Layering for the shoulder season
October trips start below freezing and end in a T-shirt. The trick is not owning more layers but changing them before you need to: off at the first climb, back on at the first stop.
What works for me: a thin merino base, a light fleece, a wind shell, and a synthetic puffy that lives at the top of the pack. The rain jacket comes along even when the forecast says no.
The layer I keep leaving at home is a second pair of gloves. Wet gloves at dusk are the one thing that turns a good day into a long one.