Winter clothing for Europe

[peacefrog]

Hi y'all. First time posting here. This site is great. I've already found a lot of information for my impending trip to Europe, which will be my first time ever. I had a question however that I haven't seen answered here. That is: what kind of winter clothes should I pack if I will be in northern Europe (i.e. Amsterdam, Germany, Prague) from the end of December to the middle of January? I've heard that it is usually best to keep a backpack under 40 pounds, otherwise walking anywhere with it will make me hate life. So if I'm going to be taking some toiletries, a 35 mm camera, my skivvies, notebook, pens, leatherman, and lighter, then what heavy clothing would be advisable without adding too much weight? Thanks.

[Canadian Dude]

YO-YO Peace frog!!! To the Boards!!!!!

Winter clothes to pack...

WHATEVER YOU DO...DO NOT WEAR COTTON ! WET COTTON DOES NOT INSULATE ! YOU WILL GET COLDDD

I have not been in the winter, but plan to at some pint...If winter in Germany is anything like a Canadian winter, then trying to keep your pack under 40lbs, might be difficult....

I will suggest for those really cold days, you get a Gor-tex or Thinsulate pair of pants...these are water proof and will keep you warm in some pretty harsh weather..some might be a bit $$$ but you will thank the lord you have them :-)

As for the rest of your gear, you will need some wool socks, gloves, and long under wear for sure...Wool sweater will be heavy, but you might wanna bring one (turtle neck)...Cargo's with layers under.

Hope that helps ya a little bit anyway :-)

[joanofarc]

i just got back from germany (i'm from san diego) and i froze!

there were times when i wore two turtlenecks and silk long underwear and a warm fleece and i was still cold.

i couldn't tell from your post wheteher you are male or female, but i say yes, do the whole layers thing, but bring a big warm jacket - seriously. you WILL need it. don't worry about the space it takes up, cause you'll be wearing it!

a nice wool pea coat or something with a lot of warmth - anyway, you should see all the europeans in their fashy coats, they put my little fleece to shame!

[dttraveler]

peacefrog I would suggest bringing only the bear neccisties like long sleeve shirts and jeans or khakis just to see what the weather is like first off and then if that doesnt suit you buy some things over there. the good part about this is you wont look like a tourist if you have to buy clothes over there. but what do i know-- i doing the same thing i told you but this will be my first time travelling, it just seems like the logical thing to do.

[kyle j]

Well I am leaving for the same area in mid december to amsterdam germany and france and I am planning on bringing a fairly heavy jacket or as heavy as i have being from florida it isnt too heavy, I looked online and found that the average lows in those areas is low 30s and average highs in mid 40s so I would think that is cold for most people. And i would think waiting to buy cloths there might be costly unless you are going to buy clothes before you leave anyway.

[voyd]

Fleece is just deep-piled polyester, like a cheap hoody, but (I believe) much titer-knit and windproof. A normal hoody is ok, but a fleece jumper will REALLY keep you much warmer (cuz it's windproof). Stopping the air cutting thru makes a HUGE difference. A fleece top is one thing I am adding to my travel supplies.

[urOZm8]

Dont forget about 'layering' peacefrog! It means you should wear a number of different shirts/long sleeves all at the same time. This method traps warmth much better than just one big bulky jacket/jumper.
It also means cos your wearing more stuff at once your backpack is lighter as your not lugging all those clothes around