Planning to travel to Norway from the UK January 2023 and tour round. Have done it on two wheels in the summer…now in a Toyota with a RTT. Yes, it’s going to be cold and dark but just looking for any tips and advice from those that have done it. Thanks.
Norway 2023
- Thread starter SJT
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You're welcome! For sure norwegian members can be more helpful than me, i wasn't there with my vehicle. What i recommend, in addition to a good webasto, are studded tires and driving lights.
Don't forget a good tripod to shoot the northern lights, i had a cheap one and it broke right away due to the low temperature.
Influencer II
Don't forget the sticker thingy on the headlights, that we drive on the other side of the road, headlights need to be used during daytime, there are lots of toll passes on most our highways, we have kinda low speedlimits (I live in the southwestern part of Norway and our highest speedlimit here is 90 km/h (54 mph) while in some parts from Kristiansand (where the ferry from Denmark arrives/leaves) and east bound the highest speedlimit is 110 km/h (66 mph), most norwegians speak pretty good english, but like our personal space.
Feel free to DM me and I'll help anyway I can. :)
Feel free to DM me and I'll help anyway I can. :)
Thank you. We have been to Norway a couple of times on a Harley in summertime. Went up to Nordkapp etc….across to Latvia etc.
Just really want to do it on four wheels in winter with a roof top tent.
Are we completely mad?
Don't worry, we too like our personal space!
Influencer II
Yes, so I understand.
I believe everything is do-able. There are always options if we need to change tack.
Looking forward to it. Such a beautiful country, in any season.
Thanks again for your info.
Off-Road Ranger III
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I have been to Norway, Sweden and Finland a few times in winter. Such a winter overlanding trip is a really great thing if you are properly prepared. And then you are rewarded for enduring the cold with fabulous winter scenery and who knows, maybe even northern lights. A report of my last winter trip in February to the North Cape can be found here:
Arctic adventures far below the freezing point
It is important that the vehicle is very well prepared and that the equipment is in tip-top order. Route planning is also enormously important, there are numerous road closures in winter and special things in northern Norway such as the convoy obligation in snow drifts, for example. Weather can change extremely fast. Be prepared for that.
We also have a thread here about overlanding in cold temperatures in the Camp Q&A. Take a look, you will certainly find some good tips there:
Cold Temperature Overlanding
If you have any questions, just ask, always happy to help.
Arctic adventures far below the freezing point
It is important that the vehicle is very well prepared and that the equipment is in tip-top order. Route planning is also enormously important, there are numerous road closures in winter and special things in northern Norway such as the convoy obligation in snow drifts, for example. Weather can change extremely fast. Be prepared for that.
We also have a thread here about overlanding in cold temperatures in the Camp Q&A. Take a look, you will certainly find some good tips there:
Cold Temperature Overlanding
If you have any questions, just ask, always happy to help.
Thank you. Yes, I will look at your link. We are looking forward to the trip but are not under estimating the serious prep work needed. All advice is very much appreciate.
Thank you again.
Contributor II
Joining this thread because I have something similar planned for February/March 2024. Webasto is planned. I heard about studding your own tires, is that recommended? Sounds like a lot of work? And from what latitude is this allowed or needed?
Off-Road Ranger III
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Based on several winter trips to Scandinavia in recent years, I recommend at least very good relatively new winter tires in combination with snow chains. Better - and so I do - studded winter tires.
On the often icy roads in Norway, for example, and rapidly changing road conditions depending on the weather, the combination of winter tires and snow chains can be a bit anyoing with changing on and off. Once you've driven with studded winter tires, you won't want to do without them. In addition, studded winter tires offer significantly more safety and thus more relaxed driving. No longer permitted in Germany for a long time except in a very little area near the Austrian border, spikes are commonplace in the Nordic winter. For the use there are also exact regulations. So the use is often limited to periods, usually November to March or April or so and some cities require a special tax when driving through with studded tires.
It is important to inform yourself about the local regulations in the travel countries. In Germany, for example, we have a situational winter tire obligation. In Norway, on the other hand, there is no general winter tire requirement for vehicles up to 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight. However, vehicles with summer tires must be equipped with snow chains on winter roads. The minimum tread depth for winter tires is 3mm for vehicles up to 3.5t gross vehicle weight. There is a winter tire obligation for heavier vehicles and then the tread must even be at least 5mm. There are also regional and date-dependent additional regulations. These are just a few examples.
Some of our nordic members could tell you more about the exact regulations. Maybe @Bengt N @JeeperFIN or @Todd Jackson ?
But if you take winter tires plus snow chains with you I recommend to practice the on and off this BEFORE in the dry. If it is wet, cold and dark, it is the wrong time to try around.
Take a look at the articles linked above, you will find a lot of useful information. If you have any further questions, I am happy to help.
Enjoy planning and your trip,
Bjoern
On the often icy roads in Norway, for example, and rapidly changing road conditions depending on the weather, the combination of winter tires and snow chains can be a bit anyoing with changing on and off. Once you've driven with studded winter tires, you won't want to do without them. In addition, studded winter tires offer significantly more safety and thus more relaxed driving. No longer permitted in Germany for a long time except in a very little area near the Austrian border, spikes are commonplace in the Nordic winter. For the use there are also exact regulations. So the use is often limited to periods, usually November to March or April or so and some cities require a special tax when driving through with studded tires.
It is important to inform yourself about the local regulations in the travel countries. In Germany, for example, we have a situational winter tire obligation. In Norway, on the other hand, there is no general winter tire requirement for vehicles up to 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight. However, vehicles with summer tires must be equipped with snow chains on winter roads. The minimum tread depth for winter tires is 3mm for vehicles up to 3.5t gross vehicle weight. There is a winter tire obligation for heavier vehicles and then the tread must even be at least 5mm. There are also regional and date-dependent additional regulations. These are just a few examples.
Some of our nordic members could tell you more about the exact regulations. Maybe @Bengt N @JeeperFIN or @Todd Jackson ?
But if you take winter tires plus snow chains with you I recommend to practice the on and off this BEFORE in the dry. If it is wet, cold and dark, it is the wrong time to try around.
Take a look at the articles linked above, you will find a lot of useful information. If you have any further questions, I am happy to help.
Enjoy planning and your trip,
Bjoern
Contributor II
Would you say the trade off between chains and studded tires is primarily the hassle of putting the chains on an off then?
Off-Road Ranger III
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Not only, the clear advantage is the driving safety and subsequently the driving pleasure. An example from my experience: in Sweden north of the Great Lakes where the roads are not salted you can drive very well with winter tires, because often roads are sanded, especially in the intersections, that goes well. In Norway, especially on the coastal roads, but not only there, you often have a complete icing of the road in winter. Yes, of course, you can solve this with snow chains, but then you are traveling slowly (watch out, the big lorries drive at high speed even in these icy road conditions, the drivers in the far north are absolute pros) and you must also notice the situation it in time. With studs you are always on the safe side, it is more relaxed, safer driving. As I said, it goes both ways but I think the studded tire variant is better if you have the possibility (it is a bit more logistics as you are not allowed to drive with sooikes on the way up there).
