Looking for Jacket Recommendations

[TravlnStyle3]

Looking for both women’s and men’s jacket recommendations for our trip to alaska. Neither myself nor my husband own raincoats or windbreakers. I tend to be cold all the time. I’d love an option that has a zip out fleece, but am ok with buying a separate fleece or warmth layer (and welcome suggestions for that too). 

 

Also, what type of shoes are best for the mild to moderate excursions? Do i really need hiking shoes or are sneakers good for most? We have 2 young kids so we’re not doing anything super strenuous.  

[capriccio]

Shoes:  just waterproof your sneakers or walking shoes with silicone spray.  Make sure you have already broken in your shoes - you don't want blisters from new shoes!

 

Jacket:  get something light weight but water resistant/repellent.  Add a middle layer of fleece (jacket or pullover) if needed. 

[DogLover]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

Shoes:  just waterproof your sneakers or walking shoes with silicone spray.  Make sure you have already broken in your shoes - you don't want blisters from new shoes!

 

Jacket:  get something light weight but water resistant/repellent.  Add a middle layer of fleece (jacket or pullover) if needed. 

Completely agree with both recommendations. Regular sneakers are fine but waterproofing any shoe is imperative as you'll likely encounter wet conditions at some point. I own waterproof hiking shoes with fairly aggressive tread, but we travel often and they were totally worth the investment.

 

Layers in Alaska are essential. Weather is unpredictable and can change quickly from sunny/mild to rainy/chilly in a short span. Check out Columbia sportswear - they have great water-resistant lightweight jackets that are perfect for accommodating a sweatshirt or such underneath. There are Columbia stores but REI also carriers a good selection.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Italy52]

Here is a link to a company that I just purchased a jacket for my husband --- a lot of items on sale.  We like the jackets with the liner that can come out so we can use the jacket alone, the liner alone, or the combination of both.  We don't like to pack a lot of clothing and these types of jackets work well for us.

 

https://www.mountainsteals.com/

[Eaglecw]

15 hours ago, TravlnStyle3 said:

Looking for both women’s and men’s jacket recommendations for our trip to alaska. Neither myself nor my husband own raincoats or windbreakers. I tend to be cold all the time. I’d love an option that has a zip out fleece, but am ok with buying a separate fleece or warmth layer (and welcome suggestions for that too). 

 

Also, what type of shoes are best for the mild to moderate excursions? Do i really need hiking shoes or are sneakers good for most? We have 2 young kids so we’re not doing anything super strenuous.  

We've been on 15 cruises to Alaska, we go every year. We live in the Seattle area  and wear what we wear here at home in the fall. We've never water proofed any of our shoes, I've never worn a rain coat in Alaska. If your first stop on your cruise is Ketchikan and you think your going to be cold go to the Tongass trading post and uy a low cost jacket, they cost about $19.99 and say "Alaska" on the front. They'll be racks of them outside https://tongasstrading.com/store/search.asp?keyword=jacket*&department=6 The Tongass trading post is the best place to buy those got to have items. With all that said just wear what you'd wear in the fall in Long Island New York. Everyone stresses out over what to wear in Southeast Alaska, it's not like your going to the arctic, your on a cruise ship most of the time.

Edited May 19, 2019 by Eaglecw

[TravlnStyle3]

2 hours ago, Eaglecw said:

We've been on 15 cruises to Alaska, we go every year. We live in the Seattle area  and wear what we wear here at home in the fall. We've never water proofed any of our shoes, I've never worn a rain coat in Alaska. If your first stop on your cruise is Ketchikan and you think your going to be cold go to the Tongass trading post and uy a low cost jacket, they cost about $19.99 and say "Alaska" on the front. They'll be racks of them outside https://tongasstrading.com/store/search.asp?keyword=jacket*&department=6 The Tongass trading post is the best place to buy those got to have items. With all that said just wear what you'd wear in the fall in Long Island New York. Everyone stresses out over what to wear in Southeast Alaska, it's not like your going to the arctic, your on a cruise ship most of the time.

 

Duly noted @Eaglecw, I just went through old photos from the first Alaska cruise i went on when i was 19. I wore a lot of sweatshirts and sweaters, and it looks like i brought a north face fleece, which i still have. Even on the glacier dogsledding tour i wasn’t wearing a jacket, although i do look cold, ha. macy’s Just had a great sale so i bought some lightweight Columbia jackets to try. If anything, i need a rain jacket for rainy days at home too, but i might think twice about packing it.