Norway Packing Guide and Product Reviews
Jump To
Packing Guide Overview
If you are pulling your hair out trying to piece together what to pack for Norway, you have come to the right place. For whatever reason, building my Norwegian wardrobe was like pulling teeth for me, and I went through a lot of blog posts looking for packing tips and specific product recommendations. You will find both on my website.
Note that almost everything mentioned in this overview that is worth bringing to Norway is separately reviewed here.
Layering.
Multiple layers give you versatility, optionality, and will keep you warm in those sub-zero temperatures. You should plan on wearing at least three different top layers underneath your winter jacket. I typically wore the following layers:
1) a tank top, followed by
2) a Meriwool base layer shirt,
3) a Patagonia sweater, Patagonia light down jacket, or an L.L. Bean tunic, and
4) a North Face winter down jacket.
I went to Norway in February during a particularly mild winter, but even so I was glad to have these various layers available to work with.
If it’s a colder winter, you might want to add an extra top layer—maybe a silk base layer or some kind of proprietary thermal fabric that is less bulky. I often wear a very thin Under Armour Heat Gear shirt as a base layer for running outdoors during the winter, and it worked very well underneath my wool base layer shirts in Norway.
You might also need to add some kind of base layer underneath your jeans.
- One might think snowpants are an excellent option in extremely cold temperatures, but be forewarned, Norwegians don’t run around town in their snowpants. No. They were jeans.
Snowpants aside, if you do need to wear a bottom base layer keep in mind how tight your regular pants are. Since I didn’t need to wear any base layers on the bottom, my skinny jeans fit just fine. However, I cannot imagine fitting a pair of silk or wool pants underneath those jeans without going up a size or two.
Why skinny jeans, you might ask? Because they fit inside my snow boots, which kept me warm and my jeans dry.
Socks.
Make sure you bring several pairs of wool socks with different thicknesses and lengths, especially if you plan to chase the Northern Lights or participate in other outdoor activities. I would recommend three or four pairs of long wool socks you can pull up over your shins, and some smaller ankle length ones you can wear underneath them if it gets really cold. Except for my Northern Lights chase into Finland, I only wore one pair of socks at a time, and, generally, I wore the long shin-length pair.
- Remember these wool socks are probably thicker than your regular socks—you might want to check that your shoes don’t feel too tight when you’re wearing one or two pairs of these things.
Gloves.
You will also need to bring very warm gloves with touch screen capability. Test them out beforehand! You do not want to be caught in below freezing weather with your gloves off trying to snap a picture with your camera phone because your touch screen gloves aren’t really functional.
- I also brought glove liners from Seirus Innovation, called a Heatwave Glove Liner, which I would recommend bringing if you plan to do outdoor activities. Mine were not touch screen capable, but they did keep me warm while I was exercising.
How much clothing to bring:
You don’t need as much as you think. It is truly function over fashion in Norway—you don’t need those little extras, and your arms will thank you.
I brought:
- Maybe six base layer shirts with me, but I could have made-do with four
- Two pairs of jeans, but I only needed one
- Two pairs of shoes, a pair of sneakers and my snow boots, but I only wore my sneakers once or twice inside my hostel
- A pair of snowpants and a ski suit, and practically speaking, you might save space if you just bring snowpants, especially if your regular jacket can double as a ski jacket. I brought both my snowpants and my ski suit, in part because I thought it was acceptable to wear snowpants on the regular in Norway. It’s not. I’m still glad I brought both though, because I had so much fun in that ski suit.
Packing and suitcase size.
I would make sure all your clothes fit in your luggage at least two weeks before you get on your flight, in case you find out that it doesn’t. I left my trial packing run until maybe the third or fourth day before my flight at which time I came to the sudden and awful realization that my bag was not nearly big enough for a ski suit and snowpants, let alone two weeks’ worth of clothes. I do not recommend doing this!
As far as suitcase size goes, smaller is better when visiting Norway. I ended up having to bring a check-on size roller board bag, which I deeply regret and would not recommend, especially in the winter. I had bruises up and down my thighs from trying to carry that thing over the snow and salt.
- The salt they use on the pavement in Norway is the size of very large hail. It is not salt-size at all. They are full-on rocks.
- You can’t roll your luggage across this stuff, it ruins the wheels.
- Instead, I would highly recommend you purchase something you can easily carry
Compression bags.
Use them for bulkier items like your ski suit, snow pants, extra down jacket, etc. You don’t need a vacuum for these types of bags, just a flat surface to roll the bag up so you can squeeze the air out. Bring extra with you on your trip.
I bought mine from the Cozy Essential brand on Amazon for $19.
Real World Implications.
What does all this packing advice mean for your real-world prep? That you will need to build your Norwegian winter wardrobe over a period of time. You will need to make sure you have all the right base layers and over layers, everything is the correct size, nothing itches, and that all your base layers fit underneath your regular clothes.
Product Reviews
Jump To
Arctix Snowpants
I purchased a pair of Arctix women’s insulated charcoal grey snowpants on Amazon for $46.99. Overall, I would recommend these snowpants. They’re affordable, comfortable, they stand up to the cold and the fit is relatively flattering.
I did not wear my snowpants skiing, but I did wear them on my Northern Lights chase through Northern Norway and into Finland. I thought the snowpants held up really well in the subzero cold. I wore them over a pair of Merino 250 wool base layer leggings and stayed quite warm, despite just standing around in them for at least an hour.
I also tried these snowpants out in New York when the polar vortex dropped temperatures down to 11°F (-11°C) over the winter holidays. Granted, I was walking in them, but I was sweaty in these chic snowpants, despite the blizzard conditions in New York at the time.
The snowpants fit quite well and run true to size. The waist is adjustable, which is helpful depending on what you’re wearing underneath and if your weight tends to fluctuate a bit. The waistband has two velcro straps that come through each beltloop on either side of your waist that you can adjust as needed. There are also two sets of hooks that fasten the snowpants at the top above the zipper. You can choose a tighter or a looser fit here as well. Overall, the fit is rather slimming (I thought my butt looked great).
The charcoal grey color is a touch lighter than in the stock photos, but overall the images accurately reflect what the snowpants look like. The charcoal color is still very versatile.
The snowpants have two, relatively deep zippered pockets on both right and left sides, but no other pockets. There is a zipper on the outside of both pantlegs that runs up to mid-shin height. There are no zippers at the knees or other ventilation zippers.
They are standard flare cut and fit over your boots. They will not fit inside (I tried to tuck them into my boots when I thought I would be walking around town in these, to no avail).
The manufacturer’s description says the material is moisture wicking, but I did not find that to be the case when I was sweating myself to death in New York City in these. Frankly, I was impressed I was sweating in the first place, so that didn’t bother me. If anyone is wondering, yes these pants make the “swishing” noise when you walk in them, but don’t let that deter you.
Tipsy Elves’ Ski Suit
To be fair, I’m not a huge skier. However, I knew I wanted to go skiing while I was in Norway. Part of the reason I had to go skiing was this Tipsy Elves’ ski suit, which is currently listed on their website for $199.95 (in mid-April), but is regularly $349.95. I purchased my suit in December for $319.95, so obviously the time to buy a ski suit is during the spring.
What can I say about this ski suit that it doesn’t say itself? The quality of the suit is just as good as the suit is awesome looking. Skiing in Norway while looking fabulous doesn’t get much cooler than this. Well, perhaps if you purchase another Tipsy Elves’ ski suit that is equally as eye-catching. They have many different style options and color schemes, so if you’re thinking of buying a ski suit you should definitely check out their website (link above).
Speaking of website purchases. I was a little hesitant to buy a ski suit online without trying it on first, but that proved not to be a problem. I followed the size guide on the website and ordered a medium, which fit me just fine. For reference, I’m 5’9 with an athletic build, and at the time of purchase was between a U.S. size four and a size six. I have a long torso, and long legs, so I was nervous it would be too short in the inseam. However, the ski suit didn’t pull anywhere or catch and it was quite comfortable. I had more than enough room for long underwear and several layers of shirt. I wore the Tipsy Elves’ ski suit with my L.L. Bean heavyweight base layer leggings, and three shirts—a tank top, a long-sleeved Heat Gear running shirt from Under Armour, and my heavyweight 400g merino wool thermal crewneck top from Meriwool. I stayed very warm and had full range of motion.
The suit itself has two sets of ventilation zippers including underarms and side body, and inside of the thighs. It also has six separate pockets, two smaller pockets at chest level, two front-side pant pockets, one back-side pant pocket on the right, and one smaller pocket on the left arm just where your elbow bends. The pant pockets will fit even a larger cell phone. If you have something smaller than a laptop masquerading as a cell phone, it might fit in the chest pockets as well. The pant legs will unzip to give you more room over your ski boot if necessary, and, of course to air yourself out if necessary. This particular model of the Tipsy Elves’ ski suit line sports a simple, black hood that fits snugly around your head. There is enough room for a hat underneath, even on the larger side. My white, wool pom-pom hat fit underneath without causing the hood of the ski suit to fall backwards. To my absolute delight, the hood stayed in place despite the blustery winds and the wet snow.
Overall, I really fell in love with this ski suit. I think it held up very well on a cold, snowy day in Tromsø during my cross-country skiing lesson. It was probably about 22°F (-5°C) outside that day, and half of my time in the suit was spent moving slowly or not at all. I was never cold, the hood was extremely functional and it stayed put. If you want both function and fashion (even in Norway), you can’t go wrong with the Tipsy Elves’ ski suit.
Sorel Winter Boots
If you’re planning on being in Norway during the winter you are definitely going to need to bring a pair of snow boots. While I didn’t går på tur (go for a hike) while I was in Norway this time, I did pretty well on the icy streets thanks to my super cool, and very comfortable, Sorel winter snow boots for women. They are currently listed on Sorel’s website for $123.98 (in mid-April), but I purchased them in January for full price at $165.
I only brought two pairs of shoes with me to Norway, these boots and a pair of sneakers. I wore these boots every day, all day, and they were perfect. I think I wore my sneakers maybe twice, which should give you an indication of how fantastic these Sorel winter snow boots truly are.
The Sorel boots were incredibly comfortable, warm, and kept me from slipping on many icy occasions. Perhaps one of the most important features is that you can walk comfortably in them all day. They are not flat-footed, “rubber duck boots.” They have a regular shoe sole that bends just like a real shoe would.
Well, what’s the catch, you ask? How “snow proof” are these boots? I had no trouble trudging through snow at midnight in Finland while we were outside waiting for the Northern Lights.
As for wet snow, can’t get wetter than a full on submersion test. I accidentally stepped into a very deep puddle in Lofoten, practically all the way up my shin. The leather stayed completely dry, inside and out (wow). I did notice that where the rubber sole meets the leather there was a little bit of seepage. However, my sock was merely damp. No water sloshing around in the boot. These are winter snow boots remember, not rain boots. I was very impressed. If you’re looking for a comfortable pair of snow boots you can spend all day walking in, these are the droids you’re looking for.
Meriwool Base Layer Wool Shirts
I cannot say enough positive things about Meriwool’s base layer wool shirts. I purchased all of my shirts through Amazon (individual prices below). The shirts are warm, comfortable, fashionable, and most importantly, they are NOT itchy. Meriwool shirts come in several different weights (currently, their website lists four different weights: 180g, 190g, 250g, and 400g), a variety of colors and Meriwool continues to add new styles to their lineup.
If you’re going to Norway in the winter or the spring, I would purchase both heavyweight and midweight shirts. I went in February, and I brought two of the heavyweight shirts and one midweight. The variety was nice, and having both weights made it easier to adjust for the weather. They roll up small in a suitcase and are easily packable without looking rumpled.
I will note that the sizing is not the same across all styles. That is the only negative experience I have had with the brand. I am a medium in their heavyweight and midweight shirts, but their half-zip sweater runs almost a full size too small. Otherwise, I really don’t have anything bad to say.
I purchased two of their Women’s Base Layer 100% Merino Wool Heavyweight 400g Thermal Shirts in black and in pink heather and I love both colors. Both shirts are priced at $90 on Amazon. 
The shirt is slightly longer in the back and sits loosely around the waist. I love the fit, these shirts are easy to wear over other base layers and on their own. I wore them every day in Norway, and I continue to wear them now that I’m home, even in spring weather.
Wool has the added benefit of being moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating. You don’t overheat in wool, you can stay cool in the heat and warm in the cold. I wouldn’t wear Meriwool’s 400g heavyweight layers in 60°F (15.5°C), but, as I will go over below, their midweight wool shirts are perfect for in between weather.
The Meriwool heavyweight shirts do a good job of moisture-wicking and odor-resistance. I wore these shirts almost every day for two weeks and I did not stink. Sure, the shirts needed a wash when I got home, but for wearing something seven days in a row all over Norway, including cross-country skiing, I was very impressed with these shirts.
I also purchased the Meriwool Women’s Base Layer 100% Merino Wool Midweight Long Sleeve Thermal Shirt in sky blue heather. This midweight shirt is priced at $60 on Amazon.
The color is beautiful, and the fit is slightly closer than the heavy weight shirts and it hangs at the same length in the front and in the back. It also has a little ribbing at the sides that make the shirt look very slimming.
This midweight shirt is noticeably lighter than the heavyweight shirts. It’s more breathable than the heavyweight shirts and it is not as warm, but that is the point. It is a midweight shirt. I wore this on slightly warmer days in Norway, or if I was wearing a heavier sweater / light down jacket that day. I have also worn this shirt during spring weather and felt very comfortable.
I will say I think this shirt is slightly less odor-resistant than the heavyweight Meriwool shirts, but not enough that it’s ever been a problem. It could just be that the fabric is thinner and it takes less sweat to stink it up.
In general, I’m in love with the Meriwool brand. If you’re looking for some solid wool shirts to bring to Norway, I would recommend their heavyweight and midweight wool shirts without a second thought.
L.L. Bean
I had never thought of L.L. Bean as a winter clothing outfitter, but after my trip to Norway I will purchase as much of my winter wardrobe from them as I can possibly justify. For Norway, I purchased two different black thermal leggings and a pink ¼ zip tunic overshirt that I wore over my wool base layers. I wear all three of these items on the regular, Norway not required.
I made all these purchases online, using my measurements and going by L.L. Bean’s size chart, which is really more of a sizing inquiry tailored to your measurements, including weight, height, age, inseam, and an interesting technique based on what pant sizes you wear at other particular brands. Word to the wise, L.L. Bean’s sizing is somewhat unique. I am a size small in their pants, but a medium in their shirts. That is normally the opposite for me. I was skeptical that I was a size small, especially in a pant size, but the smalls fit just right. I would pay close attention to their size chart and take your measurements before you purchase.
The most versatile pair of pants from L.L. Bean is the L.L. Bean Heavyweight Baselayer Pant.
I purchased a women’s regular, size small. These leggings are regularly listed on L.L. Bean’s website at $60, but I have seen them on sale for $50. These leggings are part of L.L. Bean’s heavyweight collection, the warmest layer they offer. I love these leggings, and that is saying something. They don’t have pockets and they hit at the ankle, both qualities that would normally be a deal-breaker for me, but these leggings just do the job and I look great in them.
They are meant as a base layer for skiing and other winter outdoor activities, but I have worn these to yoga, pilates, while running, and just generally all over town. These leggings are extremely versatile and work well for almost any activity. They are moisture-wicking and quick-drying, as well as machine-washable and dryer-safe. I have been relatively careful about not drying them on high heat.
They sit at the waist, and between the waistband and the contouring quality of the leggings they are quite slimming. One of the design aspects I really like about this legging is the waistband—it’s wide enough that it doesn’t roll up, and it’s fully sewn in so it doesn’t flip over or get twisted. These are a base layer, so the fact that they hit at the ankle is not an issue if you are wearing them under other clothes in cold weather. That being said, I wouldn’t wear them as an outer layer on a very cold day unless you wear long socks.
Style-wise I absolutely love the fit and the shape they give me. The high waist covers any bulges you might not want showing, and the wide waistband has a slimming effect. Additionally, there is some stitchwork that appears to give the pants a very muted “wrapping” quality, as if the material winds around your outer legs. I like that there is a little bit of pizzaz to the design, and that these don’t look like plain black pants. I was also pleased with how well these stood up to the cold. I was a little concerned because they are polyester, but these leggings are made with a 220-gram blend of 48% Repreve® recycled polyester, 48% polyester, and 4% elastane. I’m not an expert in fabrics, but I can say that these pants were the perfect base layer under my ski suit in Norway. They kept me very warm and dry. I would give them five stars out of five.
The other pair of leggings I bought from L.L. Bean are the Primaloft ThermaStretch Fleece Pocket Tight.
At the time of this review, they are currently listed at $109 on L.L. Bean’s website. I purchased a regular, size small. These are meant to be an outer layer. They have a PrimaLoft fabric on the outside that is smooth and does not feel like fleece. The inside is made with plush fleece, but the fleece feeling is not overwhelming. Honestly, I forgot they were fleece until I went back to write this product review. They do not overheat and they don’t get sticky when you sweat. They are moisture-wicking, with a blend of 48% polyester, 43% nylon, and 9% spandex. Also machine-washable and dryer-safe. I have been careful with putting them in the dryer, only drying on low heat, but I am not eager to accidentally ruin a pair of $100 cold-weather leggings.
Again, the fit is true to size and the recommendation from L.L. Bean’s size guide was accurate. The inseam is longer on this pair of pants, and hits below the ankle. I like the full coverage for outdoor activities, and feel fully comfortable wearing these as an outer layer. I love the pockets, they are deep and the pocket on the left side also has a zipper. Almost unheard of on a women’s pair of leggings.
They are not quite as form fitting as the L.L. Bean Heavyweight Baselayer Pant, and they sit slightly lower on the waist, but for me these are not negatives. I’m wearing these pants for warmth and convenience—I’m not making an athleisure statement—but I would still consider these to be fashionable. They still have a wide waist band that doesn’t ride up or get twisted, and creates a very pleasing shape. I wore them to a club in Bodø, Norway in 20°F (-6.6°C) and I felt perfectly attractive and comfortable. I didn’t need to wear a base layer, these kept me warm all on their own, and they were perfect temperature-wise inside the club. I was not overheated at all, and when I left to go back to my hotel I still felt nice and warm.
I have also worn these leggings in below freezing weather for outdoor runs and don’t have any complaints. Highly recommend.
I also purchased a pink tunic overshirt from L.L. Bean, called the Women’s Airlight Knit Asymmetrical Quarter-Zip Tunic, as one of my outer layers for Norway. It’s currently listed at $80 on L.L. Bean’s website.
I love this tunic. The color is gorgeous and the zip collar is super cute. I purchased a medium and it worked very well as a top layer over all my other shirts. The sleeves are a little tapered, so if you are planning on wearing this over another long-sleeved shirt I would stick with a roomier size.
I will say the medium is a tad voluminous around my mid-section and under my arms, but I didn’t purchase this to go clubbing in. Although that’s exactly what I did with this shirt in Bodø, Norway in 20°F (-6.6°C) weather. Ha. A little bit of fashion with some function, Norway! I lie, it was very functional, but the pink color is a nice touch and the fit is fun, with the tunic hanging down longer in the back than in the front, this is a nice top to wear over leggings in cold weather.
There is just one pocket, not two separate side pockets as you might think looking at the picture. Your hands meet in the middle, in other words. It’s not the best place to hang a heavy cell phone or a wallet, but it’s still useful. The shirt doesn’t have a ton of heft, but it has retained its shape beautifully so far. As far as warmth goes, I would not plan on wearing this on its own without a base layer during a cold Norwegian winter. I never felt cold in this tunic, but I planned pretty carefully. It was not as warm as my Patagonia sweatshirt, for example, but it gave me more optionality with my base layers.
I love the length of this shirt too, it falls just below your booty, where your seat meets your hamstrings in the rear, so your tush is completely covered, but it’s not so long that it feels baggy or oversized. It’s a very cute addition to any winter wardrobe and I found it to be a great value-add for my Norway trip.