I'm cold! I'm hot! I'm cold! I'm--you get the picture. How to dress?

[Corbie]

A couple years back I had to have my thyroid removed. The thyroid is a tricky little gland that does a lot of things, one of which is help your body regulate your temperature.

Since it's been gone, I spend a lot of time freezing, even during the 100+ degree weather we've been having. It doesn't last, but I get downright cold, especially my extremities and upper arms. And once those go, I'm freezing. Give it 5 or 10 minutes and I 'm hot again.

We're visiting in late October. I read a lot about what to wear to keep cool, but not a lot about how to dress to keep warm. I know to layer, but what I think of as layering isn't necessarily great for Florida. Any suggestions for what to wear for a lightweight jacket/sweater/over thing? It should be easy to stuff back into a backpack or tie around the hips. Bonus points if it dries out quickly for those water rides.

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

How about a light zip-up jacket made out of the Dri Fit type material... usually sold in the activewear department. I noticed they had some cute ones at Target recently. I considered getting a couple myself because I get cold in AC areas at WDW.

 

[Corbie]

I'll look into those! I don't own any light jackets. I knit, so I'll slip on a cardigan or another shirt. Well, the ones I own are super old and worn-out--not anything I want to take on vacation. I learned something from you. I knew there were new fabrics that dealt with moisture better, but not what they are called.

 

[NuJoy]

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[Corbie]

Love your clever title. I don't have thyroid issues; but I run very cold naturally. You'll find me in a lightweight zip up sweater hoodie over a dress at WDE in September because I can catch a shiver if the wind blows even in 90+ degree weather. If the air is too cold in an attraction, restaurant, or the bus, I tend to get very irritable because cold is painful for me. Also, I just don't really sweat. If I do get overly hot; I might flush or get sluggish. I rarely have a need to remove my sweater; but it's comforting to know I can just take it off if I want to. I recently bought a couple lightweight jackets at Athleta that look like will be perfect for my September trip:
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=2290420020002&cid=1086619
I'm impressed with the fabric properties.
A dress + lightweight jacket/sweater + flip flops/sandals has me very comfortably prepared for most anything I do inside a Disney park.

Exactly! It's hard to enjoy yourself when you're freezing to death, and that can happen in any air-conditioned venue. All of my cover-ups are a bit too heavy for what I think I'll want there. I think I can do alright so long as I can cover my upper arms when I get cold. Those jackets are really cute!

 

[NuJoy]

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[livyy]

My body temp can fluctuate in the blink of an eye. I can get extremely cold in the most bizarre places. I was shivering in May while waiting in the 90 degree sun in AK and had to put my jacket on (imagine all the crazy looks I got).

Because of this, my Nike Dri-fit jacket has been my Disney BFF for years; I never go to the parks without it. Don't have to worry about water from rides or little rain storms because that baby will dry up in no time (plus you can't even notice that its wet). Since you want to be cool, but also warm and you are going in late October, wearing shorts and a shirt/tank with a jacket will be great from you coming my same experience with my crazy fluctuating body temp.

Tie it around your waist if it gets hot; put it on when it gets cold

 

[ZoZo]

Strangely enough, on my last trip I used a long-sleeved denim shirt as a cover-up layer. I liked it because it was lightweight, I could roll up the sleeves or tie around my waist, and it was a good layering piece.

 

[AuroraRose22]

I have a lot of issues with air conditioning. It will very quickly make my arms ache unbearably, but then once I'm outside, anything too heavy will make me hot. I will carry around a large scarf/shawl that's lightweight but wide enough to cover my arms. Usually they're easy enough to stuff back in a purse, or long enough to tie around your waist if you wanted. For me, it provides just enough protection without having to worry about what to do with a jacket.

 

[LovesTimone]

I have a Columbia jacket, it's super light weight and water proof. I went with a man style (Black and Gray) it has more pockets and is much longer so it comes down over my butt, the ladies seem to only come to the hip area. I am 5'9 and I want my butt covered if it starts raining, and it was about 40.00 cheaper than the woman's version. I have taken this jacket all over when we travel, and it works for me, and fits into a day perfectly, I just folded it up and stuff it in, it really doesn't add any weight to the bag.