary) | CA$10,823 | US$7,900 |
| Camera and glass | A monopod or a beanbag, not a tripod | Camera beanbag (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/camera-beanbag/primary) | from CA$55 | US$40 |
| Camera and glass | Spare batteries and the charger | Sony NP-FZ100 battery (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/sony-np-fz100/primary) | CA$192 | US$140 |
| Camera and glass | More memory cards than you think | Pergear 1TB CFexpress Type A card, two of them (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/pergear-cfexpress-a-1tb/primary) | CA$356 | US$260 |
| Camera and glass | A rain cover for the camera and a cloth for the front element | MR.SIGA microfibre cloths, 12-pack (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/mrsiga-microfibre-12/primary) | from CA$16 | US$12 |
| Camera and glass | A small camera or the phone, for the flight | Fujifilm X100VI (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/fuji-x100vi/primary) | CA$2,192 | US$1,600 |
| Camera and glass | Binoculars (optional) | Binoculars (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/binoculars/primary) | CA$343 | US$250 |
| Scent-free, all of it | Scent-free toiletries, or use theirs | Unscented deodorant (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/unscented-deodorant/primary) | from CA$14 | US$10 |
| Scent-free, all of it | Fragrance-free insect repellent | Fragrance-free insect repellent (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/unscented-insect-repellent/primary) | CA$16 | US$12 |
| Scent-free, all of it | Clothes washed in unscented detergent | Unscented laundry detergent (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/unscented-detergent/primary) | CA$21 | US$15 |
| Personal | Prescriptions and medication |  |  |  |
| Personal | The three forms |  |  |  |
| Personal | Something for the bar |  |  |  |
| The floatplane | Soft duffel, 110 cm or under | Soft duffel (WANDRD, MEC, REI, Dakine or Patagonia) (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/soft-duffel-bag/primary) | CA$137 | US$100 |
| The floatplane | Weigh it at home: 14 to 15 kg all in |  |  |  |

## What the lodge already has

Knight Inlet supplies these on arrival, in the packing list's words, so they are not in any figure on this page. Bring your own only if you would rather.

- Rain jacket and rain trousers: High quality, and it saves you the weight on the floatplane.
- Wellington boots: For the skiffs and the estuary. Bring walking shoes for the trails regardless.
- Binoculars: Good ones. Bring your own only if they are better.
- Life jackets: For every skiff.
- Scent-free toiletries: The list says scent-free toiletries or use theirs; the labels on yours are the harder option.
- The first night in Campbell River: In every package, at the Comfort Inn.

## Three that earn their place

1. Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/sony-fe-200-600/primary), about CA$2,740. If you already own a body, the long lens is the purchase that changes the photographs. Bears keep their distance and the skiff does not close it.
2. Unscented laundry detergent (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/unscented-detergent/primary), about CA$21. The cheapest thing on the list and the one a bear notices first. Wash everything you are bringing in it the week before.
3. Soft duffel (WANDRD, MEC, REI, Dakine or Patagonia) (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/soft-duffel-bag/primary), about CA$137. The floatplane takes soft bags under 110 cm and 14 to 15 kg all in. A hard case does not go, however good it is.

## Questions about the kit

**What does the essential kit for a bear-viewing trip cost?**

About CA$14,541 (US$10,614) for the 18 items on the Knight Inlet list that name a product and are not marked optional, at street prices. Without the camera kit that is about CA$907 (US$662): layers, boots, socks, scent-free toiletries and a soft duffel. Anyone who already owns base layers, a fleece and a pair of boots is most of the way there.

**Do I need to buy rain gear or binoculars for Knight Inlet?**

No. The lodge supplies rain jackets, rain trousers, wellington boots, binoculars and life jackets, and the packing list marks your own rain shell and binoculars as optional. What you cannot borrow is the camera, and a monopod or beanbag rather than a tripod, which is banned in the skiffs and on the stands.

**How much of the cost is the camera?**

CA$13,977 (US$10,202) of the full list is the camera group: a body with the longest lens you own, spare batteries, cards, a rain cover and a small camera for the flight, priced at what I carry. A phone and the lodge's binoculars are a perfectly good trip; the figure is there so nobody is surprised by it.

## The experiences this kit is for

- Knight Inlet Lodge: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/knight-inlet-lodge (plain text: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/knight-inlet-lodge.md)
  Knight Inlet Lodge: from $4,365 CAD per person for 3 nights, double, summer 2027, or $4,755 in the fall bear-viewing season of 31 August to 15 October 2027 when a trip to the viewing platforms runs daily, plus 5% GST, counting the mandatory first night in Campbell River. Read from Knight Inlet Lodge, 2027 direct booking tariff (PDF) on 14 September 2026.
- Berry Island Lodge: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/berry-island-lodge (plain text: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/berry-island-lodge.md)
  Berry Island Lodge: packages of 4 to 7 days are priced on enquiry by dates and group size (the lodge publishes no tariff), season 1 June to 6 October 2026, 12 ocean-view rooms on an off-grid island reached by the 12:00 water taxi from Alder Bay, with a $500 per person non-refundable deposit. Read from The Bucket List Collection, Canada (Berry Island) on 14 September 2026.

## Sources

- The Knight Inlet packing list: https://wildernessledger.com/knight-inlet-packing-list
- Knight Inlet Lodge, prepare for your visit: https://www.grizzlytours.com/prepare-for-your-visit/
- Prices: street prices in USD from the gear catalogue at the time of the build, converted at 1.37 CAD per USD; not quotes.

Every product link above goes through the site's click receipt (/go/gear/), which picks the vendor from the catalogue; some are affiliate links and pay a referral fee at no cost to the buyer. Canonical page: https://wildernessledger.com/kit-for-a-bear-viewing-trip

Written by Ben Taft, Photographer and filmmaker, The Wilderness Ledger (https://wildernessledger.com/about). Ben Taft packed from this list himself and priced the products he carries; the operator's side of the list is in the operator's own words. Every photograph and film is his. Publisher: The Wilderness Ledger. Corrections: hello@wildernessledger.com.