Are You Prepared for a Trip to Alaska?
Are You Prepared for a Trip to Alaska?
What you should PACK to wear for a vacation to Alaska. Late spring, summer, early fall these seasons can be tricky in Alaska, what should you bring on your vacation? One day it could be 75˚ and clear as a bell, the next it could be hailing and then a wind storm. If you’re planning a trip to Alaska you need to pack the right clothes for the trip. I’ve lived here my whole life, so I feel like I can give you a fairly decent list of clothes you’ll need. Up here no one cares if you’re in rain boots or Carharts or a 25-year-old down vest. In Alaska you don’t need to be pretty you have to be ready/prepared. SO let me ask you Are You Prepared for a Trip to Alaska?
This list is for anyone traveling to Alaska for a vacation in April, May, June, July, August, September. The rest of the year you’ll need completely different clothes, well actually just a few more layers. The key to being comfortable in Alaska is layers. If you’ve seen any of my Instagram stories I’m almost always wearing a polar fleece of some sort. It’s perfect for wearing under a vest or coat and OVER just about any layers. Easy to pop on and pop off as the weather changes. Did a polar fleece pullover make my list?? Read on to see!
What to Wear in Alaska While on Vacation:
- Rubber Boots or Bog Boots or Muck Boots-These will keep your feet warm and dry if you’re ANYWHERE near water. And seeing as how we the MOST coastline and the most lakes chances are you’ll probably be near water.
- Hiking Boots or Shoes-Waterproof boots or shoes are a great idea, we often get rain overnight or late afternoon, and if you have waterproof hiking boots your feet will stay dry longer
- Long pants– These can be jeans or pants or cargo pants, you’re days for wearing shorts up here are few and far between, best to pack long pants. Zip-off pants make sense if you can stand that zipper rubbing on your leg.
- Shorts-If you have room in your bag there might be a few hours a day that shorts work out. I’m not saying bring a bunch I’m saying if you love them, pack a pair but don’t plan to spend a lot of time in them.
- Rain Jacket-Get a waterproof jacket, you find them at Costco for 20 bucks. One with a hood is awesome.
- Packable Down Jacket-One that spans several temperature ranges and can be layered is your best bet.
- Polar Fleece Pullover–one in a 1/4 zipper is great and microfleece is my preference stacked with a down coat and a raincoat you’re pretty impervious to ANY weather spring, summer and fall can throw at you.
- Good Hat-Nothing can ruin a great day like a cold head, believe me, I’ve raised three boys here and a good hat will make things so much nicer.
- Thin Gloves-nice to have just in case, they don’t take up much room and I can totally see using them on some of our chillier days.
- Regular Clothes-Yes, you will need them, so bring your regular clothes to fill in the gaps and wear as your base layer. You’ll be going out to eat, going to museums, or just strolling through our lovely little towns and that’s when your regular clothes will come in handy. Nevermind that that you’ll have a coat draped over your arm and a polar fleece on as well.
Why did I say you don’t need shorts and then tell you to bring a pair? Long days reign in summer. It can be chilly until the sun warms everything up, then it’s light out until midnight and if you’re out and about, it’s not going to be warm. So not only will you be dressing IN LAYERS through the day BUT you’ll be in dressing per the time of day, morning, day, evening will probably require different layers.
My number one rule for living in Alaska is Be Prepared. Number two rule, no one really cares what you look like, as long as you’re warm and ready to explore the biggest state in our nation. Are you traveling with kids? I have a great list of things to DO with kids in South Central Alaska. I know traveling with kids means planning for time to explore, my list has great ideas of things to do that are kid-friendly, and at the same time NOT boring for adults. WIN WIN WIN.
Read my other Alaska posts and BE PREPARED!
- need a few more hints about What NOT to Pack for Your Trips to Alaska?? Read my post on that and get informed!
- 100+ Things to LOVE About Palmer Alaska
- looking to read more about Alaska? Try my post, Ice Fishing Lessons from my Dad!
Such a great post! I love Alaska and wish I saw this post before my trips there a few years back haha. I was in Skagway & Haines in May and it was actually very warm at the time (almost 30C degrees). I love that in the summer with the midnight sun, you can (usually) wear shorts til well into the evening–especially around the solstice. I brought pants and my shell jacket & sweaters with me everywhere though (and even long johns the very first time I went up there_haha)–just in case) especially when camping and hiking. I agree, it’s always best to layer or have them available to put on or take off. Thanks for sharing this, now I really want to head back there! It’s been way too long! 😀