Pants vs. shorts in July

I am a bit unsure of what I should pack for my children for our visit July 4-10. The first day (arriving around noon) will be spent around the Bridge, Palace of the Fine Arts, and Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf. The second day, however, will be spent in Chinatown, etc. and quite possibly Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf in the evening. I am aware of the chilly nights, but am wondering about overdressing or underdressing in the daytime.

Are jeans too uncomfortable or perfect for July weather? How about long-sleeved shirts? I just do not want to spend a lot of time changing outfits and listening to them tell everyone at home that I reuined their vacation!

Pants vs. shorts in July

In my opinion, pants are a better bet. Even on the ';hottest'; days, temps are usually not above 70 degrees (apprx.) Check out the following site to get an idea of the average tempuratures for each month of the year. It may help you decide how to pack.

http://www.cityrating.com/cityweather.asp?city=San+Francisco

Pants vs. shorts in July

Definitely pack shorts, however. If you plan on spending any time outside of the city, then you could be seeing temps in the 90%26#39;s (no humidity, though!) And then, in the off chance that you%26#39;re here in a heat wave, you%26#39;ll be prepared!

As for shirts, what most of us do is either wear layers of shirts, or wear a short-sleeved shirt and then a sweatshirt or light jacket over it. Carry a backpack so you%26#39;ll have someplace to stash the layers if it warms up as the day progresses.

Thank you for your input. We will be heading down the coast to Los Angeles for a few days as well. I figured Big Sur and Santa Monica to be around the same temperatures. Am I correct in assuming this?

I am really excited about our trip and we can hardly wait to see your beautiful city. My family thinks I am going a bit too far by worrying about our wardrobes, but I just want to be prepared!!!

Thank you again!!!

As you get toward LA, temps get a bit warmer. Santa Monica, esp. Bring shorts, since you will need them at various times. For SF, layers, layers, layers, but you don%26#39;t need a parka. Backback with sweatshirt (maybe hooded for wind) will be fine. Inland, it will get HOT.

Temps at Santa Monica and Big Sur may be the same but Big Sur can experience good strong winds and damp fog along with these temps, which make it seem much colder. It%26#39;s a kind of ';wind chill factor'; although they don%26#39;t call it that. Even in Santa Monica it may get chilly enough at night that you%26#39;ll want long pants. I know I did when I visited San Diego for the first time in late June, it got well warm enough for shorts and tee shirts during the day, but cooled down to pretty chilly temps for June, so that I was glad I%26#39;d brought long pants and a jacket. It%26#39;s the lack of humidity, you know, that allows the temps to fluctuate a lot. It%26#39;s very hard to say what exactly the weather will be like on any given day, but it will vary from heavy, chilly fog, through cool breezy sunshine to even hot hot dry days as you go inland, or even very rarely along the coast itself.

Just got back from an afternoon in downtown San Francisco, It was warm enough to work up a bit of a sweat climbing hills in a jacket and long pants, but cool enough fto make them wanted on certain streets where the wind picked up and the temps went down all of a sudden.

TravelPara,

I was in SF for the 4th of July Bi-Centennial, 1976...and on Crissy Field it was 48F degrees with a 20 mph wind...and so foggy no fireworks could be seen. So very summery!!! I later lived there for 10 years, and that is usually a foggy and damp period. It%26#39;s all about thermal movement as the rising searing heat from the Central Valley pulls in the cold ocean air.

Even out of the fog, 65F is a fairly standard daytime temperature...calm air and sunshime make that quite pleasant, and the eastern parts of the city tend to be sunnier. This weather is great for walking, but waiting for Cable Cars in it is not a pleasant task.

San Francsico is just not a warm place. It is chilly, bracing and damp...especially in the dead of summer. Travel shorts with zip-off legs...down vests, sweaters...and even parkas are standard SF summer wear.

Thanks for this info - it helps me a lot, too!

Last weekend you would be overheating in jeans. This weekend you would freeze.

Bring both.

Mark Twain said that the coldest winter he ever spent was July in San Francisco. I%26#39;m always freezing there, no matter the month.

Expect it to be very hot in Los Angeles (90s) and hot in Santa Monica (80s) in July. Cool in the mornings at the beach, but not in town.

If you want to travel light, I would suggest cotton slacks and long-sleeve shirts. If it gets hot, you can roll up the sleeves. Jeans may be too warm for the afternoon. Shorts will make you freeze in the evening. And don%26#39;t forget the sunscreen.