Spring in the Pacific Northwest. Layered items suitable for temperatures ranging from 45°F to 65°F.

It's 7 am. Forty-eight degrees. By noon it'll be sixty-two. By four pm, probably raining. Then clearing up. Then cold again.

That's spring here. You don't dress for the weather. You dress for the changes.

Here's what I actually wore yesterday.

The Base Layer: Cotton Henley

Thin. Long sleeves. Buttons instead of a full placket. Cost me twenty bucks three years ago. The elbows are thinning. The collar is soft from washing. That's good. A stiff henley feels like cardboard.

Cotton breathes. You won't overheat when the sun comes out. But it also holds moisture. If you sweat a lot, go with wool. I don't. Cotton works fine.

The Middle Layer: Wool Flannel

Not thick flannel. Thin. Almost like a shirt jacket but not quite. This one is from a brand that went under five years ago. Found it at a thrift store for eight dollars.

Wool flannel handles the forty-five degree mornings. It doesn't soak through in light rain. And when you take it off at noon, it folds small. Fits in my backpack.

Maya says this shirt is ugly. The pattern is brown and green and something that might have been orange once. She's right. But it works.

The Outer Layer: Waxed Cotton Jacket

Not heavy. Not one of those thick Barbours that feel like wearing a tent. This one is unlined. Just waxed cotton shell. Got it from a guy on eBay who said it was "well loved." That's seller code for stained and scratched.

The wax is wearing off on the shoulders. That's fine. I rewax once a year. Takes an afternoon. I usually mess it up and get wax on my jeans.

This jacket blocks wind. Wind is what gets you here, not the cold. Forty-five degrees with no wind is fine. Forty-five with wind feels like thirty.

Also the jacket has big pockets. I keep a beanie in one. Nothing worse than cold ears at three pm when the temperature drops again.

Boots: Plain Leather

Nothing special. No insulation. Just leather and a rubber sole. Oil them twice a year. The laces are frayed. I should replace them. Haven't yet.

Leather boots work for this range because they breathe. Insulated boots make your feet sweat when it hits sixty degrees. Then you're cold again when the temp drops.

The Mistake I Made Yesterday

Left my gloves in the car. Hands got cold walking to the coffee shop. Had to put them in my jacket pockets next to the beanie. Looked stupid. Felt fine after five minutes.

What You Actually Need

You don't need four layers if you run warm. Skip the flannel. Wear a thick henley and a shell jacket.

You don't need waxed cotton. Any windproof shell works. Nylon is fine. Cheaper too.

You do need pockets. And something for your head. And boots that don't leak.

Last Thing

Forty-five to sixty-five degrees is the best range for clothes. You can actually wear what you own. Heavy coats are too much. T-shirts are too little. Everything in between works.

I'll mess this up again next week. Wear too much. Sweat through my shirt. Or wear too little and shiver on the walk home.

That's spring.