Packing for an Alaska cruise can feel a bit overwhelming, especially if (like us) you haven’t traveled much recently. When sailing with UnCruise Adventures, you’ll need to pack outdoor gear in addition to regular clothing. UnCruise is all about getting passengers into the outdoors, rain or shine. As they say, there’s no bad weather, only bad gear.
The good news is that the summer in Southeast Alaska is pretty mild. During the months of May through September, when UnCruise sails the Inside Passage, temperatures range from 55-65 degrees, but on both of our trips we also experienced high temps in the 70s and 80s.
What To Bring
Here are some essentials that we recommend you bring with you:
Outdoor Layers: Leave the heavy jackets at home. You’ll want gear that can be layered. We recommend a thin fleece, a vest, and a waterproof rain jacket. Layer it all on when it’s cold or wet, peel it off piece-by-piece when the sun comes out.
Rain pants: Waterproof rain pants are a necessity for hikes and bushwhacks. They’ll also keep your clothes from getting muddy! They’ll help keep you warm on skiff tours. That’s when you go fast and far, sightseeing on a small boat.
Related: What It’s Like To Spend A Week Sailing Alaska’s Inside Passage
Rubber boots: You’ll make “wet landings” when arriving on shore. You’ll need a pair of tall rubber boots to get you from boat to land. You’ll also wear your boots on hikes and bushwhacks. Boots will protect your legs and keep your feet dry in the forest.
UnCruise keeps extra pairs available to borrow during your sailing. However, you may prefer to bring your own pair for best fit and availability. UnCruise doesn’t have youth boots available on-board so be sure to bring a pair for your kids.
Sneakers: Bring sneakers or casual shoes for walking around the ship. You’ll want something more sturdy than sandals as the deck can get slippery when it’s wet.
Ball cap and/or beanie: Bring a hat or two. It can get chilly when visiting glaciers and you might encounter rain. A cap will also keep leaves and debris off your head as you bushwhack through the forest.
Casual clothing: Attire is casual on the ship. Very casual. Don’t worry about dressing up, even for dinners. While on board, that means t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, and even shorts.
Swimsuit: You might not think you’d need a swimsuit in Alaska, but depending on your vessel, there may be a hot tub on board. You may also have the opportunity to do a polar plunge on your sailing (that’s when you jump off the back of the ship into freezing cold water).
Water gear: If you plan to paddle board or kayak, you may want water shoes, too. Gloves might comes in handy on the kayak, especially when paddling near glaciers.
Small backpack: Have a small backpack with you to take along for shore excursions. This will hold things like your camera, binoculars, sunscreen, water and extra layers. A waterproof or water-resistant bag would be a good idea in case of rain.
Check out the complete packing list on the UnCruise website.
What Not To Bring
We brought hiking shoes, but didn’t wear them on our trip. We wore rubber boats for all of our hikes. Our bulky hiking boots took up a lot of room in our luggage. There was only one optional shore excursion that called for regular hiking shoes, a “mountain goat” climb up the side of the glacier. We skipped that one. Given the difficult terrain, the participants of that activity were definitely glad to have hiking shoes on. So it’s up to you whether you bring yours.
Things you don’t need to bring with you include: water bottles, sunscreen, insect repellent and binoculars. These items are available to use on-board. Trekking poles are also available to borrow if you ned them.
Related: 6 Things to Know about Booking with UnCruise
Plan to unpack your clothing. Packing cubes kept our clothes contained in the drawers and closets in our cabin. To make more space in the cabin, we stowed our luggage underneath our beds. Even our large suitcases slid easily underneath the beds.
There aren’t any laundry services on the ship so bring enough clothes for the week! Worst case scenario, there’s a small gear store aboard the vessel. However, the selection and sizes are limited.
