Spring Snow by Everett Vinzant is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at wn7ant.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at wn7ant.com.

It was 80 degrees 48 hours before this picture was taken. For anyone planning a hike, the change in the weather might have been a problem. So the question is, how much stuff is sensible to have for the unplanned, and what should you leave home?

Short answer, take what you need. Don’t take a bunch of extra stuff. Common sense will have to help you sort it out. Start with a long sleeve wool shirt. You’ll be warm, even if it gets wet.

Throw a down liner under it for colder days, and a rain shield over the top for inclement weather. This layering system will work all winter, and you never wear more than needed. Bring the layers that you’re not wearing if weather, or uncertainty about the weather, dictates. So yes, be ready.

Don’t bring your layers, an Adirondack, a ski jacket, a trench coat, a leather jacket, and a wind breaker. Find fewer, lighter things that can do the same job. Even better, find things that do multiple jobs (and do them well). It’s about elegant solutions, and using your brain. Make something.

What do you need for your purpose?