A Janus or Devold wool base layer at the Flåm Co-op
The little waterfront shopping building stocks Norwegian wool brands at honest prices; the long-john sets are what locals actually wear under everything from October through May.
Tied to Flåm
The Coop Marked in Flåm, near the pier, is what locals actually shop at — the Norwegian-everyday grocery, and alongside the groceries it usually carries a rack of Norwegian wool base layers at honest, non-cruise-port prices. Janus is the reliable find (ask about Devold too); Flåm’s dedicated knitwear shops are a short walk if you want more choice. Janus has been making merino since 1895 in Espeland outside Bergen; Devold was founded in 1853 and built its factory in Langevåg on Sula in 1868, and that original factory is now a museum and outlet (bought and converted by the Flakk Group in 1989, after production had moved abroad). The long-john sets — ullundertøy in the classic Norwegian weave — are what most Norwegians wear under everything from October through May.
A late-July trip is not the moment to wear merino. It is the moment to buy it for the next twenty winters.
What we plan to look for
One long-sleeve and one bottom in Norwegian merino ullundertøy — Janus if that’s what the rack has — in whatever color is on sale.