sunil

We are off to Alaska (next Sat 8/7 !!). I will be going to Anchorage (1 night), Denali (2 nights), Girdwood (2 nights), Seward (2 nights). I will be taking taking day cruises in both Prince Williams Sound as well as Kenai Fjords, as well as a flight over Mt Mckinley from Talkeetna (and I decided to do a day in Denali State Park - with Denali Sightseeing Safari - instead of taking the national park bus tour).

The current Anchorage weather appears to be "highs in the upper 60s, lows around 50, some showers" - which is not too bad I think ! Seward appears to be a little bit cooler (high around 60).

Question : how prepared do I need to be for cold weather ? Do I need to pack a heavy jacket & gloves & warm under-clothes (especially for the boat trips) ? Or is a light jacket & a poncho sufficient ? I will be a first timer to Alaska, so a recommendation from experienced folks would be much appreciated !! 4 heavy jackets (2 adults, 2 kids) and lots of sweatshirts & lots of warm clothes will be a packing hassle, how much do I really need to take ? How prepared do I need to be for sudden changes & cold weather in August ?

Sunil

BudgetQueen

I have never taken a winter coat- so no leave it home. Take layers instead. You will need less warm wear if you are NOT going on a cruise. Interior travel will be fine with a lightweight lined jacket, sweatshirts, tshirts, 2 pair of walking shoes, rain gear- long Walmart ponchos work great- about $5.

mlw

Thanks BudgetQueen, I needed that info also as we will be in AK 8-26 (counting the days now!!!) It's funny I just bought 2 of those Wal-Mart ponchos yesterday. When I read your post this morning. I excitedly told my husband "BudgetQueen likes the ponchos!" (Only Fodor addicts will appreciate the humor there!)

easytraveler

If you are going anywhere near icebergs and/or glaciers, it'll be COLD.

On long cruises, people tend to bring their winter jackets with hoods and gloves. You'll need those for the icebergs and glaciers.

Otherwise, the advice is good to layer your clothing.

Alaska is beautiful! Enjoy!

dfrostnh

My husband's ears are really bothered by cold wind. We packed knit caps and gloves for both of us. I love my polar fleece vest and some hiking shoes that are waterproof. I wore those on the boats but otherwise we had very warm weather in late June and I wore sandals. I also got a one handled pouchy shoulder bag from LL Bean with lots of pockets. It had plenty of room for the camera, etc. You will want to carry water with you. Some places had great water, some had terrible water. Our B&B in Seward provided a large jug of water for making coffee plus some bottled water. We always had extra bottled water in the car. Make sure the kids can carry some of the stuff! Hope you have a great trip!

sunil

Thanks everybody for the tips ! I will leave my heavy jackets home and take light jackets (and dress in layers !). I guess today is "packing day", because I will have no time during the week...

Yesterday was "shopping for binoculars" day. We decided we each needed our own pair of binoculars (no fighting !). I ended up with 3 low-end binoculars (8x21 for $13 and 10x32 for $20 at Fry's, very light, very easy to pack). The kids like the light weight, and so does my wife.

For myself I am still undecided - I saw a 12x50 Olympus for $52 (great image, but full sized) and a compact 8-24 x 25 Nikon for $150 (the variable zoom is great, but less light gathering). I have received lots of good tips on this forum - any tips on which binoculars would be best suited for Alaska ?

Sunil

easytraveler

Sunil:

Suggest that you ask your binoculars question as a separate posting. You'll get better responses from binoculars experts, who might not check into a thread on jackets in Alaska.

applejack

We just returned from Alaska - had good weather - but on the boats it is cold - we took fleece jackets, rain jackets, hats and gloves and used them all at various times. When we travel for packing our jackets etc - I use space saver bags - you can really save some room in your luggage using them. You can buy these bags at Bed Bath and Beyond or any of those types of stores. I buy only the travel size, as the storage sizes are much too big. You can use the bags again and again.

abram

We wore short sleeved shirts layered with micro-fleece tops and a light weight, water resistant jacket with a hood. I carried a turtle fur earband and thin knit gloves. I also took silk long underwear, which I wore when we spent the day at a glacier.

nelsredpot

We had great photo ops on the cruise of whales etc. Fortunately our friend had an expensive zoom camera. Our digitals were not nearly as good as his pics. So you want as much zoom as possible with high pixel. I ditto the layers. Also a little sea sick on the kenai fjord. The wrist band for sea sickness really helped.

Orlando_Vic

Uh...nelsredpot, the op completed the trip six years ago.

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie