What to wear in mid August in the Arctic

[franu]

Will be in Honningsvag, North Cape, Norway and Murmansk, Russia in mid August. I get such varied answers regarding temperatures, which leaves me confused. Has anyone visited this area in August? What kind of outerwear did you wear? Now that you experienced it, would you wear any different?

 

Thank you for any experience that you can share.

Fran

[tony@stanton19.freeserve.]

We did the Baltic in July last year, apart from rain in St Petersburg the weather was fine, cloudy sometimes, sunny and hot at other times.

We did the North Cape this year at the beginning of July.

The weather was superb although when we crossed into the Arctic Circle there was a definite wind chill even though it was sunny. At one stage we hit fog and we sailed with the foghorn sounding which added to the sense of expedition and adventure. The day we were in Honninsvaag it was drizzly, cloudy and very windy out on the North Cape cliff. People didn't stay out there long, but by the virtue of its location there is absolutely nothing to look at apart from the surrounding cliffs. You will need a good water/windproof and fleece, but you probably won't be out in the wind that much unless you do a real outdoor trip. As many have said before, layers is the answer as it can change rapidly.

[suz8483]

Just returned from Hurtegruten roundtrip from Bergan. Was simply lovely; mostly clear with amazing cloud formations and scenery. Do layer; do take a warm hat and scarf along with your waterproof jacket. :)

[PennyAgain]

A former co-worker who took a North Cape trip this summer failed to take along a jacket, hat and gloves. He said it just didn't occur to him. As a result he could not go out on deck to enjoy the scenery.

[franu]

Thank you for your speedy replies. I guess that layering is the way to go. I am wondering what type of jacket you will recommend. Should it be my parka, my waterproof rain jacket (no lining) or just a fleece zip up type. Can any help me?

Fran

[kaisatsu]

Although I haven't sailed to Honnigsvag, we did a trip all the way up to Svalbard in June. As the other posters mentioned, I would recommend packing layers instead of something like the parka. You probably won't need it at that time of year, and even if the weather is unusually bad, I doubt you'd get much use out of it during the rest of your trip.

 

Since the Norwegian coast is notoriously rainy, I would definitely recommend bringing your rain jacket. The Norwegians are out and about even in the rain, so a good rain shell is a local staple. Hopefully it's loose enough that you can layer it over a thick fleece, because that would probably be the ideal combination for the local climate. Since the moving ship inevitably means wind, I find that my rain jacket makes a good windbreaker even when it's not raining. And the combination of a wind-proof/rain-proof shell over a fleece can be quite warm, especially if you wear something warm like a sweater/jumper underneath. In fact, when we were facing 2C temps (with sub-zero wind chills) in Svalbard, I was still comfortable in a windproof shell, warm fleece, and sweater.

 

If you have space in your luggage, I would consider tossing in a pair of thing gloves and a cap so that you can spend more time on deck if you want. The breeze from the moving ship can be quite chilly, and just covering up a bit more can make it much easier to stay out longer.

 

-Meg

[franu]

Thank you kaisatsu, PennyAgain, suz8483 and tony@stanton19.freeserve.

Experience is still the best teacher whether it is yours personally or second hand. The tips seem equally as good.

 

I almost never wear hats, scarf or gloves at home although the weather can get bitter in Toronto but I don't really stay outside to watch the snow falling. Two pair of gloves will come with me on this trip although I don't suspect that they will freeze as they did in Antarctica. We will be going as far as Murmansk, Russia.

 

Thank you all so much for putting my mind at ease. It wouldn't have been fun to wear my parka on the plane from Toronto to save on luggage space and weight.

Fran

[7SeasLover]

Always be prepared for the cold. We were in the Baltics in May and I froze. I bought scarves and gloves - I had a great jacket, but with the wind, it wasn't enough.