What to pack for Seattle

The delightful cool breezes coming off Puget Sound mean that even in the middle of summer, the temperature at night could get below 50°F. Those breezes can also bring rapid changes that morph a spring day from t-shirt weather in the morning to a dusting of snow in the afternoon, so the best way to pack for a trip to Seattle is to include plenty of layers that you can take on and off as the weather and temperature change throughout a day or week.

Once you land, you’ll notice a lot of people in Seattle wearing flannel and fleece. It’s not just a testament to the city’s love for the outdoors, though that helps. These two materials also work very well in Seattle’s variable weather. Both offer a little bit of water resistance for the occasional drizzle and block out those marine winds. If it starts to warm up, the fact that they button or zip allows for a little more flexibility.

For Seattle’s odd brand of constant drizzle in fall, winter, and spring, most locals prefer a raincoat to a bulky umbrella. With the addition of the wind and the constant fluctuations in weather, a raincoat is just easier as an outer layer than carrying an umbrella. And since it’s not such a fashion-conscious town, people don’t tend to worry as much about what the hood does to their hair. A light raincoat, with just a shell, works well for layering over fleece or flannel, but it also rarely rains here when warm, so you don’t need an ultra-light one.

Don’t get tempted by those rainy rumors to bring rain boots – because it rarely rains hard, most days a pair of good sneakers or light hiking boots will be just as useful. Sneakers are considered fashionable here, and a nice pair won’t keep you out of any restaurants or clubs, and the comfort will help as you spend a day walking up and down the steep streets here. Similarly, high heels become impractical here once you’re walking more than a block or two. You’ll quickly see that locals favor comfort over coolness. With all the walking paths in the various city parks, it’s helpful to have comfortable shoes that work on the dirt trails as you explore the city.

In eco-conscious Seattle, everyone tries to avoid plastic – plus the city has some of the most delicious water in the world (companies wish they could bottle it!). Bringing your own reusable water bottle will help the environment and help you fit in. You can refill it at any tap, and big public buildings like the airport or museums will all have water bottle filling stations at the water fountains.

Over the last decade, summer in Seattle has sadly become smoke season, with the fallout from wildfires in neighboring regions blowing in for days or even weeks at a time. The air quality can plummet, leaving the city in a dark haze (though with stunning sunsets). Having a high-quality facemask to wear on those days will make it safer and easier to breathe outside and allow you to continue exploring the city.

Though it tends to be gray for much of the year, it brightens up in summer, and also randomly at other times, and when Seattle gets sun, that sun shines bright. The second the sun peeks out in Seattle, it reflects off the many bodies of water, adding to the glare. In summer, the days get long (it’s often light until 11 pm), and that’s a long time to be squinting out the rays if you don’t have eye protection. This goes double if you plan to go to Mt. Rainier, where the glacier reflects the sun back up strong enough to cause serious damage to unprotected eyes.

Even if Seattle’s famous rain scares you, you can probably leave your umbrella at home. Outside the occasional fierce November storm, it rarely rains hard here, and when it does, the wind usually picks up enough to make the umbrella useless. And if you do need one, most hotels keep a supply on hand.

The other thing you can leave at home is anything fancy. Seattle is a delightfully casual city, and nobody will look askance at someone wearing jeans to the symphony or even sweatpants to a fine-dining restaurant. One restaurant in town has a dress code requiring men to wear jackets, and it keeps loaners on hand since many men here don’t even own one. Some people call this a fault, locals embrace it.