When I started college there were four groups to my clothes:
- my everyday essentials: the clothes that I knew from the beginning I was going to need and wear almost every day (I’m not going to talk about this one any more than this description because I’m almost certain nobody is going to be forgetting these)
- Items I brought thinking I probably wouldn’t need but ended up being more useful than I imagined: these were clothes that I was fully expecting would never leave my drawer but ended up being incredibly useful in the right situation
- Clothes that I forgot at home or thought I wouldn’t need but did: this category is pretty self-explanatory, no?
- Items I brought and never wore: articles of clothing that I was convinced I would need from reading blogs and those lists that stores provide you with about moving into college
Disclaimer: Most of these clothes that I’m talking about I already owned and accumulated over many years, from varying locations and for varying purposes. I by no means bought all of these items at the same time.
Depending on where you go to college affects these lists, I grew up in Maine and I’m now going to college in Upstate New York. Therefore, my climate didn’t change THAT much when I left for school, however, there are some surprising differences that I wasn’t expecting, and didn’t plan for, but I probably should have.
Let’s get into it!
Winter Gear
- Winter Boots: shockingly enough, I didn’t own a good pair of winter boots until the winter of my freshman year of college. I grew up in Maine and somehow managed to squeeze my feet into the same boots I’d been wearing for probably at least 5 years, they weren’t any good quality either. I own a pair of tall Bearpaws too and managed to survive every year between those two, but my freshman year I decided to invest in a really good pair of tall winter boots for those storms that managed to dump a foot of snow overnight. I only ended up paying between $60-$80 for these boots, but they are the most comfortable and warm boots I’ve ever seen. Between these, my Bearpaw Boots, and my hiking boots, I’ve been set for winters in Maine and Upstate New York.
- Winter Hats: I could get by with just one winter hat, but I love them too much for that, maybe it’s because winter seems to last half the year in Maine, or maybe I just really like cute winter hats, but I have too many to count. I have hats that are snugger for when it’s cold and windy and more loose-fitting ones for the other days. My college is on top of a very large hill and the wind can honestly knock your hat off sometimes if you’re not careful. When walking to class in the winter, covering your head and ears are a must.
- Gloves/Mittens: I grew up skiing and have had several pairs of both mittens and gloves. My ideal walking-to-class set up is a pair of thin-ish gloves with touchscreen technology underneath a thicker pair of mittens. This way if I need to use my phone while I’m outside my hands aren’t completely exposed. A couple of winters ago I got a pair of mittens and thin gloves on sale at the North Face outlet and love them. They work great for downhill skiing and other outdoor fun as well, so it’s a win-win.
Rain Gear
I’m the type of person that HATES carrying an umbrella, they’re annoying to carry in my opinion and what do you do with it when it’s soaked and you’ve gotten to your destination. I also feel that they’re usually always too small and weak or way too large and could cover you and all of your friends if you huddle together on the way to class. Needless to say, I don’t own one and don’t care to. My rain gear consists of these articles, and I’ll let you know why I have the specific items that I have.
- Hiking or waterproof pants: I have two different varieties of these, I have a pair of Swix pants from my cross country skiing career in high school and a pair of waterproof pants that I got from Eddie Bauer. These may not seem necessary at first. However, when you walk for 5 or even 10 minutes to and from class in the rain these come in really handy for not having soaked pants when you get to class. My Swix pants also work well in the snow and heavy winds, when it’s really cold out, I throw a pair of leggings underneath and they’re amazing (almost like that’s what they’re made for!)
- A Raincoat (or two): it rains quite a bit at my school, however, sometimes it rains when it’s really hot out and sometimes it rains when it’s really cold out. My winter coat isn’t exactly waterproof and I haven’t found a raincoat that’s good in cold and warm weather so I have two raincoats. I have one from The North Face and one from Columbia. I prefer a raincoat with a large hood that will shield my face (and most importantly, my glasses) from the rain, but if I don’t have a large hood, I’ll wear a baseball cap to stop the rain from hitting my face.
- Waterproof Hiking Boots (or rain boots): I already had a nice pair of waterproof hiking boots that I love and are broken in, and I have bad feet so rain boots hurt my feet after a few minutes of wearing them. I like to keep my clothes and my shoes to a minimum so having multiple pairs of shoes when 1 pair can serve multiple purposes isn’t my style. Are my hiking boots cute? Not really, but they go well with the aesthetic of my rain pants, so it’s fine. If rain boots are more your style though, that’s fine too. If you go the hiking boot route and they’re higher-top boot style, make sure you wear tall socks underneath to avoid blisters or uncomfortable spots where the top of your socks rub in the boots.
Odds and Ends
- Sneakers: You will likely end up doing a lot of walking at college and a good pair of shoes that support your feet are a must. My arches are really bad, so sneakers with arch support are my go-to most days.
- Slippers: I never wore slippers at my house and when I go home, I still don’t. However, when you live in a dorm, you don’t want to have to put on normal shoes just to go to the bathroom or get water from the fountain in the hallway. I love these slippers that I got from LLBean years ago, they are super comfy and help to keep my feet warm when my dorm or apartment gets a little chilly.
- Shower Shoes: These are a MUST, who knows what goes on in those shared showers, or how often they get cleaned, or how clean other people’s feet might be. There are endless possibilities that make it so important to have a pair of shower shoes or just a cheap pair of flip flops that you don’t care about and will dry out quickly.