ladybug98

Hi everyone! Thanks to everyone on this board I have a great vaca. planned, but now what to pack?? I will be leaving in 2 weeks and right now the weather stations say 40 degrees in Anchorage - brrr!! I will be in Anchorage, Denali and Seward areas the end of May. Have planned a Talkeetna flightseeing trip (no glacier landing), Denali park, whitewater rafting out of Denali, Galcier cruise from Whittier, Seward cruise and Goodwin Dog sled on snow. No real hiking, maybe short one - Exit Glacier. That being said, everyone says layers. Well once you start taking these layers off, where are you putting them? Do you bring a backpack everywhere? I am really lost - thermals then jeans then wind pants? T-shirt, thermal, turtleneck, sweater? Seems like so much. I thought for most activities I could wear a lightweight sweater, jeans/dockers and a jacket with a removable liner if it gets warm. I would add gloves and hat for glacier things. Is that not enough? On a final note, the rafting co. said to wear long sleeve pants & shirt and they provide a dry suit. I can't imagine wearing jeans and getting them wet - any suggestions for that? I already bought good wicking socks for that adventure!!

Thanks in advance for any advice and please be as specific as possible.

dfrostnh

Yes, we had a backpack with us but it is one with wheels that I also use as a carryon when I fly. We kept things including bottled water in the back of the car and carried a lightweight insulated lunch bag for the snack/lunch things. It could be very cold out on the water and make sure the hat won't blow off. Don't forget sunglasses. I wore low cut hiking boots almost the whole time. Remember Alaska is very casual so unless you plan on some fancy restaurants you'll live in layered outfits. We're from New England so the Anchorage temperatures aren't a lot different and we are also used to sudden changes in the weather. We did not go rafting but I suggest you check what kind of footwear they suggest. Sounds like it might get wet. I also liked a combination of sweat pants and tee shirt for sleeping since we stayed with other people a few times. Otherwise a housedress type of garment that looked decent enough if I wanted to walk thru a public area of a b&b. I hate tie shoes and prefer sandals so sport sandals and birkenstocks were my footwear of choice when it was warm enough and also used as "slippers". (We went on the ferry one trip.) Dockers would be a better choice for the raft trip if they get wet/dry more quickly than jeans. I always use a flannel shirt as one of my layers and a fleece vest. My raincoat of choice was the jacket to a fisherman's two piece outfit from LL Bean outlet store. The jacket was long, great pockets plus hood and zipped up to cover the neck. It was a clearance special and I've gotten a lot of use out of it. Yes, we carried the backpack on the boat expeditions but otherwise it stayed in the car. You will see a lot of fleece and carharrts in Alaska. How heavy is your jacket? Will it fit over layers? What will you wear if it rains?
Hope you have a wonderful trip. Our last trip was in late June and I forgot to wear sunblock and got an awful sunburn on my face when I was out all day. Don't forget binnoculars!

CeeJayTx

When we rafted Denali, the drysuits kept all our clothes dry. We had to remove shoes, as the suits had "footies" and water shoes were provided. I wore thermal pants and windpants, and on top tshirt, longsleeve shirt and fleece. Of course hat and gloves. Hat and gloves got plenty wet, but better that than your bare skin getting hit constantly with that FREEZING cold water. It was a fun ride, glad we did it.

rm_mn

Whenever I begin a hike I take a day pack. If it is sunny, I put the rain wear in it just in case. If it looks like it may get cooler, I have an extra jacket unless I think the rain jacket will be enough. When it gets too warm, the outer layer goes into the pack. My wife carries a pack with a water bladder in it so we always have a drink available. It works well for us.

justme22

layers layers layers. don't bring a heavy coat too hard to deal with and bulky to pack.

alaska is VERY casual so don't worry about changing clothes for dinner, it's okay to be rumpled!

I found my fleece jacket (which was the liner of my winter coat) my gortex anorak (which did double duty for water proofing and wind jacket) was good in the colder conditions - the glacier hike and the glacier boat cruise). i found that a rim hat is also good to have(like a baseballcap) i kept it on by putting my hood over it. you will need the hat.

i also used my tevas alot, they were my slippers in b&B and around the campground (with socks from time to time).

i was there at the end of june, so you will likely need one more layer than i did. but all my hiking / touring was in a long sleeve shirt or t shirt, i lived in my hiking pants, they are black and baggy so they kinda look like regular pants. i rinsed them out more than once. but they are nylon and quick dry. i used these with long johns on the glacier hike.

i had day pack with me always, i could roll up a layer and "tie" it on the pack.

i also had a small bag of first aid supplies because there isn't always a drug store, some bandaids, alcohol pads (for a quick clean), and a tube of neosporin.

If you don't want to pack all of this if you can land in ancorage and get yourself to a fred meyers and shop for this stuff there. and don't forget chapstick!