Visiting the Arctic Circle, whether in Norway or another country, is a magical once in a lifetime experience, but preparing for your trip is a level of overwhelm that I've not experienced since moving house. For someone that resides in a fairly temperate climate all year round, the concept of battling -30ºC doesn't even begin to compute. I found myself in this exact position at the end of November. Having fallen down a rabbit hole of frantic Googling, asked many people more knowledgable than myself for advice and with the benefit of hindsight after living with my mistakes, I'm fairly confident that I can offer you a foolproof guide to getting ready for your trip to the Arctic Circle.
What Coat do you Need for Winter in the Arctic Circle?
If you missed part one of my Arctic Circle packing series, I went through every mistake that I made when I chose my coat, and the advice I received from professionals on what to look for. If you're struggling to figure out what coat you need, here's my foolproof guide to buying a coat for winter in the Arctic Circle.
My Top Coat Recommendations:
What Layers do You Need for the Arctic Circle?
As a quick intro, you will need good quality thermals (see below for advice on how to pick them), a base/mid-layer and a good coat on your top half. On your bottom half you need good quality thermal leggings and waterproof and windproof trousers. Optionally, you can add an extra thin layer on the top and bottom if it's particularly cold. You'll also need thick gloves (and possibly a thin pair for extra warmth underneath), a thick hat, woollen socks and snow boots or insulated walking boots. I haven't mentioned a scarf here on purpose, because I actually found it just got in the way. A lot of the locals I saw only wore a neck guard or a small thin scarf, and I soon found myself deciding to go without my scarf too. A lot of thermals have roll necks, and fleeces and coats come right up to your jaw line, so there simply isn't room for a scarf.
The Best Base Layers to Buy for Northern Norway:
The Importance of Buying the Right Base Layers -
A few years ago, TOG24 gifted me some thermals and I wore them until they quite literally fell apart. They were excellent quality, but I wore them every day through 4 or 5 winters until the washing machine spitefully laddered the leggings. I replaced them with some cheap thermals from M&S, and this is where I learnt the value of having good quality thermals, not just any thermals. Thankfully, TOG24 kindly sent me a care package for my trip to Norway which included the same thermals that I've loved for so long. I happily packed them in my suitcase and headed off....and I was FREEZING. This is how I learnt that there are different thermals for different use cases.
My beloved, buttery soft TOG24 thermals are made from polyester and are good for pretty much everything but, according to one of the Norwegian guides, the only thing that can stand up to such extreme temperatures is merino wool. It's useful information to know, but merino wool thermals can be prohibitively expensive and they're probably not something you'd get much wear of outside of the arctic circle. If, like most people, this is a once in a lifetime trip for you, I would suggest swerving the merino wool and sticking with my favourite TOG24 thermals instead.
On their own they're not enough for the extreme lows, but I had a secret power up in the form of some ridiculously comfortable fleece-lined leggings from Trespass. I found them in the sale for £20 and bought them thinking I'd wear them at home if nothing else, but these fleecy favourites paired with the TOG24 thermals underneath and topped off with windproof trousers proved to be almost bullet proof. The only time my legs were cold was on the day where it got down to -33. Would I have been warmer with merino wool thermals as well as the fleece trousers? Maybe, but I'm not sure if I'd have gotten much wear out of them after our trip. Since coming home, I've thrown my TOG24 thermals under jeans for every late night dog walk and enjoyed not feeling my thighs burning 5 minutes in!
If you're happy to splash out on merino wool thermals for the sake of not being cold, these Helly Hansen merino wool thermals are beautifully soft, endlessly cosy, and come in a variety of bright colours and patterns. I realise it's not likely that anyone will see your thermals, but I just like all of my belongings to be colourful.
Choosing the Best Mid-Layers for Winter in the Arctic Circle -
One strange thing that nobody seems to mention is the need for mid-layers. I'm sure it's assumed that everyone knows they'll need something between their thermals and coat, but nobody offers advice on what to wear in those layers. Based on my experience I'd say there are two options here.
For lower latitudes, like Ålesund where we started our Northern Norway cruise, you can easily get away with wearing normal clothes on top of your thermals. I wore a long sleeved top over my thermals as well as one of my favourite pairs of dungarees. In the South of Norway it was around 1ºc, so cold but absolutely fine with the right base layers.
Once you get into the far north, inside the Arctic Circle, you'll need all of the warm layers you can possibly get! One of the items I chose from TOG24 was a fleece pullover with a funnel neck that you could zip up, and I wore it so often that I had to do a quick wash in the sink and hang it up on one of the sea days. To be totally transparent, it was that comfortable that I came home and bought the other colour way in the January sales! I packed a few cosy jumpers but I reached for the TOG24 star-print fleece almost every single day.
For your bottom half, it again depends on how far North you're going. It was only (only?!) -15º in Tromsø, so I was fine with a pair of thermal leggings and my fleece-lined waterproof trousers over the top. Alta was a completely different story - I put my TOG24 thermals on, then my bargain fleece-lined leggings from Trespass, then my warm waterproof trousers. I still felt the cold on my legs, but our Norwegian guide said that's normal - there's a difference between being uncomfortable and being dangerously cold. I was just a little bit uncomfortable on my legs, so it was fine.
The Mid-Layers I Recommend:
Don't Skimp on the Accessories -
As our Norwegian guide pointed out, we're all quick to pile on the layers on our top half but that doesn't actually make sense. When you're in an extremely cold environment, your body instinctively diverts blood away from your extremities to keep your vital organs warm. This means that you need to be protecting anywhere that your body won't.
The Best Gloves for Winter in the Arctic Circle -
When choosing the right gloves, learn from my mistakes. I chose these smartphone compatible gloves, knowing that I'd want to take a lot of photos and videos. While the gloves were high quality and would be perfect for winter in the UK, they just weren't enough for Arctic winter. In the end I had to wear several pairs of gloves which meant that the touch screen function didn't work, but because they were thinner my fingers still hurt!
I spoke to a Sami person in Alta who recommended wearing mittens because it maintains airflow around your fingers and keeps them warm. I wish I'd known about this before we left because TOG24 sell mittens where the end flips up, allowing you to use your phone while being warm in between. If you're planning a trip the Arctic Circle, I'd definitely recommend learning from my experience and buying the mittens instead!! If you really want to avoid mittens, then my second choice would be ski gloves. Having felt the pain in my fingers, I'll be investing in a warmer pair of gloves before my next cold weather trip.
The Accessories I Recommend:
Do you need a Hat and Scarf for Winter in the Arctic Circle? -
Having a warm hat was an absolute game changer for me. I chose a lovely yellow knitted bobble hat from TOG24 which was great in the UK and Ålesund, but as soon as we crossed the Arctic Circle line I realised that I'd underestimated the cold yet again! I definitely noticed the difference of having a hat with a fleece lining (and the difference that wearing any hat made to my overall temperature), so I'd recommend looking for something lined. I chose the Zyra bobble hat from Trespass and, while it's not the best material (both the lining and outer are synthetic which can cause you to sweat which then freezes), it did the job of keeping me warm.
As mentioned, I didn't find a scarf particularly useful; when you're already wearing several layers it just gets in the way. If you're buying clothing specifically for your Arctic Circle cruise, I'd suggest going for a roll neck thermal top instead. I didn't do this, but a lot of my fleeces were funnel neck with a zip so I was fine. If you want maximum versatility for future use, then go for crew neck thermals and wear a neck guard/ snow tube instead.
Choosing the Right Boots -
Of all of the items I bought for the trip, my footwear was a 10/10, topping my favourites list next to my star print fleece. Before I let you in on my secret, I want to mention the best footwear options for winter in the Arctic Circle.
My Dad bought proper snow boots, and these absolutely were the most sensible footwear purchase in our family. His feet didn't get cold and he had a good amount of grip when he was walking. My boyfriend bought proper walking boots that were thermally insulated, in the hopes that he'd get wear out of them in the UK too. His feet weren't cold, but he struggled with grip at times.
My boots were the dark horse. I had a lovely pair of snow boots gifted to me by Helly Hansen, but the parcel wasn't due to arrive in time and it sent me into a bit of a panic (it arrived 6 hours after I left for Norway - typical!). My all time favourite shoes are Vans trainers - they're comfortable, they don't rub - you can just put them on straight out of the box and know your feet won't hurt. We went Norway prep shopping at an outlet village to try and maximise our chances of finding everything we needed. I tried Timberland boots in addition to all of the outdoorsy shops and couldn't find a single pair that felt comfortable. Stressed and overwhelmed, I decided to go into Vans as a break because I needed new trainers anyway. I walked in and the first thing I saw was a display of winter-proof trainers and boots. I tried them on and they were instantly comfortable, in the same way that every other pair of Vans shoes I own were. Was this a sensible purchase? If I'm honest I had my doubts, but I was seriously impressed. I wore them with thick thermal socks and I will admit that my toes hurt a bit in -30º, but other than that they were perfect.
Like my boyfriend's walking boots I found grip to be a bit of an issue on ice with my wintery Vans, but this was easily solved. On arriving into Tromsø, we very quickly realised that we were underprepared as we walked out of the cruise terminal looking somewhat akin to Bambi on Ice. Luckily for us the first attraction we visited, Tromsø Cable Car, had seen many an under-prepared tourist and came to our aid with a shelf full of ice grips. Admittedly they had a hefty tourist tax applied to them, but it was worth every penny. Considering we spent £20 on the same grips that you can by for half the price in the UK, I'd suggest buying yourself a pair just in case! They're rubber straps that stretch over your shoes with spikes on the bottom, and they surprisingly make the world of difference.
The Best Boots and Ice Grips -
Final Thoughts -
There is a noticeable lack of information on what you actually need for a cruise around Northern Norway, and it led to me making a lot of mistakes and wasting money in quite a few aspects. I wouldn't say that anything I took with me was poor quality - quite the opposite in fact- but some of the items potentially weren't right for the scenario I was going into. Having experienced the Arctic Circle for myself, I'm fairly confident recommending you clothing so you don't end up like me!
Having enough air circulating around your body between layers is vital, so ensure you buy your usual size in thermals and size up in most other items. If you don't want to spend money on things you won't wear in the UK then you can definitely get by with less-than-ideal items, but if you're willing to splurge you'll be a lot more comfortable! I have no doubts in recommending my TOG24 thermals and my Vans winter boots if you want to get wear from them in the UK, but if you want to splurge then I'd recommend the Helly Hansen Merino Wool thermals (that sadly didn't quite arrive in time for my trip, but were worn in the snow in the UK!) and proper snow boots. I'd also recommend my fleece to anyone - it's become my favourite ever item of cosy clothing!
Unless you're planning to sleep outside and trek all day, you don't need to tick off absolutely everything. Like my Norwegian guide said, there's a difference between uncomfortable cold and dangerous cold. As long as you're wearing enough clothes to stave off the latter, anything else is a bonus.
Love and Feathers,
The Owlet 💛
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