Ultralight?

Tomorrow I take the train up to the Arctic Circle with my brother to walk a 105 km section of the Kungsleden between Abisko and Nikkaluokta. The rucksack is packed and I'm ready to go and I'm quite pleased that I've managed to reduce my base weight down to a whisker off of 5.5 kg officially making me (almost) an ultralighter! The gear list can be found here.

Hopefully we'll be able to get up on to Kebnekaise Sydtoppen's 2106 meters above sea level.  Fingers crossed the weather vane allows it!

The Great Outdoors

Went out a couple of weekends ago to Tyresö Nature Reserve with my buddy G and the dog, mostly just to get outside and enjoy an open fire. The birth of my daughter last week prevented me from posting this until now, and unfortunately this extreme cold snap we're expecting will probably prevent me from getting out when we are up in Hälsingland this weekend. It will of course be far too cold for little one, but let me tell you, she is worth everything I ever have to give up or postpone for her. It won't be too long 'til she's coming out with me in any case.




















During the afternoon in Tyresö I also got the chance to use the Bushbuddy Ultra. It was a little trickier to light in damper conditions, but I kept it going for about 3 hours with very little wood. I must say that having an axe - Gränsfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet - was indispensable in keeping it stoked, but only since I was essentially using it as an extra campfire. Using it as a stove for 20 minutes could probably be achieved just as easily with a few handfuls of twigs.
















It wasn't too cold, just below freezing, and the open fire, hot tea and a warm meal made it more than comfortable. Just a few hours, and a walk back to the car in the dark, but it sure felt good to get out.

Bushbuddy Ultra

I must have been a good boy this year. I opened up my stocking on Christmas Eve to find among other things, a Bushbuddy Ultra and I couldn't wait to try it out. So much so that I took it out on Christmas Day into the woods in Hälsingland and fired it up.

Reviewing the Bushbuddy Ultra

As you can see I lit first time with the help of some dry tinder, and it took about 700ml of water up to a rolling boil in about 10 minutes. Not quick, but not incredibly slow either. It should also be noted that I had placed it on a tree stump at a little over waist height and there was a slight breeze in the air which of course affected performance. In a more sheltered spot I'm sure it would have more effective. Nevertheless I'm very pleased with it, and the simplicity of finding fuel wherever and whenever you are near woodland means that I'll likely use it year round in this enivronment. Add up the cost of all those gas canisters that you'd otherwise use and it's cheap too.

To top it off the stove is lightweight at 155g, which together with pot and lid, and considering that I need not carry any fuel, gives me a cooking system which tops the scales at about 275g. That's only a little more than a regular sized butane canister, and about a third of a Trangia cookset (half if you're only carrying one pot). That said, in especially windy conditions, where shelter is hard to come by, I'd rather rely on the Trangia. It is of course true that in those situations one is generally above the tree line, the stove not really being suited to that environment either where fuel is lacking. As for gas stoves, I can't see me going back. Butane canisters are heavy, and without shelter prove to be inefficient. They weigh about as much empty and I do not enjoy having to carry them back to civilisation as dead-weight in the pack. The only place I could see a gas stove being useful is far below freezing above the tree-line, but that's still a pretty moot point since I don't really spend very much time above the Arctic Circle.

Sure your pot gets dirty, irrevocably so, but you can always pack it away in a bag. Besides wood ash doesn't spoil food in the same way as ash from an alcohol stove will. What's that? Gas is faster. Sure, but what's the hurry? You're in the great outdoors to kick back and take it easy a little, not clock watch over minutes here and there! If you are looking to make the transition to a wood burner, I don't think you'd look back, I certainly won't. I simply look forward to the multitude of adventures that I'll share with this little beauty of engineering over the years to come.

Out in the woods

I've ordered a few new toys, a hatchet, folding saw, high carbon knife (perfect for flint striking) and a crook knife for carving. I couldn't wait 'til they arrived though so I met a buddy and went out into the woods to mess around with his kit since he has the same hatchet and saw. I've already tried out the saw on my Leatherman that I bought in the States in August, and I'm actually quite impressed with it. It handles small branches pretty well and much quicker than batoning, but trying out the Bahco I felled a small Birch no problem and did so pretty safely and cleanly. One of the most important things to remember with a short handled hatchet is that it's really easy to bury it into your leg, so you should always swing it while kneeling so you can be sure that it'll bury itself in the ground if you miss the chop. In this case I played it safe and used the saw for felling, but the hatchet was of course handy for taking off the branches and bark. It has a really nice weight to it and it feels really comfortable holding it close to the head, and using it for dexterous work like carving. It's also pretty interesting owning something with a makers mark. His hatchet was an MM (Mattias Matsson) but I wonder who will have crafted mine?




















He had just bought a new tarp and wanted to set it up, getting used to the pitch and all. To be honest I'm still getting used to the Akto, it's tricky getting a really tight pitch, but I can't argue with the quality! I remarked that although I'm a little paranoid about sharp sticks when I'm picking a site, it's more about how much money I invested in the tent than that I don't trust it to cope. I'm sure it'd pass the test, just don't want to test it!















He had also just purchased a new Frost River canvas pack so he kindly donated me his old vintage pack. It might not be so light at a whisker under a kilo, but it looks the part and it certainly encourages you to carry less with it's compact size. Perfect for bushcrafting!

Birch Quaich

Just looking at some birch kuksa carving and wondering if I could do the same thing with a two handled version, like a Scottish Quaich. Quaich's were used to pass around and drink whisky, and a silver or pewter quaich is quite a common wedding present.










Crafting a Classic Kuksa Cup

Kuksa of Oak Burl

First things first, I'll need to get some simple carving tools, Greenman Bushcraft looks like a good start.

http://www.greenmanbushcraft.co.uk/

And it may be best to start with a spoon...

Over hill, and under Hilleberg

I was lucky enough to celebrate Midsummer in a cabin south of Stockholm and saw it as a fantastic opporunity to try out the as yet untested Akto, albeit in the garden. I had a wonderful nights sleep out, and even though it was a little chilly outside, the inside of the tent was very cosy in my Cumulus Quantum 200 bag. I kept all of the vents open, at both ends, as well as the wired door vent, and a touch of rain overnight didn't creep into the tent. The ventilation ensured though that I didn't have condensation issues which can prove problematic in any small tent.

In all I'm very happy with it, and as you can see there is enough room inside for two to sit up comfortably, (though not to sleep in, I should point out!) In green the tent is also somewhat stealthy and blends into it's surroundings quite nicely. This is a plus as I intend to use it on weekend walks around the city where clandestine pitches may be the order of the day (one has the right to camp in Sweden on private land, though not in the vicinity of houses. However if no-one can see me, I aint there!)

Hilleberg Akto

At the risk of sounding incredulous, I shall be going out to buy a Hilleberg Akto this weekend. Admittedly it's not the lightest, nor is it the cheapest, but I can honestly say that I've never read a bad review. Condensation issues sure, but that's to be expected with any double-skin tent, and proper ventilation should overcome the worst of this. (As an aside the person who informed me of these condensation issues, suggested that it was necessary to use a bivy bag inside the tent to stay dry. I had to point out that the sleeping bag would probably get wetter inside a bivy bag than from a little bit of moisture on the inside of a tent, a tent tending to breathe far more than even the highest quality bivy). It weighs in at 1500g, which will make it difficult to follow Fjäderlätt Jörgen's 3 for 3 method, but not impossible. If I have to invest in one specific thing for comfort, I'll make it the tent.
As my previous post is testament to, I was all set on an MLD order, however considering the fact that all MLD orders are taking 5-8 weeks to shipping, with at least another 4 weeks for that, that gives me perhaps a 3 month timescale for a new tent. I don't know how patient you are at waiting for your hard earned gear, but patience is not something I'm known for. I had looked at a TNLC, as many friends of mine swear by, but I'm not convinced of it's durability or survivability, year after year, and it's not worth the price demanded in Sweden. If I'm going to be paying 4000 SEK for a tent, well... it's said that a Hillberg is for life, not just for Christmas! Who to order from? KG Jonsson Sport & Outdoor are as a good a choice as any. I attended a job interview there back in February, and the guys working there not only know there stuff, but are great guys too, and right now they're offering a 500 SEK voucher with the purchase of any tent this summer. Actually, Hilleberg seem to be pretty strict on their wholesale pricing - there doesn't seem to be a tangible amount of money saved by purchasing online and the beauty of buying in store? Instant gratification!