February 2024
Packing in a Carry On: Winter in the Arctic Circle – Tromsø, Norway
When I discovered Tromso earlier this year, I immediately felt a pull to this destination. Known as the Gateway to the Arctic, Tromso is located in the northern part of Norway and situated 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. This winter wonderland features numerous activities to enjoy the arctic but it is most known for the high concentration of Northern Lights sightings. Due to the magnetic pull of the earth, Tromso is located where the northern magnetic pole ends, which means all that solar flare activity ends up dumping in and around Tromso so the probability of Aurora activity is higher than other destinations in the world. And Tromso is very accessible which has made it a top winter tourist destination – and luckily, Tromso is well equipped to serve that purpose.
Winter packing is almost easier than the summer because you know one thing for sure – it will be cold! Often times, you wear your jacket a large majority of the time so no one really can “see” what you are wearing (or in my case, re-wearing). Your top layer really is unchanged and layers underneath are changed out. While layering clothing certainly has advantages for packing less, the clothing is larger and heavier but as long as you have enough clothing to circulate as your base layer, clothing is the easier part of packing.
- It was time for us to buy new snow jacket and snow pants anyway so we took this opportunity to update our gear.
- Make sure you can commit to one pair of shoes could be a bigger problem! I love these boots by Xero Mika boots as they are be comfortable, warm, and stylish.
- Fleece lined everything is definitely the way to go – this fleece body suit and fleece lined leggings are wonderful purchases to keep you warm. For men, you can go with a set like this that Kevin found essential for warmth.
- I threw in a bunch of hand warmers since I knew we would be outdoors for extended periods of time. They take up so little packing space and once they are used, they go in the trash so it frees up some wiggle room in the backpack.
The bag: EBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible
Packing cubes (Amazon or Ebags) size small, medium and large
Walker Family Goods Toiletry Bag
- Medications (Ibupofen, Meclizine, Tums)
- Deodorant
- Bar of solid soap
- Contacts
- Solid sunscreen
- Lush solid shampoo
- Toothbrush with sanitizer pod / floss
- Hair Brush
- Razor / Spare razor head
- Band-Aids / first-aid and Q-tips
- Hair accessory bag (headband, hair ties, hair clips)
- Lip balm
Quart Bag for 3 Ounce Liquids
- Reusable bag
- Tooth paste
- Travel size body lotion
- Travel size conditioner
- Travel size face wash
- Face moisturizer in repurposed container
- Aquaphor
- Hand sanitizer
- Contact solution
Medium Packing Cube: Small Clothing Items
- Underwear / socks
- Wool socks
- Adventure Bands
- Thermal socks
- Hand warmers
- Mittons
Large Packing Cube: Clothes
- Hat and scarf
- Fleece lined leggings
- Active leggings
- Thermal long sleeve fleece lined body suits
- Two sweaters
- Merino wool 250 base layer
Electronics Bag and Camera Bag
- Nikon Z50 Camera with two lens
- Phone power bank charger
- Various chargers
- Camera gear
- Outlet adapters
Front Compartment
Laptop Compartment
- Chromebook
- Notebook/Paperwork/Pen
Sling
What I wore on plane
- Thermal long sleeve fleece lined body suits
- Sweater
- Wool socks
- Fleece lined leggings
- Black pants
- Xero Mika boots
- Snow jacket
- Snow pants (packed inside backpack)
Bag weigh in – 8 kg/18pounds
