Alaska in June - What to Pack?

[bowen9475]

We are cruising to Alaska in late June. What clothing should we plan to pack? Thank you!

[CruiserBruce]

As mentioned here quite frequently,  it's all about layers, with the outer layer wind and water proof. You can see multiple changes of weather in a day. We did a 14 day cruise in June 2019...wore everything we brought, from shorts and tee shirts to heavier winter coats.

[Coral]

Think of what you wear in April/May where you live. It can be anything.

 

Layers. Bring some waterproof clothing and hope you don't use it. The athletic shoes I bring is Gortex (Brooks Ghost GTX). Bring a rain jacket. You may be able to wear shorts. 

 

I was in Alaska 2x over 4th of July. One time it was so incredibly cold, wet and windy. The ship sold out of jackets. Several years later, I was hot in jeans and went back to put shorts on. 

[bowen9475]

Thanks for the input. Not trying to sound dumb, but how important are waterproof shoes if we aren’t planning to do any hiking type activities? We mostly plan on sightseeing tours. 

[Coral]

6 minutes ago, bowen9475 said:

Thanks for the input. Not trying to sound dumb, but how important are waterproof shoes if we aren’t planning to do any hiking type activities? We mostly plan on sightseeing tours. 

I don't hike. I am outside all the time when in port. Portions of Alaska are in a rain forest. For example - it can rain a lot in Ketchikan. They literally have a rain gage at the pier. Or it can be beautiful. 

 

So it comes down to - what shoes do you want to wear if you are outside sightseeing in the rain all day?

 

The shoes I wear look/feel like athletic shoes. They are just made with Gore-tex. They cost just a little bit more than Brooks athletic shoes but they go with me on all my vacations and I only wear them on wet days.  There are water proof sprays you can buy also. Never tried those since I have always owned Brooks GTX shoes.

 

Some people swear by waterproof hiking boots. I find them uncomfortable.

 

If it helps - historically there is less rain in June than August or September.

Edited February 18 by Coral

[wolfie11]

1 hour ago, bowen9475 said:

Thanks for the input. Not trying to sound dumb, but how important are waterproof shoes if we aren’t planning to do any hiking type activities? We mostly plan on sightseeing tours. 

I wear Crocs. They’re comfortable.  If it’s wet I take an extra pair of socks.  Don’t get lined Crocs wet though.  They take forever to dry.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

I wear Crocs. They’re comfortable.  If it’s wet I take an extra pair of socks.  Don’t get lined Crocs wet though.  They take forever to dry.

Crocs are definitely comfortable and work.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Try to have either a fleece jacket or a fleece vest as one of your layers.  This is a perfect time of year to shop for fleece.  Many store are starting to clear out their winter/cold weather clothing inventory.

[SoloAlaska]

19 hours ago, bowen9475 said:

We are cruising to Alaska in late June. What clothing should we plan to pack? Thank you!

Where you come from also makes a difference. Someone mentioned to bring a heavy winter jacket…. I would never. I am from a place that gets to -40 so winter jackets are meant for actual freezing cold weather.

 

for Alaska at that time of year bring a bit of everything from tshirts and shorts to warm layers. You’ll want to bring waterproof shoes and coats but you shouldn’t need them as much in June.

[SoloAlaska]

4 hours ago, bowen9475 said:

Thanks for the input. Not trying to sound dumb, but how important are waterproof shoes if we aren’t planning to do any hiking type activities? We mostly plan on sightseeing tours. 

If you don’t want went cold feet then bring waterproof shoes and something like light wool socks.