Moving to a new place is always scary, even more so when the weather is a total 180 from what you are used to. For those of you whose biggest fear is exactly this, aka me, this is an added stressor that quite frankly you might not have the time for. I’m from a part of California that has little to no rain, almost constant sun, and weather that never really drops below 50. After moving to Oregon, I’ve discovered that I had it good in California because it can get as cold as freezing point here. I moved to Oregon thinking that I had all the winter clothing that I would need to get me through the winter
Wearing what I used to in California wasn’t going to cut it here in Oregon, I mean I was wearing shorts well into early to mid-November if it was a particularly warm winter. Since moving to Oregon, I find myself in jeans, sweaters, and uggs late September to early October. I found out the hard way that the clothing I had wasn’t nearly warm enough for the winter that I was about to endure. Oregon doesn’t only have cold, windy winters, they have rainy, wet winters as well. To me it seemed like there wasn’t really a fall but more so summer with a week of fall before turning into winter.
The proper type of clothing will make or break the type of experience that you have during the winter. If you don’t have warm enough clothing, it’ll be a miserable winter filled with buying clothing that is warm enough. If you do, however, it’ll be an enjoyable one where you can really appreciate fresh crisp air after a rainstorm. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase a couple of items that were able to get me through the winter. The one big thing that was on my list was rain boots. In a state where it rains more often than it doesn’t, rain boots are a must. If I’m being honest, the brand doesn’t really matter as long as they keep the water out of the boots.
Rain boots aren’t the only thing that become an everyday necessity. A decent rain jacket or a wind breaker is what you will see most people in as the rainier part of the winter progresses forward. No one told me how absolutely crucial this was because you don’t want to be walking, let’s be real running, through the pouring rain in just a sweatshirt that will do nothing but soak up all the rain hitting it. A wind breaker, however, isn’t going to be enough to keep you warm. A good fleece jacket and some long sleeve shirts will do wonders for keeping you warm. You’re also going to want to bulk buy leggings, jeans, or any kind of material that will dry fast because unfortunately there is not “rain jacket” for your legs. The last thing you’re going to want to do is get to class or wherever and be stuck in wet pants for a long period of time. Fast drying material will be your life saver, I promise.
Finally, wearing layers is something that you’re going to have to get used to if you aren’t a fan or not used to it at all. It’s a necessity because when you arrive at your destination it’ll most likely be heated and indoors which means you’ll heat up quickly under your jacket and wind breaker. Layers also make it possible to dress in something other than a sweatshirt and sweatpants to keep warm. All the clothing you would potentially need make it seem like it’s near impossible to look cute during the winter, and more times than not you’re going to want to just wear what keeps you warm, but if you layer properly you could look cute and stay warm and dry.
During a California winter, a simple sweater and jeans maybe enough to last you through the winter but in the Pacific Northwest slightly heavier duty clothing is necessary. Be prepared for a cold, rainy winter.
