Pack for winter in Lapland

Depending if you are traveling with a travel agency or on your own, you may or may not have the bigger equipment landed to you at your arrival: the warm boots, overall and gloves. Note that this equipment is nice for long outdoor activities, but if you are just going for a walk in town, you might also want to have with you lighter outdoor clothing.

Outdoor clothing:

• Overall or winter jacket and ski pants (I usually have with me my horse riding overall or ski overall)
• Gloves (the mittens puffed with feather are the most likely to keep your fingers warm)
• Snow boots, one size bigger than your usual shoe size (I tried the well-known Sorel last year but I was disappointed, the manufacturing has moved couple years ago from Canada to China, and the soles and rubber of the shoes are now far less insulating. I am still on the search for the perfect snow boots, I’ll keep you posted)
• Neck warmer and benny (I also have this fluffy balaclava perfect for activities with speed)
• And I always bring lighter ski pants and shoes.

Technical clothing:

• Thermal leggings
• Thermal long sleeves
• At least 80% wool, merino or alpaca socks
• Fleece and wool sweaters

They say you should respect the rules of the three to keep warm, but also avoid being too hot: one layer of technical clothing, one fleece or wool, one thick windproof. Clothing shouldn’t be tight, to keep a layer of air in between. It is important to make sure you are not sweating, otherwise the water will freeze and you’ll get even colder. Avoid cotton materials, keeping the moist and taking a while to dry. You can add some silk socks or silk gloves, but they sometimes have a counter effect making you sweat or making it too tight.

Indoor clothing:

• Jeans
• Sweaters
• Sneakers
• Underwear
• Etc.

Useful items:

• Heat pads (they always save me as, despite good clothing, sometimes you still get cold hand or feet)
• Ski goggles or sunglasses for snowy or sunny days
• Head lamp
• Swimsuit
• Isothermal water bottle (to keep your water from freezing)
• Portable battery
• Small backpack

Pharmacy:

• Hydrating cream and cold cream lip balm
• Your usual little saviours (for me: Tiger Balm for headaches, Propolis for sore throat, Cicalfate and Betadine for cuts, Antihistamine for allergies, Charcoal capsules for stomach pain, mouth antiseptic for gums and canker sores)
• Sticky plasters