Puffer jacket for Alaska, or no?! ⛰ What coat to wear on a cruise ⛰ Alaska cruise outfits packing list tips

Hi there!

First, I should note that my tolerance for cold is low.

I could tell you that I grew up in Michigan, but then you would think that I’m quite fine with the cold, and that’s just not true. 🤣

Your tolerance for cold will make a big difference when you are trying to determine whether you should also take a puffer jacket for your Alaska cruise or if the fleece jacket or sweatshirt you plan on taking will be enough.

The month you’ll be cruising will also make a difference in how many layers you need, although you will want to be prepared for at least a little bit of cold no matter what month you cruise.

The coldest day of your cruise will likely be your scenic cruising glacier day, and it’s on this day that you may want a puffer jacket even if land temperatures in all your ports are warm enough without one.

So when you are thinking about the warmest clothing you’ll need, you’ll want to consider the temperature of your glacier day.

By now, you may have heard that what to wear in Alaska is all about the layers.

Layers allow you to adjust for the weather you’ll end up getting, since it can be variable. You really just never know.

👆 Worst case scenario, if you don’t pack enough layers, you can use the cruise ship blankets and pool towels to keep you warm! (The person on the left literally has a pool towel over their head, and so did their friend that’s out of the above picture.) 🤣 These iconic blankets are on Princess cruise ships! I’m not sure if other cruise lines have them too. A “scenic cruising day” aka glacier sea day can feel ever colder because of the cold wind blowing out on the open deck! And you will want to be outside! This was early May. Your summer cruise may not be as cold, but you might want to be prepared with a little extra something just in case… like a fleece pullover, puffer jacket, windbreaker, and/or rain jacket!

You may not necessarily need a winter jacket for your Alaska cruise, although if you have that, you might want to just take that if you have an early season or late season cruise.

If you have a summer cruise, like in June, July, or August, that’s when you might start considering a packable puffer jacket instead of a bulky winter jacket, since the only time you might want the extra layers is for 1 or 2 days of your cruise.

I was happy to have my winter jacket on my cruises in May!

A puffer jacket can be convenient because you can find one that’s relatively lightweight and packable. It’s travel-friendly as it won’t take up much space in your luggage.

This can make it a nice back-up to have if you’re not sure whether you’ll actually be warm enough with the layers you always plan on taking, but don’t want to take your winter coat with you on your cruise.

I was happy I bought a puffer jacket for my cruises in September and October when I didn’t want to take my winter jacket. I’m certain I would have been cold without it.

And since packable puffer jackets come with a drawstring mini storage bag that the jacket can “pack up” and fit into (that’s the “packable” part), you can even hang it off the side of your carry-on backpack.

If you do this, it takes up no precious luggage space at all! I have done this since my carry-on backpack has a clip that will allow me to hang the drawstring part from my backpack. I’ve also just stuffed it in my backpack, and this works too since it can become quite compact.

As a bonus, the puffer jacket can also be an extra layer on cold planes!

Not all puffer jackets are designed to be packable.

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For puffer jackets, one of the best brands for outdoor clothing is the North Face. There are North Face puffer jackets for women* and North Face puffer jackets for men.*

*I’m an Amazon Associate and that will take you to Amazon where you can read the reviews. You can search for more Alaska clothes for women (or Alaska clothes for men).

More options (that are also cheaper) include a packable puffer jacket for women* and a packable puffer jacket for men.*

It can be better to size up on the puffer jacket so that you can put on more layers underneath, like a sweatshirt.

There are puffer jackets with and without hoods, but I would want to be able to put a hood up to keep my neck warmer! (With a low tolerance for cold, every bit of warmth helps. 😅)

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For some, a fleece jacket or a hooded sweatshirt that you already have may be all you need to stay warm even on the coldest windy glacier sea days in the summer.

Columbia is a top brand for fleece jackets, and there are Columbia fleece jackets for women and Columbia fleece jackets for men.

And the travel-friendly nature of packable puffer jackets can make it a nice “just in case” piece of clothing to have.

But if you’re really not sure about it, another cheaper alternative to help with warmth as a “just in case” item that I like to pack are disposable hand warmers!

Aside from sometimes using them for my hands, I also use hand warmers by putting them close to my core, and it warms me up!

I’ve used hand warmers to stay warm throughout the night when camping in 30F degree weather!

That was in combination with a sleeping bag, but I was still quite happy that I was able to sleep through the night without being cold! That was not in Alaska. That was Florida in winter. I don’t make it a habit to go cold weather camping but well… cold fronts in Florida. 🤪

So if you’re unsure about whether you’ve packed enough clothes to stay warm, I would pack hand warmers just in case! It can really make a difference. At least it did for me!

I basically left for somewhat long-term travel in July, and I had Alaska cruises booked for September and October.

What I packed in July would be what I would have for Alaska in the fall months.

It’s hard to get in the mindset to pack for the cold when it’s really hot outside.

The day I left, the city I was flying out of was 99 degrees. (!!)

Part of me really wanted to bring my winter jacket, because I found it to be very useful during my Alaska cruises in May. I was really worried about not having enough to wear if I didn’t have my winter jacket.

But I just could not bring myself to travel with a winter jacket when it was nearly 100 degrees outside!

I didn’t have luggage space for it, so I would have been carrying it any time I was on the move, which was often enough to be annoying.

So I didn’t bring my winter coat for my Alaska cruises.

Instead, I ended up buying a lightweight packable puffer jacket once I got to Alaska at the end of August. (My cruise was starting in Alaska.)

The cold season was approaching so they had puffer jackets for sale at the Walmart in Anchorage at the end of August.

I am SO glad I had it for my September and October cruises!

HAPPY PICKING YOUR JACKET FOR ALASKA!