Packing for women in October

What part of Europe do you intend to visit? The UK has very different temps than southern Spain, for example, so some idea of where you will be help us give you better answers. The general key is layers - take things you can layer on each other so you can add or subtract as needed. And if it's really chilly, you can always buy something there.

We'll be in the UK, France, Switzerland, northern Italy (Venice), Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany. I'm just worried about winter coats and boots, since they take up so much room in a suitcase. Should I bring boots or just stick with walking shoes? Should I bring a winter coat or just a rain jacket and sweaters?

Layers, layers, layers....
We regularly travel in the fall and winter and only do carry on so it's absolutely doable to pack light for colder weather. I pretty much stick with the same packing list, but just change out the items. Instead of short sleeved shirts I pack long sleeved ones, pants instead of shorts, etc., etc. In general you are better off with thinner versus thicker layers. For example, we've a trip coming up in about 4 weeks to Italy- this is my clothing packing list

3 pairs pants (1pr black slacks, 2 pr.jeans)
4 long sleeved t shirts (2 lighter weight, 2 heavier weight)
1 turtleneck
1 black cashmere cardigan
2 thin merino wool drape cardigans
2 scarves - 1 wool and 1 wool/silk blend
moisture wicking long underwear
rain jacket with a removable liner.

For warmer days I can wear pants, long sleeved t shirt and cardigan - add the rainjacket if it rains and add the liner for colder conditions.
If it gets even colder, I can add the moisture wicking undershirt.
If for some reason it gets really cold, I can wear the underwear, turtleneck, cashmere sweater and the cardigan with the raincoat and liner. If that's not enough, it's probably going to be too cold to go out - LOL!!!
I think the one thing that I'd recommend is varying the weight of the items - for example with my t shirts I'm taking two "tissue weight" ones and two heavier weight ones, my black pants are warmer than the jeans, etc. Likewise, take one warmer sweater and one that isn't quite as warm and if you can layer the two - an added bonus!
Finally, take a hat (if you wear them), gloves and a scarf.

We've been in the UK (England and Scotland)and Austria in Nov/Dec a lot. As others have said layers are what you need to plan for. You may get mild, rather dry weather or you could have cold, wind, rain, or snow- all in one day (lol).
Here's what I usually took: Wear on plane: black cotton-blend pants, long sleeve turtleneck/T-shirt and a long-sleeved "big shirt" {button up that can look a bit like a jacket}, water resistant/water proof winter coat with hood (not really heavy- I use it here in Charlotte), good walking shoes - black. Pack in carry-on suitcase: 2-3 pair black or khaki pants, 3-5 T-shirts/turtlenecks (1 short sleeve, rest long) 1 or 2 "big shirts", 3-5 bras, enough panties for at least 1 week (often enough for entire trip) same with socks, gloves, hat or hooded scarf. Totally optional- scarves that coordinate with everything, and you could sub cardigans or a fleece vest for my 'big shirts' as I tend to be warm natured and don't like to get too hot. A coat with a removeable liner is an excellent idea. My carry-on will weigh about 14-15 lbs. It all fits in Rick's bag that we bought more than 20 years ago and that still looks almost new. As someone said, you can always buy something there- clothes and scarves make great souvenirs.

Let me help you lighten your load. Unless you plan to spend the night exposed on an Alpine summit, you will have no need for winter boots or a winter coat at that time of year. Bring a good windbreaker, and if necessary, add layers underneath.

Tom is right, we usually travel October, November and February and March and have yet to take boots or felt the need for them. A scarf is a necessity, we were at cliffs of Moher in Ireland two,weeks ago and wind was so bad could not keep hood on, scarf solved the problem.

I can only speak about Italy - I can tell you that September and October is still very hot/warm even in Venice.
I think a wind breaker/short jacket along with a cardigan is more than enough to keep you warm.
During the day you will be wearing short sleeves...

The only time I ever really bundle up is on the flight.

Mandy,

i wasnt going to add anything here, but i will give you my experience.

as Nancy said, it will depend on where you are going to in those months.

I was in in Oslo, Stockholm, Cophenhagen, Hamburg, Cologne, Brussels, Bastogne, Luxembourg City, Leeds, and Amsterdam last September and i only wore my heavy jacket 1 time. It was in Bastogne when it rained alot and i wanted to check how water proof it was along with how warm it was. Most of the other times it was nice weather for an Oregonian. Since you experience alot of the same weather, i think you will find it warm(er) compared to Seattle. However, if you feel cold when others do not, then yes, bring along the warm weather gear. also, i was walking around with long sleeve shirts and a tee shirt underneath most of the time including the nights and had no problem staying warm.

To me its all relative. If you go to Hawaii in our winter, you will see most if not all of the locals wearing jackets/coats when the temp hits 70.

Your mileage may vary though.

Happy trails.

I just returned from Barcelona, southern France, CT and Florence and it was 75 every day and about 70 at night. We had no need for any winter-type clothing, but I guess it was unusually warm. Just take a few layers and you should be fine.

As someone has already mentioned, it may depend on where in Europe you are going.

From my personal experience travelling around Germany/Benelux/Czech Republic/Hungary for basically the entire month of October a few years ago, I would say layering is your best friend. Until late in the month, the days were warm enough that no jacket was required. At night however, it would get pretty cold. I packed a lot of layering tanks and wore them under a long sleeved shirt. Eventually, it got cold enough that a sweater layer was required. I think both my boyfriend and myself ended up buying quite a few sweaters and a scarf or two along the way (by the way, if you find yourself needing some item of clothing and don't want to spend a lot of money, drop by an H&M).

Also bring at least one waterproof layer: although we lucked out with 80% of our trip, there were some rainy days that would've been miserable without a good rain jacket.

Look into Uniqlo's Heattech base layers. They also have light packable down vests and coats. Lands End has an excellent light weight fleece jacket.

Mandy, It may surprise you that late September and early October are warm and comfortable periods in Italy, Spain, France and Switzerland. Usually, that's when we travel. You may encounter rain on some days but in general, it's usually warm and quite comfortable. It's our alternative to the really hot months of July and August. We've never needed winter clothes and boots. My wife was just in Italy this past end of September and early October. Some rain but other than that, it was warm. We were in Spain and France two years ago during the same period. Same experience. Warm and comfortable.

My mother and I did a Rhine/Mosel river cruise in October 2012, and I can tell you that the mornings were chilly in the towns near the river. I rely on silk underwear and silk turtlenecks - very lightweight to pack, easy to wash, and a good warm underlayer. Or a silk-cotton long-sleeved T. Then on top I usually have a tightly woven travel shirt [very dorky, with double pockets] and possibly a fleece vest or cashmere sweater if it's chilly. I have a mid-thigh-length waterproof coat with a hood and a zip out liner, but on that trip I never took the liner out. I also make sure to bring a couple of pashminas, which can serve as neck scarves in the day and be more dressy in the evenings, plus a silk scarf to tie over my head and lightweight gloves. Pants are usually khakis or medium-weight canvas. I basically wore the same clothes on a 2-week trip to Japan in Jan 2011 and they worked well there, too, though I added short winter boots that were very handy when it snowed on us in Kyoto! Have a great trip-

Be prepared but don't over pack. I was in Belgium October 2010 and it was hot -
I ended up in tank tops and having to haul around my jacket.

Mandy,

We just returned from a trip to Germany that ran the last week of October into the first week or so of November. I also considered taking winter boots, and decided against it. I'm glad I did.

I relied heavily on layers. We had a couple of days that were sunny and warm (around 60 deg F), and then a few days that were rainy and chilly. I packed a lot of long-sleeved t-shirts, and layered them up with scarves, sweaters and a fleece jacket. I brought a light windbreaker which was all I needed as an extra layer on the days that were rainy and chilly.

I would also suggest some sort of warm hat. Again, it made a huge difference on the days that were rainy and chilly.

Remember, you can always have laundry done while you are gone.