English; Turer I have earlier written about my wintry trip through Sarek NP in northern Sweden. In this article I will focus on some of the gear I brought along. In fact, I repeated a trip made 29 years ago, in 1981, but with much less gear, sweat and swearwords. In 1981 I started out with 42 kilos on my back, this time it was 17 kilos and it was not on my back for much of the trip. I dragged it behind me in The Incredible Rulk.
By Jörgen Johansson
Total Gear list (all weights in grams)
(Usually) worn
820 Anorak Paramo Velez blå XL
660 Trousers Paramo Cascada
34 Gloves thin fleece
75 Cap Paramo
110 Boxer shorts BPL merino stl M
185 Boot covers Lillsport
1200 Ski boots Alpina TR 10 size 47
102 Socks Donner merino
246 Undershirt BPL Hoody merino L
120 Mittens Helly Hansen pile
70 2 water bottles Arla Smoothie 330 ml
28 Whistle, metal, police
2800 Skis Fischer E99 Crown
485 Skipoles Komperdell XC Mountain 145 cm
30 Kneewarmers, cut off wool sock
10 Sunglasses Sporteyz
7007 Total worn
Eating
155 Gas canister Primus 230
155 Gas canister Primus 230
100 Gas canister Primus 100
36 Water container Platypus soft 2 l
5 Pot lid; pie plate alu foil
180 Cooking pot Primus EtaPower 1,2 l
45 Cup, plastic 300 ml
210 Burner, Primus Spider hose canister incl bag
100 Burner Primus Micron top mounted canister incl bag
16 "Upsidedown cradle" for canister; micro wave soup bowl
10 Cell foam insulation for canister
8 Spoon titanium
20 Lighter Bic
26 Windscreen BPL titanium foil 22*82 cm
Clothing
366 Primaloft pants Cocoon PRO 60 Endurance Side Zip Pant XL
316 Primaloft jacket Cocoon Pullover L
410 Down jacket WM Flight XL
112 Socks, pile, huge (for sleeping)
210 Long johns, wool Stillongs L
134 Socks Smartwool Mountaineering (for sleeping)
260 Undershirt WoolPower wool/polyester
20 Pack sack for clothing, sil nylon homemade
Sleeping
1288 Tent Black Diamond Firstlight (no pegs, no bags, 3 mm cords)
36 4 Snow anchors, silnylon, homemade
52 Pillow, inflatable, bag-in-box wine bag
400 Pad, closed cell EVA Goodpad 190*60*1,4, slightly trimmed
260 Pad, inflatable, Thermarest Neoair Small
96 Dry bag for sleeping bag 13 l Sea to Summit
640 Quilt Primaloft ripstop/bugnet, homemade 2 cm loft
22 Pack sack quilt silnylon homemade
884 Sleeping bag WM Ultralite Super Long
Safety
66 Firestarting (water proof matches, small candles etc)
42 Blood stopper, heavy bandage
30 Sports tape, for blisters, support and repairs
25 Repair gear
84 Spare glasses and sun visors in hard box
50 Medical (bandaids, pain relief etc)
55 Swiss Army Knife incl scissors and tweezers
40 Map
24 Compass Silva Ranger 27, mirror
88 GPS GPS Garmin Geko 101 inkl batt
22 Dry bag safety gear, Sea to Summit 2 l silnylon
Miscellaneous
10 Tickets
10 Skin ointment Swedish Defense
458 Camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28
252 Card reader/hard disc Jobo, storage photos incl bag
144 Tripod for camera, metall and carbon fiber, partly homemade
100 Mobile phone Nokia
30 Dry bag camera 8 l Sea to Summit Silnylon
65 Head lamp Zipka Plus
25 Money, credit card, drivers license in ziploc bag
25 Pencil and note paper
655 Pack ULA Ohm Large 57 l
1268 Pulk, Paris sawed off, 980 mm
140 Belt and cord for towing pulk
115 Snow goggles, for hard wind, Cebe
300 Snowclaw, "shovel"
50 Sun screen pf 30
10 Toothbrush and length of dental floss
25 Thermometer
25 Toilet paper 10 m in zip loc bag
10773 Pack, base weight
17780 Equipment, base weight
6706 Food and fuel
17479 Pack, total weight
24486 Equipment, total weight
'Base weight' is what I always carry in my pack, 'equipment' is a k a skin out weight. Total weight includes food and fuel.
The weight of the three big ones (carry, shelter and sleep) was:
4127 grams (excluding the Rulk).
5536 grams (including the Rulk)
Maybe my rule of thumb for 3-season backpacking, 3 kilos for the three big ones a k a '343' should be replaced by '443' for winter trips?
Comments in Swedish here at Utsidan, in English below. For other articles on this trip, search for "Across Sarek".
By Jörgen Johansson
Total Gear list (all weights in grams)
(Usually) worn
820 Anorak Paramo Velez blå XL
660 Trousers Paramo Cascada
34 Gloves thin fleece
75 Cap Paramo
110 Boxer shorts BPL merino stl M
185 Boot covers Lillsport
1200 Ski boots Alpina TR 10 size 47
102 Socks Donner merino
246 Undershirt BPL Hoody merino L
120 Mittens Helly Hansen pile
70 2 water bottles Arla Smoothie 330 ml
28 Whistle, metal, police
2800 Skis Fischer E99 Crown
485 Skipoles Komperdell XC Mountain 145 cm
30 Kneewarmers, cut off wool sock
10 Sunglasses Sporteyz
7007 Total worn
Eating
155 Gas canister Primus 230
155 Gas canister Primus 230
100 Gas canister Primus 100
36 Water container Platypus soft 2 l
5 Pot lid; pie plate alu foil
180 Cooking pot Primus EtaPower 1,2 l
45 Cup, plastic 300 ml
210 Burner, Primus Spider hose canister incl bag
100 Burner Primus Micron top mounted canister incl bag
16 "Upsidedown cradle" for canister; micro wave soup bowl
10 Cell foam insulation for canister
8 Spoon titanium
20 Lighter Bic
26 Windscreen BPL titanium foil 22*82 cm
Clothing
366 Primaloft pants Cocoon PRO 60 Endurance Side Zip Pant XL
316 Primaloft jacket Cocoon Pullover L
410 Down jacket WM Flight XL
112 Socks, pile, huge (for sleeping)
210 Long johns, wool Stillongs L
134 Socks Smartwool Mountaineering (for sleeping)
260 Undershirt WoolPower wool/polyester
20 Pack sack for clothing, sil nylon homemade
Sleeping
1288 Tent Black Diamond Firstlight (no pegs, no bags, 3 mm cords)
36 4 Snow anchors, silnylon, homemade
52 Pillow, inflatable, bag-in-box wine bag
400 Pad, closed cell EVA Goodpad 190*60*1,4, slightly trimmed
260 Pad, inflatable, Thermarest Neoair Small
96 Dry bag for sleeping bag 13 l Sea to Summit
640 Quilt Primaloft ripstop/bugnet, homemade 2 cm loft
22 Pack sack quilt silnylon homemade
884 Sleeping bag WM Ultralite Super Long
Safety
66 Firestarting (water proof matches, small candles etc)
42 Blood stopper, heavy bandage
30 Sports tape, for blisters, support and repairs
25 Repair gear
84 Spare glasses and sun visors in hard box
50 Medical (bandaids, pain relief etc)
55 Swiss Army Knife incl scissors and tweezers
40 Map
24 Compass Silva Ranger 27, mirror
88 GPS GPS Garmin Geko 101 inkl batt
22 Dry bag safety gear, Sea to Summit 2 l silnylon
Miscellaneous
10 Tickets
10 Skin ointment Swedish Defense
458 Camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28
252 Card reader/hard disc Jobo, storage photos incl bag
144 Tripod for camera, metall and carbon fiber, partly homemade
100 Mobile phone Nokia
30 Dry bag camera 8 l Sea to Summit Silnylon
65 Head lamp Zipka Plus
25 Money, credit card, drivers license in ziploc bag
25 Pencil and note paper
655 Pack ULA Ohm Large 57 l
1268 Pulk, Paris sawed off, 980 mm
140 Belt and cord for towing pulk
115 Snow goggles, for hard wind, Cebe
300 Snowclaw, "shovel"
50 Sun screen pf 30
10 Toothbrush and length of dental floss
25 Thermometer
25 Toilet paper 10 m in zip loc bag
10773 Pack, base weight
17780 Equipment, base weight
6706 Food and fuel
17479 Pack, total weight
24486 Equipment, total weight
'Base weight' is what I always carry in my pack, 'equipment' is a k a skin out weight. Total weight includes food and fuel.
The weight of the three big ones (carry, shelter and sleep) was:
4127 grams (excluding the Rulk).
5536 grams (including the Rulk)
Maybe my rule of thumb for 3-season backpacking, 3 kilos for the three big ones a k a '343' should be replaced by '443' for winter trips?
Comments in Swedish here at Utsidan, in English below. For other articles on this trip, search for "Across Sarek".
So you carry two burners? Is that in case one fails on such a cold, remote route?
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at a Primus Spider as my stove for next winter. I had planned on using tent pegs and a velcro strap to invert the cannister but would like to see a photo of your microwave soup bowl cradle. It sounds light and cheap!
Well, the Spider was a first time serious test and for such a long trip I did not want to risk anything. I knew the Micron would work well and the weight penalty (100 g) was small. I also had a hunch the Micron would work better/feel safer inside the tent. I was right about that.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to write a separate article about the stoves and the considerations, when I get around to it.
Jörgen this is a very useful gear guide. I too am moving towards the use of gas more and more because of its simplicity in use. I look forward to your detailed report on gas stoves.
ReplyDeleteIn winter you use the Paramo top because there is less moisture in the air? But in summer you use which top?
How do you store your BPL ti foil when hiking? I have never taken it hiking because of the weight of the tube it is enclosed in.
I had never thought of carrying a card reader.
Many thanks
Roger
Roger,
ReplyDeleteGlad you find it useful :)
Obviously I stayed with the canister stoves, and do not regret it. I might have if it had been -30 C or colder, who knows.
Yeah, I really like the Paramo for winter use. It is a bit to warm and heavy for summer use, but I agree with Chris Townsend (who was the one that led me to Paramo) that when it is cold enough for you to be able to wear it all the time it is excellent. It is very soft and comfortable, breathes better than Mextex (no icing on the inside) and waterproof enough for wet snow and slush.
The cardreader was because almost all photos from Yellowstone last fall was destroyed by a crashing card. But the reader was a mistake, it did not work at all, perhaps due to the cold. And it is heavy. I had brought 3 different memory cards that I rotated and will stay with that system (maybe 1 for each day) in the future.
Interesting. I would have thought that the pre-heat tube of the spider would be very important for temperatures around -20C. Does the Micron really work for that cold temperatures?
ReplyDeleteThe Micron works very well down to -20 C, as I've experienced for several years. See these articles:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fjaderlatt.se/2010/01/canister-vs-white-gas-in-winter.html
All you have to do is keep the canister reasonably warm by keeping it in the front pocket of an anorak or in the sleeping bag. So one conclusion of my trip is that I do not really need anything but my top mounted canister stove unless I go in deep winter and expect -30 C or colder. And then I will probably bring a Trangia, which is foolproof. They do take an awful lot of fuel at those temperatures, and are not fast.