Canadian Liquor Prices

qtla9111 wrote:

Orion wrote:
I think Chris, that if you cross from the US into Canada, WITHOUT any booze, you would immediately come under suspicion! :W

That crossed my mind :)

Actually we rarely cross with any alcohol and it's never an issue. It seems that we never have any wine left when it's time to come home. :B

Orion wrote:
I think Chris, that if you cross from the US into Canada, WITHOUT any booze, you would immediately come under suspicion! :W

That crossed my mind :)

Some of us just think, 'now that sounds like an interesting hobby'.

Wine is my thing: dandelion, mead, tomato, mint, oregano, rhubarb mead..................

:C
oh, an what you don't pick in your garden, but buy, yeah, you pay taxes on that.

Had an interesting experience camping in Maine, near the Calais crossing. It was a busy holiday weekend on the American side, and the campground was packed. I started talking to a few young Canadian guys who were having a great time killing a significant amount of American beer. Now this wasn't a crew of high rollers by any stretch, they had a few cars and trucks that were 12-15 years old, an old pop-up and some tents. I asked why they would drink our cheap stuff when Canadian beer is allegedly so much better? They then told me that the average working man in their area doesn't drink store bought beer, since the sin taxes drive the cost up to 2-3X what we pay. They drink homemade wine and , beer buy all their brewing equipment from the local hardware stores and generally don't spend a dime at the Govt. liquor store. It was an interesting lesson in what happens when the government tries to save you from yourself by taxing a product to the point that you simply refuse to buy it, and make your own.

I think Chris, that if you cross from the US into Canada, WITHOUT any booze, you would immediately come under suspicion! :W

qtla999...Anyone entering Canada is entitled to one liter for each person. It makes no matter where they are coming from. So..seeings how you are talking coastal routes...in Northern Ca., just before..and I do mean JUST before the Oregon border, on the 101, and the lovely town of Brookings...there is Discount Liquors. Costco sized of a persons fave runs about $16.00.


Gary Haupt

campin_in_the_rain wrote:
If you are going to stay in the Reno area I would recommend making a trip to Pyramid Lake. You need to purchase a camping permit as you enter the Paiute Tribe Reservation (stop at the first gas station as you enter the reservation because permit buying locations are not plentiful), but there are places on the Pyramid side (east side) of the lake where you can camp.

My oldest sister lives in Sparks, they are rvers also. She has been asking me where I want to go and this place looks good. Thanks for the heads up. As for liquor, because we have a unique situation, we have decided to cross into Canada with an empty fridge and no liquor, but we can take advantage of the prices in Nevada while we travel up to the border :)

Since you are going through Reno, you may want to consider purchasing some Vodka there because Nevada's liquor is not state controlled like other states (Oregon and Idaho) and does not have the high liquor taxes that Washington has. The thing I cannot speak to is taking liquor into Canada so you may want to look into that.

"Ben's Fine Wine and Spirits" has several locations in the Reno area and their prices are very good. If you happen to have a Costco membership you can get liquor there at very low prices and there are 3 Costco locations in the greater Reno area (Carson City, Reno, Sparks).

If you are going to stay in the Reno area I would recommend making a trip to Pyramid Lake. You need to purchase a camping permit as you enter the Paiute Tribe Reservation (stop at the first gas station as you enter the reservation because permit buying locations are not plentiful), but there are places on the Pyramid side (east side) of the lake where you can camp.

profdant139 wrote:
Chris, this is the first I've heard of your Canada trip -- are you driving all the way from Mexico?? What's your route through Canada? Sounds like we need a separate thread just to give you unsolicited advice!! ;)

And yes, booze in Canada is very expensive. On the bright side, I drank a little less while I was there and lost some weight. I gained it back when we returned to the US, but it was fun while it lasted.

A friend of mine told me that although California wines are far more expensive in Canada than in the US, Italian wines are about the same as in the US. Don't know why that would be true.

Hey Dan, we are headed across the west through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, up through Las Vegas to Reno, then to Coos Bay, Or. and on to Vancouver. From there we will travel two months or more across to Kingston, Nova Scotia and then down through Maine a stop in New York, over through Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and then straight down to San Antonio before heading home.

I will be changing the blog and setting it up for "The Great North American Tour". We look forward to visiting all the people we have met on line over the years. The blog will be used as a form of communication for our stops. Four months should be long enough although for my personal taste the rest of my life would be better :)

We decided to avoid California to reduce costs as we can bypass it, but on this trip is the must see. I have a feeling we may cut over to northern California from Reno once we get that far. We plan on boondocking as much as possible. So I am hoping people will chime in on the blog as we make our way around the U.S. and Canada. Three more weeks and counting.

Not sure what forum to post our trip in once we take off.

Vodka prices will differ in each province but the choices will be good, however the real treat (as already posted) is the Beer, especially the local micro-breweries.
Although the liquor prices may shock you, so will the whole trip. Good shock though!! We spent three months from Manitoba to Newfounland and could have spent the whole time in two provinces. Have a great trip as I'm sure you will.
I follow your Mexico blog and wondering if you will include your Canada trip, or are you starting a new one. Whatever, really enjoy your Mexico input and hope to follow you across Canada.
Barry