Ok, heres the deal. I am in the military and will be reenlisting to go to Alaska next month. I will not be there until January 2011. I am currently in sunny Portugal and during the next year I would like to purchase some basic clothing for myself, and my family. Can anyone tell me what items I should buy, just for starters? Any websites where I can learn more about what I should wear? As of right now, I am not sure which base I will be stationed at, so any info would be great. Thanks in advance.
Yes thank you for your service.OK here is what i can tell you. Don;t bother with LL Bean. There stuff is OK for fall and spring, but for real cold and real winter LL Bean doesn t even come close. Actually very few lower 48 outfitters have what most people in Alaska prefer. So you really might be better off waiting till you get here. Not just becuase of the kids growing, but to be sure you get gear that will keep your comfortable.Now the state is Huge and when I talk about cold I am talking about the kinds of temp you get in Interior Alaska (if your stationed in Fairbanks or Delta) Anchorage tends to be warmer, but it still gets some extreme weather.In general Layers are better then huge bulky clothes. I have one super heavy parka, but don t pull that out till -30 F and lower. Carharts rock, they are the one exception to the NO Cotton rule. They make insulated bibs, coats and pants. (bibs are like overalls made with insulation and worn as outer gear, they are a standard.Other then Carharts seriously No Cotton for your outer wear or long johns. Polarfleece and Capaline are the way to go.Also remember that local second hand stores and gear swaps are a good way to get kids gear.A great article about dressing for winter activities in Juneau http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/ethni��Basic layering systemhttp://www.discoverak.com/DOCS/PACKING_W��some military infohttp://www.usarak.army.mil/main/survivin��Fairbanks area gear store:http://bigrays.com/http://www.akgear.com/http://www.prospectoroutfitters.com/General Climate and weather info by regionhttp://www.travelalaska.com/Climate/Aver��
If your re just doing this to spreadout the clothing expenditures then buy Visa or MC gift cards for yourself and family, then just tuck them away. I only say this because your kids could grow two inches, gain 20 pounds, etc. The same applies to you and your wife. It would be a shame if you spent $300 on pants only to find out they don t fit 13 months from now.Now if you find some good deals on Parkas then go for it at least for yourself and your wife, but the kid(s) could hit a growth spurt and the coats may be too small.Thanks for serving our country!
Layers of cloths. Turtleneck - sweater/sweatshirt/- winter coat.I d suggest looking at the winter clothing at www.llbean.com. You will want mittens, gloves, hats.My brother lives in Anchorage (Elmendorf) , I know he buys some of his gear at Cabelas.http://www.cabelas.com/
Obviously something really warm. You can check what are the average highs and lows in alaska from month to month. That should give you an idea of what to pack for every season.