Accessories in Idaho
62 days above 90°F, 17 above 100°F, 33% humidity — the second driest state here.
a real winter — 113 freezing days, 62 days above 90°F. Measured at Boise, 5 years of daily observations.
Boise sits at 33% summer humidity, the second driest figure in this entire data set after Nevada, with sixty-two days above 90°F and seventeen above 100°F. It also freezes 113 days a year. Very dry, very hot in summer, genuinely cold in winter.
Aridity at this level is the single most important material fact. Untreated leather does not simply age here, it desiccates: a bag left unconditioned for two or three years will crack along its fold lines and there is no repair. Anyone who moves to Idaho from a humid state and keeps their old leather habits finds this out expensively.
The same dryness makes static a serious winter issue and makes silk an awkward material against fine hair. It also, on the positive side, means plated jewellery lasts far longer than it does in the Southeast, and suede is entirely viable — two genuine advantages worth using.
Seventeen days above 100°F and 9.9 hours of daily sun makes summer protection a real category, and the outdoor culture means it gets used properly. A packable brim that survives a rucksack beats a structured hat that does not.
Thirty inches of snow but dry, and no days at or below 0°F on average, so winter is long rather than savage. Mid-weight lined gloves are right.
What national advice gets wrong here
Leather-care advice written for temperate climates. "Condition occasionally" means annually at 33% humidity, and the bags that survive beautifully in Boston fail structurally in Boise.
Lined gloves earn their place
113 freezing days a year is enough that unlined leather will disappoint by January. A thin wool lining costs a few dollars more and is the difference between wearing them and carrying them.
Metal gets genuinely too hot to wear
17 days a year reach 100°F here. A wide metal cuff or a heavy chain sitting in direct sun stops being jewellery and starts being a burn risk — this is the one climate where light beads, fabric and resin beat metal on comfort rather than on looks.
Dry air cracks leather and builds static
Summer humidity averages 33%, which is dry enough that untreated leather stiffens and cracks along fold lines within a couple of years. Condition bags once or twice a year. The same dry air makes fine hair cling to silk and wool — which is a real argument for a claw clip over a loose scarf.
Worth owning here
| Conditioner, annually | At 33% humidity leather desiccates and cracks. |
|---|---|
| A packable brim | Seventeen days above 100°F and an outdoor culture. |
| Plated jewellery lasts here | Dry air is far kinder to plate than the Southeast. |
The numbers
| January low – high | 26°F – 40°F |
|---|---|
| July average high | 96°F |
| Freezing days a year | 113 |
| Days at 90°F or above | 62 |
| Annual snowfall | 29.6" |
| Annual rainfall | 15.4" over 75 wet days |
| Summer humidity | 33% |
| Bright sunshine | 9.9 hours a day |
