Gear for Three Months of Backpacking in Europe during Winter

April 20, 2008 11:03 PM

BackpackingFilter: Travelling around Europe from mid October to mid Janruary - help me pick the right gear to take.

I am in the early stages of planning a trip to Europe for three months in what will be winter over there. Already on my mind a lot is what gear (mostly thinking along the lines of clothing here) I will need, and what I won't, how many of each etc. I will be hostelling not camping.

Achieving a balance in travel-practicality and style is also something I am thinking about, because while I need to be well equipped, I want to stand out as little as possible when I am roaming the streets of small towns - I know I will anyway, but fully blown hiking boots and a gortex outfit is probably unnecessary.

Cost is also an issue, I don't want to spend the whole trip's budget on getting kitted out - and I probably don't need to.

The areas that I probably need the most guidance in are:

Shoes - comfortable for lots of walking, possibly waterproof, generally good shoes for traveling Europe during winter?

Jacket - how much waterproof, windproof, and warmth will it need to provide, and how do I find the right one?

I am thinking at this stage I will rely on thermal underwear, another layer of thermals maybe, simple pants and tshirt, jersey/sweater, jacket and sturdy, broken in walking shoes.

Lastly (sorry for this being so long) is it as impractical as I think to take a big woolen trench coat (romanticized idea), and/or a change of clothes+shoes for going out in the evening to bars/restaurants/where ever without looking completely like a traveler in their own world?

Any and all help to do with the gear needed to travel Europe in winter is appreciated, helpful websites and resources and anecdotes all welcome. Thanks guys.

posted by atmosphere to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

It would help a lot to know where you are from - like, does it snow where you live? etcetera.
posted by jacalata at 1:05 AM on April 21

Ah good point. I am from New Zealand (more specifically, Wellington). It never snows here, in winter it rains a lot and gets extremely windy, but temperatures usually range between 6 to 12 degrees C. I have however lived in Hungary for several years and experienced European winter - a few times when I wasn't properly prepared the cold left quite a vivid impression on me of just how cold it can get.
posted by atmosphere at 1:51 AM on April 21

I have some brown waterproof New Balance walking shoes. They are pretty versatile, can handle walking on the streets or light hiking, and look a lot better than sneakers. And they're waterproof, of course.
posted by grouse at 2:01 AM on April 21

"European winter" doesn't really exist, where in Europe are you going?
posted by snownoid at 2:04 AM on April 21

I'm from Melbourne/Brisbane and spent September '06-February '07 in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Poland and Germany) two years ago. I had some waterproof walking/hiking boots that were very comfortable but bulky to carry, so I basically had to wear them all the time. However, walking around in them in snow (instead of soaking wet sneakers) made up for that. The coldest place I went was Poland, and there I was wearing thick socks (or two thin pairs), jeans, a tshirt, a wool vest and a jacket, with a beanie. Don't forget your head! Two layers of thermals sounds like overkill to me, but it was an unusually warm winter that year, I believe. And jeans really do suck in the wet.

Depending where you are going, it may also be quite warm - in Spain between Christmas and New Year it was positively balmy! (Not swimming weather, but tshirts were ok).

I can't tell you where to get your jacket as I borrowed mine from a friend - it was a ski jacket with removable polar fleece, and was sometimes uncomfortably warm for walking around in when I did need a jacket on. I bought the shoes at Kathmandu or Mountain Design, one of the camping shops like that, they had a good range and the salesguy knew what he was talking about it. If you buy the right shoes they will also work for going out in, which is highly desirable (although I found that my socks reeked in these shoes, maybe because the waterproofing reduced the air flowing around? Anyway, change the socks as often as necessary). A trench coat sounds like a horrible thing to try carrying around for three months (when you get to the bar/restaurant you'll take your coat off anyway, just have one coat), but you can definitely take some nicer normal clothes, they shouldn't take up too much room.
posted by jacalata at 2:45 AM on April 21

"Europe" may be as south as Greece or Spain, or Italy, with lows around 15°, as well as somewhere in Finland where there is maybe a few days during the winter when temperature "peaks" are a half °C above freezing point. A few pointers in your destination might help.
posted by _dario at 3:59 AM on April 21

I've been doing approximately this the last few months. I brought nice shoes but have barely used them. Since you're a guy (right?) I guess it will be possible for you to find rugged shoes that are nice enough for evening too. Water proof is a very good idea, mine were not, quite, and it made things a lot less fun. I think one pair of jeans and one pair of nicer pants (light weight, so you can wear them on hot days, or over thermals for fancy occasions) is plenty. One casual shirt, one nice shirt, one warm sweater. I started travelling in mid February (in Hungary, actually), and decided to bring more under layers and a lighter coat, since dealing with a bulky coat is a pain in the neck. If it had been really really cold, I would've borrowed or bought a cheap second hand coat.

Unless you're planning a lot of hiking, your casual shirt can be nice too, you don't have to only look nice the evenings.

Watching how guys dress, I think you can go pretty much anywhere, day or evening, and look either sharp or average (say, in Italy), in slacks, a button down shirt, and a sweater over. I would make that your main outfit.

Also, you should definitely check out couchsurfing.com

Every experience I had with it was good, some were great, and it made a tremendous difference in my experience of travelling and meeting people and experiencing different places, as well as saving a lot of money.

Tip: bring slippers! it's cold inside! you'll be glad you have them. I also got a watch with a compass that came in handy. Also, a ziplock bag for your passport. I brought an agenda to write what I did every day, couldn't quite manage a diary but this was doable to help me remember, also to make notes in as you go.

What kind of tech are you planning on bringing? I bought SIM cards for my unlocked phone in most of the countries I went to, it was definitely worth the money (which wasn't so much).

Also, I had some really cold days in Italy in March, so don't count too much on a balmy mediterranean.

Sorry this is a bit disjointed, jave fun!
posted by Salamandrous at 4:46 AM on April 21

Thanks for all the input so far guys, keep it coming!

I kind of forgot to specify about where I will be going because I wanted it to be as general as possible as I will be covering a lot of ground. To give you an idea though, I will have a 3 month Eurail Pass, and I am planning on spending most of my time in Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Hungary, Austria but also hope spend a little time in Scandinavia and some of the smaller countries in central Europe (such as Czech Republic, Slovenia etc). I don't plan on going much east of Hungary or Croatia, I'm not even sure if I will make it to Poland. I know it sounds ambitious, but please don't tell me to cut down on my expectations - there will probably be an appropriate post for that in a few weeks :p

Salamandrous: I have already checked out couchsurfing.com, and I am really keen to use it along my travels, it sounds awesome. Encouraging to hear you had such good experiences with it. Also, I will probably be purchasing a SIM card in Europe as I have heard many good things about this.
posted by atmosphere at 5:32 AM on April 21

Unless I am misunderstanding you, two layers of thermal underwear sounds really uncomfortable.

The comfortable, waterproof shoes is a good idea, and if you buy them carefully you will not need to carry a second pair -- look for ones that aren't too bulky, more leather than loud fabrics, shoes not SHOES!!!!, if you see what I mean.

Rather than overthinking what you are bringing, and spending lots of money equipping yourself, I would suggest that Europe has plenty of clothing stores (expensive though they may be), and you can always buy clothes during your travels if you find your current stuff isn't that great. So don't overthink this -- pack really lightly, and budget for upgrades or replacements while you are there.
posted by Forktine at 5:45 AM on April 21

(I can't add anything about the clothing question, but wanted to second salamndrous' great experiences with couchsurfing. Over ~7 countries and 3 continents, I've both stayed with people and just met for dinner and even been to a meet-up, and it's all been a lot of fun. Everyone's been incredibly welcoming, and I've never met anyone I felt uncomfortable with. Some have turned into "normal" friends, as well, outside of CS.)
posted by whatzit at 5:48 AM on April 21

I think I worded the whole thermals thing really badly - I should read over my comments more before I post them. What I really meant was I was thinking thermal socks (my feet get insanely cold in even mild temperatures) with maybe a thermal top on underneath a tshirt, with long johns / long thermal underwear pants things for the really cold days.
posted by atmosphere at 5:51 AM on April 21

Whatever your shoe choice -- and I like the New Balance Country Walker line -- you want to buy them now and make sure that they and your feet are happy with each other come October.

Indeed, all the of body interface gear -- undergarments, packs, shoes, etc. -- needs to be worn now and broken in. You don't want to get to day two of this wonderful trip only to find out that the shoes are causing blisters, the "waist" strap of the pack is pummeling your kidneys, and your new tshirts are causing a massive rash.

An old endurance racing rule is "NEVER EVER bring new gear to race day." You're going to want to spend the summer testing and breaking in new gear, so that when you start on this epic trek, you can count on all of your stuff to work correctly and not surprise you.

If you can afford the mass/space, a pair of sandals can be incredibly handy for dealing with short streches of wet, by allowing you to keep your socks and shoes dry.
posted by eriko at 7:13 AM on April 21

Jacket - how much waterproof, windproof, and warmth will it need to provide, and how do I find the right one?
A lot, a lot and (by my standards at least) a lot and in addition there'll be situations where you'll need a waterproof and windproof jacket that isn't too warm. Even if you don't like gortex, a jacket that consists of two separate jackets, one that is warm and one that is water/windproof would probably be a good idea.
I have this and I can really recommend it (they also have a men's version), it's very versatile (which, given your list of destinations, you'll need) and looks okay.
posted by snownoid at 7:41 AM on April 21

Random thoughts:

Avoid cotton wherever possible. Get wool or high-tech kind of stuff instead.

Instead of two pairs of socks, get a couple of pairs of sock liners instead, they'll wick away the sweat. And rubbing a little antiperspirant on your feet every morning will make your feet and socks much easier to deal with at night.

Silk underwear can be pretty great. So are those silk sleeping bag liners, since some of the places you sleep are going to be cold and some you're going to want your own sheets.

A light-weight but high quality wool sweater can go a long way. I have something like this (except I got it on sale for a lot less) that you can wear either as a t-shirt or over a shirt and it compresses down to the size of a fist which I find very practical. Smartwool also makes good stuff.

Get at least one, maybe more since you'll probably lose them, good knit cap and wear it frequently. Most of your heat escapes through your head.

Lightweight flipflops are better than slippers, but get the kind that don't get slippery when wet so you can wear them in the shower.

Check out kevin kelley's cooltools site for more good clothes and backpacking suggestions.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 8:57 AM on April 21

I am usually not a corporate shill, but everything from this brand I own is fantastic, and I wear their sweaters/long-sleeve base layers on a DAILY basis as a Californian in Latvia. They fold up into nothing, are machine-washable, dry in a few hours, look nice dressed up or down, and are from your NZ homeland, so perhaps you won't spend as much as I did on them. Really really really fantastic products.

One big tip regarding suitcases:

Don't bring a giant backpack because it won't fit into second-class train compartment luggage racks, is tough to see around when looking behind you, and is a hassle to pack/unpack. It's a mental thing: if you give yourself a smaller space to start from, you'll end up thinking more about what you really need to take and what can stay home or be given away/recycled/tossed. And aside from some basic clothes, money, and your passport/tickets, you don't really need that much.

I'd suggest something like a squashable duffel/gym-bag (like this?) instead: it's discreet, doesn't scream "tourist", and it won't weigh as much since it's just smaller. It will also be easier to manage on subways, buses, and the like. It also won't arouse the suspicions of pickpockets, and really, you're only going to be using it to get around between big cities, where you won't be walking 15 miles across Alpine meadows or something.

Inside, make use of packs like this to squeeze as much as possible into a defined space that's easily re-arrangeable and keep things tidy. Pick up a little canvas shoulder bag for your daytime gallavanting and you're good to go.

Other tips:

- Do laundry along the way (spend a few euros and drop your clothes off at a fluff-and-fold and pick them up the next day!) and trade/toss/recycle/abandon-in-hostels as things wear out or as seasons change.
- Don't get a The Giant Guidebook For All of Europe, but hit up the bookstore in the train station before you leave a country and get the guidebook for the next one. You might be able to trade the old guidebook for the country you're leaving with one for the place you're going in a hostel. Don't forget to check the publication date of books to smaller places; the most recent Lonely Planet for Latvia is over a year old.
- E-mail scanned copies of everything paper you're taking with you to yourself so you can grab them quickly in case they get lost.
posted by mdonley at 9:34 AM on April 21 [1 favorite]

Thanks for all the help guys, lots of good information to think about here.
posted by atmosphere at 4:54 PM on April 21