SmokinJack, welcome to the club.
I'm from the Toronto area and have been researching different brands of smokers for a few months and I was always attracted to the "Smokin It" brand. I have relatives in the Akron Ohio area and visit them often, especially for the US Thanksgiving, however I couldn't wait until November so I make a trip to Ohio in early August to visit family and pick up my #3. Since Steve is located in Akron about 10 mins from where I was staying, it worked out really well because I didn't have to pay shipping and since I crossed for more than 48 hours, it was duty free. Considering the dollar is close to par, it was a sweet deal, so sweet that I picked up two units (one for a friend) and all the accessories for both units.
I calculated the cost to ship to Canada, plus the duties and taxes and it pretty much will double the price of the unit. Depending on where you are located, you can ship to a border service that accepts parcels and holds them for you for pick up. Since they are on the US side of the border, shipping charges are much lower and they will hold for a long period if you can't make it right away. In Niagara Falls US, there is a company called CBI USA (
http://www.cbiusa.com/ ) that will charge $5.95 per parcel plus $5 surcharge if it is oversized. Once you cross the border, if you stay for 48 hours, you can bring it back duty free. The way I look at it, shipping alone is about $300 to Canada, that cost savings will cover the price of a hotel for two nights (if you don't have family in the US) and you get a mini stay out of it and you can support our American friend's economy. If you don't want to book a hotel, then the duties and taxes are about $100 - $150.
In terms of measurements, there are posted in the FAQ section of the smokin it site (The inside dimensions are 15" x 20 x 22" with a total weight of 135 pounds. The outside dimensions are 17" x 28" x 29-1/4").
This weekend is our Thankgiving so I plan on putting a Turkey in the smoker, then in November I am going back to Ohio for the American Thanksgiving (can't have enough of that Turkey) and I will be picking up some more accessories. When I picked up the two #3's I had 5 people in the van and I managed to squeeze two of these in, however they are big units and I had to take them out of the box and discard the packaging just to get them in. If you are only picking up one unit, then it shouldn't be a problem.
As for your choice, the Smokin It brand is great, you will be very happy with your purchase and the #3 is a great choice, the size is perfect and for the price, it is half the price (if not more) than the competition. Good luck and enjoy. Hope this helps.
