What to Wear?????
 

We are leaving for Vancouver Sunday and will be taking the Rocky Mountaineer to Kamloops and Jasper and then will follow rest of route by car to Calgary. We are perplexed as to what to wear. Still in summer clothes here. Any help appreciated.
Nan

Jasper was REALLY cold today (considering it's mid-Sept) We did not bring enough warm clothes, wish we had gloves, hat, parka... especially up on to of the tramway.

We passed through moderate snowfall in Banff yesterday.

Be prepared for chilly days and below-freezing nights! (Even tho it was in the mid 80's here last week!)

Yes - it's the time for transition of seasons @-) so it's best to be prepared for anything from short-sleeve warm sunny days to rainy days to freezing cold!
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and predict that since we've already experienced the first blast of wintery weather, it will get warmer and there will be a lovely first day of fall, and afterwards more of the same!!

As for what to wear - bring clothes that you can layer, such as sweaters, fleece vests and jackets, a jacket that you could wear over a bulky sweater if necessary etc. But don't forget to bring a few items for warmer days too.

Nights will be freezing (or close to freezing) even if the temp during the day is 20C (68F). Dry air does that - wide variations in temp from day to night.

And as vivi mentioned, if you are planning on taking the Jasper Tramway, or Sulphur Mtn gondola (Banff), or even hiking to higher elevations, expect really cold temps even in the middle of the day (the higher you go, the colder it gets, and it's usually windier too).

Another consideration - what sort of climate are you used to?? If you live in a hot humid area, you will definitely find the temps really cold, so bring warmer clothes.

Personally, at this time of the year, I usually travel to the mountains with both long and short sleeved T-shirts and a warm fleece jacket, and a rain jacket (which serves well in the wind too), and not much more, no mitts or gloves or hats yet. But I live in Alberta, so I'm used to this weather (and I love it :-D !!!)

We wear winter clothes when we go to Jasper even in summer. This time of year, I would definitely take sweaters, long pants and a jacket.
Top of the tramway is always freezing.

Do you really wear winter clothes in the summer in Jasper Rachel?
What's the climate like where you live?

Even in t-shirts, shorts, and sandals, I have found that summer is just too hot (and dry) in Jasper (in town that is, & in the Athabasca River valley).
I can't imagine wearing anything remotely resembling winter clothes in July or August, I'd probably faint :-d !!
It makes me glad that we have A/C in our vehicle - there were years when we didn't, and driving anywhere in Alberta in the summer was a bit of a torture.

Thanks for all your help. I guess our suitcases will be a little heavier as we prepare for all types of weather.
Nan

I live in Oklahoma, so am used to most days in July or August being in the 90-100 F range. I don't mean we wear long johns or parkas in summer in Jasper, but we do wear jeans, long sleeved cotton shirts, and often have needed a jacket. I don't take shorts to this area at all anymore--not to say there aren't some days where I could wear them, but if trying to limit packing, jeans or long hiking pants work better. My husband actually had to buy a jacket the first time we went to Alberta (in July) because it snowed.

Rachel,
I think that it's wonderful that you travel all the way from Oklahoma to Alberta for your holidays :-) !
Do you drive the whole distance? You must see some beautiful country along the way.
Oh it's really too bad that you have had to endure some unpleasant weather while here. Snow in July is quite rare.
Lately the weather has been very strange (global warming?????).
This year has been pleasant enough (except for the cold this week) but
last year was really hot and extremely dry (3rd year of drought) except for one weird cold spell at the end of July/beginning of August. We happened to be in Jasper at that time, and it was cold enough for long sleeves and jackets etc. I think it even snowed at higher elevations. (definitely snowed in Banff!).
This was OK by us, we had a fireplace in our cabin, and a bottle of good wine!!
And then, a few days later, it was hot again.
Because we drive when going to the mountains, I don't usually worry too much about packing because there is lots of space in the car (and it's easy to throw an extra an extra thick sweater or jacket).
But if you are flying and have to carefully consider what to pack so your suitcase doesn't burst open, it can be perplexing (as jryan mentioned).
That's why I usually go for "layers" of clothes.
Banff has better shopping than Jasper if you need to buy clothes, and the exchange rate from $US to $CAN is very good for Americans (bad for us when we travel to the US :-( !!), so even if you forget something you can always pick it up while here.

Borealis,
No way do I drive--not one for long car trips and driving would take up most of the vacation. We fly into Calgary or Edmonton.
I agree, Banff is much better for shopping than Jasper--I have found some great bargains there over the years.