Hi All
I have a trip to the USA planned in January - I know?!?
I plan to spend a few days with family in Portland Oregon, then five days in Chicago/Illinois.
It is mid winter obviously so I will bring only clothes for the cooler weather. Activities will include work (three days onsite, one day preparation) in Illinois, some city activities (Chicago and Portland) and potentially some outdoor activities (Portland).
My main issue is that it is not very cold where I live. So I don't have a wonderful cold weather wardrobe. I have good gloves and hats and scarves and a wool coat. I also have merino tanks and thermal tops - but not leggings.
My puffer is lightweight and almost worn out. I do not own snowboots.
The plus is that it is mid summer here and hence the ability to borrow clothing is very possible.
Initial questions:
1) Would jeans or trousers with thermals underneath be warm enough?
2) Would my sturdy lace up boots with wool socks be warm enough for any snow days? I would wear the black boots or the white sneakers for the actual work days.
The finds below are the start of my capsule but I expect to do some changing. I do have a puffer vest (not pictured) that I could wear under the wool coat.
At this stage the two most critical gaps are:
- Warm puffer that is at least water resistant (I may borrow this or potentially even purchase this in Portland on arrival)
- thermal leggings
Was thinking of suit or equivalent with a merino underneath for work, and jeans with a sweater and coat and layers and boots for casual. I cannot imagine I will need anything super formal.
Potentially I could try carry on only, it is a fairly targeted trip. I will have laundry access in Portland so would only have to get through Monday to Saturday without it. So could easily wash socks, underwear and layers. But it is winter so coats are bulky as are boots!! At a minimum I would need three pairs of winter shoes - one smart pair for work, one pair for city walking, and one pair for outdoor activities. My coat alone will take up half a carryon bag.
Your ideas and input on these topics are appreciated - I was hoping to be in the US in October which would have been more appealing.