Clothing in July?

[odyzander]

I am an over packer but this trip with a side trip to Canada we can not afford to be. Worried about kids being warm and dry. We do not have a ton of this stuff so it needs to be bought and with end of season need to get now. So what is necessary and what is overkill?

 

Rain

Rain boots (sneakers are the mesh kind so spray would not work for )

Rain Jacket

Umbrella (can you tell I am worried about rain?)

 

Warmth

Sweaters

Coat/jacket (any recommendation on 2 in 1 rain/cold jacket?)

wool socks

scarves,hats, gloves

 

base layer?

Cuddle duds or Under armour cold gear $$?

[sherryf]

I am an over packer but this trip with a side trip to Canada we can not afford to be. Worried about kids being warm and dry. We do not have a ton of this stuff so it needs to be bought and with end of season need to get now. So what is necessary and what is overkill?

 

Rain

Rain boots (sneakers are the mesh kind so spray would not work for )

Rain Jacket

Umbrella (can you tell I am worried about rain?)

 

Warmth

Sweaters

Coat/jacket (any recommendation on 2 in 1 rain/cold jacket?)

wool socks

scarves,hats, gloves

 

base layer?

Cuddle duds or Under armour cold gear $$?

 

You don't state where you are from, which can make a difference depending on what you are used to. Also, you mention kids, but not ages. Kids can be very resilient and not care, or they can be quite whiny when uncomfortable. Depends a lot on the kid.

 

We are from the Seattle area and are used to cool, wet weather, so my opinions tend to be different than others.

 

Rain boots are overkill and take up a lot of space. Umbrellas are useless and a hazard. A good rain jacket with a hood is much more useful.

 

The key to staying warm is layers. I take long and short sleeve shirts, fleece and/or hoodie sweatshirt, shorts, capris, jeans, and of course my rain jacket. Hat and gloves are good for glacier cruising days. I've never taken or felt the need for long underwear, but others from hot climates find them necessary.

 

My experience with July cruises is that my mid-July cruise was cooler and wetter, and my end of July cruises have been much warmer and drier, but you cannot bet on anything based on my limited experience. You need to be prepared for anything.

 

When I took my teens in August 2011, they took jeans, shorts, t-shirts and hoodie sweatshirts, and nothing warmer, but they are used to this weather and complain that it is "too hot" if it hits 75 or 80.

[Keith1010]

Alaska can also be warm in July so you should bring some short sleeve tops and shorts.

 

We use a water proof jacket. In our case we each have North Face Jackets. We can then layer a fleece underneath it if necessary.

 

Keith

[mapleleaves]

if you're worried about them being warm and dry, the most important item is a waterproof jacket, preferably hooded.

Buy a little bigger than usual so they can wear a long sleeve T and sweatshirt underneath.

Spray waterproofing on the running shoes. Bring at least 2. Rubber boots would take up a lot of room.

If your cruise includes glacier viewing, mittens and a hat are great to have and take up little space. A baseball cap is good for drizzle or sunshine.

Have each kid wear a small daypack ... if the day starts off drizzly but warms up, they can peel off layers and put them in their pack so you aren't stuck carrying 4 jackets. Conversely if the day starts off nice but turns ugly, they'll have a jacket in their pack to put on.

I wore lined nylon jogging pants when we did a Kenai Fjords cruise ... they helped against the wind and cold. I also carry a poncho in my pack .. keeps the pack and contents dry, plus the lenght keeps you dry to the knee.

Skip the umbrella.

[BeachBum1007]

My family and I went in July and it was quite warm in the ports. I agree with everyone about having a waterproof jacket with a hood. My umbrella was useless. Even though it only misted and rained a few times in the trip (not the entire day), I was glad I had my waterproof jacket.

 

As far as rain boots go, I brought mine and used them well. My family brought a "shoe bag" as one of our carry-ons where we put everyone's shoes in, so I could afford the space and weight. I brought two boots actually. Even if it wasn't cold, I found my boots comfortable and not too hot and used them as my "port" shoes.

 

Like everyone has mentioned, layers are key. There were two days in particular that were quite warm, but we never felt like we could have been wearing shorts (I would skip these). Don't forget your gloves and something to cover your ears. This is critical for glacier viewing, especially Glacier Bay when you're on the ship. Bring some long underwear or leggings of some sort, I wore these under my jeans during this day. Bring some type of thermal jacket, you will probably need it at some point. Fleece is also great.

 

North face is a great brand to go with, as well as Columbia. As far as saving money goes, we were able to find things at Marshall's/ TJ Maxx as well as sales from outdoor stores. In fact, my rain boots were from Academy for $20. This is the time of the year for those sales!

 

If you want more of a visual of what we wore, check out my picture review in my signature. I talk about clothes there too. I hope this helps, have a great trip!

[UPGrandma]

While shopping, specially for the kids, don't forget to check what Salvation Army or other thrift stores have. May find just the items for them or you & if nothing you will use again being from a warmer area, you can return & not feel bad about what you paid.