WaterPROOF jackets a must

[oratheeexplorer]

So glad we had WaterPROOF rain jackets last week. We got some form of rain every day except for Friday, our sea day on way to Vancouver. Either misty, rain or really raining! Glacier Bay day out on front open deck we were out there a long time....it was only in the upper 40s and raining....our jeans were wet but so glad we had our waterproof jackets....also in Juneau at Mendenhall Glacier....we walked to Nugget Falls and it was pouring.....

 

So just wanted to give a shout out for those Waterproof rain jackets with hoods....best thing I purchased for our trip to Alaska!

[Northern Aurora]

Those of us who live here tend to keep harping on this board about the difference between water resistant and water proof clothing -- and this is why!

[m*u*g*]

Check out you local golf shop for some nice pull over rain pants that are water proof. Easy to take on and off over your pants. Works great. Mine are Foot Joys. Light and easy to pack.

[oratheeexplorer]

Those of us who live here tend to keep harping on this board about the difference between water resistant and water proof clothing -- and this is why!

 

I'm so glad I listened and acted upon the recommendations! My husband has a thousand jackets, none were waterproof and he thought I was crazy buying him a waterproof jacket but he is glad I did!

[WarmWaters]

I am just off the Volendam yesterday and I did not have a waterproof jacket and had no plans to buy another jacket to add to my collection of all sorts of jackets.

 

A much cheaper option for me was to buy 2 plastic ponchos from the Dollarstore and cut off the lower part of the 2nd poncho and to quickly sew it onto the bottom of the 1st poncho and whala I had a wonderful waterproof thin to pack option for the rain. It was not cold in Alaska it was rainy and something thin that is rain proof and cheap is a win win all the way.

My hubbie went and bought a rain proof jacket and his pants and shoes got wet from walking around in Ketchincan in the rain for a couple of hours and I was nice and dry.

 

I thought my poncho idea was great .. the normal short ponchos only protect your top half.. you need to be protected all the way down to your shoes.

 

Rain pants is heavy and hot once you are inside a building or on the ship.. I will not take rain pants. Also on our ship they had very nice blankets for your legs.. lots of people walked with the blankets and sat under them on the open decks.

[oratheeexplorer]

I am just off the Volendam yesterday and I did not have a waterproof jacket and had no plans to buy another jacket to add to my collection of all sorts of jackets.

 

A much cheaper option for me was to buy 2 plastic ponchos from the Dollarstore and cut off the lower part of the 2nd poncho and to quickly sew it onto the bottom of the 1st poncho and whala I had a wonderful waterproof thin to pack option for the rain. It was not cold in Alaska it was rainy and something thin that is rain proof and cheap is a win win all the way.

My hubbie went and bought a rain proof jacket and his pants and shoes got wet from walking around in Ketchincan in the rain for a couple of hours and I was nice and dry.

 

I thought my poncho idea was great .. the normal short ponchos only protect your top half.. you need to be protected all the way down to your shoes.

 

Rain pants is heavy and hot once you are inside a building or on the ship.. I will not take rain pants. Also on our ship they had very nice blankets for your legs.. lots of people walked with the blankets and sat under them on the open decks.

 

Not cold? The day we were in Glacier Bay the highest it got was upper 40s and raining good, that was cold!

[Peteymil]

My rain pants are very light weight, and fold up to a really small size so I can put them in my backpack. They are not heavy at all.

Also, Some people mix up water resistant with waterproof. Go for the waterproof.

[frugaltravel]

Check out you local golf shop for some nice pull over rain pants that are water proof. Easy to take on and off over your pants. Works great. Mine are Foot Joys. Light and easy to pack.

 

I never travel to Alaska without waterproof jacket and pants. Jeans take forever to dry once wet., especially in the coolness of Alaska.

[shooten]

I never travel to Alaska without waterproof jacket and pants. Jeans take forever to dry once wet., especially in the coolness of Alaska.

 

There's a saying amongst people that spend large amounts of time outdoors, "Cotton Kills". I almost learned this the hardway on an all day hike. My cotton clothes were soaked and I was on my way to hypothermia. I only wear merino wool or synthetics now. Goretex is my friend!

[vbmom87]

Another vote for waterproof pants!! I bought lightweight, breathable waterproof pants and they were great. I would not think of going to Alaska without them. We only used them once on our last trip, but having them allowed us to stay out on deck in the rain on our Hubbard Glacier Sailing. Other days they were in our backpacks read to use if needed. For anyone who prefers to be outside, they are a must in my book.

[pamesacruisin]

Check out you local golf shop for some nice pull over rain pants that are water proof. Easy to take on and off over your pants. Works great. Mine are Foot Joys. Light and easy to pack.

I agree! Bought DH and I waterproof pants and jacket from Golf Pro. Very lightweight, put on straight over our jeans, and jacket was great over fleece. It was very soggy last week on board Millie, but the weather did not stop us. I went ziplining in Ketchikan in the pouring rain. I was the only one in the group wearing waterproof pants and when I took them off I was nice and dry. Everyone else was soaked.

[NoobCruise]

I am just off the Volendam yesterday and I did not have a waterproof jacket and had no plans to buy another jacket to add to my collection of all sorts of jackets.

 

A much cheaper option for me was to buy 2 plastic ponchos from the Dollarstore and cut off the lower part of the 2nd poncho and to quickly sew it onto the bottom of the 1st poncho and whala I had a wonderful waterproof thin to pack option for the rain. It was not cold in Alaska it was rainy and something thin that is rain proof and cheap is a win win all the way.

My hubbie went and bought a rain proof jacket and his pants and shoes got wet from walking around in Ketchincan in the rain for a couple of hours and I was nice and dry.

 

I thought my poncho idea was great .. the normal short ponchos only protect your top half.. you need to be protected all the way down to your shoes.

 

Rain pants is heavy and hot once you are inside a building or on the ship.. I will not take rain pants. Also on our ship they had very nice blankets for your legs.. lots of people walked with the blankets and sat under them on the open decks.

 

I think "cold" is relative. It's been over 105F here the last 2 weeks hitting 110F last weekend. And it looks like we're staying over 100F for at least the next week. I guarantee I will feel like I'm freezing in 50F temps.

[oratheeexplorer]

I think "cold" is relative. It's been over 105F here the last 2 weeks hitting 110F last weekend. And it looks like we're staying over 100F for at least the next week. I guarantee I will feel like I'm freezing in 50F temps.

 

Exactly......we are from Illinois and have had 90s and 100s all summer too. It actually only got to 47 in Glacier Bay that day and we were out the whole time on the open deck watching Marjorie Glacier calve like crazy. They said this is the most they have ever seen it calve. So our waterPROOF jackets were fantastic!

[Phalst]

Another vote for waterproof pants!! I bought lightweight, breathable waterproof pants and they were great. I would not think of going to Alaska without them. We only used them once on our last trip, but having them allowed us to stay out on deck in the rain on our Hubbard Glacier Sailing. Other days they were in our backpacks read to use if needed. For anyone who prefers to be outside, they are a must in my book.

 

Waterproof clothes and shoes - Best advice to insure that you'll be able to experience Alaska whatever the weather. The week (August 1 - 11) we were there the rain was persistent.

[WarmWaters]

Lol yes cold is relative depending where you live.

 

We had peeps out the day in Glacier Bay, we spend a few very enjoyable hours out on the bow of the Volendam, and I saw a few flip flops, capri's, sandals and one guy came out dressed in shorts and he said out loud : " What a bunch of wooses ! " lol refering to most of us properly dressed for the day. I had to smile. It was 7 degrees C that day in Glacier Bay.

 

At one time it started to rain a bit and I saw someone improvising on the bow out and about. This person took a big white napkin from the buffet / dining room and had it over his head and over his camera lens to keep it all dry lol

[geoherb]

I was glad I packed our heavy-duty ponchos for last week's cruise on the Sapphire Princess. We needed them in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. I ended up wearing shorts most days and never wore my waterproof shoes for hiking. It was a drizzly rain that we experienced--not heavy.

[oratheeexplorer]

I was glad I packed our heavy-duty ponchos for last week's cruise on the Sapphire Princess. We needed them in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. I ended up wearing shorts most days and never wore my waterproof shoes for hiking. It was a drizzly rain that we experienced--not heavy.

 

It poured on us at Mendenhall Glacier when we walked the trail to Nugget Falls.....also the day in Glacier Bay when we were at Marjorie Glacier and we were out on the open deck for quite a while.....we were on the same cruise :)

[room010]

Is it me or has this been a particularly wet summer in Alaska? I know they had record snowfalls last winter so is this just more of the same precipitation pattern? Obviously we don't choose Alaska for guaranteed good weather, even in summer, but our cruise in early July was significantly impacted by low visibility and persistent rain/drizzle every day. Our trip in August 2010 was the complete opposite with clear blue skies and hot (80s) temps most days so we were probably spoilt so reality this year came as a bit of a let down.

[FunShipCruiser05]

and where is a good place to buy "waterproof coats"? Just any regular department store or more of a mall type of place that sell specifically outerwear. I know any store has a rain coat but i dont think thats the same as "waterproof".. help? I want DS to be comfortable if it rains and not get soaked!

[tomkc1]

My DW and I will be in Alaska in mid-September. We will bring the waterproof jackets and pants plus plan to dress in layers but with the lousy weather everyone is reporting, I'm predicting sunny skies and mild temps for our trip. It can't always rain, can it?????

 

tom

[Phalst]

and where is a good place to buy "waterproof coats"? Just any regular department store or more of a mall type of place that sell specifically outerwear. I know any store has a rain coat but i dont think thats the same as "waterproof".. help? I want DS to be comfortable if it rains and not get soaked!

 

I bought a rain jacket made with Gortex from L.L. Bean when it was on sale. We have an outlet store not far from our home. While I was there I also bought (on sale) a pair of waterproof shoes. My husband bought a Gortex rain jacket from Cabela's online. In my experience anything made with Gortex is waterproof. We both ordered Columbia waterproof pants from Amazon; these were not made with Gortex but rather Columbia's version of a waterproof material. They were $29, lightweight, and made a difference in our comfort level. As previously mentioned there is a big difference between waterproof and water repellent. If you are planning to spend extended time outside in Alaska then you need waterproof. There were rainy days when we skipped the rain pants, but never went out without the rain jacket or shoes.

 

A quote we picked up in Alaska: "There is no inclement weather only inappropriate attire." We're so programmed to want sunny weather when we're on vacation that Alaska's cloudy skies and constant drizzle is disconcerting. Then you realize that this is Alaska, and the weather is just part of the experience. We are already planning our return trip and if we see the sun it will be a bonus.

 

Enjoy your time in Alaska. Don't let the weather reports "dampen" your enthusiasm. Alaska is spectacular even when it rains!

[oratheeexplorer]

Is it me or has this been a particularly wet summer in Alaska? I know they had record snowfalls last winter so is this just more of the same precipitation pattern? Obviously we don't choose Alaska for guaranteed good weather, even in summer, but our cruise in early July was significantly impacted by low visibility and persistent rain/drizzle every day. Our trip in August 2010 was the complete opposite with clear blue skies and hot (80s) temps most days so we were probably spoilt so reality this year came as a bit of a let down.

 

 

We were told that it has been the wettest, coldest summer they have had in 30 to 35 years. Many tour guides and Alaskans told us this.

[karatemom2]

We were told that it has been the wettest, coldest summer they have had in 30 to 35 years. Many tour guides and Alaskans told us this.

 

Yes that's true. There was an article about this in the Juneau newspaper on the very cool rainy day we were in town a couple of weeks ago. See link below:

 

http://juneauempire.com/local/2012-07-31/forecaster-summer-so-far-record-cold-levels

[sherryf]

My DW and I will be in Alaska in mid-September. We will bring the waterproof jackets and pants plus plan to dress in layers but with the lousy weather everyone is reporting, I'm predicting sunny skies and mild temps for our trip. It can't always rain, can it?????

 

Nope, not always. On our recent trip the last week of July, it didn't rain at all. We had clouds and cool weather at times, but no actual rain. I do recall one point when it was a little misty and I commented to my husband that some might call it rain, but it didn't count as far as I was concerned. We are from the Seattle area, so we don't let a little mist or drizzle bother us.

 

Out of my 5 trips, the best weather has been the last week of July (twice) and the worst was mid-August, with rain in 2 ports that trip. It has never rained hard enough that I felt the need for waterproof pants and I have never regretted my wardrobe choices. Layers and a good rain jacket are usually fine.

 

Then again, maybe I've always just been lucky with the weather... :cool:

[oratheeexplorer]

Nope, not always. On our recent trip the last week of July, it didn't rain at all. We had clouds and cool weather at times, but no actual rain. I do recall one point when it was a little misty and I commented to my husband that some might call it rain, but it didn't count as far as I was concerned. We are from the Seattle area, so we don't let a little mist or drizzle bother us.

 

Out of my 5 trips, the best weather has been the last week of July (twice) and the worst was mid-August, with rain in 2 ports that trip. It has never rained hard enough that I felt the need for waterproof pants and I have never regretted my wardrobe choices. Layers and a good rain jacket are usually fine.

 

Then again, maybe I've always just been lucky with the weather... :cool:

 

Last week we had a mixture of mist, rain, majority of the time complete cloud cover and also quite a bit of fog. We didn't let that stop us from having a good time. However, I would love to see some parts of Alaska with a blue sky background. Guess that means we have to go back! :)