Pammyjo

We are going to be in Meiringen on an Untour for the first two weeks in June. We will be hiking and touring. I am a firm believer in packing light. I take one suitcase and a carry-on. Do I pack heavy jeans or Khaki's etc.

zebraE

I never take jeans to Europe, too heavy and to hard to wash and dry. Try some of the lighter REI pants that dry faster and are lighter.

taxatty

I suggest the lightweight explorer slacks with zip off bottoms sold by many travel sites--I like Sierra Trading Post for closeouts--if it's a warm day. just take off the bottoms and you have shorts.

enzian

For hiking, if you are going out for more than an hour or two, you need to have a lightweight polyester or capilene long-sleeve top, a microfleece pullover or zip jacket, and a waterproof/windproof hooded jacket. The idea is to layer as needed if it gets cold, rather than take one single heavy jacket. I also take waterproof pants that can be pulled over the lightweight hiking pants already mentioned if it gets very cold or rainy. Definitely do not take jeans for hiking. We go for two weeks of hiking and other things, like fine dining, so I need a range of clothing, but never have trouble fitting it into a 21" roller bag plus a daypack that serves as my carry-on.

rachw

Pammiyo:
Lucky you! I have gone with Untours four times now, and done my own 'untour' to two other locales which they do not serve.
I ALWAYS take one pair of medium weight jeans, they can be worn 3-6 days without showing serious dirt ( I NEVER wash them overseas). I stayed in Lungern and Kandersteg with Idyll, and visited Meiringen often. Take one jeans, two pair lightweight khakis, one pair shorts (Yes, Switzerland was HOT in June two years ago), two long-sleeved tops and two short-sleeved tops, plus a light jacket or sweater (needed in the evening and on chilly mountaintops).
Don't miss Brienz and its outdoor 'museum', accessible from Brienz's train station--bus to Brienzwiler Ballenberg....I stayed in an apartment in Brienz on my own 3 years ago in May/June---balcony overlooking the serene lake and white-capped mountains..heaven!
And I vote for Engelberg/Mt. Titlis for a great mountain excursion...4 part gondola trip--stop halfway up at the alpine lake for a walk and lovely lunch with mountains mirrored in the lake!
R

grsing

I agree with the zip-offs for hiking, REI carries good ones (they're nylon or polyester, so they dry in no time, and are made for backpacking, so they weigh nothing and take up barely any space). However, walking around a city in those looks a little strange, for them, I'd rather do khakis or jeans, your choice (certainly no more than one pair of jeans, they take up too much space, though they'll last 2 weeks without washing if you don't play in the mud or anything). Khakis are useful if you think you might need to be semi-formal for anything; throw a nice shirt/blouse over them and you can do a lot (if you need more formal than that, you'd know it anyway and know what you need).

Pammyjo

Thank-you very much. Went by REI yesterday and got the lowdown on lightweight packable hiking wear.

enzian

Pammyjo---one nice thing about the "poly" clothes is that they dry very quickly when washed. I would wash my Coolmax shirt in the sink after a day of hiking, and it would be dry by morning for wearing again. So you don't really need a lot of extras. For a 2-week trip, hiking most every day, I take one longsleeve and two shortsleeve hiking teeshirts, plus a lightweight fleece jacket (also very fast drying). This is in addition to regular casual clothes for other activities. The fleece is plain black, no outdoorsy logos, and doubles as my "town" jacket.