Guides
Packing for the Alps in shoulder season
Layers, not luggage. A practical guide to being comfortable at 3,000 metres in September.
By Lukas Meier · Aug 30, 2025 · 4 min read
The valley will be 24°C and the summit station 6°C, often on the same afternoon. The answer is not more clothes; it is the right three layers and a small bag you don't mind carrying.
The list
A merino base layer, a light fleece or insulated vest, and a packable shell. Trail shoes with grip. Sunglasses (the glacier glare is real). A 1-litre bottle — every village fountain is drinkable.
Leave the hiking poles at home unless you use them regularly; the huts sell them and the trains rarely have room.