Welcome to my 2nd post of my Pack With Me series! If you missed the first one, click here for my Carry On Essentials!
For my birthday week, I gave myself the gift of travel (shocker!) to Toronto, Canada and Detroit, Michigan. Of course it’s cold over there by now; not this ridiculous 86 degree “winter” here in Los Angeles so I wanted to share with you what I’ll be packing in preparation for “real winter”!
Being a 4th year Southern California gal, life in the cold has been long forgotten. Before moving to Los Angeles, I lived in areas of extremely cold climate and was basically a professional driver through snow but now, the warmest thing in my closet is a fleece hoodie.
While I was packing for this trip to the Mid-West, I had to recall what winter really felt like back when I used to live there. I was able to channel those cold winters and come up with some must-haves for traveling to cold weather!
Coat – Even if you’re inside a building or in a car for most of the time, places like Toronto and Detroit will remind you why you still need a warm coat for those times you’re just walking to and from your car. It may just be me but I always love some faux fur on my hood; I feel like it keeps me warmer, weird maybe?
Boots – I’m not much of a boots girl but I am when I’m in cold weather, that’s for sure! I love some nice leather knee-high boots to keep my legs and feet warm!
Glove – I always carry open-finger gloves because I hate not being able to feel things with my fingers! Of course in this day and age you need to maneuver through touch-screens which is difficult with gloves. Yes, they do sell gloves that are touch-screen friendly, but I have yet to find ones that actually work 100% of the time.
Scarf – No explanation needed, right? I do tend to prefer the infinity scarves, though. It’s so much easier to put off and on!
Puffer Vest – Never underestimate the power and warmness of the Puffer Vest! I love having it with me on the plane or when I’m just quickly going to be outside.
Leggings – Great quality leggings will keep you so warm! I personally love the Spanx full length leggings
Head Wrap – For those times when you can’t wear your fur hood. Not only does it keep your head cozy, it looks really adorable, too!
Knit Hat –When the hood or head wrap just doesn’t do the job of keeping you warm. Just so it looks cute, I love the ones with the huge pom-pom on the top!
Hand Lotion – Definitely a must have that’s easily forgotten. Cold weather = dry skin, sometimes to the point where your skin hurts! You don’t want dry or pain hands, keep a travel size lotion in your bag or pocket!
Lip Balm –Same reason and effect as the lotion. In fact, lips get dryer fast so constant love is absolutely necessary! Some places will carry lip balm especially made for winter weather!
Sunglasses – I’ve lived where it got so cold that my eyes would start to sting (SoCal friends, you can’t even start to imagine that, can you?). Sunglasses really help that out, especially when it’s windy!
Socks – Find the thickest and longest socks you can find! When I’m wearing boots, I love having knee-high socks to keep me extra warm! You definitely don’t want any frostbites, trust me!
♥♥♥
That wraps up my winter packing necessities! What are your must-haves for cold weather that I forgot to list or should bring?
Find me on Instagram & Bloglovin’
& Follow
♥♥♥
We often fly budget, so our carry on is usually limited by under 5kg….and I'm becoming an expert at that…
Great post for people heading to a cold area. I've found scarves and hats to be invaluable in changing weather. We are coming into summer here in Australia and where I live, we are expecting a 30 degree celsius day today – you'd need to pack your bikini, hat and sunscreen if you were coming here 🙂
Hi Lydia! I wish you would give me some of your skills to pack a carry-on that weighs under 5kg! That's some talent right there! Thank you so much for stopping by! xo
Hi Lyndall! Oh my goodness, in Los Angeles we finally got done with 30+ degree celsius days and I'm so happy about that. Australia is tentatively on the books for 2016, I'll definitely have to reach out to see where you recommend, if that's ok with you! Thank you for stopping by as always! xo
Great packing list for travelling somewhere cold! This will be helpful for me because my daughter is heading to Florence, Italy in January when it will be freezing and I want to be sure she has everything she will need to be warm. It's hard for us to understand that kind of cold weather as we live in Brisbane, Australia where it does not get cold much at all!
Well I think it doesn't matter if the faux fur keeps you warmer you'll look great.
In Australia it doesn't reach those really cold temperatures and so can never get decent looking clothes that keep you warm, especially if you are trying to prepare for a trip to the cold in Europe or the US during the heat of our summer.
I really have no idea how I would go packing for truly cold weather so your list is great!
Thanks for joining in #wednesdaywanderlust
I'd add a bar of chocolate for some winter fuel! You can also get these little hand warmer things – it's like a sachet of gel with a metal snapper floating in it. You snap the metal and the gel heats up, and stays warm for ages. They're a bit hard to describe but you carry them around and they keep your hands nice and toasty! I also love leggings under things, I've never heard of the spanx ones but they sound amazing…!
Hi Min! I totally understand – I'm sure people think I'm crazy to be listing obvious things but being from a sunny area, sometimes it's difficult! Safe and happy travels to your daughter, she's going to love Italy! Thank you so much for stopping by! xo
Hi Sally-Ann! Haha, that's true – I just love the fur as an accent 🙂 Ahh, I want to visit Australia SO badly – it's definitely on my list for 2016! Will have to hit you up for recommendations! Thank you for stopping by! xo
Hi Malinda! I know, I was worried people would think I was crazy with this list but I'm glad I have some fellow non-cold-climate friends that may find this useful someday! Thank you for stopping by and hosting! xo
Hi Rachel! Yeeees! I totally forgot about the hand warmer thing! Thank you for reminding me! I have no idea where I would get that in L.A but maybe once I'm in Toronto I'll find it 🙂 Chocolate is ALWAYS a great idea too! Thank you for stopping by, lovely to blog-meet you! xo