10 June 2007
How To Dress Like A Local In Juneau - Stay Dry, Warm, & Comfortable
Posted by Darrell under: Alaska; Tips & Ideas .
Before and after my recent Spring Bear Hunt, I was staying in Juneau, Alaska. During the few days I was there, I learned a couple useful things about how to dress while in Juneau. I assume this would hold true in other parts of SE Alaska, too.
The Basic Wardrobe Necessities
In Junea you can spot a tourist from a mile away. You can also spot a local from afar. Locals, especially the outdoor types (which most are), have their own look. If you want to blend right in, just wear some old Carharts or Levis and a hoodie sweatshirt. I’m not kidding, everywhere you look people are wearing ratty old hoodie sweatshirts. Fortunately, my outfitter (Keegan McCarty), suggested I bring along some hoodie sweatshirts. I always wear jeans, so combined with the old hoodies I brought, I was able to blend in. You’d expect everyone to be wearing boots, but most everyone had on an old pair of tennis shoes. With this look - you’ll fit right in - at least until it starts raining.
Preparing To Stay Dry
Once the rain sets in, a different (but consistent) look emerges. I was warned before embarking on this trip to leave my goretex at home. The reason, I later learned, is that it can take it a long time to dry back out. The locals have a solution to this drying out problem.
When the rain starts (as it inevitably will), everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, dons their Helly Hansen green rubber raingear: a jacket and bibs. The introductory version of these can be purchased at the local hardware stores for about $55 for both pieces and is WELL worth the investment. In an environment where it rains all the time, there is a lot to be said for being dry. To top the whole ‘wet’ look off, EVERYONE wears their xtratuf rubber boots. These things have an amazing non-slip quality and work well on the boat and on the rocks (which can be EXTREMELY slippery). Since the water (anywhere you are going to be on a boat) is freezing cold, stability and traction is well worth the $70 or so a pair of these boots will set you back - not to mention that your feet will remain dry, which is worth something in itself. YOU MUST BUY A PAIR OF THESE BOOTS FOR SOUTHEAST ALASKA!
Practicality Is More Important Than Fashion
Dressing like a local isn’t just for the purpose of looking cool. The standards of dress have evolved from necessity. I believe that the locals dress the way they do, not out of a really cool fashion sense, but as a matter of practicality. By mimicking the local’s attire, you’ll stay comfortable, warm, and dry. And of course, you will blend in, which is important in a town where many tourist (who arrive at the harbor on a cruise ship) routinely get off the boat, look at the mountains towering around the coastal town, and ask “What is the elevation here in Juneau?”
Camo or No?
I saw very little CAMO while in Juneau. Most anyone decked out in Camo was also decked out in Goretex raingear and you could instantly peg them as a visiting hunter or fisherman. They always looked wet!
I brought a full camo ghillie suit for my spring bear hunt. However, I ended up never unpacking it. I took a Huge Black Bear with my bow. The bear was out in the open and I had no cover. I SLOWLY crawled up on the bear and took it at 45 yards without wearing camo. My guide was not wearing camo either. I’m not opposed to camo, as I have a full wardrobe and purchased extra camo stuff prior to taking this trip. I’m just saying it wasn’t necessary for my Spring Bear Hunt and it certainly won’t help you blend in while in town. In fact, wearing a camoflauge outfit in Junea, will make you stand out rather than blend in.
The best part of dressing for Junea is that it doesn’t really matter how you look. People here are used to seeing all kinds of attire on visitors. I saw leisure suits, $1,000 designer jeans, & bikinis (even though I don’t think it ever got out of the 60’s while I was there). Of course, this was all tourist coming off the cruise ships. So, dress comfortable and you’ll be all right. Locals probably won’t laugh at your face - however, they just might laugh later.
6 Comments so far...
Mandy Says:
9 June 2007 at 11:33 am.
Glad to hear you’ve had such a memorable - and quite successful - trip! Your blogging about it all has been awesome!
Randy Says:
23 April 2008 at 12:35 am.
I think it’s unfair the way you portrayed SE alaskans. I was born and raised in Juneau and let me tell you one thing about how we dress in the rain. Not many wear those hellyhansen raincoats. You wont find many raincoats at all. Or umbrellas, for that matter. When it rains here, we simply deal with it, knowing we’ll dry up as soon as we get inside. Umbrellas are for pansies, so are raincoats.
Julie Says:
24 July 2008 at 7:30 pm.
Some years ago I ventured to Alaska for a summer and spent most of the time traveling around on the marvelous state ferry system. While we brought raingear, we wound up each buying a pair of Xtratufs at our first stop. Turned out to be the greatest purchase of the trip and wore them just about every day until we got back to Seattle. I now live in the eastern US and nobody here knows what Xtratufs are and I constantly get looks when I wear them. But there are really comfortable and love wearing them.
avery chamblin Says:
27 September 2008 at 10:35 pm.
If your looking for a line of ghillie suits give us a look around
Corrine Says:
18 November 2008 at 1:55 pm.
I realize this is an older blog, but I wanted to say something about Randy’s comment.
As a longtime Juneau resident, I’d like to say that we we DO wear raincoats. Well, those of us who work outdoors and go fishing alot. You probably won’t find a raincoat in the wardrobe of someone who has is a white-collar worker, who drives a Volvo, or who doesn’t like to get fish guts on their hands. 
beduti Says:
3 February 2010 at 10:29 am.
I happen to read this poste, and I am new to all of this. Is it through an rss and more details? I wish I would learn something here.
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