What to pack for Scotland in July
July in Scotland is summer, but a cool and changeable one. Edinburgh usually tops out in the mid 60s, the Highlands are a little cooler, and a sunny morning can turn into sideways rain by lunch. The days are extraordinarily long, with light in the sky until well after 10pm.
So the list is built as if you were packing for spring. A waterproof jacket with a hood is non-negotiable, a fleece or warm sweater lives in your daypack, and your shoes should handle a wet trail as well as a cobbled street. In the west Highlands, you will also want a plan for the midges.
Checked
The weather
- Daytime high
- 66°F
- 19°C in Edinburgh. The Highlands run a few degrees cooler.
- Overnight low
- 52°F
- 11°C. Evenings feel colder in the wind.
- Wet days
- ~11
- In Edinburgh. The west coast sees rain on many more.
- Daylight
- 17 h
- Sunrise before 5am and sunset after 9:30pm.
The capsule
A week, one traveler, Woodland palette. Chocolate, olive and ivory that look at home on a city street or a Highland trail. A capsule is a few clothes in one palette (a base color, a neutral and an accent) that all go together. The full list below adds what sits outside it.
Layers
Waterproof shell
Fleece jacket
Wool sweater
Tops
Merino long-sleeve
Long-sleeve tee
Flannel shirt
Bottoms
Quick-dry hiking pants
Dark jeans
Shoes
Waterproof hiking boots
Leather sneakers
Three days from this capsule
Shown for one traveler. Packlier packs a capsule like this for each person on the trip.
The full list
Clothes
- Waterproof jacket with a hood
- Fleece or insulated midlayer
- Warm sweater
- Four or five tops, including two long-sleeve
- Quick-dry hiking pants
- Jeans or pants for town
- Rain pants, if you plan to hike
- Wool socks
- Swimsuit, for a hotel pool or a very brave swim
Shoes
- Waterproof walking shoes or boots, broken in
- Comfortable shoes for the city
Outdoors
- Packable daypack
- Midge repellent and a head net
- Tick remover
- Refillable water bottle
- Sunscreen and sunglasses
- Rain hat
- Light scarf
Documents and tech
- Passport
- Driver’s license, if you are renting a car
- Travel insurance details
- Contactless card; cash is rarely needed
- Type G plug adapter (230V)
- Power bank
- Downloaded offline maps for the Highlands
Toiletries
- Eye mask for the short nights
- Blister bandages
- Any prescriptions, in your carry-on
Gear worth the space
A hooded waterproof shell
Light enough to carry all day and taped at the seams. It is the single most important thing you will pack.
A midge head net
It weighs almost nothing and folds into a pocket. When the midges are out, it is the only thing that fully works.
Waterproof walking shoes
Low boots or trail shoes with a waterproof lining handle wet paths without the weight of full hiking boots.
A packable daypack
Room for a spare layer, water and lunch. Scotland rewards stopping wherever the view is good, not where the café is.
Light until after 10pm, and sideways rain by lunch. Packlier packs your July for the hills and the city.
Tell it where, when, why, which bag and which palette, and it packs the capsule, checks it against the bag and adds everything that is not clothing. Launching this year on Android, with iOS to follow.
One email at launch, nothing else.