oregon trip packing list

How to Pack for a Trip to Oregon

Visiting Oregon has long been on our list of travel destinations. We’ve heard so many great stories about the Pacific North West (the PNW for short) – some real and some more fantasy driven like ghost stories, murder mysteries, and so on (check out the PNW Stories Podcasts if you’re into that sort of thing).

The moody and atmospheric environment really contributes to this feeling that you are somewhere otherworldly, and the overgrown forests dense with huge trees and virtually ancient moss is pretty intoxicating.

As you might already know, this area of the world sees a lot of rain – pretty much constantly whether it be a light mist, drizzle, or an actual storm. While visiting Oregon for 3 days, we got a taste of a variety of the weather on offer, and as a result hope to help you with prepping for your own trip there.

A lot of experience for packing for a trip to Oregon actually came from our Iceland trip – where we had to prepare heavily for a diverse range of temperatures and weather patterns. A location like this is always a little more tricky to pack for than going to a Caribbean island where you are virtually always guaranteed warm temperatures and sunny skies. That’s where we come in! 🙂

What to Expect When Traveling to Oregon

multnomah falls oregon photography landscape

We flew into the airport in Portland, and pretty much immediately after getting off the plane we could sense a difference in the environment. Even just walking around and people watching, one could tell that Oregon attracts some different people than we see in other areas of the world. A lot of people ready to go out for a hike, artistic types, and (dare we say) hipsters. No judgment of course as we basically fit into these categories to some extent anyways, but we point it out because it is one of the first and immediately noticeable thing that indicates you are in a different place. To us, it felt like a home away from home.

Once we got our car rental sorted out and hit the road, the next thing to really hit us was the beautiful scenery. In particular, the vibrant greens of the trees and moss all around. Seeing this from the highway is one thing, driving on some long and winding backroads is another, and even more interesting still is actually taking the time to hike through it all at one of the beautiful state parks.

While in Portland, the city is actually quite nice and “comfortable” (for a lack of better words). Our immediate comparison of any new city we visit is to NYC and Philly, both of which are close by to where we live – and both are fairly imposing in their own ways. Portland is a lot lower to the ground, and generally people seem friendlier. We spent a good deal of time in the city ourselves, first grabbing some lunch and returning back to check out the farmer’s market at the university and other sights like the Japanese Zen Garden.

Now, our trip led us to the Oregon coast – specifically to the area of Arch Cape and Cannon Beach. As mentioned, our drive there was something like out of a film due to the weather, fog, trees, moss…Upon arrival, the coast itself is both beautiful and hidden with secrets. Unlike most beaches we have been to, the moodiness of the Oregon coast is what was really attractive to us – and we got this in spades.

While at Cannon Beach, the wind was so aggressive it was blowing sand across the beach. The models we shot with were up for it, and it added some serious drama to their images. At Hug Point (close by to Cannon Beach), we saw a beautiful waterfall flowing into the ocean – something really unique to say the least. And if you’re a Goonies fan like we are, that moment when you finally get to see Haystack Rock in person makes the whole trip!

Altogether – Oregon is a beautiful place from the little we’ve experienced of it. It’s already back on our list to visit again in the future!

Want to see some photos from our Cannon Beach shoot? Check out our blog post: Natalia + David – Cannon Beach & Hug Point Photo Shoot

Packing List for Oregon

Before you can pack to travel to Oregon, you will need a suitable suitcase, carry on bag, and travel backpack.

General Supplies

These are all items we brought along with us on our trip to Oregon. While your specific needs might vary, in general the majority of these items are essential for the average trip to Oregon.

Having stayed at a B&B for the duration of our trip, a lot of things we might have taken for a camping trip were unnecessary thanks to having a washer-and-dryer and other amenities already cared for.

Photography Equipment

While none of these items are “necessary,” they are recommended for the photographers among you who have found this Oregon packing list. These are our recommendations based on what we used while traveling through the Oregon to document our trip there, and take beautiful photos of the landscape there.

You can see more photos we took on our Hand and Arrow Photography website if you’d like!

Given the number of items, we have italicized our highest recommendations that will give you the most bang for your buck. If you are interested in reading more about any of these items, use the search function at the top right of our website and you will find plenty of content about them, our thoughts & how we use them in our photography work.

Clothing

Of all the things we had to pack, clothes were the most difficult to prepare for without taking up all of our suitcase space. Oregon in April is one of those months where it can be hit-or-miss with the temperature, but rain is pretty uniformly in the forecast. And even if it’s not, it sometimes shows up anyways.

Generally speaking, we looked for clothing that would be suitable for a range of temperatures and rainy weather.

The biggest tip for what to wear in Oregon, especially during the cooler and highest rainfall months, is to prepare layers of clothing. On a warm and sunny day (yes – they do happen, and yes – we did see the sun once!), you can get away with 1 or 2 layers of clothing such as a t-shirt and a long sleeve thermal put over top or a light jacket. On colder days filled with rain or snow (in the winter or higher elevations), you will want to build on this look with additional layers including a water and wind proof coat. This approach brings a lot of flexibility, and even within a single day you might find yourself adding or removing layers. We did this ourselves!

For Men

For Women

If you are only planning to stay in Portland, some of the necessities you would want for a hiking trip would not be necessary. With that said, most people visiting Oregon are probably, at least, taking some time to hike in the beautiful natural environments.

Conclusion

oregon travel photography tree

Oregon is a pretty cool place to visit, with a lot to see and do in a pretty compact area. It only takes a few hours to get to the coast from Portland, where most will be flying into. We made this drive ourselves twice in our 3 day stay, and it was pretty worth it to see some of the popular sights as well as some off the beaten path.

We hope our packing list for Oregon helps you to better prepare for your trip out there. If you have any questions about traveling here, leave them in the comments below!

Chris Romans

Chris Romans is a photographer, educator, and the creator of Formed From Light, a resource for photographers who want to build stronger creative skills, better business systems, and more sustainable photography businesses. With over 10 years of professional experience as a wedding and portrait photographer, Chris brings a practical, real-world perspective to topics like client communication, photography workflows, business strategy, gear, editing, and creative development. He also co-owns Hand and Arrow Photography with his wife, Jes, where they have photographed hundreds of weddings, elopements, and portrait sessions throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and beyond.

Related Posts