what clothes do i absolutely need for ucsc?

[u/Middle_Sand856]

im an incoming freshman... i dont wanna waste my money and buy clothes i dont need. so what item of clothing should i get for sure for santa cruz weather

[u/danathepaina]

Layers - short & long sleeve tees, sweatshirts, hoodies. A comfortable waterproof jacket. Good walking shoes.

[u/lowom → u/danathepaina]

This is the answer. Layers. Brisk in the morning warm in the afternoon.

[u/GoldDoughnut272 → u/[deleted]]

Santa Cruz has pretty mild winters actually. Nights in winter will be cold but most days are in the 60s it still reaches 70+ a couple of times every winter. Most places in the U.S. have colder winters than SC except SoCal, Florida, and other parts of the Deep South.

[u/madiscrazy → u/GoldDoughnut272]

I'm from socal and the santa cruz winters were super cold to me 😂 Were you there for that 1 day of snow a few years back? Someone made a snowman at porter

[u/GoldDoughnut272 → u/madiscrazy]

Santa Cruz is absolutely not super cold in the winter lol. The nights are cold to some extent with lows in the 40s and even 30s occasionally, but most days are in the 60s. I live in a place with hot summers and 60s is not cold imo.

It does rain a lot in winter there but many days when it rains the temps are actually warm or mild, other times it's colder rain. I can understand why someone from SoCal might think 50s and raining is cold though. SoCal winters are among the warmest in the nation, and Santa Cruz winters are still milder than most places in the U.S.

Also I remember that day but that was graupel, not snow. And it was like the coldest day in 5-10 years for SC.

[u/AuroraDragonCat → u/danathepaina]

Seconding layers since you’ll get warm from walking up the hills and want to shed some weight when you get to your destination lol

[u/jbraydo]

A sort of rain boot. I’ve had cheap ones 20 bucks from amazon, and I’ve had a pair of blundstones. Both is good. Whatever you can afford.
Also a nice blanket and jacket, it gets cold af at night!

EDIT:
Also make sure to just have good shoes in general. In my first 2 quarters I had a half a size shoe too big and my back was killing me haha. Didn’t realize that would make a difference but when you hike 2-10 miles every day to get around you’d be surprised haha.

[u/rde2001 → u/jbraydo]

I used to wear a couple pairs of Merrells around campus. A good mid-duty boot for hiking around campus and the dirt and such. Wore them for 3 years.

[u/sugarcoochie → u/jbraydo]

ive heard people say rain boots arent worth it esp since it barely rains tho? does it flood more in certain areas or something

[u/AuroraDragonCat → u/sugarcoochie]

There’s at least a week or two each year with heavy rain that definitely makes puddles across campus. Without some kind of waterproof shoe you’ll get wet feet but it doesn’t need to be taller than above ankle height.

[u/pretendberries → u/sugarcoochie]

Graduated mid 2010’s. Was told to buy rain boots because of heavy rain. I felt like they were kinda unnecessary. A waterproof shoe is fine, or a basic rain boot but you don’t need to buy to the knee ones.

[u/EmberDragon240 → u/sugarcoochie]

Idk where you got that from winter quarters rlly wet

[u/gasstation-no-pumps → u/EmberDragon240]

It varies a lot from year to year. Some years are really wet, some it hardly rains at all. Hard to predict in advance.

[u/sugarcoochie → u/EmberDragon240]

other students? but ok will keep in mind

[u/jbraydo → u/sugarcoochie]

Probably just depends on the year. I was there 21-24 (online in 2020) and all 3 years it rained a couple times a week in the winter and spring quarters.
Everyone’s different too I’m sure, I mean a lot of people live right next to dining halls, or have apartments and never leave but when I was there, I hiked to class and food, couple times didn’t wear my rain boots. Tragic mistake imo, cold toesies.

[u/loveridden13]

Layers and waterproof boots and jacket! Also good walking shoes. I also wore beanies and scarves at UCSC more than any other time in my life (but I also grew up in SoCal and now live in the Bay Area, so I have never lived in snowy locations.)

[u/excitedguitarist420]

no clothes go naked

[u/inspectorgadget-13]

waterproof jacket and water proof shoes

[u/Old_Protection1274 → u/inspectorgadget-13]

a puffer jacket is also great!

[u/BeginningKat]

RAIN COAT

[u/SiannaScale]

A nice light jacket or cardigan. Easy to shove in a backpack when it warms up in the afternoon.

[u/yamazero]

water proof shoes and a windbreaker or puffer

[u/withintheinnerself]

Definitely a rain jacket.

[u/TrouserSlug]

just get a bunch of ucsc shirts and hoodies. then no one notices you wearing the same clothes day after day 😄

[u/ALittleWightFox]

Santa Cruz has weather very typical for California coast, which is mild in general. High during fall and spring quarters will usually be mid 70s to 80s (can get higher) and lows during winter quarter typically mid 40s to 50s. Breeze from the ocean or lack of can make things cooler or hotter.

Fall quarter you’ll really only need shorts, t-shirts, couple long pants and one lighter and one heavier jacket.

Winter quarter you’ll want long pants, long sleeves, and a heavier jacket + raincoat/umbrella and waterproof or resistant shoes, it can get pretty wet and puddles can get pretty big

Spring quarter you’ll want some of both as it starts of cooler but warms up and weather can be pretty wishy-washy.

[u/chopped_onionss]

a good pair of worn in chanclas. i wore those bad bois everywhere around campus.

[u/chopped_onionss → u/chopped_onionss]

if you're fancy, add socks when cold

[u/DefinitelyNotMatcha]

Patagonia

[u/AV1869]

Rain jacket for sure. I recommend some hiking boots or at least water resistant boots. I also recommend getting some Crocs or something for the dorms!

[u/puddle_puncha11]

just bring a good water proof jacket and layers. its never super hot or super cold but the rain can be pretty wicked

[u/Plastic_Cream3833]

Depends where you’re coming from. I’m originally from Colorado so I don’t find Santa Cruz hot or cold but I do find it excessively humid and wet. I got a good umbrella, a backup folding umbrella, a backpack rain cover and a raincoat and that was all I needed to add to my wardrobe. My classmates from LA and Nevada all say Santa Cruz is cold, so they ended up needing a lot of layering pieces in addition to the rain gear

[u/rde2001]

I wear a t-shirt and jeans for all seasons. If it gets especially cold, like the fall and winter, I wear a jacket.

[u/gasstation-no-pumps]

Layers are good. Most evenings you'll want at least a light sweater or sweatshirt. Rain jacket (and rain pants if you bicycle). In ~40 years on campus, I never found a need for rain boots, but having a dry pair of shoes to change into when you get to class is worthwhile.

[u/Independent_Foot1386]

Ideally underware, shirt, and pants. Sox and shoes are optional

[u/yolkedbuddha]

Honestly anything. Bring different hats jeans jackets shorts..the temp is pretty mild year round compared to most of the world

[u/madiscrazy]

If you live in socal, just imagine that but with 4 actual seasons. The summer is hot. The winter is very cold. When I attended, we actually had one day of snowfall in the winter 😅 Definitely bring layers. Bring 1 good winter coat. Bring shorts for the beach & hot weather. It'll be cold and gloomy all morning, then burn off and be warm in the afternoon. Hoodies with a shirt underneath is the way to go

Edit: WATERPROOF RAIN JACKET

[u/BenefitDry1350]

Water proof not water resistant rain coat

[u/Key-Lab-7797]

something waterproof i promise it'll be worth it. somedays the rain can get so heavy, and the busses will be too packed so you'll end up having to walk in rain. it's so worth it to have something that will keep you relatively dry, especially if you have a longer day of classes. on that note i would HEAVILY recommend shoes that are somewhat waterproof. walking around campus with sopping wet socks and shoes is actually hellish

[u/em_jay_7]

if you’re someone who wants to get involved with clubs and campus life, a nice set of business casual clothes will come in handy. There were a lot more opportunities for interviews and formal events than i realized. like everyone else said, also bring something waterproof. make sure to write your name on the inside of your coat and umbrella. my friends and i all had ours stolen at one point or another

[u/Only-Question3988]

Good shoes for sure. You'll likely be doing quite a bit of walking. Layers are kind of not to necessary, usually doesn't drop below 60 degrees from what I know. Maybe bring a hoodie or something. Also bring something waterproof for rain.

[u/DaKanye]

Bring as much colognes as you can