Packing for Travel to Cold Weather

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Introduction

We are gearing up for a two-week trip to Northern Europe in December. It’s going to be COLD. So I’ve had to do my research for how to pack for a family of four for cold weather destinations. In this post, I’ll talk about our reason for choosing to go to such a cold place in the winter, what we’ve done to prepare, and what we will be packing for this trip. Continue reading for tips on packing for cold weather and some great products I’ve found to take with me.

Why Northern Europe?

Why would we decide to travel to Northern Europe in the winter? Why would we leave the cold Utah weather for even colder weather with dark days and heavy snow? Here’s why:

Aurora Borealis.

Commonly known as the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis is an atmospheric phenomenon that I really don’t understand, despite reading about it. It has something to do with particles from the Sun crashing into the Earth’s atmosphere and then bouncing off of Earth’s magnetic field and then redirecting toward the North Pole. Despite my minimal understanding of what is actually happening, I have a strong desire to see the Northern Lights for myself and enjoy the spectacular phenomenon that is pretty much just Mother Earth showing off. Seeing the Northern Lights is on mine and Felipe’s list of “logros desbloqueados” which is just our Spanish way of saying bucket list. When we saw round trip flights from Salt Lake City to Helsinki for just $283 we knew it was time to check that item off our list. Plus, I’m finally graduating from college so we’re celebrating that with this trip as well.

Another great reason to go to Finland in December is because there is no cuter place to celebrate Christmas than Northern Europe. Finland isn’t technically “Scandinavia” but it has a lot of Scandinavian influence. Think hot drinks, cozy nights near the fire with family, and decorating the Christmas tree at its finest. We will be visiting a place in Lapland Finland called North Pole. Santa is there with his reindeer and it looks like a Christmas dream.

Where Will We Be Going?

Our plan is to spend time in four countries during out trip. We’ll start in Finland, then head to Estonia, Sweden, and Denmark. The trip will last about two weeks. I’ll share more details about our itinerary when we get home, but just to give an idea for the preparation necessary.

Preparing for a trip to Finland in Winter

Since the day we booked our tickets I have stressed about how we will manage to pack lightly for a trip like this. It’s going to be really cold. We are taking our two kids with us and I want them to enjoy the experience at least a little bit, so I need to make sure they are warm and comfortable. I’ve researched and shopped and planned as much as I’ve had the time to do so. I’ll bring all of our normal travel necessities as mentioned in my post “Flying With Babies and Toddlers”, but this trip calls for some extra essentials that I’ll share here. My goal is to pack our family of four into one large suitcase and one carry-on. Ideally we’d do it in two carry-on backpacks but I KNOW that won’t be possible with the amount of snow clothes we’ll be packing. Listed below are the new things I’ve purchased since booking the trip in preparation for our chilly adventure.

For Emmett:

• I found this balaclava on Amazon and I think it will be great because it covers the head and neck and even has a piece to cover the mouth. I’m hoping it can pass as a mask for him where masks are required too.

• For his snow clothes, I got this Columbia snow set. I like that the coat is reversible and that it has a system for growing with your child. Plus, it seems warm enough but only time will tell.

• I bought him two kinds of boots . The first are for the days when we’ll spend time in deep or heavy snow. They are waterproof and really warm. I got this second pair from Vans.com because they are easier for him to walk in for the days when we are in cities or for travel days so he isn’t clunking around in huge boots.

• I got Emmett some long johns to wear under all of his clothes. I got versions of long johns as a base layer for the whole family.

• SOCKS! From what I have seen and read, wool socks are very important for cold weather. They keep out the sweat and the stink, prevent blisters, and can be worn multiple times before washing. Wool socks will help us pack lighter too! I bought wool socks for the whole family for this trip. Here is the pack that I got for Emmett and Beth.

• This isn’t a cold weather item, but it will be helpful for the long leg of our flight to Helsinki. I got him an inflatable footrest for the flight that he can use to turn his seat into a bed. I’ve never used one of these before, but a friend of mine suggested it and I think it’s time we use one because he’s getting too big to sleep on our laps. It should make the flight more bearable for everyone.

For Beth:

• Beth will be spending most of the trip wearing this Columbia Kids Snuggly Bunny Bunting. We have already tested it out a couple times this Fall at cold football games and it has worked great! It is rated highly for warmth and quality. She also looks adorable wearing it and I chose this design so I can use it in the future for baby boys or girls.

• Beth is so good at taking off any sort of hat, bow, sock, and shoe. For this trip, it’s important that she keep her hat on because we will be in freezing temperatures a lot of the time. I chose this balaclava style hat because it can be used as a hat and scarf, as well as a covering for her mouth if necessary. I’ve tested out this hat and it is a lot harder for her to take off than a regular beanie. I ordered the 2 pack of pink and white and I’m taking both with me.

• Like I mentioned, Beth takes off shoes and socks. I ordered these booties because they look very warm and have great reviews. We’ll see if she keeps them on. I’m planning on putting her in these and then closing the bottom of the legs of her bunting so she can’t access her shoes to rip them off. Operation: keep her warm at all costs!

For me:

• I finally invested in a good winter coat! I got The North Face Arctic Parka and it is AMAZING! It’s warm, waterproof, and windproof. It has the highest rating for all of those features on their website. I can’t wait to see this coat in action.

• For my bottom layer, I found these snow hiking pants on amazon. I’m planning to wear these with fleece-lined leggings underneath. I chose this instead of thick, bulky snow pants because I don’t have room to pack those. These have many great reviews and they seem durable and warm. Plus, my parka goes down to almost my knees and my boots go partway up my calves, so I don’t feel the need for thick snow pants.

• Here are the fleece-lined leggings I got. I have worn them already and I love them. They even have pockets, which is a plus for anyone, right? I got the 3 pack and I feel like it was a great deal.

• My upper body base layer will be thermal long-sleeved shirts. I’ll wear these every day underneath my regular shirt. or sweater depending on the temperature.

• My mid layer will be this Patagonia pullover. I chose one without a hood because if every layer has a hood it gets all bunched up around your neck which is so uncomfortable! I found this one on sale at Al’s Sporting Goods, but here it is on backcountry.com.

• My wool socks are Smartwool brand and I got them from Al’s Sporting Goods in Orem, UT. I couldn’t find the link to the exact color that I got, but these are the same socks and same brand from Amazon. I love them already! Felipe got Smartwool socks too, which are linked below.

For Felipe:

• He already had a winter coat from Old Navy from last year, so he’ll take that on this trip. He did get some new snow pants from Al’s Sporting Goods. They are the Volcom Mens Roan Bib Overall. Here’s a picture. Felipe is TALL and these will work well for him.

• Felipe’s boots have been a roller coaster ride. We ordered some boots from Vans about a month ago and they haven’t arrived. They haven’t even begun to ship, so we got some different ones this week. Felipe is picky about style and I’m known to be more… practical. So we got a different pair of Vans boots because #vans4lyfe. 🙂 Here are the ones we ended up getting.

• For Felipe’s base layer, I got thermal pants and shirts from amazon. They are Thermajohns which have great reviews.

Wish us luck!

We are excited to get out of our comfort zone with this trip to cold weather. I’m nervous about getting back into travel, but the nervousness reminds me of how I felt before our very first big trip, braving the unknown and just jumping right into a new environment. It’s a great feeling! I hope this post can be helpful for anyone who is gearing up for a cold winter, whether it be in Europe or elsewhere. Make sure to follow along on instagram (@cami.inallplaces) as I will be giving real-time updates of our adventure!