Minimalist Packing List for Cold Weather

Even though most of the country is in a warming trend and starting to see glimpses of Spring, just a week ago much of the Midwest was still in an arctic freeze.  So imagine my nerves as we headed out to Chicago, Wisconsin and Missouri to visit family.  I was prepared (and kind of excited) to experience some actual weather!  But because I’m a huge wimp in the cold we are pretty lucky it actually never got below 30 degrees the entire week.  We had some pretty good layers packed and ready just in case and even with bulky winter clothes, I was still able to pack both Paul and I in one medium suitcase for 9 days of traveling.  Accomplishment!

Here’s what I brought:

mom style, packing list, cold weather list, winter travel

*ALL LINKS UPDATED AS OF Sept 2021*
Tops:
marled knit sweater, cable-knit sweater, long sleeve tee, white henley, plaid button down, oversized black sweater, striped long sleeve tee
Bottoms: jogger pants, black skinny jeans, blue jeans, two fleece lined leggings
Outerwear: puffer coat, beanie, blanket scarf, boot socks, tights, photography gloves
Shoes: waterproof boots, sneakers

*If the items listed above are no longer available, I have linked to something similar at a similar price point.

The one item I’m particularly glad I brought was fleece leggings.  They were so comfortable and versatile.  Great as pants for travel days and so warm under jeans while we were out and about.  I’m probably pretty late to this discovery, but they were awesome nonetheless.  The rest was just mixing and matching the layers as usual.  And if you have access to a washing machine during your travel, these items could get you through several weeks of traveling.

Now I’m totally sick of my “winter” clothes!  So I’ll be working on a spring capsule coming up soon!  Or maybe I should just go right to summer since it’s 90 degrees here?

You can see my other packing lists here and here