What should I bring to far-north Scandinavia?
What should I bring to far-north Scandinavia?
I will spend around 4 weeks in far-north Scandinavia. I am wondering what I should take there. I am expecting freezing weather and little daytime. I will do some outside work, also in the snow, e.g. some builsing maintainance and cleaning snow.
I have not been that far north yet, so what kind of clotting should I bring specifically? Also, are there some general things I should consider?
Northern scandinavian, here.
This depends on where specifically. Near the ocean it's not that cold at the moment (well, depends what you're used to, I guess. I get around fine with t-shirt and a light jacket. Temp varies between 5C and 15C nowadays.But in general, I suggest you bring a sweater , some woollen socks, and a jacket that can handle rain/slush/snow. Staying dry means staying warm. Dressing with layers is better than one thick coat.
Snow will set in soon, though, so if you're going to be working outside I recommend some gloves. Preferably two pairs, so one can dry off while you're wearing the other pair.
May I ask where specifically you're going? Coast vs inland makes A LOT of difference. Humidity can make 5C near the coast feel colder than -20C inland. Plus wind isn't as much of a factor far away feom the ocean.
I will be in northern Finland, not costal. In the Lapland regions center more or less.
In that case you can expect relatively little humidity. While the cold will feel biting on your skin, it won't be that bad, provided you stay layered and dry. Avoid sweating, or this will change!
If you're shoveling snow, dress down once you get your blood pumping.
Layers are important for your clothing. You don't want to get too hot if you're working outside. Breaking a sweat will make you freeze, so you need to be able to adjust throughout the day.
Layers are key. Noting beats real wool.
Use mittens, not gloves. Gloves suck.
Mittens take away too much dexterity for many things. But a 3-finger glove is the perfect compromise: https://www.snowsportprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/8272aca90cb09ec2c85ef324e10933f57f500daf.jpg
Layers - get a good base layer, merino wool is the gold standard for these. You also want to get a neck gaiter, plus some merino wool socks, and some kind of cap. These will keep you warm and dry throughout most cold weather. Add more layers on top when outside, and remember to remove layers proactively if you feel yourself starting to sweat - it's never a good idea to be wet in cold weather. The base layer will make physical exertion a pretty hot affair quite fast, so you'd be surprised how fast the sweat starts pouring.
money
If you can, ask someone already there. Depending on the exact type of work, they may have very specific recommendations, and they’ll have a better idea of what the climate is like than we will.
In general, you’ll want to be able to layer clothing. Start with the base layer, whose job is to be wicking away sweat.
Mid layers are for insulation, and it would be prudent to get one light sweater and one heavier sweater, maybe a third or whatever. The idea being you can increase your mid layers to stay warm but not too warm as necessary. Same for pants. Around here, I usually go for a tight base layer, a loser waffle-weave longjohns and shell blouses into boots.
Keep in mind, that layers being worn to the outside should be looser so as to not compress layers being worn closer to the body.
Patagonia makes some good, hard wearing stuff as a general brand to check out, but there far from the only one.
Hats and gloves are important, too and for gloves I’d consider getting mittens at least as one option and maybe lighter fingerless gloves to wear inside. (Or lighter gloves. Especially if it’s possible you’ll need manual dexterity)
Also, bring a book or something to read, and plenty of snacks that don’t necessarily freeze. Hydration is also important and illumination.
Try to stay away from caffeine, among other things it also constricts the blood vessels limiting circulation in your extremities.
Layers are the way to go.
- Long Underwear, a long sleeve breathable undershirt, good WOOL socks
- A sweater or other medium-thickness top garment.
- Waterproof snow pants and coat.
Good boots, preferably waterproof if you'll be in the snow a fair amount. Definitely good so you have better grip on snowy/icy ground. Thin "liner" gloves and thick waterproof gloves to go over those. A warm hat that covers your ears (I really appreciated my trapper hat when I went to Tromsø).
Avoid cotton. Cotton is horrible at insulating if it gets wet, as opposed to wool which can keep you warm while fully drenched.
Just to add to this: Get boots with removable liners and at least one extra pair of liners. If you have a warm pair of boots, your feet will sweat if you're active and they will get cold no matter how good the boots. Having a dry pair of liners and a dry pair of socks to change into will make your feet warm and happy. Also, remove layers before you start sweating. You'll be cold for the first little bit but staying dry is the key to staying warm.
Good idea, but again: wool socks will stay surprisingly warm even while wet.
If you're in the arctic circle long enough, it helps to have many options though.
For the outer layer, do not go with synthetic stuff, despite what people will tell you. An oversized Icelandic wool sweater or similar will catch snow and wind much more effectively (and dry in no time when indoors.
I usually use Gore-Tex as my outer most layer.
Inside I'll use Merino wool and a cotton mid layer
You going sometime soon? Around December the temps tend to plunge and Jan-Feb can be really cold, somewhere around -40C, potentially with some wind and blowing snow making it feel even colder. Highly recommend good outside set, with winter boots, gloves and the rest of clothing meant for that sort of weather, especially if you expect you would need to be outside for a while. I like the overall type pants and winter rubber boots big enough to fit wool socks in myself. :P Might be difficult to buy good quality stuff if you live somewhere much warmer. Probably worth asking whoever is hosting you for some help there. They might even have extra sets available already. Houses up there are typically very warm, so nothing special needed for inside use. Otherwise maybe a camera that is good in low light if you like to take pictures. Should get some good northern lights and stuff if you're up there a whole month.
Vitamin D supplements. You're not gonna get much sunlight, and you need vitamin D not to get depressed.
The locals are used to seasonal depression. Foreigners tend to have a hard time with it.
spikes, wool, layered clothing, reflective vest or other reflective gear..
I don't live so far north, but good, light, waterproof boots. Of course, everything else people recommended already - good gloves, socks, jacket, and layers. But for me personally, boots would be the most important.
Is it innland, hige land or coastal?
It is high inland, more or less in the center of the Lapland region. In an going on January.
That’s the coldest time. Things people say about layers should be taken seriously.
If it’s windy, you’ll need to protect your face too, so bring a balaclava with you. Get one of those that have two holes for eyes. You know, bank robbery style.
Extra mittens and gloves. If you’re working otdoors, you’ll appreciate keeping your hands warm.
When I worked in circumstances like that, I used super large mittens, and they were worth it. You should pick up mittens that have a leather outer shell, removable soft inner mittens and enough space for you to also use extra gloves inside. In cold weather (-25 °C), I used all three layers. When it was warmer (-10 °C), I just used the outer two layers.
When the temperature begins to approach zero, sunshine can melt some of the snow during the day, which will make your mittens wet and your life miserable. For situations like that, you should make sure the outer layer of your leather mittens can deal with water. If that’s not an option, you should bring some spare mittens with you. When the mittens and gloves get wet, you need to try to dry them during breaks. After work, hang them to dry in a warm place, so that they will be ready for the next day.
If all of these fail, you’ll be working with wet hands all day long. Doing that for a few days is annoying, but not a huge deal as long as you keep your hands warm enough. However, prolonged exposure to wet gloves began to dry my skin, so I had to get some hand lotion to fix that. If you have sensitive skin like that, buy some hand lotion from the nearest supermarket.
On the topic of hand lotion, if you’re wondering what to buy, I can recommend CeraVe, their hand cream smells neutral and is the only one I’ve found that doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy.
I would how you have a contact they're who can answer these questions
Gin and tonic
Your wife and young son, plus a sturdy axe.
A good attitude
... A sunny disposition?
