I forgot to mention the sign I picked up just before leaving the Hamilton city limits.
I was going to find some sort of business and ask them for a piece of cardboard, but saw a big building called F&M Sign Co. Perfect, and I went in asking them for some cardboard. Buddy behind the desk went into the back, and came out a few minutes later with a perfectly sized piece of corrugated plastic sign material. It was exactly what I needed.
So many thanks to the guys down there, on Burlington E, just before the QEW.
As always, the 'adventure traveller' works better for me than the random destination signs. Ive found people to be more receptive, curious and generally wanting to help, as oppose to narrowing the field with a place. Sometimes people think 'I'm not going that way, nevermind', but if I say something like 'adventure traveller' and look like Joe Outdoor, people can relate, and for a number of different reasons, pick me up when they normally wouldn't have.
In my experience, research, and just talking to hitchers, the average wait time is an hour min, sometimes 2-3. I never wait more than 40mins. Average time for me is 20 mins, but I have yet to tackle the good ol' US of A, and that changes everything I know about hitching.....