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Advice and comments on the following gear for Lapland in december ...

post #1 of 5
6/7/12 at 4:25pm
Thread Starter 

Been checking out these forums for a while, but only signed up today.

 

Me and my wife will be going to Swedish Lapland (Bjorkliden) for the first time in December. We have been looking around for some decent gear to make sure we stay warm and can enjoy the different kind of activities we have planned.

 

After reading different topics, reviews, tests and guides I came up with the list below. I hope someone here would be so kind to help comment and/or give advice.

 

Body

Base: Smartwool NTS Midweight

Mid: Patagonia R3 Hi-Loft

Outer: Need some serious help here!

 

With the R3 as my mid layer would I still need an insulated outer layer or is a "simple"  waterproof, windproof and breathing hardshell enough?

 

Any comments on the R3 as mid layer?

 

Legs

Base: Smartwool NTS Midweight

Mid: Need some help here.

Outer: Again, some ideas would be great.

 

Feet

Smartwool liners (already own several of those and really happy with them) combined with Smartwool PHD Ski Medium. We also already are happy owners of Keen Summit County boots.

 

Hands

Again the Smartwool liners (yes, I am in love with Smartwool),  combined with the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts. The mitts might sound a bit of an overkill, but my wife hands are always freezing no matter what we tried. So those mitts are the last thing we can try I guess. We did not buy them yet, so if anyone got better options please let me know.

 

Is it needed or common to use a mid layer pants? If it is common could you please give me any good ideas on what I should look for? If it is not needed to use mid layer pants what would be a smart choice when it comes to nice outer layer pants?

 

My choices are made for staying warm when we are snowshoeing or doing some backcountry XC. We will also be "hunting" the northern lights during the evenings, so it is important we do this as comfortable and warm as possible.

 

Thanks for reading and really hope I can get some comments on this list!

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post #2 of 5
6/10/12 at 2:25pm

Exiting trip you have planned!  

I'm not familiar with skiing in Sweden, and replies to threads may be a bit slow this time of year, but I'm betting you'll get some good replies soon. 

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post #3 of 5
6/11/12 at 4:37am

You haven't really mentioned neck and head, and those are two major parts that a lot of people forget. All of that clothing won't help much if you're losing heat through the neck of your coat or your head.

 

You'll need a neck gaiter or something similar that seals up the neck of your coat and covers up to your jaw and lower part of the back of your head. And, you'll need a very thick hat, something better than your standard wool cap. On that front, you might want to wait until you get there to buy. Find out what the locals wear and go with that.

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post #4 of 5
6/11/12 at 9:05am

For snow shoeing and XC skiing you need less clothing than downhill skiing so you should be fine. For outer wear I prefer a shell due to the flexibility of adding or subtracting layers.

 

For viewing the Northern Lights, you need to be away from the lights of a city and there is no walking around as they are either there, dancing on the horizon, or they aren't. So on a cold clear night I would suggest wearing an extra layer of thin long underwear.

 

For the OP's wife's cold hands I suggest glove liners. The metal thread ones are the cheapest and work better than silk or anything else. (Trust me on this, I'm from Canada and have done the test, skied on a very cold day with a comfy feeling silk liner on one hand and a cheap metal thread on the other. It's a no brainer, metal thread wins.)

 

The other option for cold hands is electric gloves. The ski shop that I work at sells Hestra rechargeable electric gloves that work great but cost $400. The OP can probably find a better price in the US and definitely cheaper brands on line.

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post #5 of 5
6/14/12 at 2:58pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks all for the answers so far.

 

Cerebral, thanks for the warning. I already have a neck gaiter and a balaclava which I normally use under my helmet when I play football in the Netherlands. I will make sure to get something nice and warm for my head.

 

DanoT, we were thinking about getting the Smartwool Liners in combination with the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts. They get awesome reviews. I will look into the metal thread liners for sure! Thanks a lot for the tip.

 

While looking around for a outer layer I found the Patagonia Insulated Powder Bowl Pants and Jackets. They are expensive, but sound toasty and they get good reviews from users. Anyone here got experience with those?

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