Sharing my real-life carry-on packing list for a long weekend in San Francisco.
I’m happy to be back in this space to share a real-life packing list with you!
I’m pretty confident this was the longest trip of 2023 – five days in San Francisco to spend time with friends and attend their wedding (side note – have you seen San Francisco’s City Hall? It’s stunning).
Like us, many of our friends haven’t tied the knot yet, and it has been a really long time since I’ve shared a wedding guest packing list (the last one was over five years ago, for a long weekend in Puerto Vallarta). While I’m obviously more thrilled about our friends’ nuptials than anything else, I’m also eager to be able to talk once again about how my packing strategy shifts a little when packing for special events.
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For most trips, I approach packing with a mix-and-match mindset: pulling pieces from my closet that will pair well with more than one other item in my suitcase, increasing wearability and reducing the total number of items I need to bring.
But special events often require a special wardrobe – one you can’t rewear on other days throughout your trip – and that’s okay. It just means being extra efficient with the rest of your packed items and choosing easy-to-pack occasion pieces.
What doesn’t change when I pack for a special event? My refusal to pay for luggage.
Looking for more packing list inspiration? Discover what's in my suitcase each season: Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter
It helped in this instance that our cross-country flights were on a legacy carrier that doesn’t charge for a carry-on. Had our flights been with a budget carrier, it would have been a much more challenging weekend to pack for (though I’m happy to share that I do have a five-day personal item packing list for San Francisco if you’re interested!).
Before I crack open my suitcase and show you what was inside, here’s some helpful information to keep in mind about this particular visit:
Time of Year | Mid-October.
Weather | Highs peaking at 72°F, lows around 56°F; no precipitation, but long stretches of sunshine can be replaced by fog in the blink of an eye.
Itinerary | Hanging out, dining out, exploring the city, attending a wedding, going to bars/clubs.
Method of Travel | Plane, public transit, and rideshares.
Luggage | One carry-on suitcase℅ (reviewed here) and one backpack to maximize space without paying baggage fees.
Ready to get packing? Here’s everything I packed for a long weekend in San Francisco:
FALL PACKING LIST FOR SAN FRANCISCO
WHY I CHOSE THESE ITEMS
San Francisco style is pretty laid-back. From logo caps and tees (emblazoned with the logos of sports teams and tech companies) to hikecore (so much Patagonia…), the city’s overall vibe skews pretty casual. That’s not to say there aren’t people dressed up or dressed in business attire – there are, and you’ll fit in if that’s your thing – it’s just that the city’s residents seem to prioritize things other than fashion.
Knowing that, I went in with a jeans-and-a-tee formula for this packing list. Here’s why I selected these specific ones:
Tops
Cool evenings and warm days called for a variety of sleeve lengths and fabrics, so I pulled a few favorite wool, cotton, and silk options. Several question marks on our very rough itinerary meant I needed to be prepared for going out to a nice dinner or simply hanging out on the rooftop, and I figured a sweet sheer top could handle both situations quite nicely.
Bottoms
Long days of flying across the country call for soft pants, and this wool pair is ultra cozy yet doesn’t look rumpled by the time I land. As for the denim, I stuck with two pairs of high-rise jeans in blue and soft black, ready to pair with any of my tops.
Outerwear
Two jackets seem a little overkill, but in the end, I was glad to have both. A trench served me well in the city’s dense fog and when temps sat squarely in the upper-60s, while my leather jacket (reviewed here) was there for me in my time of need (when the temps dipped into the 50s).
I packed a fluffy alpaca cardigan (reviewed here) as a topper for my jumpsuit in case it felt chilly in City Hall, but it was also great insurance in case the temperatures dipped even lower (buttoned up, it makes for a cute sweater!).
Occasionwear
We adore our friends, but would have loved a little more guidance on the dress code for the ceremony (“anything from jeans to dress clothes” leaves a lot of room for interpretation!). I played it safe with a thrifted wide-leg navy jumpsuit that would easily fade into the background and could be worn without special undergarments. Let’s just say I had zero intentions of packing or wearing a strapless or silicone bra for this trip!
Shoes + Accessories
Saving the best for last! Were it not for the wedding, I would have only packed my waterproof loafers and sneakers – two styles that are fairly basic at first but warrant a second glance. For my wedding guest footwear, I knew I wanted something close-toed and fairly flat (otherwise I would have gone with my Sarah Flint sandals).
I poked around eBay and Poshmark for a fun pair of silver flats but ended up just wearing this classic pair of slingbacks. With cushioned support, they were comfortable enough for all the walking we wound up doing that day, and it was a good choice. Accessories-wise, I kept everything super minimal; a different bag would have been better for the ceremony, but I didn’t want to pack yet another single-use item, so I stuck with my go-to: a black crossbody.
SAN FRANCISCO OUTFITS
With my bases covered, all I had to do each day was check the forecast to choose a sleeve length and decide whether I felt like wearing blue jeans or black jeans. Easy peasy!
*this item is no longer available and a similar product is linked
THE TAKEAWAY: PACKING FOR SAN FRANCISCO IN THE FALL
I intentionally kept this packing list safe.
Safe for comfort, safe for temperature, and safe because this trip wasn’t about me. To do my part to keep the focus on the bride, I steered clear of anything dramatic or attention-grabbing. Frankly, I’m not mad about it – neutrals and quality basics are always going to be my jam.
The takeaway here isn’t novel, but it is important: having a wardrobe that is both beautiful and functional in a variety of environments is incredibly freeing. When it comes time to pack for a city, whether it’s a fashion-forward one like New York or a more laidback place like San Francisco, your job is a cinch. Just grab your favorites and go!
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Questions for you
What is your go-to wedding guest outfit?
How does your packing strategy change when your plans include special events?
Enjoyed this post? You may also like:
- Photo Diary: Attending a Wedding at San Francisco’s City Hall + A Mini Directory
- Instagram Stories Highlight: San Francisco
- San Francisco in One Square Mile: Exploring Cow Hollow, Russian Hill, and the Marina District
- Traveling Light: Packing List for Five Days in San Francisco
- Included in this post: A Review of the Maha Leather Jacket from ABLE
- Included in this post: A Review of Sunski’s Baia Sunglasses
- Included in this post: A Review of Quince’s Alpaca Cardigan
- Included in this post: A Review of the Frame Ponte Culotte from wool&
- Included in this post: A Review of the Solgaard Carry-On Closet
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