What to wear in Lapland in Winter – Lapland packing list

Wondering what to wear in Lapland during Winter? Lapland can be cold… really cold, the temperatures can be extreme so it is essential to know what to wear in Lapland and to plan your packing accordingly.

This post complements our ultimate guide to planning a DIY Lapland holiday, and provide you with a Lapland packing list to help you to stay warm and comfortable throughout your trip.

This article contains affiliate links. Should you click to purchase, it is at no additional cost to you, but I receive a small commission.

Lapland with kids is the most incredible experience. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing our trip to lapland was back in 2021. We loved it so much we booked to return for New Year in 2023. One of the most asked questions over in my DMs on Instagram is what to wear in Lapland. Let me tell you it can be cold. Really really cold. Temperatures in Lapland range from 3 °C depending on location, to – 30 °C. During our trip the temperatures dropped to – 24 °C but sometimes felt colder with wind chill.

As the old saying goes ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather. Just bad clothing.’ so the trick is to remember PLENTY of layers, waterproof outer layers and boots, and plan out your packing.

We stayed in Ylläshilla, a luxurious log cabin located in the village of Äkäslompolo, high above the Arctic Circle. We opted to DIY our Lapland trip as it was the most cost effective way for our family of 5 to visit during peak times (Christmas/New Year). We booked our Lapland excursions independently.

We have put together a complete packing list of what clothes to wear in Lapland when travelling during the winter months, including what to wear in Lapland with kids.

What Clothes To Pack For Lapland

Here is what to pack for Lapland in November, December and January!

Lapland packing list – what to wear in Lapland in Winter

So if you are wondering what to wear in Lapland during Winter, here is a list of all the items that we packed for our December trip to Lapland. We travelled to Lapland independently, and booked our lodge, flights, car hire, and excursions separately. Therefore we needed to bring all of our outdoor gear with us. Do check with the tour operator what is provided if you have booked a package holiday to Lapland.

What to wear under a snowsuit in Lapland?

Layers are key – wear several layers of loose fitting clothes underneath your snowsuit such as thermal base layers, fleeces, hoodies, fleece jogging trousers, wool socks.

• thermal base layers
• mid layers – breakable top and trousers, lightweight fleece, jogging trousers, comfortable long sleeve top/trousers
• Outer later. – waterproof snow suit, or jacket and trousers
• Wool socks
• mittens/gloves
• hat
• snow boots

Thermal Base Layers

Base layers are an essential item to wear in lapland during the winter months. Merino wool are the best thermals for Lapland as they are lightweight, limits sweating and dries quickly, but can be pricier than standard base layers.

Base layers can also double up to chill out in back at the log cabin or Lapland hotel.

There are some great options including base layers sets that include both a top and leggings. There are some great patterns too for the kids including dinosaur and snoopy prints!

Hat

Warm hats are an absolute must. Our children wore a Barts trapper hat as this also covered the ears and it worked amazing, especially when teamed with a balaclava. The husky safari was by far the coldest activity were participated in, especially for the children in the sledge. Even with a balaclava and warm hat, and hand and feet warmers it was FREEZING. So much so – our eyelashes froze!! I took my bobble hats from Junkbox Apparel

Gloves

So the trick is to layer. Base layer ir liner gloves work a treat under warm mittens. We found the mittens worked best as it can be fiddly to put on gloves onto young hands. Mittens can also be layered well, and you can easily fit a hand warmer into a mitten as there is a little more room.

Snood/balaclava

You might not always think of a balaclava, and in fairness the tour companies that we booked the lapland activities often supply additional items such as balaclava, and warm socks and hand warmers. The balaclava was essential on both the snowmobile tour and the husky safari as it was seriously cold out in the forest!

Wool socks

Regular socks and additional wool socks are essential. If you ware wondering how many layers of socks to wear for lapland – the trick is to not layer too many socks. Thick wool socks will keep your feet warm and comfy and allow your feet to breathe. We wore too many socks for husky safari and the kids complained of really cold feet.

Mid layers

Fleece items are ideal to wear in-between your base layers and outer layers/ snow suit. Mid layer clothing such as a fleece, long sleeve tops or a sweatshirt, and jogging trousers are ideal mid layer items to keep you warm and toasty in lapland. I also added a pair of leggings on top of my base layer leggings. For the kids they wore thermal base layers with leggings and jogging trousers, and a thin fleece and an additional jumper, thick fleece or hoodie.

Waterproof outer layers

Waterproof jacket and trousers or a snow suit that is warm, wind and waterproof are the key. We love the Animal ski jacket and salopettes. The ski jacket is constructed from a waterproof outer combined with a cosy polar fleece lining and is waterproof and has a useful ski pass pocket. The Animal Nordic Kids Ski Pants are made from recycled materials and are waterproof and breathable. I loved that they have an adjustable waist, which is really useful to fit all sizes. The Animal Tignes Women’s snow jacket is an amazing colour and worked well for layering. Breathable, waterproof and thermal tested.

Waterproof snow boots

We took the Keen Europe snow boots and they were amazing, kept feet dry and warm at all times. We opted for a size bigger to allow for the extra layers of socks and we had no problems at all – we even managed to squeeze foot warmers in too! Featured are the Keen Europe Puffrider snow boots, and the Women’s Greta Tall Waterproof Boot – waterproof, warm, comfortable and easy to put on and take off.

Additional items to pack when travelling to lapland with kids

Warm nightwear, or an oodie/onesie.

Warm and conformable nightwear is essential and we also added an oodie, and it proved great for the downtime back at the log cabin. Remember that the sub zero temperatures mean that the kids can’t tolerate hours out in the snow, so we did have plenty of downtime at our cabin playing card games and reading. So don’t forget to pack the card games too!

Slippers/warm slipper socks

We didn’t pack slippers for our first trip out to Lapland but we remembered them for our second visit! As you know – we booked a luxury loig cabin in the village of Äkäslompolo and as we booked everything independently we needed to bring everything with us. Slippers may not sound obvious but proved useful in our self catering accomodation.

Hand warmers/feet warmers

Hand warmers and in particular feet warmers were a life saver – particularly during the excursions. If you are thinking of booking an evening snow mobile tour or a husky safari with kids….. pack the hand warmers and feet warmers. Don’t get me wrong – we loved the husky safari so much that we booked it for both of our lapland holidays…. but it’s the coldest activity we have done by far, so be prepared to layer layer layer.

Ear muffs

Our younger children wore trapper hats, but our eldest opted for a wool bobble hat and ear muffs. It adds extra protection to ears in the cold sub zero temperatures.

Toiletries. – moisturiser and lip balm!

We found that the cold weather really dried out our skin and lips, so don’t forget the lip balm and moisturisers to use after a day out in the cold! Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream was amazing especially with the kids sore lips and skin around their lips!

Head torch

When we visited in December and January we had about 3 hours of daylight. From mid January there is about 4 hours of day light so a head torch is a great thing to pack when out and about and on the excursions.

So there you have our Lapland packing list that includes ideas for what to wear in Lapland in Winter! Remember layers are key, and if you are travelling to Lapland with kids, then mittens, hand warmers and wool socks are absolute essential. A balaclava and a neck gaiter are a good idea too.

Factor in the downtime so bring a few activities such as tablets, books, card games and we even bought little creator lego packs for our son. We loved Uno and Chop Chop, house of games, and blink.

This article contains affiliate links. Should you click to purchase, it is at no additional cost to you, but I receive a small commission. Some items featured in this post have been sent for review – all thoughts and opinions are our own.