SoCal Girl in Alaska ~ Need Packing Help

[Tina99]

I’m a summer and sunshine kind of girl, booked on Celebrity for Alaska in mid-August. Looking for the essentials, only want to buy what I will need for the conditions and climate. Any and all helpful suggestions, TIA

[Glaciers]

Chances are you already have what you’ll need. The temps will be very similar to what you’re used to in January with a lot more rain. At the least, a waterproof, light weight hooded coat. I take nothing other than tennis shoes for exploring off-ship. Of course, if you’ll be doing any hiking you might consider a low top hiker. Everything else is just layers under the coat that are easy to put on and remove as needed.

[Northern Aurora]

One of our fellow passengers on a cruise to Antarctica was widely traveled but only to warm weather destinations.  Layers are the key.  She dressed in layers and had no need to purchase additional items.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Perfect time to add a fleece vest and/or jacket to your wardrobe.  Macy's Columbia, REI, etc all are moving out their winter inventory.  Great time to buy end of winter season outerwear.

[vswan]

Went in August last year. Layers it is. I packed a couple short sleeve tee shirts, a couple long sleeve tee shirts, some type of over shirt - think flannel or denim - a sweatshirt (hooded perhaps) or similar. I also have a good hooded rain coat which really keeps the rain out and I can layer under, purse and all. I have also seen the weather in the mid 80s and sunny, so I pack a pair of shorts just to be ready. If you don't have a good raincoat, I found that those cheap poncho things actually cover a lot and keep you dry. Keep in mind that if a port day is wet, you may get jeans and shoes wet which can take a long time to dry so will probably want at least 2 of each.

[Italy52]

What types of excursions are you interested in?  For us, we like a lot of the excursions that are on boats like whale watching and glacier viewing.  Since August can be a rainy month, we always pack our light weight water-proof jacket and rain/wind pants that roll up into a ball and can be easily stowed in a back pack.We also layer our clothing (a couple of 32 degree vests and base layers -- all pretty light weight and packable.)  Agree with Ferry_Watcher that now is a great time to look for sales.  Just got a few items from 32 degrees the other day.

[eileeshb]

As an Irish coastal girl I will emphasise hooded coat as you won’t want to be handling an umbrella in changeable conditions. 

[Tina99]

Thank you all for the guidance!

[LuAnn]

Another So Cal gal here..and I always take gloves and a "beanie" as I have 'no blood" from living here my entire life!! 🙂 Also warm socks. I'm going in late May this year so it may be cooler than August! 🙂

[eileeshb]

On 3/20/2023 at 7:31 PM, LuAnn said:

Another So Cal gal here..and I always take gloves and a "beanie" as I have 'no blood" from living here my entire life!! 🙂 Also warm socks. I'm going in late May this year so it may be cooler than August! 🙂

Had a few Californians in the shop this week .. we’ve had fairly wild weather the last few days. They all seemed to have hooded puffer jackets with varying levels of success in surviving the elements. A few were investing in hoodies or fleeces to give them some extra insulation. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

14 minutes ago, eileeshb said:

A few were investing in hoodies or fleeces to give them some extra insulation. 

 

Fleece is your friend when it is cold and wet outside.  ;  )

[eileeshb]

1 minute ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Fleece is your friend when it is cold and wet outside.  ;  )

Oh they were flying out from the moment the stock arrived in September whereas winter 21/22 was ridiculously mild here , I didn’t go near a fleece until March ‘22, but this winter the weather turned rotten in October and got to freezing by the end of November. It’s the longest our sea temperatures have been below 10C (50F) for years, back in the 90s our sea temperatures regularly went down to 6C (42.8F) but from about the mid 00s it hasn’t gotten that low for any extended time. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

@eileeshb, everyone wears fleece (or at least owns some fleece outerwear) in Seattle / Pacific Northwest.  When it's cold and wet, it just added that extra layer that helps keep your body warn, and your skin dry.

 

 

[eileeshb]

26 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@eileeshb, everyone wears fleece (or at least owns some fleece outerwear) in Seattle / Pacific Northwest.  When it's cold and wet, it just added that extra layer that helps keep your body warn, and your skin dry.

 

 

Oh they’re an essential part of my wardrobe in the west of Ireland too. My mother and I run a surf shop so we sell a lot of them every winter. A couple of the companies even do water resistant versions, look for DWR listed in the product features. 

[LuAnn]

42 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@eileeshb, everyone wears fleece (or at least owns some fleece outerwear) in Seattle / Pacific Northwest.  When it's cold and wet, it just added that extra layer that helps keep your body warn, and your skin dry.

 

 

Are you talking about a coat lined with fleece or ? 

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, LuAnn said:

Are you talking about a coat lined with fleece or ? 

 

Best option is layering, which for outerwear would include either a fleece vest, or a fleece jacket under a (ideally) breathable waterproof, wind resistant jacket (shell).  The Alaska cruise season is basically May thru early October, so the mornings could be cold.  Then as the day warms up, you can shed your layers, or, it the weather turns bad, you can add the layers.  The idea is to stay warm and dry.

 

This time of the year you can find great 'end of the season' deals on fleece vests and jackets.  It's a great time to buy.

[eileeshb]

22 hours ago, LuAnn said:

Are you talking about a coat lined with fleece or ? 

Traditionally a fleece was made of sheep’s wool, these days they’re synthetic made from recycled plastics. You can get them in all sorts of weights and styles from super light layers to big chunky styles. Here are a few women’s styles we have in the shop right now. The first one is water resistant, the second feels like velvet, the third is a light layer and the fourth is a light full zip, there’s a huge variety these days. The 3 in 1 jackets from the north face or Columbia can have a full zip fleece as the detachable inner layer or a puffer jacket inner layer depending on the style.  I’m bringing a Columbia one with a fleece inner with me for Alaska. 

[LuAnn]

On 3/25/2023 at 1:35 PM, eileeshb said:

Traditionally a fleece was made of sheep’s wool, these days they’re synthetic made from recycled plastics. You can get them in all sorts of weights and styles from super light layers to big chunky styles. Here are a few women’s styles we have in the shop right now. The first one is water resistant, the second feels like velvet, the third is a light layer and the fourth is a light full zip, there’s a huge variety these days. The 3 in 1 jackets from the north face or Columbia can have a full zip fleece as the detachable inner layer or a puffer jacket inner layer depending on the style.  I’m bringing a Columbia one with a fleece inner with me for Alaska. 

Thank you so much for the time and effort to post the info and pictures!!