Outerwear for Fall Trip.

Hi Jen, Just a thought about that fleece jacket. Last time we flew, I used my fleece jacket as an in-flight neck pillow. (Pull sleeves to inside, roll jacket tightly, secure with 2 or 3 rubber bands.) It actually worked better than the usual neck pillow and was also useful once we arrived.......I wouldn't worry about the reflective tape on your rain jacket, since no one will pay any attention to your fashion statement except your travel companions.......You can compare Grand Forks and many European towns weather statistics at weatherbase.com

Your packing list sounds good, and I agree I woudn't worry about reflective tape. For our first trip to Europe we bought Micro fleece jackets which worked quite well. I think I got ours from LL Bean, but you can get them lots of places. They don't take up much room at all, and provide a good layer.

Fleece is fabulous in warding off the cold chill. Since you plan layering might you consider the inexpensive and extremely lightweight Land's End ThermaCheck pullover for underneath your rain shell. VERY comfortable, easy to pack, won't take up space at all. I took 2 on my last winter excursion across the pond. Kept me warm and dry. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Have a great time!!!

Thanks all! I worked an outdoor table at the open house my employer was hosting today. Temperatures were in the upper 50s, which seems to be pretty close to the averages I'll see on my trip. With the clouds and wind, I was really glad to have my fleece. I may look for a micro-version, but if I can't find one here I'll just take my current somewhat bulky one. The pillow idea sounds great. Thanks again!

If you've got it in your budget and really don't want to take a bulky fleece, why not just leave it up to the weather and buy one when you get there if you need it. It's a nice souvenier and they have some great outdoor style stores here (Jack wolfskin is one). As far as the reflective tape, as long as you aren't at a formal or dressy resturant for dinner, it should be fine. There are plenty of people that backpack/cycle through Europe and no one bats an eye. Just a thought, but you should pack extra, breathable, non-cotton socks if you haven't already. I splurged and bought some of the calf high water wicking socks and they are worth every penny. Wet socks/bottoms of jeans can really ruin your day.

I seriously doubt you´ll need to layer much at all in the next two weeks. Unless you plan to be outside early in the morning, you will likely not encounter any temperatures lower than 15° C. I would call that comfortable fall weather.

Might not need fleece if temps stay around 15 C, but I had been using the trip planner tool from Weatherunderground and saw that later in the trip low temperatures in the low 40s F to upper 30s F are not out of the question, which would be a bit chilly. I have a bunch of Smartwool socks that I was planning on bringing. I've been buying them since I moved up to North Dakota last year, and think they're great, even when it gets wet.

For warmth layers at that time of year, I'd pack a wool sweater, hopefully washable and not very bulky, and a fleece. Avoid the bulkiest fleece (300 weight), a thinner fleece will work fine, especially when layered over the sweater and a shirt (and under your rain shell). My favorite is a 100 weight full-zip fleece; those can be hard to find (most lighter weight comes with 1/4 zip) so you may have to go with what's available. Even though Grand Forks is the "banana belt" of North Dakota, you should be acclamated pretty well for fall weather in northern Europe.

LL Bean has a full zip Fitness Fleece that is pretty light and comes with a hoody. Many colors, both for men and women. However, it can shrink and pill. And while driving and wearing my seat belt, it did pill further. But if you don't mind, that might work. Price is pretty fair, like $40.00. Patagonia's R2 fleece is very light, warm and supposed to be breathable. I just got mine and will need a trip to Europe to test it out! But seriously, it's very soft and cozy, light and compressible. The extra cost, to me, is worth it. Have a great trip! Sounds awesome!

We just got back from London and Amsterdam, and both were warm. Amsterdam was too humid for me, I was sweating a lot when pulling the suitcase from the station to our B&B. I didn't need any fleece at all there, but a light rain shell was certainly handy as it was raining for a bit one day. Evenings do cool down noticeably. It is a little colder in Amsterdam than normal right now, according to the woman I spoke with at the hotel desk. I'd skip bringing the fleece jacket. You are already layering so that combined with your cycling jacket should be good. Don't worry about the reflective tape, it will also be good for you when crossing the street! We noticed in London that the cars do NOT yield to pedestrians, rather it is the other way around!!

Was in Belgium last year in beginning of Oct and weather was suprisingly warm. I was caught off guard with too.heavy clothing.

I'm heading to france for a 2 week hiking trip. I have my rain pants, Marmot rain jacket and a Marmot fleece jacket. I did the same trip last year, same first week, and i needed the fleece jacket every morning. I also used the jacket as my bathrobe in the hotel room each night - I do run cool. I found the fleece to be very useful. I packed Smartwool long sleeve shirts, and a poly pro t-shirt from REI for my day time use. I just "test" packed for my trip (leaving Oct 3) and everything I need for 2 weeks will fit in my 32 ltr daypack. That includes all my outerwear, 2 long sleeve t-shirts, 1 short sleeve shirt, 1 pair of capri pants, 5 pairs of socks, 4 pairs of liners, my underwear, toiletries, Nook and converter & cords for my iphone/nook/camera. When I finish packing on Oct 2, if I need more room, I'll take the fleece jacket out and carry it on the plane, I'm betting I'll use it to keep warm during the flight over. My vote is - take your fleece! The rain jacket with eVent is great, eVent is better than Gore-tex...

Thanks everyone! I'm actually a meteorologist, and have been looking at the long range models (knowing very well they are often crap). If it goes as the models are saying, the first part of my trip should be pretty warm and dry. However, it is pretty doubtful that it will stay that way for the entire time I am there. Since I am somewhat cold blooded anyway, I decided to get a microfleece. I found a full zip one at a local sporting goods store (North Face, and probably overpaid for the name, but there aren't any LL Bean stores in my area). I've already worn it around the house some this week, and I'll probably use it as a pillow on the plane. And possibly as a pillow in the hostels I'll be staying at, depending on what kind of bedding I end up with. I did a test pack last night, and everything should fit. Thanks again!

The hostel pillows you are likely to get don't have much thickness. You can fold or roll them up just like the fleece to make them more comfortable.

I'm a year round bicycle commuter in Seattle, and deal with the same issues of cold/rain/ventilation. My solution is to get a good unlined shell jacket with underarm zips (mine is an Eddie Bauer Nisqually shell jacket). It's good in rain and cold, but with lengthy underarm zips you can modulate the ventilation, and it breaths. Since it's a shell you can pack it in it's own pocket and it's very light. I have two, and my walking jacket is a fashionable black, perfect for any sophisticated European city. I also recommend a pair of goretex pants. I've had a lot of trips where rain and wind make it hard to get out, but with a good rain shell and rain pants you can go anywhere in any weather. I got my pants from REI, they're a shell too, and pack down small and light. Instead of the fleece jacket I recommend a down sweater or vest. They're very light, pack in their own pocket, and unless they get wet they're very warm.

Glad to hear you bought a microfleece. Mine is a permanent part of my packing wardrobe, even for warm-weather trips. I wouldn't leave home without one. Have a great trip!

If you are concerned about bulk, I always take silk long underwear with me. It takes up no room in my luggage and does the job of a couple of layered shirts.