Packing List · Weekender · Sugarbush, Vermont · Fall
A fall weekend at Sugarbush: what to pack
A fall weekend at Sugarbush starts cold. Mornings in the Mad River Valley often sit in the 30s, and by afternoon it can be 60 on the porch. The trails are wet leaves over mud. So the list splits in two: merino and leather for the climb, suede and cashmere for dinner in Waitsfield or Warren. One suede jacket from a Stowe shop does the introducing, and it is the piece worth real money.
The carry piece
Jakett Rowan Waxed Suede Jacket, Chamois
$715 · Coco Goose, 1800 Mountain Road, Stowe
Suede is all over the fall racks this year, and this is the jacket worth the money. The Jakett Rowan is a western shirt jacket in chamois suede, cut long and slim, with pearl snaps. It carries a $90 merino tee and a $98 cashmere crewneck, and it makes both look chosen. Buy it in person at Coco Goose on Mountain Road in Stowe, where you can see the color in daylight.
This season
What fall 2026 looks like
The fall racks in Vermont are leaning dark and warm. Coco Goose built its fall 2026 capsule around black, burgundy and chocolate, and put a suede jacket at the center of one of its three looks. Marie Claire's fall 2026 report calls out Fair Isle knits and statement coats. This list takes the suede and the chocolate and leaves the rest for another weekend.
For the climb
The morning hike
A cold trailhead and a warm climb. Everything here dries fast or handles sweat. The suede stays in the car.
- Base layer Icebreaker Women's Merino 150 Tech Lite T-Shirt, black $90
100% merino wool. Icebreaker's 150 weight, its lightest.
Cold at the trailhead, warm by the top. Merino moves sweat off your skin and resists odor, so the same shirt works again on Sunday.
- Midlayer Smartwool Women's Classic Thermal Merino 1/4 Zip, Mocha Heather $130
100% merino wool, 250 g/m². Midweight.
The zip is the thermostat. Open it on the climb and close it at the overlook, where the wind comes over the ridge. Mocha picks up the chocolate in the dinner half.
- Trail pant prAna Stretch Zion Halle Mid Rise Straight Pant, black $98
95% recycled nylon, 5% elastane. prAna does not publish a fabric weight.
This is where a synthetic earns its place. Wet leaves and mud soak cotton, and cotton stays wet all day. Nylon dries on the walk down.
- Socks Darn Tough Women's Light Hiker Micro Crew, taupe $25
43% merino wool, 54% nylon, 3% Lycra spandex. Light cushion. Made in Vermont.
The nylon is why they last. Pack two pairs a day if the trail is wet. Dry socks at lunch do more for a cold afternoon than another layer.
- Footwear Danner Women's Mountain 600 Leaf GTX, Choc Chip $249.95
Full-grain leather upper, GORE-TEX membrane. About 2 pounds a pair.
Waterproof leather for wet leaves over mud. The chocolate colorway matches the rest of the list, which a hiking boot rarely does.
- The one accent Minus33 Ridge Cuff Beanie, blaze orange $22.99
100% merino wool, interlock knit.
Hunting seasons open in Vermont in the fall, and blaze orange in the woods is common sense. It is also the only bright thing in a black and chocolate outfit, which is how high vis should be worn.
For after
Town, the porch, dinner
The pieces for standing still. None of it goes on the trail.
- Carry piece Jakett Rowan Waxed Suede Jacket, Chamois $715
100% suede leather. Long-line, slim fit. Made in Pakistan.
Where: Coco Goose, 1800 Mountain Road, Stowe
Pearl snaps, snap chest pockets and a fringe detail along the seams. Warm enough for a cold porch over the cashmere. If rain is forecast all weekend, the Barbour Acorn in 8 oz waxed cotton, $398, is the jacket that handles it.
- Evening layer Naadam The Original Cashmere Sweater, Oat $98
100% cashmere, 12-gauge knit. Naadam does not publish the ply.
Oat under chamois suede is the quiet version of this look. Two-ply wears longer and pills less than single-ply, so ask before you buy.
- Trousers Nili Lotan Shon Corduroy Pant, Brunette $450
93% cotton, 6% polyester, 1% polyurethane. Mid-rise, relaxed, barrel leg. Made in the USA.
Where: Coco Goose, 1800 Mountain Road, Stowe
First chair gets the corduroy. The rest of us wear it. Curved seams at the knee give the barrel leg its shape, and brown cord under chamois suede is the fall 2026 palette in two pieces. The store says it runs a half to a full size large, so try it on. It machine washes, which matters after a weekend of porches and car seats.
- Dinner shoes STAUD Wally Sock Ankle Boot, black $495
Lamb nappa upper, leather sole with rubber. 2.1 inch blade heel.
Where: Coco Goose, in its fall 2026 capsule
Black keeps it quiet next to the chamois and the brown cord. If you are only buying one of the dinner pieces, buy the jacket first.
- Finish Silk twill square
Silk twill, 16 to 18 momme. Weights vary by maker, and many do not list them.
Warm at the neck on a cold evening, and it packs to nothing. Silk handles sweat poorly, so it stays off the hike.
Where to start. Start with the Darn Tough socks at $25 and the Icebreaker tee at $90. You will wear both all year. The jacket is worth a trip to Stowe to try on before you buy.
In person
Where to see it in person
Coco Goose, Stowe
1800 Mountain Road
The Jakett jacket and the STAUD boots, plus Kinross cashmere, Nili Lotan, Veronica Beard, Ulla Johnson, Closed and Herno.
JUDITH, Portland, Maine
131 Middle Street
Coming from the coast. The New York Times named it one of the 50 best clothing stores in the country. Lauren Manoogian hand knits and Jamie Haller boots for the dinner half.
Leave it home
What not to pack
The cotton hoodie
It is warm until it is damp, and on a fall hike it will be damp by the first overlook.
White sneakers
The parking lots are gravel and the trails are mud. Save them for somewhere paved.
A down parka
Too warm by ten in the morning. The quarter-zip covers a cold trailhead and the suede covers a cold porch.
Before you buy
Where it falls short
Suede and mud
Suede is for town. A splash of trail mud can stain it for good. Wear the Danners to the trailhead and change before dinner.
The jacket has no care label online
Jakett's product page gives no care instructions. Ask the store how to clean it before you buy, and assume a leather specialist.
A blade heel on gravel
The STAUD heel is slim, and plenty of Vermont parking lots are gravel. Watch your step from the car to the door.
New boots cause blisters
Break new leather boots in around town for a week or two. A first hike in a new pair is how a weekend ends early.