Dog sledding is a winter sport…so it should be cold!
It’s just to except the cold and try to dress well so you don’t freeze. Despite all hi-tech clothing materials we have today there is only one winner that has worked through the history. We call it WOOL. Wool keeps it warming abilities even if it gets damp. I can still hear my grandmothers voice from when I was a kid how she strictly told med to dress warm and that wool was the only right thing to wear. When I tried to talk to her about more modern materials she just turned around and stopped listening.
The cloths closest to your skin (layer 1) is the most important.
Different kind of soft wool and merino wool is most comfortable. You find it in different price levels and different qualities. In most cases you get what you pay for.
To wear cotton closest to your skin is actually dangerous in cold climate. Cotton absorbs moisture and makes you cold. It’s the same thing with some synthetic materials.
Aclima is a Norwegian brand. They make a sweater that I wore a lot the whole winter 2008/2009. It’s called Aclima Warmwool hoodie. The only thing I can complain about it is that the print started to get of on one arm. This sweater is rather expensive (650-700 SEK) but gives a feeling of quality. The long underwear is not included (approx. 500 SEK).
You can also without any embarrassment wear the sweater during dinner in the restaurant at Saltoluokta Mountain Station after the tour. It looks good and you will not feel like you are running around in your underwear.
You can buy Aclima underwear’s from the outdoor shop Northstar.se. The staff in the shop is very competent and you can trust that they listen to you and only sell what you need and not only the most expensive things.
If you want a cheaper alternative of underwear Northstar.se has a great offer at the moment. You get a set (sweater and long underwear) from AKLA for 595 SEK. It’s a good wool underwear but of a little bit thinner quality. I have many times bought two thinner and cheaper underwear’s instead of one expensive.
To have warm feet’s in cold temperatures is for many people a problem. If you get cold on your feet’s it’s hard to enjoy the nature, huskies and the northern light etc.
If you don’t wear wool closest on your foot it doesn’t matter how good the boots are.
So, use only wool on your feet’s!
Me my self normally use three layers of wool socks. With three pair of socks I need at least two sizes bigger boots then I normally use. There should also be enough of space in the boot so I can wiggle my toes.
Now we have a page for gear and clothing list for our longer tours ready.
