Practical
What to wear on an Arctic boat tour: the suit covers less than you think
Every operator in Tromsø hands out a thermal suit at the quay, and that single fact makes people underdress. The suit is windproof, warm and goes over your clothes. It does not cover your head, your hands or your feet, and those are the three things that send passengers inside forty minutes into a four-hour sailing.
Quick answer
Wear thermal base layers, a fleece, a fitted hat, real gloves and warm waterproof boots, and put the provided thermal suit over the top. Tromsø air sits around minus four in January, which is mild for the latitude, but the deck is damp and windy and the boat makes its own wind. Nothing loose: hats blow off. On the floating and kayaking trips you get a sealed suit instead, and everything above still goes underneath it.
What to wear, at a glance
- Provided
- Thermal suiton most sailings, over your clothes
- Not provided
- Hat, gloves, bootsthe three that matter
- Typical January air
- ~−4°Cmilder than the latitude suggests
- What makes it cold
- Wind and dampnot the thermometer
- Base layer
- Thermal or woolnever cotton
- Boots
- Warm and waterproofdecks are wet and sometimes icy
- Hat
- Fitted, covering earsa hood is not a substitute
- Gloves
- Two pairsthin for the camera, warm for the rail
- Sunglasses
- In spring and summerglare off snow and water
- Floating and kayak
- Sealed suit providedand layers still go underneath
The layers
What actually keeps you on deck for four hours
Thermals, fleece, hat, two pairs of gloves and real boots — then the suit on top.
Base layer. Thermal or merino wool against the skin, never cotton. Cotton holds the sweat from the walk to the quay and then chills you for the rest of the sailing.
Mid layer. A fleece or a wool jumper. The provided suit blocks wind and spray but is not thick, so the warmth has to come from underneath it.
Hat. The single most important thing you bring. Fitted, covering the ears, and tight enough to survive a gust on an open deck. A hood flaps, blocks your peripheral vision and stops you hearing the guide.
Gloves, two pairs. Thin liners you can work a camera in, and warm ones to put back on. Cold hands are the commonest reason people abandon the deck, and the deck is where everything happens.
Boots. Warm, waterproof and with some grip. Decks get wet and in winter they get icy. Trainers are the classic visitor mistake here.
What the Arctic adds
Three local details that are not on the generic list
Damp cold, spring glare and very warm interiors — dress in layers you can drop.
It is damper than you expect. Coastal Arctic air is wet, and wet cold cuts harder than dry cold at the same temperature. Minus four in Tromsø feels colder than minus fifteen inland in Finland, and visitors who have packed for the number rather than the coast get caught.
The light in spring is fierce. From March the sun comes back fast and reflects off snow and water at the same time. Sunglasses in April are not vanity: snow blindness on a boat is a real, if minor, hazard, and everybody squints through the best light of the day otherwise.
Indoors is very warm. Norwegian boats and buildings are heated properly, and you will be sweating in the saloon in what you needed on deck. Layers you can shed matter more than one enormous coat, and this is why the provided suit — which comes off in ten seconds — works so well.
One more thing worth saying: Tromsø is a normal town with shops. If you have arrived without a hat or gloves, you can buy good ones five minutes from the quay, and plenty of people do.
The packing list
Six items, and what happens if you skip each
This is the whole list for a standard fjord sailing.
- A fitted warm hat
Skip it and you are inside within an hour, which is where nothing is seen.
- Two pairs of gloves
Thin for the camera, warm for the rail. Wet gloves in winter end the deck time.
- Thermal base layers
Cotton chills you as soon as you stop moving.
- Warm waterproof boots
Decks are wet, sometimes icy, and cold feet are the second commonest reason people go inside.
- Sunglasses from February onwards
Sun off snow and water at the same time is brighter than anything you are used to.
- A small dry bag or waterproof case
For a phone or camera. Spray reaches the rail and salt water is unforgiving.
On the floating and kayaking trips the clothing question changes completely: you get a sealed suit, and what matters is what is under it.
Arctic floating→Photographing from an Arctic deck
Cold batteries, salt spray and low light
Warm spare battery, no wiping a fogged lens, and a real cloth for the salt.
Three things go wrong with cameras up here, and all three are avoidable.
Batteries die. Lithium cells lose capacity fast in the cold. Keep the spare in an inside pocket against your body and swap when the first one fades — it will usually recover once warm.
Lenses fog. Not on deck, but the moment you carry a cold camera into a heated cabin. The fix is to leave it in a bag while it warms, rather than wiping a lens that is condensing from the inside.
Salt gets everywhere. Spray dries to a haze that ordinary wiping smears. Carry a proper cloth, and on a RIB or an open deck keep the camera under the suit between sightings.
And in winter light, shoot in short bursts with a fast shutter rather than long exposures — the deck moves even when the sea looks flat.
If you are travelling with children
Five practical notes for an Arctic sailing with a family
The cruises are family trips; the water activities are not.
- Suits come in children’s sizes
On the standard cruises. Ask when booking so the right sizes are on board.
- The cabin matters more with children
A heated saloon with a toilet turns a four-hour sailing into an easy afternoon.
- Bring more gloves than you think
Wet gloves happen faster with children, and a spare pair each is the whole difference.
- Snacks
Even on the sailings with food, the gap between boarding and lunch is long.
- Check ages on floating and kayaking
Both set minimums, and they are higher than for the cruises.
Common questions
What to wear, answered
What should I wear on an Arctic boat tour?
Thermal base layers, a fleece, a fitted hat, gloves and warm waterproof boots, with the provided thermal suit over the top.
Are thermal suits provided?
On most sailings from Tromsø, yes, handed out at the quay in all sizes. The floating and kayaking trips provide sealed flotation or dry suits instead.
How cold is it really?
Around minus four in January, which is mild for 69 degrees north. What makes the deck cold is damp air and wind rather than the temperature itself.
Do I need special boots?
Warm and waterproof with some grip. Decks are wet and often icy in winter; trainers are the commonest mistake.
What should I not wear?
Cotton next to the skin, anything loose that can blow off, and a single thick coat instead of layers — the cabin is very warm.
Can I buy kit in Tromso?
Yes. It is a normal town with outdoor shops five minutes from the harbour, and plenty of visitors buy a hat and gloves on arrival.
Go deeper
More on Arctic boat tours
The Tromso fjord cruise
What four hours in the fjords contains, and which boat does it best.
The verdictWhich boat is best
Eleven sailings ranked, and which suits which traveller.
WinterWinter cruises
Polar night, blue light and what still sails in January.
SummerMidnight sun sailings
Late May to late July, when the sun never goes down.
CostWhat it costs
From $117 to $490, and what is actually included.
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Six hours west to the island village with white beaches.
