Gear for a trip in Sweden

[comanighttrain]

Hi guys,

Looking for some general advice for gearing up for a summer trip to Sverige!

as it stands the walk will take me into Lapland - into the Arctic circle!

Naturally wanting to go lightweight I was thinking

Snugpak Rocketpak

Crusader cook kit

Sleeping bag (good down to -10...will that be enough?), bivi and light poncho incase of getting stuck between cabins
I think ill be ok in the summer months going by http://www.sunmap.eu/weather/europe/sweden/norrbotten-county/kiruna

and naturally my leatherman

Also probably a weeks worth of dry rats and stuff required to prepare that so plenty of fire lighting stuff

Recommendations?

:camping:

[Saxon]

A wander on the Artic Tundra in summer= 125 litre drum of Deet...http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk136/highandry_photos/smilies%20and%20avatars/mosquitos.gif..:D

[JonnyP]

Try asking Fenlander.. The best bushcrafter I know, who now lives in Northern Sweden.. http://naturallore.wordpress.com/ Its a great blog he runs..

[SwissGearLabs]

aahhh, sweden, used to live in stockholm for 3 jears and spent all of my spare time either kayaking in the skerries or walking in lappland.

with regard to mosis: june/july are worst. i found mid august to beginning september was actually not that bad. location matters as well. higher, mountainous areas with no forest(e.g. sarek, stora sjöfallet) is much better than lower lying forest. the planes towards finland and finland itself are very bad, the huge mosis eat you alive!

above the polar circle it can snow at night starting from begining september.

where are you going? you mentioned "between cabins", so i guess it will be kungsleden or something with the STF (svenska tourisförening) cabins. basic, but very well done. many people are actually going very light. see http://www.svenskaturistforeningen.se if you sleep in the cabins, the -10er slepping bag is waaay to warm.

it is rather rainy up there sometimes, so be sure your rain gear concept is water tight :)

but you'll love it! it is amazingly wonderful

[comanighttrain]

ahhh cheers guys, didnt know thered be mozzies that far north!

SWiss - recommend any rain gear? I need some new rain gear... paramo was recommended

[Martin]

Plus ten for Paramo although it's not lightweight and it may be too warm for summer use.

Martin

[happybonzo]

The Mozzies are the largest in the World. They have been known to carry off Elk and small chidren

Seriously, I found a head veil was great investment and keep yourself covered up. Eventually I got hold of a big square of the material and used to make a sort of shelter to eat underneath it.

Other than that, September may be better to avoid the brutes

[SwissGearLabs]

ahhh cheers guys, didnt know thered be mozzies that far north!

SWiss - recommend any rain gear? I need some new rain gear... paramo was recommended

rain gear: i have no experience with paramo whatsoever, so cannot comment on that. for me, after trying a variety of ponchos, oilskins, etc, i find that goretex works best (expensive, I know. it can also be a goretex like membrane). a good goretex jacket you can use for 4-5 years (i get so attached to them, i rarely switch) and it's also a good windbreak.

and along with the jacket a pair of rain trousers (preferably also breathing membrane).

the reason, why i use goretex jackets/trousers are the following (assume that i sleep under tarp/in a tent, walk 4-8 hrs a day and am out for 7-14 days. your scenario is somewhat different, particularly the cabins):

in the rain the goretex protects you well (even though you start to sweat from inside, you can stay warm). and at night, in the tent/tarp, the stuff dries rather quickly.

the protection is much better than with a poncho. a poncho is good when wind still and not on the move. if you walk the whole day, above the treeline in the north, it will be windy. and you'll be soaked under the poncho and freezing. oilskins are not breathable at all, you'll sweat way too much. impregnated cotton doesn't protect you well enough it is raining several days (well, say it is doable, but it becomes somewhat miserable).

the rain probability is rather high up there, it WILL rain, sometimes extensively so...

what brands? had very good experience with Millet (french, good prize, made for mountaineering) and Rab (english i guess, good prize). AVOID North Face.

[comanighttrain]

Plus ten for Paramo although it's not lightweight and it may be too warm for summer use.

Martin

Yeah this was my fear - too warm... was thinking about the 5.11 parka that breaks into bits... because it can actually be almightly cold!

September would be risky... dont wanna get trapped by snow... I have a lot of experience of wet (Living in Scotland) but real snow, im an amatuer.

[nicklasodh]

You do not really need to bring that much stuff. Freeze dried food is available in any outdoor store. While you are here, dont forget to buy a bunch of Mora knives. They cost nothing here, like £3,5 a pop. If you are visiting someone in Sweden you could order ahead and have food, fuel etc. delivered from companies like www.naturkompaniet.se, www.addnature.se etc. Most people in sweden understands english well so you will not have any problems communicating. Välkommen till Sverige.

[comanighttrain]

haha jag prata lite svenska.... sometimes...