Guide · Clothing

What to wear in Levi, Lapland, on a husky sled

Some husky rides hand you an overall at the door, others expect you to arrive dressed for deep frost. Here is what each kind of ride covers, how to layer underneath, and how renting winter clothing in Levi works.

Check availabilityfrom $230 · cancellation is free

Editorial team, levihuskysafari.comUpdated October 22, 2026read in 7 minutes22 sources

The tour this guide is about Levi 7 km self-drive husky safari 4.7 (502 reviews) 3 hoursYou drive, 2 people per sledWinter clothing and a warm drink included from$230per person Check availabilityCancellation free up to 24 hrs in advance

What to wear, in short

01On this site's safari: Winter clothing is included in the 7 km ride.
02Next to the skin: Merino wool, which keeps warmth even when moist.¹
03Hands and feet: Loose mittens over thin gloves, wool socks, roomy boots.² ³ ⁴
04No gear of your own: Winterent's Levi store rents a jacket, trousers, boots and mittens.
05How cold: January's average low is -17 °C at Kittilä Airport.⁵

First check what the ride lends you

The answer to what to wear in Levi, Lapland, depends on which husky ride you book. This site's 7 km safari includes winter clothing, along with pickup in Levi and warm drinks afterwards. Visit Finland notes that many guided winter safaris in Lapland, husky rides among them, include clothing rental in the package.⁶ On those, your job is the layers underneath and the small items: hat, scarf, mittens and socks.

Not every ride works that way. Keo Wilderness asks guests on its 5 km ride to bring warm clothing and warm shoes, and Levisafari lists comfortable shoes, warm clothing and snow clothing as things to bring. Easy Travel's 2 km or 5 km ride names thermal outerwear among the things not included. Wonderlapland's new 7 km ride charges extra for its winter overall and snowboots, which must be requested in advance.

That makes the clothing line part of the price comparison. A cheaper ride that needs your own snow gear can end up costing more than one that lends it, once a rental set is added. Before you compare from-prices, open each listing and look for the words winter clothing, overall or outerwear in the included and not included lists.

Dressing order

Layer by layer, from the skin out

Next to the skin

Merino wool

Keeps warmth even when it gets moist.¹
Middle layer

Fleece

Breathable, soft and porous.⁷
Outer layer

Windproof shell

A coat that stops wind and water.⁸
Head

Hat and tube scarf

Ears covered, scarf ready for the face.⁹ ¹⁰
Hands and feet

Mittens, wool socks

Loose mittens, roomy boots a size up.² ⁴

The base layer does most of the work

Visit Levi's own advice is that the layer closest to your skin is the most important one, and that merino wool is the best choice in freezing weather for people who do not sweat much, since it keeps warmth even when moist.¹ Visit Finland starts its winter dressing guide in the same place, with long underwear.¹¹ Wear a long-sleeved wool top and long wool leggings, snug but not tight.

Over that comes a breathable middle layer. Visit Levi recommends something like fleece, soft and porous rather than firm.⁷ A fleece jacket or a thin wool sweater is enough under a safari overall; more bulk only makes it harder to bend your knees on the runners and to sit low in the basket.

Avoid cotton anywhere near your skin. A cotton T-shirt or cotton socks hold the dampness of the morning's walk and turn cold the moment you stop moving, and on a sled you stop moving for long stretches. Base layers are not part of the rental set in Levi either, so pack them from home.

Month by month

Darkness and wet days around Levi

Hours without sunDays with precipitationSeason

For each month: hours with the sun under the horizon at mid-month, and days with at least 2.5 mm of rain or snow at the Kittilä Airport and Kittilä village weather station, 1991 to 2020.⁵

Who lends what

Winter clothing on Levi husky rides and rentals

Offer	Outerwear	Boots	Mittens	Extra note
7 km self-drive safari	Included	Not specified	Not specified	Winter clothing listed
Keo Wilderness, 5 km	Bring your own	Bring your own	Bring your own	Warm clothing and shoes
Easy Travel, 2 or 5 km	Not included	Not stated	Not stated	Thermal outerwear excluded
Wonderlapland, 7 km	Extra charge	Extra charge	Not stated	Request in advance
Winterent set, Levi	Jacket, trousers	Snow boots	Included	No base layers

What each listing states about clothing; 'not specified' means the record names winter clothing without listing the items.

Three ways to get dressed

Lent, rented or packed

Least to carry

Lent with the ride

On the 7 km safari

Outerwear: Included
You bring: Base layers
Cost: In the ride

Compare

Full set

Rented in Levi

Winterent, Keskuskuja 4

Items: Jacket, trousers
Plus: Boots, mittens
Days: 1 to 10

Compare

Known fit

Your own gear

Packed from home

Next to skin: Merino wool
Middle: Fleece
Outer: Windproof shell

Compare

Decision helper

Do you need to rent anything?

Start from your ride and what is in your suitcase

I booked the 7 km safari I booked a ride that lends nothing I have a ski jacket and trousers I travel with small children I land at Kittilä with no gear

Pack layers only

Winter clothing is included in the ride.

Rent a set

Keo Wilderness asks you to bring warm clothing.

Add mittens and wool

Loose mittens over wool gloves, wool socks.² ³

Rent kids' overalls

Children's sizes from 90 cm to 135 cm.

Pre-order a rental

Rentals can be pre-ordered for airport pickup.¹²

Keep in mind that many guided winter safaris in Lapland for northern lights and reindeer or husky rides typically include clothing rental in the package.

Visit FinlandSource 6

Outer layer, hood and face

If your ride does not lend an overall, your own outer layer has to keep out the wind of the run. Visit Finland's advice is to choose a coat that keeps out both wind and water, for any winter activity.⁸ Visit Levi suggests a windproof synthetic jacket or a down jacket over the fleece, with a proper hood that fits over a beanie.¹³ ¹⁴ Snow trousers or ski trousers complete it.

The head and neck need special care. Visit Levi advises a warm beanie or a hat that covers your ears, and a tube scarf that protects the throat and can be pulled over the face.⁹ ¹⁰ On a sled the face takes the brunt of the cold, especially for the passenger, who sits still in the basket for the whole run.

Sunglasses or ski goggles help on bright spring days, when the snow glare is strong, and keep the wind out of your eyes on any day. Skip anything loose: long scarf ends, dangling cords and open hoods flap in the wind, and a guide would rather you tuck everything in before the start.

Packing list

Your husky safari packing list

Wear

Merino base layer, top and bottom
Fleece or thin wool sweater
Hat over the ears and a tube scarf
Wool socks, never cotton

Carry

ID card or a copy for the 7 km safari
Spare mittens in an inside pocket
Hand and toe warmers
Sunglasses for bright spring snow

Cost calculator

Price a clothing set and a ride

Choose an option and the number of people.

Winter clothing setLevi rentalfrom $54 7 km self-driveClothing includedfrom $230 5 km, RautusjärviBring your ownfrom $173

People 2

Total from$107

per person from $54

Check availabilityfree cancellation

We take the lowest price GetYourGuide shows for each option, multiply it by your head count and convert it with the ECB rate; checkout gives the exact figure.

Video

What to pack for Lapland: clothing for a Finnish winter

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Hands and feet

Visit Levi's tip for hands is roomy mittens, with thin wool gloves inside them for when you need your fingers.² On the runners you hold the handlebar for long stretches, and a big mitten over a thin glove lets you free a hand for a photo or a zip without exposing bare skin. Keep a spare pair in an inside pocket.

For the feet, wool socks come first, rather than cotton.³ Boots should be roomy, so they do not squeeze the circulation; the advice is to go up a shoe size or two when it is freezing, with soles as thick as possible against the cold ground.⁴ ¹⁵ A driver's feet stay still on the runners for most of the ride, and that is when tight boots turn cold.

If you only buy one thing for the trip, make it good socks. Rental boots and overalls are easy to come by in Levi, but nobody lends socks, and a damp pair spoils a ride faster than any thin jacket. Hand and toe warmers are a cheap extra for the coldest weeks.

Renting winter clothing in Levi

Visit Levi confirms that winter clothing can be rented in the resort, and the rental shops there also rent clothing for outdoor activities alongside skis and snowshoes.¹⁶ ¹⁷ Visit Finland lists Winterent, which rents in Levi as well as Rovaniemi, Saariselkä and Helsinki, and Wild Nordic, with shops in Rovaniemi and Levi.¹⁸ It also notes that rental clothing can be pre-ordered for collection at the airport.¹²

Winterent's Levi set, bookable on GetYourGuide, includes a winter jacket, winter trousers, snow boots and mittens, and starts from $54. One rental day is always a 24-hour period, you can collect any time during opening hours on the first day, and a late return on the last day is charged as an extra day. The store is at Keskuskuja 4 in Sirkka, or the provider can deliver and collect.

Sizes run from 2XS to 7XL for adult jackets and EU35 to EU49 for shoes; children's overalls go from 90 cm to 135 cm. You give each traveller's height, weight, shoe size and age when booking, and the sizes are packed for you. The set can be booked for 1 to 10 days, is rated 4.75 from 132 reviews, and cancelling a day or more before pickup costs nothing.

How cold it gets around Levi

Plan your layers for deep frost. At the Kittilä Airport weather station, 15 km south of Levi, a January day averages -8.3 °C at its warmest and -17 °C at its coldest.⁵ ¹⁹ Visit Finland gives an average winter temperature of -14 °C for Finnish Lapland, with occasional dips to -30 °C.²⁰

Wind changes everything. Visit Levi warns that the Arctic wind makes the bitter cold of midwinter, as low as minus 30 degrees, feel even colder, and a moving sled creates a wind of its own.²¹ Some kennels set a limit: Keo Wilderness may postpone or refund a ride once it falls to -30°C.

Spring is gentler. By March the average high at the airport station is -2.1 °C, and Visit Levi says spring crust snow comes especially in March and April.⁵ ²² You can then drop a layer, but keep the windproof shell and the mittens; a sunny day on the snow still turns cold the moment the sun drops behind the trees.

On the day of the ride

Dress at your hotel in the base and middle layers, and carry hat, scarf and mittens in your bag if the ride lends outerwear at the start. The 7 km safari asks for an ID card or a copy of one, so keep it in an inside pocket you can reach with gloves on. Leave anything you do not need at the hotel.

Phones lose charge quickly in hard frost. Keep yours close to your body, switch it to airplane mode if you only want photos, and take it out at the photo stop rather than on the move. The 7 km safari's listing mentions a stop for photos during the ride, the safest moment for pictures.

Finally, eat something before you go. A warm meal and a hot drink make a real difference to how warm you stay on the sled. The 7 km safari ends with warm drinks and cookies, but the hours in between are cold ones, and a pocketful of snacks helps.

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