Gear used along the Nordkalottruta

The following comments are my reflections on the use of the gear over the 11 day period of which 9 nights were spent camped out.

HMG Porter Pack

The HMG Porter is an excellent pack, and it carried the 16 kg weight well. I used a ZPacks Multi-Pack as a chest pocket for my camera and added a set of MLD hipbelt pockets for snacks and essentials. The pack also included the new HMG Stuff Pocket, which was perfect for holding the items that I may need during the day.  The pack fabric is water resistant, and I have also seam sealed the seams but I always use pack liner as well. The lack of absorbency of the fabric means that you will get a sweaty back, and if that is of concern, then careful choice of a shirt is important which is why I prefer merino. The ladder straps on the outside provide ideal attachment points for tents mats etc. as well the roll top closure is perhaps the best I have used, all in all a very good pack which will become my go to pack.

 

Along the Kalottiretti: Kilpisjärvi to Kopmajoki

Mark has already provided his version of the trip so it is now left to me to provide the alternative story. 

As we climbed away from Kilpisjärvi I looked back towards the three borders remembering back 2 years ago when I had completed my trip from Bjorkliden to Kilpisjärvi. The weather seemed similar but it appeared to be brighter in Sweden and Norway than it was in Finland as we climbed towards Čáhkáljávn the cloud was low and the surrounding peaks were covered in mist.

The tale of 2 Jetboil Sol Ti's

As Mark has already indicated we set off from Kilpisjärvi and after a 3 hour walk we arrived at Saarijärvi and setup camp before sitting down to cook. As soon as Mark had taken out his new Jetboil Sol ti I noticed a difference between his pot and mine. Looking down into the pot it was apparent that his had a raised circular outer section which mine did not have.

 

Nordkalotteleden, Kalottireitti, Nordkalottruta: The final section.

I have now completed the final leg of the Kalottireitti (Nordkalottruta) between Kilpisjärvi and Kautokeino. Over the coming weeks I will write a trip report, gear report, the tale of two jetboil sol ti's, reflections on gear appropriate for the trail as well as other comments.

But for now I will leave you with two photos. The first is Lapland summer hiking essentials; sun hat, mosquito headnet, sunscreen and bug repellant.

 
The second photo is my typical lunch; tortilla, vegemite and solbærtoddy (thanks to Helen and Thomas for introducing me to this refreshing drink)