Jason Carter Blog

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

One Stop Shop: BackpackingLight.dk

The One Stop Shop Series continues with a list from the Northern-most Ultralight Shop, Backpackinglight.dk!

Disclosure: This article has been supported financially from BackpackingLight.dk. As you know: I’m keepin’ it real and tell you how it is - I maintain full editorial control of the content published on Hiking in Finland. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on affiliate links & blogger transparency.

Backpackinglight.dk and Backpackinglight.se are owned by ultralight backpacker Kenneth Shaw which you might know from his Ultralight and Comfortable blog. Kenneth bought the Backpackinglight.dk domain and shop from Niels and made the range of the shop quite a bit larger over the last few years, and also nowadays offers the possibility for German and Scandinavian customers to pay via invoice at a later date. Overall I think BPL.se has a great range of brands, including many US cottages, and competitive prices. Lets take a look at the list which Kenneth has sent us:

Item	Name	Weight	Price
Backpack	Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 3400 black	908 g	358,00 €
Sleeping bag	Sierra Designs Cloud 800 Long	710 g	286,00 €
Mattress	Therm-A-Rest NeoAir Xlite Regular	340 g	171,00 €
Shelter	Gossamer Gear The One	612 g	420,00 €
Stove	Soto Windmaster	67 g	81,00 €
Pot	Vargo Bot 700ML	138 g	114,00 €
Cutlery	Toaks Ti Long Handle Spoon	19 g	9,00 €
Knife	Leatherman Skeletool KBx	37 g	37,00 €
Cup	Kupilka 21	80 g	13,00 €
Waterfilter	Sawyer Micro	57 g	33,00 €
T-Shirt	Aclima LW T-Shirt	150 g	70,00 €
Longsleeve	Aclima Hiking LS	226 g	120,00 €
Trekking pants	Lundhags Makke MS Pant	435 g	160,00 €
Fleece	Patagonia Men’s R1® TechFace Hoody	400 g	150,00 €
Insulation	Cumulus Incredilite	340 g	181,00 €
Wind jacket	The OMM Sonic Smock	50 g	85,00 €
Rain pants	The OMM Halo Pants	80 g	95,00 €
Rain jacket	The OMM Halo Smock	95 g	104,00 €
Shoes	Altra Lone Peak 4.5	578 g	120,00 €
Lamp	Black Diamond Iota	56 g	40,00€
Trekking Poles	Locus Gear CP3	298 g	284,00 €
Navigation	Samsung S9+	190 g	600,00 €

Total Weight: 5.866 g
Total Price: 3.531,00 €
Price per g: 0,60 €

My thoughts on the list:

The Windrider is also almost ten years later still a great backpack. and my 7 year old XLite is still going strong. The Sierra Designs Cloud 800 35F sleeping bag looks comfy and is pretty light for a sleeping bag, and The One from Gossamer Gear is a classic design which GG has brought back a few years ago, and is very popular. The Big 3 weight together 2.570 g which is really good.
The Soto Windmaster seems to work well without a windscreen, even at a high altitude and low temperatures. Together with the Vargo Bot 700 ml it makes for a compact stove & pot setup, and as usual we see a Kupilka cup and a long-handled Ti Spoon. The Sawyer Micro is a well-liked waterfilter, and that Leatherman knife is seriously light!
I love to see well-establish Scandinavian brands like Aclima and Lundhags in lists! They make fantastic garments which are long-lasting and environmentally friendly, which always is a plus in my book. It’s also great to see garments from The OMM in this list - 175 g for a rain jacket and pants is amazing, plus they are also pretty affordable!
The Black Diamond Iota is used far and wide by alpinists, trailrunners and ultralight backpackers alike, and the Locus Gear Poles are some of the lightest telescope poles on the market. It’s good to see a phone on the list for navigation, this shows how far we have come in the last five years! Nowadays you can rely on your phone for navigation, photography and everything else while in the fjell, a true multi-use item thus.

Keep in mind that these lists are suggestions! If you rather use your iPhone or a map and compass for navigation - that’s just fine! Read Carsten’s take on this list in German at Fastpacking.de.

Disclosure: The One Stop Shop Series was Carsten’s idea back in the day. The 2019 Series we have created together and you can read his take on the different lists in German on his blog, and you can read my take over here in English. Furthermore, we have been remunerated for our time by the individual shops.

Enjoyed this article? Support me on Patreon and get some useful rewards (like hanging out on Discord with me, where you can pick my brains!) or buy me a coffee - I work Full-Time on Hiking in Finland to bring you inspiring trip reports, in-depth gear reviews and the latest news from the outdoors. You also could subscribe to the rarer-than-ever Newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube for more outdoorsy updates!

from Hiking in Finland http://bit.ly/2KYKLYV

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

One Stop Shop: Alpinetrek.co.uk

The One Stop Shop Series kicks off with a list from Alpinetrek.co.uk!

Disclosure: This article has been supported financially from Bergfreunde. As you know: I’m keepin’ it real and tell you how it is - I maintain full editorial control of the content published on Hiking in Finland. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on affiliate links & blogger transparency.

Alpinetrek.co.uk is the British site of the well-established German online shop Bergfreunde. I have been working together since many years with Alpinetrek and was very happy that they agreed to come on board for this series. Alpinetrek carries a wide assortment of brands, from Houdini to Patagonia, Salomon, Ortovox and Rab and also smaller brands which aren’t that well known yet. Their benefit definitely is that wide assortment, and while you won’t find many cottage brands in their shop, you still can put together a solid ultralight list. Another of their benefits is in my opinion that they carry such a large range of garments - this is great and allows you to get your hiking socks and boxershorts at the same time that you are ordering your shelter and sleeping bag! But without much further ado, here is the list which they sent us:

Item	Name	Weight	Price
Backpack	Osprey Levity 60	850 g	£237.95
Sleeping bag	Rab Neutrino 400 Sleeping Bag	795 g	£331.95
Mattress	Therm-A-Rest NeoAir Uberlite Regular	227 g	£179.95
Shelter	Nordisk Voss PU Tarp Green	850 g	£63.95
Stove	Esbit CS985 Set	417 g	£40.95
Pot	-	-	-
Cutlery	Sea To Summit Alpha Light Cutlery Long Spork	12 g	£6.95
Knife	Morakniv Eldris	177 g	£29.50
Cup	Kupilka 21	80 g	£15.95
Waterfilter	Katadyn BeFree 1l	63 g	£43.95
T-Shirt	Patagonia Cap Cool Trail Shirt	130 g	£34.95
Longsleeve	Ortovox 150 Cool Logo L/S	176 g	£83.95
Trekking pants	Arc’teryx Palisade Pants	310 g	£113.95
Fleece	Houdini Outright Houdi	291 g	£142.95
Insulation	Haglöfs L.I.M Essens Jacket	165 g	£182.95
Wind jacket	Rab Vital Windshell Hoody	160 g	£49.95
Rain pants	Montane Minimus Pants	150 g	£98.95
Rain jacket	Marmot PreCip Eco Plus Jacket	292 g	£116.06
Shoes	Inov-8 X-Talon 210	420 g	£118.95
Lamp	Petzl e+LITE Headlamp	25 g	£21.56
Trekking Poles	Swix Sonic Pro Trail Carbon	335 g	£107.55
Navigation	Suunto Spartan Ultra Black	77 g	£414.71

Total Weight: 6.002 g
Total Price: £2.437,58 (in today’s exchange rate that’s 2.822,26 €)
Price per g: £0,40 (0,46 €)

My thoughts on the list:

Very nice mix of brands for the Big 3. The Levity is a solid pack for beginners and experienced hikers alike, as is the sleeping setup (I expect we will see the Uberlite in a lot of lists this time around!). It’s nice to see the choice of a tarp for sleeping, it’s still one of my favourite ways to sleep outside. With a weight of 2.722 g for these four items the Big 3 are also well under 3 kg.
A very nice lightweight stove and kitchen Setup. The Esbit CS985 Set can use both solid fuel and alcohol to boil water, with the StS Long Spork you can eat directly from the bag, the Eldris is a solid knife which is good for all camp tasks and while the BeFree Waterfilter has some issues with the flask it’s a solid waterfilter which is really easy to use.
The whole clothing setup is 2.094 g, if you subtract the rain garments which are hopefully most of the time in your pack, and some of the insulation pieces you get a worn weight of 1.311 g including the shoes! That’s really good, and as I have used some of these garments myself I can tell you also that they are really durable!
The eLite is still a good choice for summer, though I personally would like something slightly heavier and with more Lumen for spring and autumn. The trekking poles are good and as I myself also use the Spartan Ultra I can not find a fault in having it in this list - except it really is quite pricey.
Overall a very good lightweight list with a nice choice of gear. Maybe a bit pricey because of the inclusion of the Spartan Ultra, but other than that I find that a very good list which gets you lightweight on the trail in one go!

At the end of the series I will compare all lists which each other, so definitely make sure you subscribe and follow along to not miss out.

from Hiking in Finland http://bit.ly/2IAw7o4

Sunday, April 14, 2019

One Stop Shop 2019

Do you remember the One Stop Shop Series from 2014 where Carsten and me reached out to a bunch of Shops and asked if they’d like to participate in creating a complete ultralight kitlist from their sortiment? Yes? Great! Then you’d be delighted to know that the series is back this year and we look forward to share some exciting lists with you!

Five years have passed since Carsten and me did our One Stop Shop Series, and much has changed since then. Ultralight gear has become mainstream and pretty much every manufacturer offers now lightweight and ultralight alternatives of their equipment. This is great for consumers - where previously you needed to buy your quilt here, the sleeping mat there, and the backpack elsewhere nowadays you can even walk into a brick & mortar store and find the lightweight gear you’re searching for. This has the benefit that with some critical items like backpacks and garments you’re able to try them on before buying them, which makes returns much less likely.

But also the ultralight cottages haven’t been sleeping and resting on their UL Laurels - they have realized that people like to purchase their gear from a few sources instead of a dozen or more shops, and so especially we Europeans are quite lucky to have a handful of Shops which sell ultralight cottage gear all under one roof. It are these, but also more broad shops with more widely known brands, which we will showcase in this series, and I at least am very curious to see which new items will be on these lists, and which classic items we will meet again.

The reason for trying to purchase from one shop instead of six or more different ones is simple: You minimize shipping costs and the possibility for things to go wrong, like lost packages, long waiting times and different currencies + paying methods are all adding up to frustration when you want to buy ultralight gear in one go. Imagine you’d be able to buy all of the lightweight trekking gear you want from just one shop - actually, don’t imagine it - just read our articles to see that it is possible! What we do in this series is to challenge a dozen or so outdoor stores (online, brick & mortar and online shops with a brick & mortar shop) to send us their ideal and functional UL gear list of lightweight & ultralight gear, which one can buy normally (no special orders) in their store. To make these lists easy to compare with each other and that they stay within the same boundaries, this are our Guidelines:

Creat a 3-Season gear list (Day temperature of 10 to 20°C, Night temperature of 0 to 5°C)
Rain is possible every day and night
Mosquitos and other insects are not an issue
Tours are 5 to 7 days long

These are the outlines of many classic 3-season backpacking trips, and with this one list you should be able to go hiking from spring till autumn, in Scotland, Scandinavia, China, Colorado or elsewhere. The resulting list should give you the possibility to go backpacking in warmer or colder regions with just a few little adaptations, and we are asking for suggestions for the following items:

Backpack
Sleeping bag or quilt
Mattress
Shelter
Pot
Stove
Cutlery
Knife
Lamp
Trekking poles
Shoes
Fleece jacket
Insulation jacket
Rain pants
Rain jacket
Baselayer (Boxers and T-Shirt)
Longsleeve

The first four items are the big three (sleep system, backpack and shelter) which weigh the most and where one can save the most weight when lightening up. I will translate the first entry from the Trekking-Lite-Store.com this week, with the others to follow, and also have contacted a few international and European shops to send me their suggestions. Stay tuned, tell your friends, and be prepared for surprises!

Disclosure: The One Stop Shop Series was Carsten’s idea back in the day. The 2019 Series we have created together in order to bring you this series, and you can read his take on the different lists in German on his blog, and you can read my take over here in English. Furthermore, we have been remunerated for our time by the individual shops, though as you know - that had no influence on the articles as I maintain full editorial control of the content published on Hiking in Finland. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on blogger transparency and affiliate links. *

from Hiking in Finland http://bit.ly/2P9bYq7

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

The Week in Review 292

Spring is coming 🌱

I am now on Patreon. If you feel that you get value out of The Week In Review, my articles and videos - become a Patron for as low as a cup of coffee!

Outdoor News

Finally people are waking up to the climate crisis, something which I have been writing for since 10 years and longer! Read about how today’s children face lives with tiny carbon footprints and start to minimize your own!

Renewed Apparel sounds like a smart way to not have garments end up in a landfill.

The Decaying Alps: Climate change and glacial retreat in the Playground of Europe.

If you want to make the people around you aware of what is happening to the Earth, why not go for a Climate Cycle like Peter and friends?

I am wondering if backpacking is a sustainable Hobby?

US American friends should watch Part 1 of Saving Our Public Lands.

And Chris writes about what is happening with Outdoor Gear and the Environment.

And because there’s too much negativity on the internet: All of us can break the cycle of hatred.

Carsten shows the error in reasoning of Anti-UL backpackers. [German]

14 Signs you are carrying too much Stuff in your Backpack.

The Therm-A-Rest NeoAir UberLite is now available at Amazon.com, Bergzeit, Backcountry.com, Campsaver and the trekking-lite-store.com. Get yours now at the start of the hiking season!

Luc discuss Self-Rescue.

Emily’s Failure Resume.

Read about Polar Expeditions and writing with Ash Routen.

When time gets tough - get outdoors. Because being outdoors is good for your mental health.

Trailcooking has a new website.

Alpinetrek.co.uk has the newest 2019 trailrunning shoes in stock - pick up a pair for your trailruns and hikes!

Save big at Backcountry’s 5 Days 4 Brands Event with 30% off on their biggest brands.

Take part in the Bergzeit Photo Contest to win a 500€ Outdoor Set from Robens.

Win together with Haglöfs and Bergzeit an amazing weekend to Saalfelden Leogang!

Bikepacking season is upon us - and here’s your chance to win a Sweet Protection Mountainbike Outfit!

Run to the summit of the Großglockner with Bergzeit and Dynafit!

Trip Reports

Just last weekend I was skiing in Ruka and it was amazing.

Agnieszka and friends skied in Lemmenjoki National Park. [Polish]

Paulina is backpacking on the Milford Track in New Zealand.

Iñaki is preparing for a Continental Divide Trail thru-hike.

Gerlad takes us along on a hike from Banff to the Sasketchwan River. [German]

Liz takes us along on a picture perfect getaway to Waitomo.

Powder Dreams in the Swiss Rätikon. [German]

Alex writes about his Cape Wrath Trail(ish) experience in winter(ish) conditions.

Day 8 on the Arizona Trail with Christy.

Cam was hiking across Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni.

Al went for an evening stroll up Farleton Knott.

Cass cycles the Chama Charmer in New Mexico.

One Peter has started the kayaking season, another Peter had a fine camp in the hills.

Mike paddles on the Paria River.

Nine Days on the Cape Wrath Trail.

Christine shares her conclusion about the Greater Patagonian Trail.

Carey is taking on California’s High Sierra Trail.

Max has a frozen beard and catches some fat fish.

Gear Reviews

Uli reviews the Snowline Chainsen Pro, [German]

The Farfarer Trailer looks great for cycling and transporting kids and stuff!

Petzl Gully v Petzl Ride.

Knut takes a look at the Aclima Warmhool Hooded Sweater. [Danish]

The 10 Best Hiking and Backpacking Gear Items for Dogs.

Jen helps you getting started with Fastpacking.

from Hiking in Finland http://bit.ly/2IqolwY

Monday, April 8, 2019

Spring Skiing in Ruka

The skiing season 2019 isn’t over just yet - there’s still great snow to be shredded in the far North of Finland, as I experienced last weekend in Ruka.

Disclosure: This journey was supported by the local tourism bureau and partners, but I did not get paid to write about this trip. As you know: I’m keepin’ it real and tell you how it is - I maintain full editorial control of the content published on Hiking in Finland. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on blogger transparency and affiliate links.

As part of me trying to minimize my environmental footprint but unwilling to not ski I travelled last weekend by train and bus to Ruka-Kuusamo, some 500 kilometres from Vaasa away. Even with short stop-overs between switching from the train to the Bus it’s almost a 10 hour journey to get to Ruka, though as you can walk around in the train, there’s good internet and you can work there’s nothing to worry about. Though I was happy that I was able to get out on the hills once I arrived in Ruka, and with the lifts being open till 19 o’clock I got in a few hours of skiing on the slopes after a full day of travelling - not a bad start! And to make it even better, it had been snowing the whole Thursday and would continue throughout the night.

After the skiing I went to have Dinner at RUOK Burger which is just next door from my apartment in the Ruka Village Ski-Inn. Their Portobello Burger was the only vegetarian option and super-tasty, and I accompanied it with a local Craft Beer from Rovaniemi, a nice Amber Lager. After that I retired to my cozy apartment, heated up the Sauna and watched how it was snowing outside. Being on ski holidays it is always great to watch it snow ❄️ as that means fresh powder the next day when you’re outside on the hills!

The next morning a bright blue sky woke me up, and all signs were on an amazing day on and off the slopes. There’s just something great about hitting the slopes and being one of the first ones there. I love painting my curves into the still un-shredded corduroy, and then Veera and me went into the side-country to look for some powder. And powder we found.

It really feels amazing to surf through the fluffy snow and throw up big swoops of the white gold. Veera and me both had big smiles on our faces after cruising through the powder-filled forests, so once it was noon we went to Hanki Baari for lunch, where I ate a tasty vegan Mie Goreng. Hanki Baari is either way an amazing place to chill after a day on the slopes, listening to music and drinking some fancy beers, though right now we just needed some good nutrition before hitting the slopes again.

So, after a coffee ☕️ it was time to go ride some more. After all, the sun was shining, the slopes were in prime condition and the lifts would be running till 23 o’clock (Fridays the Ruka Ski Resort’s lifts run so late because those who journey after work to Ruka still can hit the illuminated slopes!). However, we wouldn’t ski that long, as we had another plan.

We went on a little powder hunt with friends of Veera, which resulted in a short but exhausting climb through hip-deep snow back to the slopes from the lake 🤣 After that I went for a few more laps on the slopes before calling it a day. A quick shower later I was sitting in the Pizzeria Ruka which is probably the best Pizza you can get in Ruka. It’s a five minute stroll from the centre of the village to the Pizzeria, and their wood-fired oven served me in no time a delicious Tartufo Pizza. That’s exactly what I needed after almost six hours of skiing, and gave me enough energy for the hike we had planned for the evening.

As a photographer I hate it to spend a gorgeous sunset inside, so I was happy that Veera and her dog were up for a sunset mission to Konttainen, a hill some 10 minutes away from Ruka. A steep 11 minute climb later we were on the top of Konttainen, and strolled towards the best spot in the house while the show was just starting. It’s soooooo much better to be outside in nature when the sun sets than sitting inside, and this definitely was an evening well spent. After the sun disappeared from view we gazed for a while onto the illuminated slopes of Ruka, and for a moment I was tempted to jump back into my ski boots and go for some night skiing. But then I remembered my warm Sauna and the cold beer which were waiting for me, so I skipped the night skiing and relaxed in my apartment before calling it a night.

The next morning white clouds hung over the mountain and gave the slopes and village a sci-fi feel. I’s the kind of weather where you ponder if you should just stay inside and chill-lax, but as I wanted to get my skis on that didn’t happen and early on Saturday morning Veera and me where again on the slopes, searching for some untracked pockets of powder.

And slowly but surely the sun was burning through the clouds and as the day progressed the views came out again, and we also were lucky by finding some fine lines of untouched powder not far from the hustle and bustle of the slopes.

After all that off-piste skiing it was time to join the Ruka Ski Pride Parade. I really ❤️ that Ruka has this event which celebrates equal rites and diversity on the slopes, and the vibe was so positive and fun - I really enjoyed to be part of it 🌈 Besides this parade there were inclusive events the whole weekend, with concerts and DJs, and of course some good skiing!

And then the day was almost over again. But not before I skied one final time from the East to the West, and from the North to the South across the whole resort. I love to ski fast and go from one end of a resort to the other one, shredding down the slopes and throwing up clouds of slushy spring snow, and at the end of this Saturday my trusty Suunto Spartan Ultra told me I had skied almost 50 km of distance this day, and I could tell by how my legs felt.

After some relaxing I met Mats for Dinner at Villisika from where you have the best view over the slopes, so while we were eating we could see how the snow groomers got the hill ready for the next day. Sadly, the next sunny day I wouldn’t be shredding the groomers, as I was sitting in the train and bus back south. But I have a feeling that I will travel North once more for more skiing before the winter truly ends ❄️

As always, there’s more photos in the Photo Album.

Spring Skiing in Ruka

As you can see above, winter isn’t over just yet in Finnish Lapland, even if it may feel like it here in the south where most of the snow is already gone. Until early May there’s plenty of great skiing to be had in Northern Finland, and if you’re like me and can not get enough of skiing and winter then you too should steal away for a weekend to Ruka for some spring skiing. The slopes in Ruka are open till early May, and between now and the closing of the slopes there’s every weekend a weekend of fun to be had: Next weekend, from the 11.4. - 14.4.2019 is the legendary Ruka Spring Break which will enlighten those who like to Party between hitting the groomers. The Easter Weekend has winter activities for the whole family on offer, and the first of May is the traditional Wappulounas, a get-together of the international snowboard community on the slopes of Ruka. So don’t ponder longer - go and get some of that spring snow!

Where to Stay

I stayed at the Ski Inn and liked my apartment in the centre of the village. It was a two minute stroll to the Gondola and lift, a one minute walk to the supermarket, and Hanki Baari was even in the same building so I didn’t had to go far for a beer! There’s plenty more places to stay in Ruka for any budget, and if you’re pondering where to eat: Just follow my recommendations above or try any of the other restaurants in the village and it’s surroundings.

Getting to Ruka

The most convenient way is to take the train and bus to Ruka, or if you come from abroad you can fly to the Kuusamo Airport and take the Ski Bus to Ruka. On the train you can sleep, work and walk around, and during the bus trip you can enjoy the beautiful Finnish landscape while listening to your favourite tunes.

Enjoyed this article? Support me on Patreon and get some useful rewards (like hanging out on a Discord Chat with me, where you can pick my brains!) or buy me a coffee - I work Full-Time on Hiking in Finland to bring you inspiring trip reports, in-depth gear reviews and the latest news from the outdoors. You also could subscribe to the rarer-than-ever Newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube for more outdoorsy updates!

from Hiking in Finland http://bit.ly/2I3mlLu