Winter in Lofoten - what to wear?

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Koala

 
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Winter in Lofoten - what to wear?

by Koala » Sun Nov 02, 2014 6:56 am

Hello,
We (me and 3 friends of mine) are going for a 8-days phototrip in Lofoten, northern Norway. In February-March 2015 :)
Coming from a warm country, we don't really know what to wear there.
From what I understand, we're talking about 0 to -12°C with strong winds. We are going to be pretty much static for several hours in each location, no heavy hiking.
What is the best clothing for that in order no to freeze to death? :lol:

Thanks!

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ExcitableBoy

 
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Re: Winter in Lofoten - what to wear?

by ExcitableBoy » Sun Nov 02, 2014 8:25 pm

Primaloft hooded parka and pants that fit over your other layers.

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Re: Winter in Lofoten - what to wear?

by nartreb » Tue Nov 04, 2014 9:10 pm

0 to -12 Centigrade? That's a normal winter day here in New England. When I started hiking in winter, I quickly found that my normal winter parka, that I would wear while standing around waiting for the bus, was far too warm for when I was actually moving around. Conversely, if you know you're going to be standing around for a very long time, my advice is to bring hot tea, do jumping jacks once in a while, and dress like you're going to the moon. Heavy, long (well below the waist) down parka with hood. Thick hat that covers your ears, face and neck. Ski mask to keep the wind off the skin around your eyes. Multiple layers: undershirt, turtleneck, shirt, sweater. Windproof, insulated snow pants. The warmest boots you can find. Watch for exposed spots - wrists, waist, neck.
And start venting the instant you start moving. Getting soaked in sweat is counterproductive.
If you're going to fiddle with a camera, you need multiple layers of gloves: a glove liner you can leave on all the time, a warm glove that still allows some dexterity (for simple tasks like pressing the shutter button), and super-warm mittens (that fit over the gloves) for when you don't actually need to use your hands. Plus some kind of heat source to help bring your hands back to normal after they've been out of the gloves.
You don't need anything specialized or expensive, any department store in Europe should have plenty good-enough winter clothing. Figure out where the local ice-fishermen shop for clothing. (That's probably not a useful tactic if you're shopping in Oz, but maybe there's a market for skier's stuff in New Zealand?)

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Koala

 
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Re: Winter in Lofoten - what to wear?

by Koala » Wed Nov 05, 2014 5:45 pm

Thank you guys!
@nartreb - actually I'm an Israeli, not australian :) The prices here are horrendous, somehow it seems like the gear is going to cost more than the trip itself :)
So for now for the upper body I'm going with a thermal layer + The North Face Genesis jacket as a middle layer + The North Face Apex Bionic jacket (it's wind and water proof and I already have it anyway).
But what about pants/trousers? How many layers will I need there?

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Re: Winter in Lofoten - what to wear?

by nartreb » Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:45 pm

I don't think those jackets are going to be warm enough. No hood, they are too short at the waist, and they don't have a lot of loft. Seriously, take a look at what Eskimos wear. You want really thick fur/down, a built-in hood that's as insulated as the rest of the jacket, and as long a cut as you can comfortably walk in. http://www.johntyman.com/arctic/inuit201.html Don't leave any gaps for wind and snow to get in.

On the pants, long underwear and knee-high wool socks, then insulated snow pants. Ideally the pants are "bib" style so they come up past your waist. Your legs will probably be the first part of you to warm up as you walk, so side zips on the snow pants are a good idea.

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Re: Winter in Lofoten - what to wear?

by polof » Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:20 pm

Primaloft hooded parka and warm winter gloves.


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