You've booked the trip of a lifetime and planned all of the bucket list activities that you're going to do - now you just need to figure out what clothes you need. So....where do you start?
I had this exact predicament when getting ready for my own trip to Arctic Circle last month. Our cruise line provided us with a packing list, but considering the sum total of detail amounted to "a warm coat", it wasn't particularly helpful! In my quest to find out what I actually needed to bring (while hopelessly longing to not overpack), I asked a lot of very knowledgeable people and got some great information to share with you. So if you're feeling overwhelmed and don't know where to start, let me be your guide.
What Coat Do You Need to Visit the Arctic Circle in Winter?
The cruise line weren't entirely wrong when they said "a warm one", but finding the perfect coat for winter in Northern Norway is a bit of a minefield. I started by looking at ski jackets - that's not the worst move, but it's definitely not the best. If you want somewhere to start your frantic Googling, I'd suggest searching for down coats or parkas, but there's a lot more to it than that. Rather than looking for a type of coat, look on outdoorsy websites and check for specific properties. I was kindly gifted a beautiful coat by Helly Hansen but it arrived just 6 hours after I left for Norway, and in my last minute panic coat shopping I made some serious mistakes. On a bright side, you can learn from them!
Waterproofing is Essential
Did you know that coats are usually rated on how warm, waterproof and windproof they are? With my beautiful Helly Hansen coat delayed, I ended up wandering into a Trespass store two days before our trip and rather naively trusted the store manager's recommendation. I came away with a coat rated for 5000mm of water resistance; this might sound like a lot (it did to me anyway) but it's the equivalent of a morning commute or dog walk on a rainy day in the UK - definitely not arctic circle material.
When it comes to the waterproof rating, the higher the better because it's torrential rain in the south of Norway and a blizzard in the north. Helly Hansen rated the coat I chose as a 5/6 which would've been perfect, while my emergency 5000mm Trespass coat left me soaked through. I ended up returning the Trespass coat because it wasn't at all waterproof. This time I went to a different store where the staff were really helpful - I was recommended the DLX range which is waterproofed up to 20,000mm.
Make Sure it's Windproof
I'd argue potentially even more than waterproofing is ensuring your coat is windproof. While I was in the Arctic Circle I witnessed storms like I had never seen before - the snow swirled around while the wind howled, and if you dared step outside it was like being pelted in the face with balls of ice. Having bravely (or stupidly, your choice) stepped outside with just thermals and my jumper on, I can confidently say that the wind chill is the worst part!
From the research I've done while looking for a coat, only Helly Hansen seem to grade their coats on it's level of wind proofing - most others just seem to say "windproof" and that's it. I'd maybe suggest going for the highest level of waterproofing you can find that also says windproof, but I can't speak from experience here.
More Features to Look For
I realise that this is fairly low down the list after waterproof rating and wind-proofing, but there are a few extra things to consider when it comes to choosing the perfect winter coat for the Arctic Circle.
Having pockets at hip height is essential. The temperature in the Arctic Circle can fluctuate wildly - the forecast predicted lows of -15 in Alta, but by the time we arrived it was -27, -33 with wind chill. We all had thick gloves and I wore thin gloves inside of the thick gloves, but I still found myself constantly sticking my hands in my pockets because my fingers were hurting from the cold. Having a zip pocket on the inside of your coat is also a huge bonus. I speak from experience when I say that the inside chest pocket was the only one that stopped my phone from turning off!
I've noticed that a lot of the winter coats have a fur trim on the hood. Great in theory, but when it's -30 and snowing, all that happens in the fur gets wet and freezes to your face. If at all possible, I'd suggest getting a coat that either doesn't have any fur or, in the case of the Helly Hansen coat, has a removable fur trim.
Other Things to Consider -
No matter who I spoke to in Northern Norway, I was told that air is the best way to keep warm. Having plenty of layers is great, but not if they're all tight to your body. It's the air that's trapped between the layers that actually keeps you warm. I had thermals, fleece lined leggings and waterproof trousers, and I couldn't understand why I was still cold until I was told this. During my last minute shopping trip, the only waterproof trousers I could find that I liked were from the mens section. In the UK this wouldn't matter at all but, as someone who is on the curvier side, my mens waterproof trousers didn't account for having wide hips, thick thighs and multiple layers underneath (despite sizing up). This left me without enough space between layers, meaning I was the only one out of my family that was cold.
Having a good winter coat is at least half the battle, but being warm (well, not cold anyway) hinges on having good base layers under the coat. I have plenty of advice on this, based on my own mistakes. Make sure you come back next week for my guide to base layers in Northern Norway.
Love and Feathers,
The Owlet 💛
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