Winter is here and, here in Arizona, it means that the winters are mild and, depending on where in Arizona you live, that means no snow and mild temperatures. Even though it doesn’t get as cold as other locations of the United States, it can still get cold outside. Since I shared my favorite summer essentials earlier this year, I wanted to share five of my favorite clothing essentials to survive an Arizona winter.

Boots

For me, boots are an essential clothing staple in an Arizona winter wardrobe, like it would be in a cooler climate, but in Arizona there is more flexibility to what boots you can wear. You can wear boots that are in style that season and not worry about freezing you feet. But I need to add that even though it doesn’t snow in Arizona except in the mountains, it can still rain. And when it rains, it can get very cold. So, even though it’s fun to have boots that are in style for the season, it’s best to own a pair of practical pair of rain boots or water resistant boots just in case the temperatures drop and you need to walk on wet sidewalks and streets.

 

Hoodie

The biggest joke I hear from anyone who lived in colder climates is that you can tell who is from Arizona and live there year round because once the temperature drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the Arizonans start to wear hoodies. I’m guilty of wearing hoodies, or in the case of some winter years, living in a hoodie all winter. I believe the reason behind this is because Arizonans are so used to the hot temperatures of summer when it gets cooler outside, we want to stay warm… but without wearing a jacket.

 

Light Weight Jacket

Although I love my hoodies and sweatshirts, I also love light weight jackets. I like to wear them on days when the morning is cooler than the afternoon. That way I can wear a sweatshirt underneath the light weight jacket and take off the jacket whenever I feel too warm to wear the jacket, but too cold to wear just a t-shirt. Also, light weight jackets are great to wear whenever it’s raining outside but the temperature is still pretty warm.

 

Heavy Jacket

Even though Arizona’s winter does not normally get very cold, it can get cold during one of Arizona’s winter rainstorms. This is why I always like to keep a heavy jacket available to wear whenever temperatures drop. I don’t normally own a jacket that is suitable for arctic climates as it would be too warm to wear in Arizona, but I like to wear jackets with padding in them.

 

Blue Jeans

Blue jeans in Arizona are always a staple in my Arizona winter wardrobe. Not only do they keep the legs warm, it is also common to see people wearing jeans in Arizona year round. (I blame this on the fact there are still a lot of ranchers, cowboys, and farmers in Arizona) I don’t like to wear jeans with rips or holes in them because it will make my legs cold. Many people aren’t bothered by rips in jeans, but for me it does.

 

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for reading!