Murren clothing

I was in Murren in January. I had only carryon luggage and traveled for 3.5 weeks on a trip with weather ranging from 15 degrees to 65 degrees (Fahrenheit). Layers are key. When are you going? For January, I had long underwear, LS shirt, lightweight fleece pullover, lightweight puffy jacket and a raincoat.

Hi CDL -

you don't want a heavy raincoat. You want a lightweight waterproof breathable shell jacket. It will be easily packable. And the good news is that if you aren't doing serious mountaineering or the like, the newer generic materials are reasonably good. Nothing really matches Goretex (I ski, bike, backpack, and dabble in climbing mountains and have 5 Goretex shells in the current quiver). Just ten years ago the cheap jackets were hot garbage. Nowadays though cheaper rain shells generally work fine if you don't expect them to last forever.

Here's a bunch of cheaper examples that will work, and likely not a lot more cost than renting in Switzerland (If that even exists) . I'd lean toward the REI or Eddie Bauer, but wouldn't be afraid of the Chinese knockoffs on Amazon either. Who knows, maybe you use the shells if you get caught in rainy weather on other parts of your trip too.

https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/20612684/women's-packable-rainfoil(r)-jacket?sp=1&color=Deep%20Eggplant

https://www.rei.com/product/127306/rei-co-op-rainier-rain-jacket-womens-plus-sizes

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Donkey-Andy-Waterproof-Lightweight/dp/B09JDXHH43/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1RWAR1T5P1I7H&keywords=waterproof%2Bbreathable%2Bshell&qid=1683666992&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_36%3A-5000&rnid=2661611011&rps=1&sprefix=waterproof%2Bbreathable%2Bshell%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-10&th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/CAMEL-CROWN-Waterproof-Windbreaker-Traveling/dp/B085M2ZLCS/ref=sr_1_13?crid=1RWAR1T5P1I7H&keywords=waterproof%2Bbreathable%2Bshell&qid=1683666992&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_36%3A-5000&rnid=2661611011&rps=1&sprefix=waterproof%2Bbreathable%2Bshell%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-13&th=1&psc=1

I have an Eddie Bauer rain coat that is very lightweight and folds into its pocket. It's not heavy, has worked well for many trips and doubles as a wind breaker, and when need be, adds a lot of warmth.

Also, we really need to know time of year for any meaningful response. I've been on mountaintops in the summer in shirt sleeves.

I hadn’t thought of renting these items.
Are you traveling in summer, are you considering hiking pants and jackets or just shorts and sport tees at the Mürren altitude?
What about if you go higher up to schilthorn… are you anticipating you’ll need an actual coat?

When are you going? Unless you're going in the winter you really aren't going to need a heavy coat. And if you are going in the winter you're going to want to bring your own. If you're talking about going between May and October, simple layers will be fine. It's not Antarctica.

I am sitting on our balcony in Murren right now and it’s raining. We are just in a couple of layers and a jacket. We carry on so you know we don’t have heavy gear. No there is no place in town to get gear. Couldn’t rent walking poles or find a decent hiking map.

We went to the top of the Schiltorn yesterday and only needed one extra layer, no jacket.

You didn’t say when you were traveling.

It really depends on time of year. The past 2 weeks have been fairly rainy and a bit chilly. Layers work best. In summer you may find you do not need a coat at all even in the higher elevations.