How to pack for a trip with two climates

How do you pack for two very different climates? Build one bag around the warmer place, then add a thin warm kit for the cold one.

The rule

Wear the bulkiest piece. Pack layers that work in both places.

Worked example for 4 days of beach and 3 days of cold city (round numbers):

• Warm base: 5 light tops, 2 shorts or skirts, 2 swimsuits
• Cold add-ons: 1 thermal base, 1 fleece or knit, 1 hat and gloves
• Coat: worn on the plane to the cold place, or bought there if the plan allows
• Shoes: 1 closed pair on your feet, 1 pair of sandals

Thin layers do double duty. A light top plus a thermal plus a fleece makes a warm outfit without a heavy coat. See what to wear by temperature for how layers work.

The reason

Warm clothes are small. Cold clothes are big. If you build the bag around the big ones, you carry them in the hot half for nothing. Wearing the coat solves the problem.

The exception

If the cold part is a first stop, wear the cold kit on the plane and pack the warm clothes. Do the reverse if the warm part comes first. Check the forecast for both places on your dates. And plan a wash between the two stops, as in laundry on the road.

A per-leg table

Counts are a starting point.

What to buy at the other end

If a leg is short or you are on a tight bag limit, buy the single item you need where you land. A hat, gloves or a cheap rain jacket costs little and saves bag space. Check the forecast for both places before you pack.

Common mistakes

• Packing a full warm outfit for a two-day cold stop.
• Skipping the thin base layers that do the most work.
• Forgetting that planes are cold too.
• Packing wet swim clothes with the cold clothes.