This year, we are going to take the 14-day "Best of Scandinavia" tour ending September 15th. We are then spending a week in Finland, including a couple of days in Ivalo, above the Arctic Circle. We plan to do some easy hiking during the day, and look for Northern lights after dark.
So, any suggestions about what type of clothes to pack would be helpful. We live in Houston, so it's hard to figure out what to wear that far north. And any store recommendations would be appreciated. Locally, our only "outdoorsy" store is REI.
Thank you.
Posted by
CA
2178 posts
I was above the Arctic Circle in mid September in Norway. I wore jeans and a light jacket with a neck scarf most of the four days I spent there. Layers help. If it’s windy ( it wasn’t when I was there) a hat and neck scarf would be easy to pack). I’m from California and I wasn’t too cold, but we had decent weather. Check the weather stats for a bit of help. I bought nothing extra for my trip.
Posted by
OP
Houston
20 posts
This is great information Diane. Thank you. I was envisioning heavy parkas and lots of woolens. I will watch the weather, but it looks like I won't have to look like "Nanook from the North" ;-)
Posted by
CA
2178 posts
Just watch the weather in advance because ya never know! Just be prepared with At least layers.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8228 posts
We sure get lots of folks from Houston, skiing here in Colorado. I take it you might not be one of them, if you don’t already have clothes for layering in cool/cold weather. We were in Norway and Denmark in September two years ago, but didn’t quite venture north of the Arctic Circle. Still, we had jackets and clothes for layering, not the least of which was for rain that happened several days and evenings. We also did some hiking, and were outdoors a fair amount of time.
Do you have a light or medium-weight wool sweater? Or sweater of any material? That would help, just not too heavy. If it’s chilly outside, wear that sweater (or a “fleece”) top, over your first (“base”) top. Add a rain jacket on top of those two, if there’s wind, rain, or if the first two layers aren’t quite enough. A full-on winter parka would likely be overkill, so a bulky jacket won’t be necessary. How much time outside are you expecting, and what activities?
Looking Online, it suggests that the temperature will probably drop a little below freezing at night. Will you be outside much, after dark? A three-layer approach should still be sufficient. I don’t generally travel with jeans anywhere, and cotton pants aren’t warm, especially if they get wet. You could invest in long underwear bottoms (nylon, polyester, or wool - again, not heavy expedition-weight), or else tights that you could wear under your main pants, if needed. If your legs aren’t too cold, that might not be absolutely necessary.
As mentioned above, a scarf could go a long way to adding comfort, just not a light scarf that’s more about fashion than warmth. Or a “neck gaiter,” like a Buff or Turtle Fur that REI will carry. They come in fun colors, too. A headband or full beanie wouldn’t hurt, either.