gretchendz

This is my favorite place for shopping advice. I have a new one for you.

We have scheduled a long-hoped-for November cruise of Norway--15 days. Yes, it will be dark and cold. Our main desire is the Northern Lights, followed by the beauty of the fjords. Since we will often be out in the dark and cold, I am already making a cold weather clothing plan.

I live in Michigan, so winter is no stranger but I suspect being on the deck of a ship at night in Norway in November might be a whole other level.

I am generally planning a puffer jacket, sweater or fleece top with a base layer. A Balaclava. Boots and mittens of course. Looking for any suggestions? Brands? Materials?

Don't care about being stylish, just dry and warm. Thanks in advance. You all are the best!

rsqrott

Your trip sounds amazing! I have found the Uniqlo heattech (the heaviest possible version) items to be great for layering and keeping me cozy. I have a uniqlo packable down shell that I'll even wear under winter jackets for an extra layer of warmth. What I like about the shell is that it absolutely stops the wind and cold from getting in so that I can wear it on it's own or underneath a flannel and still stay toasty.
But I have never experienced winter nighttime in Norway cold!

CDTraveler

Wool socks!

The best ones I've found in recent years come in a pack of 6 from CostCo. Durable, warm and wash well.

Also, I'd opt for hiking style boots over fashion boots, and make sure they have several coats of waterproofing.

Hoyaheel

Cashmere is too hot a layer for me, but I love merino wool! I have fine silk long underwear bottoms and fleece lined tights. Heat tech and merino tee layers (Costco has merino tees for $20, they'll get holes in a yr but still work great, I adore. Size up for a "comfy " tee, use regular size as an underlayer. I have a few outdoor bottoms that aren't quite ski wear but are still warm and water resistant - fleece lined nylon pants from Columbia, Eddie Bauer, Costco.

My husband has a rechargable vest he got for hunting - it's heavy but it keeps him warm. They have rechargeable hand warmers I think would be easy to carry if your hands get.cold easily.

freecia

Hand warmers are also handy for keeping camera and phone batteries warm in a pocket. I'd keep a spare camera battery in an inside coat pocket during the night shoots without a hand warmer, just in case the cold saps the power from the one in your camera. Northern Lights opportunity means mirrorless or similar large sensor camera get added to my packing list. The cold will shorten battery life but also don't get those items too hot or you'll find your phone might turn off due to overheating warning.

There are stick on toe or sole warmers. I produce very little body heat when at rest and am from a fairly temperate region (feel cold easily) so the larger rectangle adhesive stick on warmers for my waistline or toe warmers also come in handy. A new bag of them sure looked funny a decade ago when scanning my carry-on so I'd probably just put them in a ziplock & pull them out in case scans still show them as dense blobs. One or two shake style hand warmers scan fine & can stay packed. I keep one in my personal item after feeling too cold on a flight.

Will the bow be available for access? A wind proof layer such as slightly oversize rain pants as an outer layer might help with the wind on the bow. Rain pants are probably more packable and work as rain pants if weather doesn't cooperate while sailing through the fjords? I'm sure a Michigan resident knows but I didn't see mention of a warm hat. ETA: I see the balacava now. The ones I've seen for sale around my parts are a bit thinner and meant for layering. Does your puffer also have a hood?

I always travel with a thermos but this is definitely a situation where I'd bring one as having a nice hot cuppa tea on deck while sailing through the Norwegian fjords would be bliss.

freecia

Depending on how far North and the wind chill, it might not be as cold as you're thinking.
Tromso in November https://weatherspark.com/m/84211/11/...s%C3%B8-Norway
Bergen in November https://weatherspark.com/m/52849/11/...-Bergen-Norway

November average lows in Bergen are a bit warmer than Grand Rapids during that time https://weatherspark.com/m/15379/11/...ng%2050%C2%B0F
So perhaps whatever you'd bundle up in for December or Jan weather at night to accomidate for wind chill and humidity?

gretchendz

Yes puffer has a hood
Will have bow access (I think, they are remodeling the ship this spring)
They'll have plenty of hot drinks for us , I know
One of our family members is quite the photographer so she'll be hauling gear. By the way, they have a professional photographer on board as well for tips and assistance who does talks on photography. One of the many cool things about this cruise.
Thanks for all the tips!

gretchendz

Great points freecia Of course, at home I don't go out at 3 a.m. on the deck of a small ship much But we get less sun than Seattle, so I think I am ready for the darkness....

CDTraveler

A minor FYI on hand/feet warmers: some of them can not be shipped by air or put in luggage, either carry-on or hold. I discovered this when my kid was playing ice hockey and I ordered some online. The label on the packaging clearly stated not for shipment by air / not permitted in commercial aircraft due to fire risk. They may be something you'd want to buy in Norway before boarding the ship rather than taking them from home.

Hoyaheel

Lithium batteries ;-) Same rules as anything with lithium batteries.....
(the rechargable options I mentioned - not sure if there are warnings on the chemical warmers - I haven't traveled with any of those since ski trips in the 90s - I might still have some in the bottom of my boot bag, I never used as I tend to run warm)

CDTraveler

The ones I had for high school hockey games were the chemical ones. They really did get quite hot, and I imagine if they were to break open and spill, the chemicals mixing could be a problem.

freecia

Mine photographed as dense objects on older scanners which obscured images of things below them. I'm sure scanning technology has improved and they also have more angles on the monitors now, but I'm guessing things which are that dense, block shaped, and possibly layers of them look suspicious.

FAA & TSA says the ones which require oxygen to activate are ok? As always with TSA & international security, YMMV
https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/...nfo/?hazmat=50
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-...s/hand-warmers

travelmad478

I ran into this very problem when I flew YVR-YEG en route to a cruise in the Canadian Arctic. I brought a package of hand and toe warmers, and I wasn’t allowed to fly with more than a small quantity of them in my carry-on (I don’t check bags). I managed to salvage most of the package by handing some of them to my two travel companions for them to pack in their carry-ons, but it was very aggravating. I had flown from the US to Vancouver with the whole package of them and no one in the US said a word. I’d also flown with a package of them from the US all the way to Ushuaia a few years earlier and no one said a word.

QT31415

Several contributors on this forum recommended a LLBean thinsulate coat for a similar trip I took, which I layered with the thin down Uniqlo vest and their heattech leggings. The layering worked well and packed small - I had to wear my warm boots on the plane but otherwise managed with a carry on. Hoyaheel, my husband has that heated vest as well, he swears by it and wears it under a puffy. It's a woolen electronic vest, well fitted, and with a smart wool it looks pretty good. They make a female version now, but I can't spring for that cost.

Hoyaheel

I have 2 Lands End thinsulate coats (barn style - I had a 3rd but I outgrew it - that was belted) - all hip length. Nice for mid-level temps for me; I used to travel with them all the time. When we went to Vancouver Island this past December, I actually ended up packing my knee length down puffer (Lands End) as well as my knee length raincoat with hood (Eddie Bauer). We had cold but dry temps the first few days, warmer & rainy at the end of the trip - so I was happy to have both coats. Though I could have survived with the rain coat and a warmer sweater layer, I didn't feel like it this time.

If you're worried about traveling with chemical or battery powered heaters, another idea is shearling innersoles if they fit in your shoes/boots. I have some - but haven't installed in any of my footwear as I got them after our Canada trip and our winter has been ridiculously warm.....