There’s a certain kind of journey that doesn’t begin with a flight or a checklist – but with a feeling. A pull toward the unknown. Toward the edge of comfort. That’s where our longtime friends, surfer Tim Latte and photographer Max Riton, return every winter.

When the cold settles over Scandinavia and the days grow short, they load the car with boards, maps, gas stoves, and gear – and drive north. Their destination: the Arctic coast. Their mission: to chase storms, scout for waves, and live a little slower under the open sky. 

It sounds romantic. And in a way, it is. The endless road through pine forests, the smell of salt and snow, the silence of the fjords. But the reality? It’s raw, cold, and unpredictable. Most days are spent waiting – for light, for weather, for a glimpse of a wave worth paddling out for. Nights are long and freezing. Meals are cooked by headlamp. The roof box doubles as a refrigerator. 

As Tim puts it with a grin: “Pretty shit adventure conditions.”

But that’s the point. These aren’t trips built around luxury or ease. They’re about connection – to nature, to craft, and to each other. It’s about finding beauty in the rough edges and learning what really matters when the temperature drops below zero.

On these journeys, there’s nowhere to hide from the elements. The rain finds its way through zippers, the wind cuts through every gap in your layers, and the snow clings to your boots until your toes go numb. That’s when gear stops being just clothing – and becomes the difference between comfort and hardship, between exploration and retreat.

Throughout their Arctic journey, Tim and Max lived in KnowledgeCotton Apparel’s Adventure range, pushing every stitch to its limit.

Day after day, the Vent CanvasTM jackets acted as their first line of defense – shielding against icy rain, sleet, and salt spray, while still allowing air to circulate so their bodies could breathe. Layered underneath, the Dynamic WoolTM fleece provided the steady warmth that only natural fibers can offer – warmth that endures, that adapts, that feels alive. 

These pieces weren’t chosen for style alone (though they look the part). They were chosen because they work. Because when you’re sleeping in the back of a car with a frozen window and a howling wind outside, what you wear becomes your shelter.

By the second week, the routine had become ritual. Wake up stiff. Boil water on the camp stove. Pull on the wool, zip up the canvas, and step back into the wild. The gear became as essential as the boards on the roof or the camera slung over Max’s shoulder – part of the rhythm of surviving and thriving out there.

And while the waves didn’t always show up, something else always did: perspective. The kind that only comes from cold air and quiet places. The kind that reminds you how small we are – and how powerful nature is.

“You’ll never know until you go,” Tim often says. It’s become their shared mantra. Because it’s never really about the perfect wave. It’s about the courage to chase something uncertain – to go anyway.

Sub-zero adventures have a strange beauty. They strip everything back to what works. They show you which pieces of gear earn a permanent place in your bag – and which moments of discomfort are worth enduring for the possibility of something extraordinary.

For Tim and Max, this trip wasn’t just a test of endurance. It was a test of friendship, of patience, and of the garments themselves. Through frost, snow, and endless miles of coastline, the KnowledgeCotton Apparel Adventure range proved what it was made for: movement with purpose.

Every hike up a frozen ridge, every night spent curled up in the car, every dawn spent scanning the horizon – each moment became a quiet dialogue between nature, design, and human will. And when the cold felt unbearable, the wool and canvas stood their ground.

Because real adventure doesn’t need perfect conditions. It just needs the right mindset – and the right layers.

Performance by Nature™

In Scandinavia’s harshest conditions, the Adventure range proved that true performance can be natural. The combination of Vent™ organic cotton canvas and Dynamic WoolTM fleece delivers function without synthetics – breathable, protective, and resilient.

It’s gear that invites you to move. To explore. To feel connected to the world you’re in, rather than shielded from it.

As the trip came to an end and the long drive home began, the lessons lingered. Out there, comfort is earned. Warmth is relative. And adventure – real adventure – often looks nothing like what you expect.

Because in the end, it’s not the perfect wave that defines the journey. It’s the willingness to go.

EXPLORE THE ADVENTURE RANGE >>