Buying Clothes for Lapland: 3 Ways to Save Money

Are you going on a holiday to Lapland?

So exciting!!

Are you panicking about buying clothes for Lapland?

Totally understandable!!

Clothes were actually one of the main reasons why we’d kept postponing travelling to Lapland to see the Northern Lights (the other big one being the cost, but, thankfully, we figured out how to do Lapland on a budget).

With clothes, there is the issue of surviving the cold (-20°C?!) and then the issue of spending a lot of money on winter gear you might never need again.

Thankfully, there are ways to save money when buying clothes for Lapland – in this post, we’ll tell you all about it.

Now that we’ve been to Lapland, we realise things aren’t as difficult as we’d always thought. And we wish someone had told us so, years ago, when we were postponing having this bucket-list experience, just because of not wanting to buy extra clothes!!

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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.

After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆

During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅

And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!

Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!

Tips for a Lapland holiday

Before we get into useful tips for your Lapland holiday, let’s address something.

A holiday in Lapland IS a big deal.

It’s not your simple-to-plan city gateway or a a week in an all-inclusive beach resort.

Here is why.

Why a holiday in Lapland is a big deal

We know that a Lapland holiday is a huge thing for many people.

1. It’s an absolutely epic place to travel to. For many travellers it’s the first time they see snow, Aurora Borealis or reindeer. It might be the first time they cross the Arctic Circle. Or the first time they meet Santa Claus! So many bucket list experiences!
2. It’s usually mega pricey. All of it. Not just buying clothes for Lapland. So it makes sense that you want to plan the best holiday possible – after all, you are spending a lot of your hard-earned money on it.

 For us, Lapland, was a life changing trip, because:

• It was the first time seeing the Northern Lights, which was the top of our bucket list.
• Also the first time going to Finland, the Arctic and meeting Santa – so many new experiences!
• It was the first big trip we took Mirka’s sister on – we’d never travelled for this long together before
• Oh, and did we mention we went to Lapland right after we secretly got married in Copenhagen, so it was kinda like our honeymoon? (Except for Mirka’s sister being with us, who was, btw, our only wedding guest and even she didn’t even know we were getting married!)

Helpful hacks for your Lapland holiday

Now that you know a bit about our trip, here are tips for you, to make sure you have the best Lapland holiday ever:

• We stayed at a beautiful resort in a glass-roof cabin. Yes, like the ones on Instagram, where you lounge in your bed as the Northern Lights dance above you. Best bit? We didn’t have to sell a kidney to stay there. Curious to find out more? Read our full review here.
• Wanna know how to meet the real Santa Claus in Finland (and not get scammed?). Read this!
• Wondering whether you should do a husky ride in Lapland? Mirka hated it and shared her candid experience here.

Buying clothes for Lapland: what do you need to know?

Buying clothes for Lapland can be super stressful (if you come from a hot country and know bugger all about proper winter) or quite okay (if you go on winter holidays regularly and so already have at least some of the gear).

One way or another, the important thing is to make sure you have good clothes for your trip.

Winters in Lapland are no joke, with temperatures as low as -30°C. 🥶

Here is what we would suggest you do:

• Read this post to see what options you have when it comes to buying clothes for Lapland.
• Figure out exactly what you actually need to buy when it comes to clothes, but also other essentials.
• Budget for these extras that you need to get before your trip. Lapland holidays are expensive, not just because flights, accommodation, activities and food cost a lot, but also because winter gear is famously known to be, well, not budget-friendly.

The key?

Starting the process early.  Because:

• You want to be able to research and plan without getting overwhelmed. 
• You also want to be able to source your clothes and gear when they are on sale, if possible, so shopping after the winter season, rather than before (but see the last point too).
• Equally though, you don’t wanna have to be running around in the middle of the summer, trying to find a shop that will sell you winter boots. 
• Another advantage? If you get your winter clothes and gear early enough, you will be able to test them out before your trip. Sure, you might not be living in a place where temperatures drop to -30°C. But if you are able to go somewhere cold (doesn’t matter whether it’s a short holiday to a colder country or an ice skating rink!), you can test out the stuff you’ve bought to see how it feels and works – before relying on it in the proper, arctic cold. 
• It can also save you money. For example, we bought our winter jackets at the start of winter in Slovakia, our homebase at the time. That meant we got plenty of use out of them – we didn’t wear them just for our Lapland holiday, but the whole winter season. (And we LOVE saving money!)

Now, let’s talk about the 3 solutions for buying clothes for Lapland.

The 3 solutions for buying clothes for Lapland

#0 Pro tip

Aha, we’ve decided to give you a bit extra here, not just the 3 solutions for buying clothes for Lapland.

What’s this secret tip zero, you ask?

It’s a sustainable tip – for the planet and your wallet.

Have you guessed it yet?

When thinking about buying clothes for Lapland, the first thing you should do is see if you can borrow anything from your friends or family.

This is what we did

We were keeping our Lapland trip a secret, since it was part of our secret wedding (yes, it was as unconventional as it sounds. Literally NOBODY knew we were getting married – we only had one guest, Mirka’s sister, and even she didn’t know!).

But we knew that Mirka’s parents had a lot of useful winter gear accessories – woolen socks, hats, gloves and scarves. Even jumpers!

It was all old stuff, but we, of course, don’t call it that these days. It’s retro. It’s vintage. 

So we mentioned we needed to borrow some winter gear and then had a browse through their wardrobes.

The result?

We saved money and time buying clothes for Lapland (at least some of them), parents’ clothes got put to use and we ended up looking like straight out of Wham!’s Last Christmas video – what a vibe!

Before you go crazy buying clothes for Lapland, ask your friends and family whether they have anything suitable, that you could borrow to save yourself money.

#1 Buying clothes for Lapland

Right, buying clothes for Lapland.

Here’s the thing.

Once you start researching what to wear in Lapland, you’ll discover two contradictory pieces of info:

1. People who bought a few budget things and were fine
2. People who say you need all of these premium clothes to keep you warm

If this is your first trip to Lapland, it’s understandable if you are confused, stressed out and wishing someone would just tell you what to do.

The thing is, no one really can. You’ll have to make these decisions yourself.

What we will do though, is help you in the process. (And hey, if you want more than just reading, you can always grab a live chat with us to go through your Lapland plans step by step, together.)

What do you have to think about when buying clothes for Lapland

As always, what we do in our posts is:

• Tell you the different things you have to consider when making a decision
• Share our personal experience
• Add extra tips which will help you in the process

When you start planning your Lapland outfits, think about this:

• Where and when you are going. Check weather forecast for that place from previous years, but keep in mind that the climate is changing and weather forecast is only so reliable. For example, a few weeks before we went to Lapland, everyone was panicking, because global warming started melting all the snow – including up in Santa Claus Village!
• How much do you feel the cold. For instance, Mirka is forever cold, while Daniel, being Scottish, is usually fine. We packed more warmer clothes for Mirka to make sure she survives.
• What are you planning on doing in Lapland. Many clothes and shoes (especially ones from sports or outdoor shops) have different temperature ratings depending on whether you’re moving around or standing still. Make sure you don’t mix these up. If your jacket says it’s good to -10 °C, check whether that rating applies while you’re active or at rest. Don’t freeze your bum off because of a small mistake!
• How much use you’ll get out of the clothes. Is it worth investing time and money into clothes you’ll only wear once, for this holiday? If you are not planning on travelling to such cold places again, maybe buy basic winter gear and use one of the other 2 solutions (below) for the rest.
• Your budget. As we said, winter gear tends to come with a premium, so consider how much you can and want to spend.

How to save money when buying clothes for Lapland

Aside from using the other solutions in this article (tip 0: borrowing and also the 2 tips below), here is how you can save money on buying your winter gear:

• Plan well. Don’t start with buying clothes. Start with researching WHAT kind of clothes you need. And then planning HOW MANY of each item you need. Don’t go overboard. 
• Consider second-hand clothes. People travel to Lapland all the time. They buy the gear and then sell it when they are back. Check online marketplaces like Vinted or Craigslist, but also Facebook groups.
• Facebook groups are great not just for buying second-hand winter clothes, but also for checking the gear you are thinking of buying. We joined a few before our trip to Lapland and when we found something we were thinking of buying? For example winter boots from Decathlon? We did a quick search in the Facebook groups to see if anyone shared their experience with them. If you are shopping for popular brands or in popular shops, chances are others have those products too and can help you out.
• Think outside of the box. It’s not just sports or outdoor stores that sell winter clothes. We got some of our gear in Lidl during their skiing season week. Looking at the Lapland Facebook groups, many people do this!
• Read the product descriptions, especially the materials the clothes are made of. The merino label automatically adds a premium to a price, but what really is the % of the merino wool in the product? If you are trying to do Lapland on a budget, don’t pay extra for brands and labels (unless they also mean quality).

What did we do when buying clothes for Lapland

• Researched a lot. From what materials to wear, to how many items we needed, to comparing prices across many shops. We invested a lot of time into it, but we also saved a lot of money
• Shopped in cheaper shops: all our gear came from Lidl, Decathlon and Sportisimo
• We also used the other solutions from this article: borrowing from Mirka’s parents and renting. Let’s talk more about that.

Something to think about

For any emergencies, accidents and incidents, it’s best to be protected by travel insurance.

Did you know we researched 23 insurance providers when choosing the right one for our full-time travels?

Yes, we are that crazy. But it was worth it. In the end, we actually found two companies whose insurance we are happy with.

If you are not sure who to go with, definitely check out SafetyWing or True Traveller. They are both great, both created by travellers for travellers, and both offer amazing value for money.

#2 Renting clothes

When we were in the middle of planning our wedding adventures, especially when it came to buying clothes for Lapland, we stared to consider one thing.

Should we just rent the clothes, instead of buying them??

Why you might consider renting instead of buying clothes for Lapland

Renting isn’t always the most money-saving idea, but when it comes to your arctic outfits, it might be the right solution.

Think about this:

• If this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so you will only need the clothes this one time, it might be the best idea to just rent them.
• When renting you don’t have to spend time researching and buying the right clothes (mega saving, especially if you are an anxious traveller or a planner and want to have stuff well-researched, like us!).
• Renting is also cheaper overall – yes, buying clothes for Lapland means you do keep them afterwards, which does work out cheaper when you take into account years of use. But if you’ll only use them this one time? You will spend less money if you just rent them.
• You can save money on luggage too. Winter clothes take up a lot of space. If you rent them out once you get to Lapland, you can pack light and save yourself the baggage fees. This is especially useful if you are a bigger family, which means you’ll save A LOT. It can also be super helpful if Lapland is only a part of your longer holiday (kinda like it was for us) and so you will only need the clothes for a few days. What is the point of lugging them around and paying for the extra luggage on every flight, when you can just rent them out?
• If you pick well (meaning a good rental company), you can get clothes that are much higher quality than what you’d be able to afford (or be willing to buy) yourself. Meaning you’ll be less likely to freeze your bum off in the Arctic!
• You won’t have to deal with the hassle of cleaning the clothes after your holiday (winter stuff is infamously pain in the butt to clean) – possibly saving yourself more money too, since you won’t have to have things dry cleaned. 
• You’ll also save yourself the time trying to sell your clothes if you don’t need them anymore. Or, the horror of all horrors – store them somewhere!

Are you starting to think renting instead of buying clothes for Lapland is a really good idea?

Told you so! 

But hold on, there is more you need to know.

How to rent clothes in Lapland

• Identify your base – a town/village where you’ll be staying or where you’ll start and end your Lapland adventures.
• Do a quick Google or Google Maps search for winter clothes rental companies in that area.
• Another good tip? Use social media to your advantage. Try asking on Reddit or, if you are more into old-school platforms, in a Facebook group. There are so many niche groups covering all things travel. For example, when we were planning our Lapland trip, we joined Facebook groups like Lapland on a Budget and Visit Lapland.
• Make sure you have a solid plan for getting your clothes when you arrive. For example, when we arrived to our northern lights resort, the rental place was already closed for the day, so we had to wait till it opened the next day, before we could get our winter gear. Think about opening hours, how to get to the rental place and what you’ll wear until you pick up your arctic outfits.

Renting can be a great option.

But there is one that is even better.

It’s the one we used, so we can share our personal experience with you.

#3 Renting clothes for FREE – the best option

We’ve covered 3 ways to save money on buying clothes for Lapland so far:

• Borrowing
• Buying smart
• Renting your gear

The best solution though?

One that doesn’t include you spending money or buying gear you’ll never use again.

What is this magical hack we speak of?

Staying in a resort that includes thermal clothing hire – without an extra charge.

Let’s talk more about this.

How this works

It’s pretty simple. Many resorts in Lapland, such as the ones specialising in northern lights viewing, offer winter rental gear to their guests.

This might come at a discounted price.

Or – the best option – be completely free!

You might be thinking: “Well, with the price you pay for those resorts, it’s not really free, though, is it?”

That’s kinda true, but:

• If you are going to pay for a resort anyway, for example, because you want to stay in a glass igloo, you might as well choose one that will provide you with winter gear, so you don’t have to go buying clothes for Lapland
• If you pick well, you can find a resort which let’s you stay there on a budget AND also saves you money on buying clothes, because winter gear rental is free (included in the low price you paid for the resort)

Renting clothes in Lapland: what did we do?

Our Lapland holiday?

It was a mix of budget and comfort.

What does that mean?

It means we stayed at a beautiful, northern lights resort, in a glass-roof cabin, but we didn’t have to sell a kidney for it.

And yes, winter gear was included.

For our Lapland trip, we did all the research. (ALL of the research, as you might know. We research the hell out of everything and then share all our findings on this website, to save you time and energy!)

We ended up borrowing, not just buying clothes for Lapland (remember this secret tip).

And we also made use of the rental option at our resort.

Our clothes for Lapland: new, borrowed and already owned. And then we added rented to the mix too!

How does resort renting of winter clothes work?

In the Northern Lights Village Saariselkä resort we stayed at, this is how renting the winter gear works:

• On day 1, we arrived late in the evening and the rental place was already closed, so we had to wait
• In the morning of day 2, we turned up at the Safari House, a meeting point for all activities as well as the rental place for all the gear
• We got kitted out with what we needed: we got amazing thermal snowsuits, winter boots with a good grip and ginormous, thick, waterproof mittens—the must-have clothes for aurora watching
• On the last day, since we were leaving super early in the morning, before the Safari House opened, we left our rental gear in our Aurora Cabin

Why is this the best option?

Renting the thermal winter gear from your resort is da best, because you get all of the advantages of renting, but you don’t have to pay extra for it.

Or research rental places.

Or faff to the rental place when you get to Lapland – this way you just pick up your winter clothes in your actual resort.

We absolutely LOVED our snowsuits. Not only did we look fabulous in them, but they kept us warm when we marvelled at the Northern Lights in the -10°C arctic winter.

Plus, if you worry about your jacket riding up or snow getting into your shoes, snowsuits solve this problem too. They are perfect if you want to let your kids run wild without constantly having to tuck their clothes in. And if you want to plop yourself into the snow and make snow angels? You can do that too, with or without the kids (and without getting snow all the way down into your underwear!).

The rental shoes were a lifesaver too, because the snow was thigh-deep, so if you accidentally came off the path, you were glad you had good shoes protecting your feet from instantly freezing off.

Note: one more option, if you are planning on doing many organised activities and are worried about having the right clothes for them (for example, a husky ride)? Checking whether winter clothes are included in the price. 

Many winter activity providers know that people don’t have the best gear for ice fishing or sitting around, in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the Northern Lights to show up, so they provide winter clothes rental for free, as part of the deal.

This is always worth checking out, when booking activities (or when comparing different providers).

These are our tips for saving money when buying clothes for Lapland. Got any questions? Drop them in the comments below or DM us on our Instagram.

And remember, if you need more help planning your Lapland adventures (and figuring out how not to freeze your bum off there), book a chat with us and we can tackle it all together.