Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

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CTSlicker
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Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by CTSlicker » Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:10 am

Hi All, and thanks in advance for your assistance.

Myself and 3 other friends will be stopping over in Helsinki for 2 days and 2 nights on our way up north to Enontekio for a dog sled trip in mid Feb.

I understand that it can get incredibly cold up north and our plan is to spend a good few hours in Helsinki shortly after arriving to buy necessary gear.

Not all gear is necessary, as outer jackets and pants are provided, but we would need pretty much everything and anything clothing wise, as we’re all arriving from a dry hot country. Assume we have ZERO winter clothing.

I’m looking for a one-stop shop, or ‘place’ where the 4 of us could buy everything we needed.

We won’t be in the position where we can wait for the store to bring in extra sizes from another store, as we really will just be in town for a limited time, so my plan would be to liaise with the shop in advance of our arrival and make sure that they have stock of select items we definitely need (boots being the most important).

We’ll probably need about Euro 7,000 worth of stuff, so hoping to give all our business to a store that is prepared to work with us in advance and ensure availability of specialized boots and gear.

I have heard that Partioaitta is an option, as is Scandinavian Outdoor (I think they are opposite each other), this sounds good as then at least there are 2 shops in the same vicinity.

So I am looking for suggestions as to which Helsinki shops stock the widest range of gear, and that sell gear for extreme northern winter conditions.

Thanks 



Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

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interleukin
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by interleukin » Fri Sep 08, 2017 9:06 pm

XXL might be a good option (huge store, in Aleksanterinkatu).
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heretostay
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by heretostay » Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:24 pm

There were 3 of my friends visiting me in a similar situation a few years ago. The airline lost all of their luggage and we were on our way up to Lapland. Partioaitta shop was super helpful in making sure they had everything they needed. And on short notice. https://www.partioaitta.fi Is their website and they have several locations. We dealt with the one on Yrjönkatu and would highly recommend them for your situation based on personal experience.

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Karhunkoski
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by Karhunkoski » Sat Sep 09, 2017 7:23 am

varuste.net

They stock the same quality brands, but generally cheaper than Partioaitta.
Political correctness is the belief that it's possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

riku2
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by riku2 » Sat Sep 09, 2017 10:18 pm

CTSlicker wrote:hoping to give all our business to a store that is prepared to work with us in advance and ensure availability of specialized boots and gear.
i'm not sure any chain would give this kind of service, you need a small individually owned store. The problem in Finland is that the market is quite small so the shops have a "you'll buy from us since where else are going to go" attitude and the level of service you're looking for doesn't really exist.
I would recommend you stop somewhere like Munich on the way where there are plenty of shops with a good stock of winter clothes (it is where I buy my winter coats and winter trousers). Finnish shops don't have trousers long enough for me anyway, the german shops do.

CTSlicker
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by CTSlicker » Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:34 pm

Thanks all for your help. Looking into some of your suggestions.

That's my fear, in that we get there and the stores we want to visit dont have enough big sizes, or sufficient size of gear. But I'll see what I can do; hopefully some stores are prepared to liaise with us ahead of time.

Rosamunda
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by Rosamunda » Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:02 am

As mentioned already, XXL now has a few huge outlets in Finland and they stock large volumes of a wide range of sporting goods. They have a "Pick-Up" option on their webstore (ie click and collect). Unfortunately, their Finnish webpages are in Finnish only but everybody I have spoken too in my local store has spoken excellent English and been extremely helpful. You could try emailing them or giving them a call. Partioaitta/Scandi Outdoor are very specialised stores, the service there is also very good, but it is expensive and they don't have the wide range of products you can find in XXL. You might need to use both. XXL for the basic stuff and then Partioaitta/Scandi Outdoor for the more specialised items.

Myyjänä toimivan XXL:n yhteystiedot ovat:
XXL Sports & Outdoor Oy (y-tunnus: 2541215-9)
Sähkötie 5, 01520 Vantaa
Sähköposti: [email protected]
Puhelinnumero: 030 607 5001

FinnGuyHelsinki
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by FinnGuyHelsinki » Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:41 am

Karhunkoski wrote:varuste.net

They stock the same quality brands, but generally cheaper than Partioaitta.
+1. Varuste.net and https://www.varusteleka.fi/ which are located a couple of hundred meters from each other, those would be (and have been) my go-to places. Albeit predominantly military style products (surplus and otherwise), Varusteleka's Särmä-branded merino woolen clothing is excellent, e.g. :
- https://www.varusteleka.com/en/group/me ... rment/1736
- https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ ... lack/35228
- https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ ... odie/30651
- https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ ... -cap/33194
- https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ ... oves/32211

Avoid any synthetic materials, especially when worn against the skin. Merino wool as a material is an absolute winner compared to pretty much anything; very comfortable, durable, cool in the summer (I wear Särmä socks throughout the year), warm in the winter, non-flammable, odor-free even after prolonged use,...

Both stores show their stock status online, so one pretty much knows what's available.

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Karhunkoski
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Re: Shops that sell winter gear for extreme northern weather

Post by Karhunkoski » Sat Sep 16, 2017 8:42 am

FinnGuyHelsinki wrote: I wear Särmä socks throughout the year
I have a pair on at the moment. :)

Yes merino wool is a winner. Yes it's not cheap, but the performance is excellent.

OP, not sure of your level of experience of these outdoor activities. But please assume that you will sweat....a lot. This makes a wicking base layer very important. Nothing cotton, it soaks up the sweat and once you stand around, you will really feel the cold. Not a bad idea to take a spare base layer and socks with you when going out for the day.
Political correctness is the belief that it's possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.


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