What does a California gal pack for the Swiss Alps? I have nothing to wear! Need to do online shopping and need guidance.

I live in southern California and most of our travels take us to warm-weather destinations. Therefore I have a warm-weather wardrobe! But we'll be in the Swiss Alps (Berner Oberland) in June/July, and some of our day-trips will take us up to colder spots like the Jungfraujoch. Now that I'm in my 50's, and spoiled by warm weather here in San Diego, I am thinking I may even get chilly evenings in Murren and Wengen.

I'm planning to do some on-line shopping. Any suggestions as to good brands of clothing for colder weather, or good web-sites for shopping for women's clothing? Your favorite items of clothing for colder weather?

I plan to do easy walking in the mountains. My husband might do some of the more challenging walks on his own on some days. Mostly we will be wanting to spend time together doing easy walks, enjoying mountain views & waterfalls & wildflowers, taking the train up to Jungfrau and the Schilthorn, etc. We have 3 nights in Luzern, 11 nights in Wengen & Murren, and 1 night in Zurich. (Yes, we know that's a lot of time in the Berner Oberland. )

Thanks!

Oh Melissa, you crack me up! Nothing to wear?

Truly, in July, you might be surprised at how sunny it will be. You'll see folks on the trails in their shirt sleeves and shorts! For me, the sun is pretty bright, so I tend to wear a light cotton long-sleeved shirt, very loose, just to cover my arms. Plus a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen.

But layering will be your daily outfit. Cool mornings need the jacket (fleece type works well), with a layer or two underneath. In addition, we also carry a light rain jacket. Between the fleece and the rain jacket, that's pretty much it.

Now for the days up to Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch, you might need a heavier coat, but if you're looking to cut back on too much luggage, you'll probably be fine just layering. However, I always carry a couple pairs of gloves (I just use the cheapy knit kind from Target or similar store; go right in the pockets and come in handy at times!).

And once you start peeling off those layers, a backpack comes in handy! I use one of the microfiber styles from Rick Steves' website, rolls up tight and weighs practially nothing for your luggage packing. Comes in handy for packing a few picnic items or sandwiches for lunch along your hikes. Even has 2 mesh pockets for water bottles, too!

Happy travels from one (former) SoCal gal to another!

swisshiker: That's perfect since I have a microfiber style Rick Steves mini-backpack! You are my kind of traveler. Maybe I should buy a second one so I can make my husband carry some stuff. I do have some fleeces...they probably aren't winter weight though. We voted to skip winter here in southern Cal! But layering sounds good. Somebody suggested I get a fleece vest and that sounds like a good idea because I could wear it over a long-sleeved fleece if I'm too cold. I don't have any gloves but I can get some. Good idea. I guess I should get a knit cap.

I won't be able to fit a heavy jacket in my luggage but I guess I can wear it on the plane! However I'm not sure if I have a heavy jacket though.

I live in short-sleeved t-shirts and capri pants and sandals most of the year! I have a tilley's hat somewhere...for the sun...I normally only use it on vacations.

Thanks for the advice swisshiker!

Hi Melissa5 - we live in South Australia - and don't have a lot of very cold weather gear.
It is 15C here today and all my students are rugged up against what they think is freezing!

So - we were in Wengen mid July last year - and the warmest pants I had were my travelling Jag brand cargo pants - just cotton - and could be rolled up when I got warm.
I wear Icebreaker merino long sleeve tops - love them - or cotton tee shirts - and used both - along with shorter cut offs (I guess your capris).
I also had a great jacket - came to just above my knees - by Rainbird (an Aussie company I think) and it is waterproof and windproof and over the merino kept me very warm - oops and gloves.
The brand of jacket has the benefit of coming in a good range of colours so can be worn a bit more often than those dark colored outdoors ones.
I always travel with a scarf or two - and was happy with a very soft but generously sized cotton one on this excursion - I didn't need a hat - with hood and scarf!
I have one pair of merino socks for the cold days - and just Columbia brand sneakers.
Our coldest day was the walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg - and even then I had to swap to my tee shirt part of the way down to Wengen when the sun came out.
To be fair - we did not go any higher - so can't help there.
We did however sit outside to eat on this cold day and I was quite comfortable.
Hope you can get a really light and practical jacket - the one I have also rolls up into a very small cover - it is great!

Good luck with the planning - I am envious.

The essential must-haves are:
1. a wind- and rainproof jacket with hood. A thin Goretex or similar jacket is perfect, and also of use in warmer climates. I know "it never rains in California" but maybe you own one already.
2. One warm sweater, I prefer a fleece which is lightweight and easy to wash. Wear/carry fleece plus rain jacket for mountain excursions and you'll be fine.
These two items need to be on your shopping list if you don't have them. NEVER travel the Alps without rain jacket and one warm sweater. Otherwise you will most probably get by with clothes you already own. Pack clothes that can be combined and worn in layers if necessary.

If you plan to do mountain hiking you need sturdy ankle-high hiking boots with soles that have a good grip.

love_travel_Aus: Sounds like a useful jacket, that Rainbird. My only waterproof jacket is very short, so I'm considering buying a second longer one. (unlined). It sounds like I'll be warm enough with layering and a waterproof jacket...except maybe if we go up go Jungfraujoch...then I think I will become frozen solid. For me, anything below 55 degrees Fahrenheit is burly cold! Even my car freaks out if the temp is that low here in San Diego!

For emergency purposes, get some silk long underwear from LLBean or similar. It takes up no room in your luggage.

The occasional stop for Swiss Hot Chocolate (hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps) will help keep you warm.

Believe me, you are NOT going to need silk or any OTHER thermal underwear in the Alps in July

... and if you think you might, wear your pyjama pants underneath your slacks or jeans - no need to pack extra pieces.

How about a down or fleece vest? That packs really small and works well as a layering piece.

suze: I'm going to shop online for a down or fleece vest for sure. Thanks.

Barbara_in_CT: Silk long underwear sounds comfty to me! You never know it might come in handy at night (or up at Jungfraujoch?)

Dukey: It sounds like the Alps will be warm in the daytime in July from what you are saying. I am mainly concerned about being warm at higher altitudes when we venture up to the peaks...and being warm at night in the mountains. Maybe because of my underactive thyroid, I get cold at night when the temp is lower than 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

quokka: Now that's what I call layering clothing!

Take quokka's advice seriously, and especially the final remark on hiking boots. The boots don't need to be extremely heavy and chunky, but MUST go over the ankles.

Plus the remarks on light-weight gore-tex jacket, and a fleece sweatshirt. Some Northface or similar jackets have a combination, i.e. a goretex outside with a zip-out/-in fleece inside.

Real outfitter stores have the best clothing for Alpine hikes: rainproof, windproof, and light-weight.

Since you seem to be used to only sea level environments, keep in mind that the altitude will have two impacts:
- the sun will be more intense, so bring good sunscreen, and
- the higher you climb the less oxygen you will take in, so you will sweat more, and thus need clothes that let your body "breathe"

quokka: I didn't see your reply until Cowboy1968 pointed it out...probably because you posted while I was posting at about the same time. This happens a lot on fodors... But I would have eventually read it anyway, because I read over my post replies more than once, since they are always so full of great info. You can't absorb it all in one read-through.

Anyway, quokka, thanks for the advice about essential items to have for the Alps. I do have a waterproof unlined jacket, although it's a short jacket...only goes to just below the waist...basically covers a t-shirt. But it is waterproof. I have some fleeces although I've never worn them anyplace super cold, so I know fleeces come in various weights. I bought these for a trip to New Zealand when we were going up to Mt. Cook and were considering going on the glaciers.

But I won't be able to get hiking shoes like you are mentioning due to the fact that I just got over foot & toe problems. I will have to curtail my walks so that I am safely walking on a path that is suitable for the shoes that I do have. I wear SAS sandals which helped me get over my toe problems. But I just got my feet into a pair of real shoes for the first time in months. I think I might be able to wear these SAS walking shoes as they are soft leather... (Because of my foot & toe problems...I have been having trouble wearing most shoes.) I won't bore you with all my foot & toe problems...I'm just saying I will only be able to walk where it is safe to walk in regular walking shoes.

Thanks for the advice.

Melissa - no worries about your shoes. There are many, many, walks/hikes you can take with regular walking shoes, like the SAS walkers or New Balance, etc. I've even worn sandals (love the SAS sandals!). You'll see the locals wearing sandals too.

For example, the Mannlichen --> Kleine Scheidegg walk is basically a flat trail. Not paved, but good hard dirt, some rocks. You'll even see baby strollers here!

<b>swisshiker:</b> You just said exactly what I need to hear! I was about to have a meltdown over my shoes. You saved me from having a <b>shoe crisis</b>! Thank you!

I only plan to do the easy walks since I have only recently recovered from foot/toe problems. But tonight my husband (biologist) actually took a look at my new shoes...SAS leather walking shoes...and he said, those won't do, they don't have "lugs". Ahhhh! I freaked out because it's a couple weeks before our trip!!!

I have only been able to wear SAS soft leather sandals and no other shoes for months because of my foot/toe problems. But your reply has reassured me. While my husband is right that it's better to have shoes with lugs or plenty of "tread"... I think I can be ok if I have to in Switzerland with easy walks using my SAS sandals and the new pair of leather SAS walking shoes. (SAS walking shoes are basically old lady shoes...very comfortable and made for tenderfeet...they do have a pebbly surface on the bottom to keep them from being slippery...but of course that's not as good as actual "lugs" or "tread".)

My husband and I are going to try to locate some shoes that do have lugs or tread, but I don't think we will find them...we leave in a coupla weeks, and I'm a tough size to fit... I'm a woman's 7.5 wide, with a very high instep, and need plenty of toe room especially for toes that are too close together and blister easily if they get too much friction...etc etc. So NEVER easy now to find me shoes. Also had some other foot & toe problems this year so I have to be careful of my feet. Doc wants me to wear the SAS sandals as much as possible since I have healing with those and they do have arch support built in.

So...your reassurance is helpful. If I just go with the shoes I have already, I can keep to the easy walks, which I was planning to do anyway. I'm usually cautious about not walking onto surfaces that I can't handle in whatever footwear I have on my feet.