UL In Finland - Thank You Dear Reader!

Its the last day of 2009, and I'd like to use today to thank my readers for reading my blog, and keeping me motivated to write and report about my UL adventures here in beautiful Finland. Without you and your comments and questions, Hiking in Finland wouldn't be as successful & interesting as it is. It is very rewarding to get the positive feedback that what I do inspires others to lighten their load and get familiar with the UL philosophy. I's also like to thank my fellow outdoor bloggers, because they inspire me with new ideas and to push my own boundaries in terms of writing, photography, trips and getting more skillful and lightweight with my gear.



I started out in April and what went from a few posts per month grew to a few posts per week, with improvements in photos and writing. Lately I also have been fiddling around with videos, which I do enjoy quite a lot because it gives the opportunity to illustrate things much better, so I will continue with these in the future. What else can you expect in 2010 from Hiking in Finland?

Well, obviously there will be more trips. A winter tour in the beginning of February with UL backpackers from Germany, in late May I will visit Sweden to meet up with fellow Scandinavian outdoor bloggers, as well as an April trip to Ruka, close to the Russian border. Summer and autumn will see me hopefully in Lapland, be it on the Nordkalottleden or in one of the various beautiful National Parks is not set yet. I'll spent hopefully some weekends on the Pirkan Taival trail, and also visit parts of the Satakunta Reitti.

Writing about gear, making videos about it and taking good and interesting photographs, will be another part of this blog in the coming year. While 2009 saw me going from a "normal" backpacker to a lightweight/ ultralightweight backpacker, I want to try to push my boundries, increase my skills and go SUL in 2010. A new backpack from Laufbursche will be the foundation, further gear I will showcase and review after objective testing on the Finnish trails =)

Also there will be more interviews with cottage manufacturers, these give me the opportunity to give something back to the UL community and showcase the people behind the gear. There will be a wild mix of US, UK, Canadian, German and French cottage manufacturers telling their tale in 2010, so I'd suggest you subscribe to the RSS feed or become a follower to stay tuned!

Once more, thank you dear readers for a very enjoyable year 2009. Without you and your continuous support and interest in my writings, this blog wouldn't be the same =) I wish all of you a good start into 2010, and may your trails lead you some day to Finland!

Its the last day of 2009, and I'd like to use today to thank my readers for reading my blog, and keeping me motivated to write and report about my UL adventures here in beautiful Finland. Without you and your comments and questions, Hiking in Finland wouldn't be as successful & interesting as it is. It is very rewarding to get the positive feedback that what I do inspires others to lighten their load and get familiar with the UL philosophy. I's also like to thank my fellow outdoor bloggers, because they inspire me with new ideas and to push my own boundaries in terms of writing, photography, trips and getting more skillful and lightweight with my gear.



I started out in April and what went from a few posts per month grew to a few posts per week, with improvements in photos and writing. Lately I also have been fiddling around with videos, which I do enjoy quite a lot because it gives the opportunity to illustrate things much better, so I will continue with these in the future. What else can you expect in 2010 from Hiking in Finland?

Well, obviously there will be more trips. A winter tour in the beginning of February with UL backpackers from Germany, in late May I will visit Sweden to meet up with fellow Scandinavian outdoor bloggers, as well as an April trip to Ruka, close to the Russian border. Summer and autumn will see me hopefully in Lapland, be it on the Nordkalottleden or in one of the various beautiful National Parks is not set yet. I'll spent hopefully some weekends on the Pirkan Taival trail, and also visit parts of the Satakunta Reitti.

Writing about gear, making videos about it and taking good and interesting photographs, will be another part of this blog in the coming year. While 2009 saw me going from a "normal" backpacker to a lightweight/ ultralightweight backpacker, I want to try to push my boundries, increase my skills and go SUL in 2010. A new backpack from Laufbursche will be the foundation, further gear I will showcase and review after objective testing on the Finnish trails =)

Also there will be more interviews with cottage manufacturers, these give me the opportunity to give something back to the UL community and showcase the people behind the gear. There will be a wild mix of US, UK, Canadian, German and French cottage manufacturers telling their tale in 2010, so I'd suggest you subscribe to the RSS feed or become a follower to stay tuned!

Once more, thank you dear readers for a very enjoyable year 2009. Without you and your continuous support and interest in my writings, this blog wouldn't be the same =) I wish all of you a good start into 2010, and may your trails lead you some day to Finland!

UL In Finland - Thank You Dear Reader!

Video: BushBuddy Ultra In The Snow

And the final test of a wood burning stove in winter conditions, this time the BushBuddy Ultra - my first wood burning stove - enters the fray. Conditions were similar to the previous tests, the temperatures were -12°C and it was snowing and windy.



My BushBuddy Ultra weights 134 g, and the TT 1100 pot it can be nestled in is 141 g including the lid, plus the orange packsack which is 18 g, all together a mere 293 g. However, in comparison to the Ti-Tri Inferno and the Bushcooker LT II the BushBuddy only can burn wood, whereas the other two can burn alcohol and Esbit. With my 6 g MYOG Top Burner stove I have a good back-up, though, and the Ti-Tri Gram Cracker should also work just fine with it.

What I like is that it fits into the pot, is small in size and thus doesn't use a lot of space. The Inferno is great, though I really dislike needing to carry the caddy. Good thing that a smaller Inferno is available nowadays, one which fits into the pot, as Roger showed. Anyhow. That should be it with testing wood burning stoves in the snow for a while, maybe that I revisit the Bushcooker LT II and use proper dry wood for a test, but that won't be too soon as I don't have it with me here in Vaasa. I hope you found this interesting and educating, and that it shows that given good fuel using a wood burning stove can be a real alternative for melting and boiling snow/ water in the winter.

And the final test of a wood burning stove in winter conditions, this time the BushBuddy Ultra - my first wood burning stove - enters the fray. Conditions were similar to the previous tests, the temperatures were -12°C and it was snowing and windy.



My BushBuddy Ultra weights 134 g, and the TT 1100 pot it can be nestled in is 141 g including the lid, plus the orange packsack which is 18 g, all together a mere 293 g. However, in comparison to the Ti-Tri Inferno and the Bushcooker LT II the BushBuddy only can burn wood, whereas the other two can burn alcohol and Esbit. With my 6 g MYOG Top Burner stove I have a good back-up, though, and the Ti-Tri Gram Cracker should also work just fine with it.

What I like is that it fits into the pot, is small in size and thus doesn't use a lot of space. The Inferno is great, though I really dislike needing to carry the caddy. Good thing that a smaller Inferno is available nowadays, one which fits into the pot, as Roger showed. Anyhow. That should be it with testing wood burning stoves in the snow for a while, maybe that I revisit the Bushcooker LT II and use proper dry wood for a test, but that won't be too soon as I don't have it with me here in Vaasa. I hope you found this interesting and educating, and that it shows that given good fuel using a wood burning stove can be a real alternative for melting and boiling snow/ water in the winter.

Video: BushBuddy Ultra In The Snow

Video: Trail Designs Ti-Tri Inferno In The Snow

My second video of the Trail Designs Ti-Tri Inferno wood burning stove, this time in winter conditions. Temperature outside was -12°C and it was windy, however, I was able to use dry wood from the shed, which made all the difference in comparison to the Bushcooker LT II where I used wood from the forest, which was moist and icy. The dry wood and good kindling made all the difference, and the Inferno once more lived up to its name.



Trail weight of the Inferno is 232 g and that includes the Caldera Cone, Inferno insert, Fireplate, Titanium stakes and the caddy - however, this does depend on which pot you use, and as I have a big pot the weight is a bit heavier than if you have a smaller pot. Its more heavy as the Bushcooker LT II, and also is a lot more hungry, i. e. it needs a lot of wood. However, I reckon that once you have it going the wood can be icy or moist and the Inferno will still work fine, as it has a lot of power. The time of boiling a cup of snow (that's a Tibetan Titanium 1100 pot, in case you're wondering, and weights 141 g including the lid) is really fantastic, as you can hear in the video, I'm rather excited about it! That leaves the BushBuddy Ultra for a winter test, and I guess Sunday or Monday could see it coming =)

My second video of the Trail Designs Ti-Tri Inferno wood burning stove, this time in winter conditions. Temperature outside was -12°C and it was windy, however, I was able to use dry wood from the shed, which made all the difference in comparison to the Bushcooker LT II where I used wood from the forest, which was moist and icy. The dry wood and good kindling made all the difference, and the Inferno once more lived up to its name.



Trail weight of the Inferno is 232 g and that includes the Caldera Cone, Inferno insert, Fireplate, Titanium stakes and the caddy - however, this does depend on which pot you use, and as I have a big pot the weight is a bit heavier than if you have a smaller pot. Its more heavy as the Bushcooker LT II, and also is a lot more hungry, i. e. it needs a lot of wood. However, I reckon that once you have it going the wood can be icy or moist and the Inferno will still work fine, as it has a lot of power. The time of boiling a cup of snow (that's a Tibetan Titanium 1100 pot, in case you're wondering, and weights 141 g including the lid) is really fantastic, as you can hear in the video, I'm rather excited about it! That leaves the BushBuddy Ultra for a winter test, and I guess Sunday or Monday could see it coming =)

Video: Trail Designs Ti-Tri Inferno In The Snow

Video: Tarptent Scarp 1 In The Snow

If you read the comments on this blog you might know that I spent the the night from Tuesday on Wednesday outside in the Scarp 1 (Mk I). I travelled Tuesday evening to Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland, where I spend the holidays with my girlfriend and her parents. They live a bit outside of the city and own a lot of forest, so I decided to take some backpacking gear with me and test it under safe conditions. Arriving in Vaasa Tuesday night it was snowing quite heavily, and temperatures were at -7°C so I decided it might be a good night to put up the Scarp 1 and see how it fares in the snow. See the short video about my night outside and have a look into and at the Scarp 1:



Meanwhile Baz has received the Scarp 1 Mk II and played around with it, so head over there to have a look at the revisions Henry Shires did. Looks good, and I think I might get the new fly for winter use.

Update 27.12.2009: Last night it snowed, and this morning the Scarp 1 was covered with 9 cm of snow. I thought I share some of the photos I took this morning:









This should show also the last skeptics that the Scarp 1 can handle winter conditions just fine.

If you read the comments on this blog you might know that I spent the the night from Tuesday on Wednesday outside in the Scarp 1 (Mk I). I travelled Tuesday evening to Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland, where I spend the holidays with my girlfriend and her parents. They live a bit outside of the city and own a lot of forest, so I decided to take some backpacking gear with me and test it under safe conditions. Arriving in Vaasa Tuesday night it was snowing quite heavily, and temperatures were at -7°C so I decided it might be a good night to put up the Scarp 1 and see how it fares in the snow. See the short video about my night outside and have a look into and at the Scarp 1:



Meanwhile Baz has received the Scarp 1 Mk II and played around with it, so head over there to have a look at the revisions Henry Shires did. Looks good, and I think I might get the new fly for winter use.

Update 27.12.2009: Last night it snowed, and this morning the Scarp 1 was covered with 9 cm of snow. I thought I share some of the photos I took this morning:









This should show also the last skeptics that the Scarp 1 can handle winter conditions just fine.

Video: Tarptent Scarp 1 In The Snow

Gear Talk: Sleeping Pads & Mattresses

Sleeping pads and mattresses seem to be treated a bit like the step children when it comes to the sleep system - much more time and thoughts are spent on the sleeping and bivy bag, but the pad? Well, I had some trouble with a cold back during some trips in the autumn, as my NeoAir just wasn't enough. Also a comment from Martin Rye made me think - do we really need the "comfort" of a NeoAir when there are lighter options available, are we that spoilt?



Well, I like a certain degree of comfort at night, so I am undeniably a bit spoilt. A good night's sleep is important for me, and for that I like to carry slightly more weight with me for what would be possible. What follows is the evolution of my sleeping pads, and my thoughts on them.


Therm-A-Rest ProLite 4

From my traditional approach of backpacking, I still own my TAR ProLite 4, the older version in orange, as you can see. Its a good pad, but heavy for me at 726 g. Packsize is OK, I carried it in my Ohm as a backpad and it was very comfy, though did use quite a bit of space.


Therm-A-Rest NeoAir

Going lightweight meant looking for options to stay comfy but decreasing weight. The TAR NeoAir in S which I bought used from a guy on BPL.com was my next step in the evolution. It is a good pad, yes, I love the packsize and it also works fine as backpad in the Ohm, and 254 g are a splendid weight. However, I get seriously cold when temperatures go under 5°C on it, and I also don't really enjoy the dropping off of the pad of arms and legs, it gives me backaches and that's thus a no-go.



Therm-A-Rest Z Lite

Enter the Therm-A-Rest Z Lite. At 405 g in full length (I didn't yet get around in cutting it into sections) its a bit more heavy than the NeoAir, the packsize is slightly more but boy is it comfortable. It also acts very well as a frame for the Ohm and my coming Laufbursche pack, and most importantly it keeps me nice warm till 0°C. I also like the colour heaps, so a real winner.



Therm-A-Rest Ridge Rest

And then there is autumn and winter (and the latter one holds its grip for a good six months on this country) and temperatures go below 0°C and I am freezing again on my Z Lite, bugger. Well, Therm-A-Rest makes the Ridge Rest and I decided to get one for winter backpacking. My L version weights in at a mighty 498 g before cutting it (I plan to cut it anatomically to shave some grams of it). It's so comfy that I sometimes take a nap on it at home. Packsize is not very nice, however, its huge and must be affixed on the outside of the pack. However, I like that it is wide, and I can comfortably have my arms next to my body without them laying on the ground.



Multimat Adventure

Now I actually could have been happy and stop worrying, if there wouldn't have been the packsize and weight concerns of the Ridge Rest. Carrying a pad on the outside is not very practical, it gets into the trees, collects snow and brings the load distribution a bit out of balance. My search continued, and through Phil Turner I found what I was looking for at Multimat in Wales. The Adventure mat is 136 g, is beautifully small, and can be used as a frame. It has a Tog Rating of 2.3 and is listed as a 3/4 season mat, and will be perfect for the warmer months as a solo mat. Its also very comfortable, even if it has no egg carton holes or ridges. Look for the right spot to put it down and you're in heaven.


Multimat Summit Compact 38

The Adventure mat won't be enough at the moment (-13°C as I am writing this, snowing), so I combine it with a Multimat Summit Compact 38. This is a self inflating mat and I really love it. It packs very small, comes with a fleece lined packsack which can be turned inside out and act as a pillow cover, and also has a repair kit with it - that's something Therm-A-Rest still can learn, as they often make you buy the repair kits separately. Anyhow. The mat has a super impressive Tog Value of 7.8 and together with the Adventure should keep me warm in the extremest of conditions. Its 579 g but packs very small, and also can be used as a frame. All in all I am very impressed and happy with the Multimats, on my last trip those two ensured me a warm back and comfy sleep.


Size comparison of TAR Ridge Rest - TAR Z Lite - Multimat Adventure.


Size comparison of all the mats.



Packsize of all the mats, from left to right: TAR NeoAir, Multimat Summit Compact 38, TAR ProLite 4, Multimat Adventure, TAR Z Lite and TAR Ridge Rest.

Regarding comfyness of the CCF pads, I usually look for a more soft spot. Its also a good option to take some fir (or similar Pinaceae tree) branches (don't cut them from living trees!) if you find some, they are very comfortable and the smell is just splendid! Also moss covered spots are very comfortable places to lay down, its nature's bed.

Well, that's the evolution of my sleeping mats. Now in the winter I will be using the Ridge Rest on warmer days or when sleeping at a lean-to shelter, and the two Multimats when the thermometer would suggest that slightly more sane people would stay at home and not go sleeping on snow. I will give the NeoAir another try in the summer of 2010, and the Multimat Adventure and TAR Z Lite will be there as a back-up; while my girlfriend will be happy about the comfort of the ProLite 4 on the occasional trip she does with me =) And as evolution never stops, I'll come back to this topic in the summer and report on experiences with the mats and how I fared.

Now that you know what I use, I'd like to know which pads you use in which season!



Sleep tight & sweet dreams!

Sleeping pads and mattresses seem to be treated a bit like the step children when it comes to the sleep system - much more time and thoughts are spent on the sleeping and bivy bag, but the pad? Well, I had some trouble with a cold back during some trips in the autumn, as my NeoAir just wasn't enough. Also a comment from Martin Rye made me think - do we really need the "comfort" of a NeoAir when there are lighter options available, are we that spoilt?



Well, I like a certain degree of comfort at night, so I am undeniably a bit spoilt. A good night's sleep is important for me, and for that I like to carry slightly more weight with me for what would be possible. What follows is the evolution of my sleeping pads, and my thoughts on them.


Therm-A-Rest ProLite 4

From my traditional approach of backpacking, I still own my TAR ProLite 4, the older version in orange, as you can see. Its a good pad, but heavy for me at 726 g. Packsize is OK, I carried it in my Ohm as a backpad and it was very comfy, though did use quite a bit of space.


Therm-A-Rest NeoAir

Going lightweight meant looking for options to stay comfy but decreasing weight. The TAR NeoAir in S which I bought used from a guy on BPL.com was my next step in the evolution. It is a good pad, yes, I love the packsize and it also works fine as backpad in the Ohm, and 254 g are a splendid weight. However, I get seriously cold when temperatures go under 5°C on it, and I also don't really enjoy the dropping off of the pad of arms and legs, it gives me backaches and that's thus a no-go.



Therm-A-Rest Z Lite

Enter the Therm-A-Rest Z Lite. At 405 g in full length (I didn't yet get around in cutting it into sections) its a bit more heavy than the NeoAir, the packsize is slightly more but boy is it comfortable. It also acts very well as a frame for the Ohm and my coming Laufbursche pack, and most importantly it keeps me nice warm till 0°C. I also like the colour heaps, so a real winner.



Therm-A-Rest Ridge Rest

And then there is autumn and winter (and the latter one holds its grip for a good six months on this country) and temperatures go below 0°C and I am freezing again on my Z Lite, bugger. Well, Therm-A-Rest makes the Ridge Rest and I decided to get one for winter backpacking. My L version weights in at a mighty 498 g before cutting it (I plan to cut it anatomically to shave some grams of it). It's so comfy that I sometimes take a nap on it at home. Packsize is not very nice, however, its huge and must be affixed on the outside of the pack. However, I like that it is wide, and I can comfortably have my arms next to my body without them laying on the ground.



Multimat Adventure

Now I actually could have been happy and stop worrying, if there wouldn't have been the packsize and weight concerns of the Ridge Rest. Carrying a pad on the outside is not very practical, it gets into the trees, collects snow and brings the load distribution a bit out of balance. My search continued, and through Phil Turner I found what I was looking for at Multimat in Wales. The Adventure mat is 136 g, is beautifully small, and can be used as a frame. It has a Tog Rating of 2.3 and is listed as a 3/4 season mat, and will be perfect for the warmer months as a solo mat. Its also very comfortable, even if it has no egg carton holes or ridges. Look for the right spot to put it down and you're in heaven.


Multimat Summit Compact 38

The Adventure mat won't be enough at the moment (-13°C as I am writing this, snowing), so I combine it with a Multimat Summit Compact 38. This is a self inflating mat and I really love it. It packs very small, comes with a fleece lined packsack which can be turned inside out and act as a pillow cover, and also has a repair kit with it - that's something Therm-A-Rest still can learn, as they often make you buy the repair kits separately. Anyhow. The mat has a super impressive Tog Value of 7.8 and together with the Adventure should keep me warm in the extremest of conditions. Its 579 g but packs very small, and also can be used as a frame. All in all I am very impressed and happy with the Multimats, on my last trip those two ensured me a warm back and comfy sleep.


Size comparison of TAR Ridge Rest - TAR Z Lite - Multimat Adventure.


Size comparison of all the mats.



Packsize of all the mats, from left to right: TAR NeoAir, Multimat Summit Compact 38, TAR ProLite 4, Multimat Adventure, TAR Z Lite and TAR Ridge Rest.

Regarding comfyness of the CCF pads, I usually look for a more soft spot. Its also a good option to take some fir (or similar Pinaceae tree) branches (don't cut them from living trees!) if you find some, they are very comfortable and the smell is just splendid! Also moss covered spots are very comfortable places to lay down, its nature's bed.

Well, that's the evolution of my sleeping mats. Now in the winter I will be using the Ridge Rest on warmer days or when sleeping at a lean-to shelter, and the two Multimats when the thermometer would suggest that slightly more sane people would stay at home and not go sleeping on snow. I will give the NeoAir another try in the summer of 2010, and the Multimat Adventure and TAR Z Lite will be there as a back-up; while my girlfriend will be happy about the comfort of the ProLite 4 on the occasional trip she does with me =) And as evolution never stops, I'll come back to this topic in the summer and report on experiences with the mats and how I fared.

Now that you know what I use, I'd like to know which pads you use in which season!



Sleep tight & sweet dreams!

Gear Talk: Sleeping Pads & Mattresses

Video: Bushcooker LT II In Winter Conditions

My second video and again a wood burner stove. You could call me addicted =) Riheda Outdoor is the Finnish distributor for the Four Dog Bushcooker LT wood burner stoves (among other wood burner stoves, check out their website if you're into burning wood!), and I meet with the owner back in November and he loaned me an Bushcooker LT I and LT II for testing purposes, including the appropriate Snow Peak pots.

Last weekend the LT II had its first trail test, and it performed very well. The fact that we were at a lean-to also meant plenty of pretty much dry wood, from where it was easy to find small, dry pieces. That was in my test today not really the case, most of the wood was covered in a bit of ice or snow and it was difficult to secure a sufficient amount of dry wood. Anyhow, have a look and see how it went.



Weight for the Bushcooker LT II including the ground plate was 109 g, which is very lightweight. Together with the SnowPeak 900 cup and also the alcohol plate the weight was 278 g, considering that you have now the added options of burning alcohol and Esbit with it its an excellent trail weight.

As you saw in the video, burning wood in the winter to secure water for drinking and making food ain't a very easy task. You need to be able to secure sufficient dry wood and have good kindling in addition to your firestarter. I'm sure it is possible to do this, but it is more difficult than just putting your gas stove on while you're lying in your sleeping bag in your tent. I'll try Esbit and Alcohol for melting water and boiling it, as well as giving the Inferno and the BushBuddy Ultra a run in the same conditions, to see if they fare better. I'm sure they won't reach the convenience of a gas or multifuel stove, but therefore you do not need to carry that fuel with you.

So my temporary conclusion would be: If you plan to use the Bushcooker LT II in the winter, know how to make fire and secure plenty of wood, and carry some alcohol or Esbit as a back-up. I like the low weight and packability of the LT II, and think that in the summer the LT II will be a great companion for my trips.

My second video and again a wood burner stove. You could call me addicted =) Riheda Outdoor is the Finnish distributor for the Four Dog Bushcooker LT wood burner stoves (among other wood burner stoves, check out their website if you're into burning wood!), and I meet with the owner back in November and he loaned me an Bushcooker LT I and LT II for testing purposes, including the appropriate Snow Peak pots.

Last weekend the LT II had its first trail test, and it performed very well. The fact that we were at a lean-to also meant plenty of pretty much dry wood, from where it was easy to find small, dry pieces. That was in my test today not really the case, most of the wood was covered in a bit of ice or snow and it was difficult to secure a sufficient amount of dry wood. Anyhow, have a look and see how it went.



Weight for the Bushcooker LT II including the ground plate was 109 g, which is very lightweight. Together with the SnowPeak 900 cup and also the alcohol plate the weight was 278 g, considering that you have now the added options of burning alcohol and Esbit with it its an excellent trail weight.

As you saw in the video, burning wood in the winter to secure water for drinking and making food ain't a very easy task. You need to be able to secure sufficient dry wood and have good kindling in addition to your firestarter. I'm sure it is possible to do this, but it is more difficult than just putting your gas stove on while you're lying in your sleeping bag in your tent. I'll try Esbit and Alcohol for melting water and boiling it, as well as giving the Inferno and the BushBuddy Ultra a run in the same conditions, to see if they fare better. I'm sure they won't reach the convenience of a gas or multifuel stove, but therefore you do not need to carry that fuel with you.

So my temporary conclusion would be: If you plan to use the Bushcooker LT II in the winter, know how to make fire and secure plenty of wood, and carry some alcohol or Esbit as a back-up. I like the low weight and packability of the LT II, and think that in the summer the LT II will be a great companion for my trips.

Video: Bushcooker LT II In Winter Conditions

And the Winner is...

Yes, time's up and with the help of Random.org I was able to figure out to whom the Merino Buffs will go. Drum roll...



Number 3: Maia
Number 5: rioleichtsinn
Number 32: Roger

The lucky three: Please contact me via Email - hendrik dot morkel at gmail dot com - and send me your address + preferred colour (first and second choice), and I'll send them out in the beginning of next week.

Thanks again to Buff Finland for making this possible. The other 35 commentors, if you'd like to get a Merino Buff, they're still in stock at Partioaitta and Retkiaitta so you could treat yourself to a nice christmas present!

Yes, time's up and with the help of Random.org I was able to figure out to whom the Merino Buffs will go. Drum roll...



Number 3: Maia
Number 5: rioleichtsinn
Number 32: Roger

The lucky three: Please contact me via Email - hendrik dot morkel at gmail dot com - and send me your address + preferred colour (first and second choice), and I'll send them out in the beginning of next week.

Thanks again to Buff Finland for making this possible. The other 35 commentors, if you'd like to get a Merino Buff, they're still in stock at Partioaitta and Retkiaitta so you could treat yourself to a nice christmas present!

And the Winner is...

Trip Report: Winter Fun On The Pirkan Ura Trail

Saturday morning Xavier picked me up and we drove half an hour out of Tampere towards the start of the trail. We parked the car on a forest road, put some more clothes on and started walking.


Follow the sign.

Weather forecast was -4°C and cloudy to sunny, I'd wished for more minus degrees but it stayed warm. We got off-trail a few times, and were bushwacking through the forest, just to see a few meters away the path. Well, the path it is, no need to make it more difficult.


Xavier on the trail (in the background, he's not a flower).


Which way to take?


Winter dusk, at 15 o'clock.

We walked on-trail and off-trail, crossed forest roads, walked on them, saw many tracks of Elk, mice and other critters in the snow, and enjoyed to be able to talk about UL backpacking. Only two kilometers from our intended goal, a lean-to shelter, it got dark, we didn't find the trail markings, so we decided to just go straight through the forest.


Winter's here, lets hope he stays.


Thorns.


The sun sets, and we continue our adventure in the dark.

After consulting the map and GPS for a while, we managed to get out of the forest, onto a forest road, with a sign right in front of us. We followed it, and after a while we did reach the lean-to shelter. Xavier decided its his turn to start the fire, and after a short while he had it going.


Home is where the fire burns.


Bushcooker LT II blazing.

I got a fire in the Bushcooker LT II going and started to cook me some dinner - I was starving. Xavier followed suit and lighted up his Bushcooker, and in no time we were well fed. Time to take out the PlatyPreserve and enjoy a cup or three of redwine by the fire side. In the best of moods, I took out the camera and the GorillaPod and started to take some photos.


UL in Finland!


I can't sit still.


Our home for the night. Yes, it was splendid!

After a cup of Minttu Kakao I lay down on my Multimat Adventure and a Multimat Summit Compact 38 and problems with being cold on my back were a thing of the past. On top the GoLite Ultra 20°, and wearing an Integral Designs PLQ Jacket and Pants plus a Cyclone Buff and Merino Buff equals a toasty warmness during the night - in which I dreamed of global warming and the lack of winters. Hopefully that won't happen =)


Morning idyll.


The way we came last night.

After a delicious breakfast (Fruity Kakao Müsli for me, Weetabiiiiiiiix for Xavier =) we packed up and decided to continue a bit further north before taking a right and walking back to the car. The sound of fresh snow was reaching our ears as we started to walk - yeah, it snowed last evening. A moment later we reached a forest road and were met by two couples, out on a Sunday morning stroll.


Last summers harvest.


Horses. We weren't able to ride them back to the car, they wouldn't cooperate.

A few kilometers on the road, which was "busy" with Sunday morning traffic, we took a turn and headed back to the trail we walked the day before. We decided to have lunch and try our fire making skills in the middle of the forest, and while we both got a fire going the lack of enough dry wood had me stop soon and demanding to continue to the car (I knew there would be hot coffee and some breads be waiting at home for us)! A woodpecker, who sat on the tree next to us, didn't mind us being there lighting up the forest, and continued his knocking concert.


Knock knock, anybody home?


An hour after our attempt to cook in the forest we strolled over a field towards the car, and thirty minutes later we were enjoying the coffee and breads.

A good 24+ hours out, though now I want more. More snow, more minus degrees, and more of that splendid winter sunshine on my face. Sitting around fires in the evenings, enjoying life like its supposed to be.

Saturday morning Xavier picked me up and we drove half an hour out of Tampere towards the start of the trail. We parked the car on a forest road, put some more clothes on and started walking.


Follow the sign.

Weather forecast was -4°C and cloudy to sunny, I'd wished for more minus degrees but it stayed warm. We got off-trail a few times, and were bushwacking through the forest, just to see a few meters away the path. Well, the path it is, no need to make it more difficult.


Xavier on the trail (in the background, he's not a flower).


Which way to take?


Winter dusk, at 15 o'clock.

We walked on-trail and off-trail, crossed forest roads, walked on them, saw many tracks of Elk, mice and other critters in the snow, and enjoyed to be able to talk about UL backpacking. Only two kilometers from our intended goal, a lean-to shelter, it got dark, we didn't find the trail markings, so we decided to just go straight through the forest.


Winter's here, lets hope he stays.


Thorns.


The sun sets, and we continue our adventure in the dark.

After consulting the map and GPS for a while, we managed to get out of the forest, onto a forest road, with a sign right in front of us. We followed it, and after a while we did reach the lean-to shelter. Xavier decided its his turn to start the fire, and after a short while he had it going.


Home is where the fire burns.


Bushcooker LT II blazing.

I got a fire in the Bushcooker LT II going and started to cook me some dinner - I was starving. Xavier followed suit and lighted up his Bushcooker, and in no time we were well fed. Time to take out the PlatyPreserve and enjoy a cup or three of redwine by the fire side. In the best of moods, I took out the camera and the GorillaPod and started to take some photos.


UL in Finland!


I can't sit still.


Our home for the night. Yes, it was splendid!

After a cup of Minttu Kakao I lay down on my Multimat Adventure and a Multimat Summit Compact 38 and problems with being cold on my back were a thing of the past. On top the GoLite Ultra 20°, and wearing an Integral Designs PLQ Jacket and Pants plus a Cyclone Buff and Merino Buff equals a toasty warmness during the night - in which I dreamed of global warming and the lack of winters. Hopefully that won't happen =)


Morning idyll.


The way we came last night.

After a delicious breakfast (Fruity Kakao Müsli for me, Weetabiiiiiiiix for Xavier =) we packed up and decided to continue a bit further north before taking a right and walking back to the car. The sound of fresh snow was reaching our ears as we started to walk - yeah, it snowed last evening. A moment later we reached a forest road and were met by two couples, out on a Sunday morning stroll.


Last summers harvest.


Horses. We weren't able to ride them back to the car, they wouldn't cooperate.

A few kilometers on the road, which was "busy" with Sunday morning traffic, we took a turn and headed back to the trail we walked the day before. We decided to have lunch and try our fire making skills in the middle of the forest, and while we both got a fire going the lack of enough dry wood had me stop soon and demanding to continue to the car (I knew there would be hot coffee and some breads be waiting at home for us)! A woodpecker, who sat on the tree next to us, didn't mind us being there lighting up the forest, and continued his knocking concert.


Knock knock, anybody home?


An hour after our attempt to cook in the forest we strolled over a field towards the car, and thirty minutes later we were enjoying the coffee and breads.

A good 24+ hours out, though now I want more. More snow, more minus degrees, and more of that splendid winter sunshine on my face. Sitting around fires in the evenings, enjoying life like its supposed to be.

Trip Report: Winter Fun On The Pirkan Ura Trail

Interview: Tim Marshall from enLIGHTened equipment

Monday morning, interview morning. Coffee ready, looking busy at work while "doing research"? Good. The interview of this week is with Tim Marshall from enLIGHTened equipment. Tim is most famous for producing the “World’s Lightest Quilt” which is made of Cuben. While enLIGHTened equipment is at the moment still in start-up mode this is such an interesting venture that I decided to interview Tim and hear more about what we can expect from him in the future!


Tim on a canoe trip in Algonquin Provencal Park.

Tim, since when are you backpacking, and how did you start? How often are you out backpacking nowadays?

I went on my first backpacking trip in 2003. My wife (then girlfriend) and I went to the Smokey Mountains for spring break. She had done a lot of Backpacking and in the past had worked leading wilderness trips for youth groups, so she introduced me to the sport and I caught the bug right away. Of course we were each carrying something upwards of 65lbs. It has been over a year since I have got to do any multiday hiking. A few years back I was going at least monthly from spring to fall, but those days are gone for now.

I grew up spending my summers in the canoe with my dad fishing for smallmouth bass all over northern Michigan and by the age of 12 was taking multi-week trips into the Quetico Provencal park in Ontario Canada. So even though backpacking and modern gear were new to me I had a ton of experience in the wilderness and the transition from paddling to walking wasn’t a hard one for me.

I still tend to get out more in the canoe then on the trail. This summer I was on the lake or river fishing at least a few days a week and in May took a multi-day trip in the Boundary Waters with some friends. So, even though I haven’t had the opportunity (or made the time) to do any backpacking recently I have still gotten out and for me that’s what it’s all about.

Why did you start with UL backpacking and making your own gear?

I went for an overnight hike with some friends to the Manistee River Trail in Michigan. Two of the guys I went with were on the verge of being ultralight, I’d say they were definitely lightweight hikers at around 20lbs, where I was carrying almost 35lbs for one night. After seeing their comfort on the trail and how they didn’t sacrifice too much in camp I was definitely interested in learning how to reduce my pack weight. So like nearly everyone else the major transformation for me came from reading Ray Jardine’s “Beyond Backpacking.” I got a bunch of his kits and borrowed my wife’s sewing machine and following Ray’s instructions I learned how to sew (never done it before that point) and made myself some gear that helped me start my passion for ultra light and super-ultra-light hiking equipment. I liked Ray’s pack features, but found the construction to be overly complicated. I made a bunch of packs each with improvements to the construction process. The packs I use today still have a lot of the same features of the Ray-Way Pack (as do many other UL packs of today) but I make them in a much different way than Ray describes.

enLIGHTened equipment is your little cottage in start-up mode, can you tell us a bit more about it, what the plans for the future are, and if you hope to be able to make a living of it some day?

I’m not really sure what to say. I started selling gear in 2008 to pay for a move and I just kept getting orders. I had to take a long break after the move as we were living with friends until we could find a house. So once I got all settled and started sewing again it seemed like I always had a few orders to do. I enjoy the work and creative process so I decided to make a website to make it easier to get in touch with me and to showcase what I have made. After a few months I wanted people to be able to order from the site as I was getting swamped with tons of e-mails and most didn’t result in orders so there was hour after hour of time spent that wasn’t getting paid for. Putting all the info on the site has really cut down the amount of information I have to produce for people on a daily basis making my life easier. I am not really sure what will come of all this and at this point that is ok with me. I do have a long order queue right now which is great, but it brings with it a lot of pressure to get gear out in a timely manner. My wife and I are currently working on a plan to allow me to quit my job hopefully in the next six months. This will allow me a lot more time to fill orders and work on prototyping and testing some designs I have that I just don’t have the time to do anything with right now. So, I would like to do this full time but am in no rush to do so. If it happens it happens if not, no worries. I think before I get too much further down the road I should actually learn how to sew.

I have seen that your cuben sleeping bag is making already a name for itself; besides on BPL I've seen it on Suluk46 and on the Japanese ulgear blog. How long does it take you to make one of these great sleeping bags, and how did you get the idea to make them?

I figure about 10 hrs to make one of these, but in reality there are many more hours involved as I can never just work hard straight through. I watch my 2yr old daughter during the day (I work evenings) so I do all my sewing while trying to keep her out of trouble. IT makes everything take a little longer than I’d like but that is just how it is.


The first ever Cuben Down quilt, which belongs to Steve Evans - check out the video!

The idea for the Epiphany (Cuben Down quilt) came from Steven Evans of Suluk46. Steve came to me with the idea of a cuben lined momentum shelled down quilt. We tossed a lot of ideas around and finally we decided to give a cuben lined, cuben shelled (with a stripe of breathable momentum 90), and cuben baffled quilt a try. I figured that the momentum shell was just to allow the down to loft so I proposed reducing the amount of momentum to the bare minimum and to use the cuben (.33oz yd2) for as much of the quilt as possible. Our goal was to make the lightest quilt possible and what we ended up with weighed just over 11oz with 8oz of 800fill down. This wasn’t the lightest quilt ever, but it was for sure the warmest per ounce quilt in the world which lead to us calling it the “World’s Lightest Quilt”. I have made a bunch of these now, in fact I just finished one today and I have another waiting for down (with one more in the queue).

What other gear are you working on at the moment? Can we expect to see enLIGHTened equipment sleeping bags, backpacks, tarps, tents?

I have a lot of things drawn up and designs still locked away in the back of my head, but right now I can’t find the time to make them a reality. I have made many Packs, some mids, tarps, tents, tons of quilts so I am constantly getting more experience but I have found recently that packs and shelters take me a lot more time to complete and to try and keep my lead times reasonable I have decided to just make sleeping gear for the time being (which is what I am best at, and best know for anyway). If it works out where I can start doing this more I do plan to introduce some SUL Shelters (1 and 2man) and a SUL pack. I just don’t know when I’ll be able to do so. Being a one man operation and working full time has really limited my ability to make prototypes as with every minute I have for making gear I need to be filling orders. I think that there is already a lot of great UL gear out there and I don’t really have a desire to make more gear that is basically the same thing just so it can have my tag on it (if I ever get tags). When I come out with a new piece of gear I want it to be truly new, and fill a void, not just a little different then what is already available. I think the biggest unmet needs right now are in SUL gear and in transitional gear that helps people move into ultralight. So I will most likely offer both the lightest and the heaviest ultralight gear around with not so much in the middle.

As you're still in start-up mode, maybe you can tell us how easy, or difficult, is it to compete versus other quilt manufacturers, like Nunatak, GoLite and Jacks R Better? Or do you not see them as competition, but as other alternatives?

I don’t at all feel like I am competing with anyone. I’m just making a few quilts a week and I don’t even have a product that could be considered competition to Nunatak or the Jacks. They make down quilts with breathable shells, the only down quilts I make (unless something custom is ordered) have cuben shells and liners. It has been easy to get the amount of business I have now; I think it will be hard to get the amount of business needed to support me full time. Right now I have about 8 weeks of orders in my queue, I wouldn’t want more than that. I get an order every week or so and that is all I can handle right now anyway. To do this full time I’d have to get multiple orders per day so I don’t feel that the volume of work I am doing currently is any competition to these other guys. I wish that I could produce the quality of gear that they do, I have a lot to learn still.


Tim's daughter helps with inspecting the quilts.

What is your own favorite stove, backpack and shelter? Did you maybe even DIY?

The next one! It always seems that after I make something (within minutes normally) I think of a way to make it better. I have used all DIY gear since 2005 (except when I use a canister stove). One of my favorite stoves is the camp fire. I normally hike where it is safe and responsible to have small fires. I started taking a small aluminum bottle (caribou coffee 12oz) and just sticking it in the fire to boil my water. I stick a ti stake through the lid so I can retrieve it with a stick and that is how I do most of my cooking these days. Every trip (when I was taking trips) I try a new shelter design, a new quilt or a new pack. Since I make them all myself the cost of new gear every trip isn’t too bad. Actually my need for new gear all the time is one of the reasons I kept making custom gear, it pays for my addiction.

What was your last longer backpacking trip? Are you trying to get lighter and lighter still, or did you already reach your perfect 3 season setup?

I haven’t had the chance to go on many hikes over 3 nights. I am hoping that this year I will get to start my daughter out hiking and I hope that if she likes it I will be able to start getting out again. I don’t believe in perfect, it is an imperfect concept. I believe that taking the same gear every trip is boring. Its more fun to try out new things (even if they bomb) I would only want to take all trusted gear if I was doing a very long hike with limited bail out options. A hike like that isn’t in my near future so for now I try new gear every trip. I do like to try to go light, I have done sub 5 and think I can easily break that with some of the SUL stuff I have in the works, but weight isn’t the only thing that counts.

From your point of view, do you think ultralight backpacking will become more popular and break into the mass market, or will it continue to be something for a small group of people?

Yes, and no. I think that it already has become more popular. Every day BackpackingLight gets more members and there are always people posting for the first time. So obviously the trend is moving lighter. I don’t think that ultralight will be the norm any time soon, but really that depends on us. We are the ambassadors for the sport, if we aren’t out there helping people see how they can enjoy backpacking with 1/3 the gear they always took before then the movement will stop with us. Blogs like yours, UL dads in scouting, trading packs on the trail, all these things can have an impact on what people think about pack weight. I am not so worried about everyone going UL, as long as everyone is going. I am most concerned with helping people who are unable to hike because of the heavy loads to get back out an experience the wilderness they love in a way that they enjoy. People will carry what they want, that will never change. Even on BPL I see people talking about the giant knives they carry on their sub 5 trips, people will always be people.

Are you in touch with any of the other cottage manufacturers, like Trail Designs, Gossamer Gear or ZPacks, and talking about gear developments and the like?

Nope, I’m sure I’m not even on their radar. I do talk every so often with Steven Evans of Suluk46 and have bounced some ideas off of him. I have also talked some with Bender of Kooka Bay. I am really only known on BPL (as far as I know), so people who aren’t there a lot probably have never heard of me. I am not really in the game yet.

Tim, I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there something you would like to add?

No problem, I appreciate you taking the time to showcase what I am doing. I am probably making gear in about the smallest capacity possible. My living room is my work shop, and I stuff down with a shop vac in my basement, but I am making some unique gear and I appreciate the recognition.

Monday morning, interview morning. Coffee ready, looking busy at work while "doing research"? Good. The interview of this week is with Tim Marshall from enLIGHTened equipment. Tim is most famous for producing the “World’s Lightest Quilt” which is made of Cuben. While enLIGHTened equipment is at the moment still in start-up mode this is such an interesting venture that I decided to interview Tim and hear more about what we can expect from him in the future!


Tim on a canoe trip in Algonquin Provencal Park.

Tim, since when are you backpacking, and how did you start? How often are you out backpacking nowadays?

I went on my first backpacking trip in 2003. My wife (then girlfriend) and I went to the Smokey Mountains for spring break. She had done a lot of Backpacking and in the past had worked leading wilderness trips for youth groups, so she introduced me to the sport and I caught the bug right away. Of course we were each carrying something upwards of 65lbs. It has been over a year since I have got to do any multiday hiking. A few years back I was going at least monthly from spring to fall, but those days are gone for now.

I grew up spending my summers in the canoe with my dad fishing for smallmouth bass all over northern Michigan and by the age of 12 was taking multi-week trips into the Quetico Provencal park in Ontario Canada. So even though backpacking and modern gear were new to me I had a ton of experience in the wilderness and the transition from paddling to walking wasn’t a hard one for me.

I still tend to get out more in the canoe then on the trail. This summer I was on the lake or river fishing at least a few days a week and in May took a multi-day trip in the Boundary Waters with some friends. So, even though I haven’t had the opportunity (or made the time) to do any backpacking recently I have still gotten out and for me that’s what it’s all about.

Why did you start with UL backpacking and making your own gear?

I went for an overnight hike with some friends to the Manistee River Trail in Michigan. Two of the guys I went with were on the verge of being ultralight, I’d say they were definitely lightweight hikers at around 20lbs, where I was carrying almost 35lbs for one night. After seeing their comfort on the trail and how they didn’t sacrifice too much in camp I was definitely interested in learning how to reduce my pack weight. So like nearly everyone else the major transformation for me came from reading Ray Jardine’s “Beyond Backpacking.” I got a bunch of his kits and borrowed my wife’s sewing machine and following Ray’s instructions I learned how to sew (never done it before that point) and made myself some gear that helped me start my passion for ultra light and super-ultra-light hiking equipment. I liked Ray’s pack features, but found the construction to be overly complicated. I made a bunch of packs each with improvements to the construction process. The packs I use today still have a lot of the same features of the Ray-Way Pack (as do many other UL packs of today) but I make them in a much different way than Ray describes.

enLIGHTened equipment is your little cottage in start-up mode, can you tell us a bit more about it, what the plans for the future are, and if you hope to be able to make a living of it some day?

I’m not really sure what to say. I started selling gear in 2008 to pay for a move and I just kept getting orders. I had to take a long break after the move as we were living with friends until we could find a house. So once I got all settled and started sewing again it seemed like I always had a few orders to do. I enjoy the work and creative process so I decided to make a website to make it easier to get in touch with me and to showcase what I have made. After a few months I wanted people to be able to order from the site as I was getting swamped with tons of e-mails and most didn’t result in orders so there was hour after hour of time spent that wasn’t getting paid for. Putting all the info on the site has really cut down the amount of information I have to produce for people on a daily basis making my life easier. I am not really sure what will come of all this and at this point that is ok with me. I do have a long order queue right now which is great, but it brings with it a lot of pressure to get gear out in a timely manner. My wife and I are currently working on a plan to allow me to quit my job hopefully in the next six months. This will allow me a lot more time to fill orders and work on prototyping and testing some designs I have that I just don’t have the time to do anything with right now. So, I would like to do this full time but am in no rush to do so. If it happens it happens if not, no worries. I think before I get too much further down the road I should actually learn how to sew.

I have seen that your cuben sleeping bag is making already a name for itself; besides on BPL I've seen it on Suluk46 and on the Japanese ulgear blog. How long does it take you to make one of these great sleeping bags, and how did you get the idea to make them?

I figure about 10 hrs to make one of these, but in reality there are many more hours involved as I can never just work hard straight through. I watch my 2yr old daughter during the day (I work evenings) so I do all my sewing while trying to keep her out of trouble. IT makes everything take a little longer than I’d like but that is just how it is.


The first ever Cuben Down quilt, which belongs to Steve Evans - check out the video!

The idea for the Epiphany (Cuben Down quilt) came from Steven Evans of Suluk46. Steve came to me with the idea of a cuben lined momentum shelled down quilt. We tossed a lot of ideas around and finally we decided to give a cuben lined, cuben shelled (with a stripe of breathable momentum 90), and cuben baffled quilt a try. I figured that the momentum shell was just to allow the down to loft so I proposed reducing the amount of momentum to the bare minimum and to use the cuben (.33oz yd2) for as much of the quilt as possible. Our goal was to make the lightest quilt possible and what we ended up with weighed just over 11oz with 8oz of 800fill down. This wasn’t the lightest quilt ever, but it was for sure the warmest per ounce quilt in the world which lead to us calling it the “World’s Lightest Quilt”. I have made a bunch of these now, in fact I just finished one today and I have another waiting for down (with one more in the queue).

What other gear are you working on at the moment? Can we expect to see enLIGHTened equipment sleeping bags, backpacks, tarps, tents?

I have a lot of things drawn up and designs still locked away in the back of my head, but right now I can’t find the time to make them a reality. I have made many Packs, some mids, tarps, tents, tons of quilts so I am constantly getting more experience but I have found recently that packs and shelters take me a lot more time to complete and to try and keep my lead times reasonable I have decided to just make sleeping gear for the time being (which is what I am best at, and best know for anyway). If it works out where I can start doing this more I do plan to introduce some SUL Shelters (1 and 2man) and a SUL pack. I just don’t know when I’ll be able to do so. Being a one man operation and working full time has really limited my ability to make prototypes as with every minute I have for making gear I need to be filling orders. I think that there is already a lot of great UL gear out there and I don’t really have a desire to make more gear that is basically the same thing just so it can have my tag on it (if I ever get tags). When I come out with a new piece of gear I want it to be truly new, and fill a void, not just a little different then what is already available. I think the biggest unmet needs right now are in SUL gear and in transitional gear that helps people move into ultralight. So I will most likely offer both the lightest and the heaviest ultralight gear around with not so much in the middle.

As you're still in start-up mode, maybe you can tell us how easy, or difficult, is it to compete versus other quilt manufacturers, like Nunatak, GoLite and Jacks R Better? Or do you not see them as competition, but as other alternatives?

I don’t at all feel like I am competing with anyone. I’m just making a few quilts a week and I don’t even have a product that could be considered competition to Nunatak or the Jacks. They make down quilts with breathable shells, the only down quilts I make (unless something custom is ordered) have cuben shells and liners. It has been easy to get the amount of business I have now; I think it will be hard to get the amount of business needed to support me full time. Right now I have about 8 weeks of orders in my queue, I wouldn’t want more than that. I get an order every week or so and that is all I can handle right now anyway. To do this full time I’d have to get multiple orders per day so I don’t feel that the volume of work I am doing currently is any competition to these other guys. I wish that I could produce the quality of gear that they do, I have a lot to learn still.


Tim's daughter helps with inspecting the quilts.

What is your own favorite stove, backpack and shelter? Did you maybe even DIY?

The next one! It always seems that after I make something (within minutes normally) I think of a way to make it better. I have used all DIY gear since 2005 (except when I use a canister stove). One of my favorite stoves is the camp fire. I normally hike where it is safe and responsible to have small fires. I started taking a small aluminum bottle (caribou coffee 12oz) and just sticking it in the fire to boil my water. I stick a ti stake through the lid so I can retrieve it with a stick and that is how I do most of my cooking these days. Every trip (when I was taking trips) I try a new shelter design, a new quilt or a new pack. Since I make them all myself the cost of new gear every trip isn’t too bad. Actually my need for new gear all the time is one of the reasons I kept making custom gear, it pays for my addiction.

What was your last longer backpacking trip? Are you trying to get lighter and lighter still, or did you already reach your perfect 3 season setup?

I haven’t had the chance to go on many hikes over 3 nights. I am hoping that this year I will get to start my daughter out hiking and I hope that if she likes it I will be able to start getting out again. I don’t believe in perfect, it is an imperfect concept. I believe that taking the same gear every trip is boring. Its more fun to try out new things (even if they bomb) I would only want to take all trusted gear if I was doing a very long hike with limited bail out options. A hike like that isn’t in my near future so for now I try new gear every trip. I do like to try to go light, I have done sub 5 and think I can easily break that with some of the SUL stuff I have in the works, but weight isn’t the only thing that counts.

From your point of view, do you think ultralight backpacking will become more popular and break into the mass market, or will it continue to be something for a small group of people?

Yes, and no. I think that it already has become more popular. Every day BackpackingLight gets more members and there are always people posting for the first time. So obviously the trend is moving lighter. I don’t think that ultralight will be the norm any time soon, but really that depends on us. We are the ambassadors for the sport, if we aren’t out there helping people see how they can enjoy backpacking with 1/3 the gear they always took before then the movement will stop with us. Blogs like yours, UL dads in scouting, trading packs on the trail, all these things can have an impact on what people think about pack weight. I am not so worried about everyone going UL, as long as everyone is going. I am most concerned with helping people who are unable to hike because of the heavy loads to get back out an experience the wilderness they love in a way that they enjoy. People will carry what they want, that will never change. Even on BPL I see people talking about the giant knives they carry on their sub 5 trips, people will always be people.

Are you in touch with any of the other cottage manufacturers, like Trail Designs, Gossamer Gear or ZPacks, and talking about gear developments and the like?

Nope, I’m sure I’m not even on their radar. I do talk every so often with Steven Evans of Suluk46 and have bounced some ideas off of him. I have also talked some with Bender of Kooka Bay. I am really only known on BPL (as far as I know), so people who aren’t there a lot probably have never heard of me. I am not really in the game yet.

Tim, I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there something you would like to add?

No problem, I appreciate you taking the time to showcase what I am doing. I am probably making gear in about the smallest capacity possible. My living room is my work shop, and I stuff down with a shop vac in my basement, but I am making some unique gear and I appreciate the recognition.

Interview: Tim Marshall from enLIGHTened equipment

Winter Backpacking on the Pirkan Ura Trail: A Teaser

I just got back from the Pirkan Ura/ Pirkan Taival/ Satakunta Reitti trail (yes, several trails on top of each other!) where I was with Xavier. Bushwacking, snow, minus degrees, testing new gear. I'm taking my time to collect my thoughts on it, and leave you with this teaser from the weekend. More during the coming week.

I just got back from the Pirkan Ura/ Pirkan Taival/ Satakunta Reitti trail (yes, several trails on top of each other!) where I was with Xavier. Bushwacking, snow, minus degrees, testing new gear. I'm taking my time to collect my thoughts on it, and leave you with this teaser from the weekend. More during the coming week.

Winter Backpacking on the Pirkan Ura Trail: A Teaser

Nordkalotten 365 Video

If you're following this blog with some regularity, you know that I dream of walking the Nordkalottleden, from Kautokeino in Norway till Kvikkjokk in Sweden, and climb Halti in Finland on the way. I read the only book on the complete trail from cover to cover, I have the maps here at home, and am just wondering when I will have the time window of four to five weeks to walk it. Imagine thus my excitement as I happened to stumble upon an Norwegian TV show called "Nordkalotten 365". The story is quite easy: Lars Monsen, an Norwegian adventurer, spends 365 days alone in Northern Scandinavia, filming himself during his adventures. The result his spectacular, beautiful landscapes which make you want to leave asap. Here is the first part of Episode 1:



But now the highlight: Norwegian Broadcasting has made the show available as a high quality BitTorrent download, completely legal! You can even get English subtitles for the show! I wish more broadcasting agencies would take this approach, and make their shows available as a BitTorrent download.

So while Monsen isn't UL on the trail, quite the contrary actually, I am already really in love with the show, because of his unique humor and the interesting people he meets, not to mention the spectacular landscapes. If you're looking for a documentary which showcases the beauty of Northern Scandinavia, look no further and download Nordkalotten 365!

If you're following this blog with some regularity, you know that I dream of walking the Nordkalottleden, from Kautokeino in Norway till Kvikkjokk in Sweden, and climb Halti in Finland on the way. I read the only book on the complete trail from cover to cover, I have the maps here at home, and am just wondering when I will have the time window of four to five weeks to walk it. Imagine thus my excitement as I happened to stumble upon an Norwegian TV show called "Nordkalotten 365". The story is quite easy: Lars Monsen, an Norwegian adventurer, spends 365 days alone in Northern Scandinavia, filming himself during his adventures. The result his spectacular, beautiful landscapes which make you want to leave asap. Here is the first part of Episode 1:



But now the highlight: Norwegian Broadcasting has made the show available as a high quality BitTorrent download, completely legal! You can even get English subtitles for the show! I wish more broadcasting agencies would take this approach, and make their shows available as a BitTorrent download.

So while Monsen isn't UL on the trail, quite the contrary actually, I am already really in love with the show, because of his unique humor and the interesting people he meets, not to mention the spectacular landscapes. If you're looking for a documentary which showcases the beauty of Northern Scandinavia, look no further and download Nordkalotten 365!

Nordkalotten 365 Video

Merino Buff Raffle

In October I wrote about the awesome Merino Buff I bought, and which now is used by my girlfriend (because its so warm and fits under the bicycle helmet!). So I got in touch with Buff in Finland and they were so kind to send me three of their Merino Buffs for a raffle - a big "Thank you!" for Buff for making this possible!


Three new Buffs looking for a head and neck to keep warm. Colours are, from left to right: Cru, Navy and Stone.

Participation is very easy: You leave a comment underneath and explain why you should get a Merino Buff and in which style you like to wear it. At the end of the raffle, which will be the 16th of December 2009, I will randomly choose three lucky winners and contact them for their addresses. I ship worldwide, so everyone can take part.

In case you can't wait to get one, check out Buff.es for some videos, and if your in very much of a hurry you can get one at Partioaitta and Retkiaitta. I also got some other new items from Buff, which I'll show you in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

In October I wrote about the awesome Merino Buff I bought, and which now is used by my girlfriend (because its so warm and fits under the bicycle helmet!). So I got in touch with Buff in Finland and they were so kind to send me three of their Merino Buffs for a raffle - a big "Thank you!" for Buff for making this possible!


Three new Buffs looking for a head and neck to keep warm. Colours are, from left to right: Cru, Navy and Stone.

Participation is very easy: You leave a comment underneath and explain why you should get a Merino Buff and in which style you like to wear it. At the end of the raffle, which will be the 16th of December 2009, I will randomly choose three lucky winners and contact them for their addresses. I ship worldwide, so everyone can take part.

In case you can't wait to get one, check out Buff.es for some videos, and if your in very much of a hurry you can get one at Partioaitta and Retkiaitta. I also got some other new items from Buff, which I'll show you in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Merino Buff Raffle

Interview: Mark Richardson of Ultralight Outdoor Gear

So far all interviews were with cottage manufacturers which primarily sell their goods themselves. However, there are a few larger manufacturers out there - GoLite, Rab, Montane, Inov-8, to name just a few - which sell lightweight gear via retailers. Many Brick & Mortar retailers still only carry the normal gear (at least in Finland) so that much of the lightweight gear is purchased online. One of the most popular online retailers in Europe is Ultralight Outdoor Gear in the UK. I managed to get Mark Richardson, the owner of UOG, to answer my question. You know the drill - get your morning coffee and enjoy!


Mark in the Pyrenees.

Mark, please briefly introduce yourself and tell us who you are. Since when are you backpacking, and how did you start? How often are you out backpacking nowadays?

Mark Richardson – now approaching 50! Did my first backpacking in my early teens when I was in the Boys Brigade (youth organisation), but also did many years at static camp for 100+ boys. I have a range of experience, from lightweight camping to Marquees, cotton ‘patrol tents’ to ‘Bell tents’ like those used by the military at the turn of the century! I had a long spell where climbing was what I wanted to do most of all but frankly I’m too heavy to be good at it. I had a leader fall about ten years ago and never recovered my nerve.

In my teens I started a company called Outdoor Specials, I made rucksacks and tents to order, based on a basic design and the customer specified the features on their particular product, then we made it. I think the concept was good but I didn’t have the marketing skill to make it work, if the internet had been around then it may have been a different story.

I usually do a decent trip of a couple of weeks a year but intend increasing this to 3 weeks in 2010 and 4 weeks the year after, when I hope to do the John Muir Trail in the US. Other than this I do 3-4 shorter backpacks a year and lots of days out – mainly in the Lake District which is only a couple of hours from where I live.

When and why did you start to go lightweight/ UL?

I started backpacking again after I’d given up climbing – I don’t miss climbing at all, I still go scrambling but its often part of a longer backpacking route. I wanted to go Ultralight as soon as I got back into the sport, I’ve always been a bit of a gear freak and still drool over new gear whenever I come across it.



Ultralight Outdoor Gear is one of the best know mailorder shops when it comes to a wide option of ultralight gear here in Europe. Can you tell us a bit how you started the company, and how it developed over the years?

I found that much of the Ultralight gear was only available in the US and it was costing me a small fortune buying it and getting it shipped to the UK, this was about 5 years ago while I was working as a senior manager in the UK NHS. At the time things were comfortable at work and I was looking for something else to interest me, so I started Ultralight Outdoor Gear as a hobby with the aim to address the things I found annoying about shopping for lightweight stuff:

- Ordering from US retailers was very expensive
- There were very few (if any) UK retailers that specialised in lightweight gear, the ones that did had a very limited range, and that left me trawling through standard websites to find the lightest kit, which was often impossible to identify as weights were often not quoted
- Often weights quoted by manufacturers were inaccurate which really wound me up, imagine working out you’d save 100g by switching from your existing waterproof over trousers to new light ones – then finding actually you only save 40g when you got them home and weighed them.
- I’m an XL, so it was always anybody’s guess what an XL weighed as its usually the weight of a medium that’s quoted.

I hope we’re achieving this!


The UOG premises!

Mark, we love to be let in on the work-in-progress stuff! Can you tell us a tiny bit on what kind of new products and brands we might be able to get in the future from Ultralight Outdoor Gear?What is the most sold piece of gear from Ultralight Outdoor Gear? Also, where do your customer come from?

There are lots of ‘best sellers’, the best seller numbers–wise would be the Light My Fire Mini Firesteel or Titanium pegs – 6 pack. Best selling tent would be the GoLite Shangri-La 3, Best selling rucksack would be the OMM Villain, best selling sleeping bag the RAB Quantum 250.

I used to make my own gear when I was a teenager and into my early twenties, I liked designing stuff, making it and using it, I guess that stuck because I’m really keen to produce our own gear. We are well down the road of a single skin lightweight tent design, it will be around 6-700g but will be bug proof and pitch with trekking poles - I hope to have it available by the summer but I can’t be sure yet. I don’t want to confuse any of our customers so we’ll be creating a new brand called “Gram-counter Gear”. As well as tents (we have 4 initial designs) we hope to be able to offer rucksacks in 2011, plus we have a host of accessory ideas.


Gram-counter Gear coming in 2010!

More mainstream: in 2010 we will be offering Western Mountaineering sleeping bags – these are arguably the best in the world and will be our premium brand alongside our other quality brands GoLite and RAB, both of whom have new ranges for 2010. We are also stocking Nemo tents, in particular there are a couple of single skin designs that are very interesting. There are other things in the pipeline – that’s just to whet your appetite! Our customers: We are pleased to be able to sell all over the World, though our main markets are in Europe.

Ultralight gear is only a small slice of the huge outdoor market, and there are many cottage manufacturers which sell direct to their clients. How easy, or difficult, is it to compete versus other online shops and brick and mortar shops?

The internet is highly competitive, but we try not to look too hard at what our competitors are doing – its too easy to worry about what others are doing and end up being a follower, I have a clear view of what I want us to provide and focus more on this.

Once more back to gear: Do customers often come back to you and ask if you can get them a certain piece of gear?

We handle a lot of special orders, we can get anything from our current brands and do so on a regular basis. For UK based suppliers this adds perhaps 3 days to the total time it takes, but we also supply one-offs from companies like Integral Designs, we order from them every couple of months and almost always add things on for some of our customers.

What is your own favorite backpack, sleep system and shelter?

I have to say that the GoLite Shangri-La 1 is my favourite shelter, because it is spacious and light (if you use the groundsheet option). I used the Hut 1 before it, the Shangri-La 1 is much better because it has a bespoke bathtub groundsheet and a higher front end allowing you to sit up much more easily. Its not suitable for all situations though, Scotland for example is full of midges and I would need insect protection, then I’d go for a Hubba or a Big Agnes Fly Creek.

Favourite rucksack is a huge question, for a backpack I like the OMM Jirishanca, at 35 Litres its enough for a week or two when 3 season backpacking, a good compromise between weight, features and comfort. But I also like the GoLite Jam when I want to be a bit lighter. For a daypack I reach for the Vaude Rock Ultralight Comfort 25 Litre pack, a bit big perhaps but I like the way Vaude have packed a lot into a small weight pack, it has a removable stiff back panel and a padded back, the only omission is a decent hipbelt, if it had this I’d use it for backpacking as well. We’ve just stared stocking Exped and their Drypack Pro 15 or 25 Litre packs look fantastic for just a grab and run day in the hills – I’m looking forward to trying them out.

My favourite sleep system is the last one I used – described fully here. The key points are a down sleeping bag, thermal liner, down top that can be used for sleeping in, and insulated airbed. I’ve been very happy with self inflating mattresses over the years but now I’m hooked on the comfort of an airbed, the Thermarest NeoAir is THE top product as far as I am concerned, it has everything, light weight, small pack size, comfort etc. But a close alternative is the Pacific Outdoor Equipment Ether Thermo 6, again very comfortable but not as light or compressible as the NeoAir. I don’t mind sleeping in clothing at all, which is a big advantage when you want to keep your weight to a minimum, and I’d always take down sleeping bags, insulated clothing is best synthetic for wearing on the trail and down for when you’re around camp, the Crux Halo top is magnificent and very comfortable to sleep in.

What was your last longer backpacking trip, and what was your baseweight? Are you trying to get lighter and lighter still, or did you already reach your perfect 3 season setup?

My last trip was in the summer, two weeks in the Pyrenees – the details are on the website. I must admit I compromised here because I wanted to use a Lightwave rucksack and tent, it was a new brand for us last year and I wanted to get some direct experience with it. I could have saved a kilogram by using something lighter – my first choices would have been the Shangri-La 1 and OMM Jirishanca rucksack, but I’ve used both these many times and the opportunity to try something new would have been gone.

I don’t think I’ll ever reach a perfect 3 season setup – its always possible to improve – and that’s half the fun.



Do you think ultralight backpacking will become more popular and break into the mass market, or will it continue to be something for a small group of people?

Whenever I go into Europe I’m always amazed, everyone still has huge packs and lots of heavy gear, especially young people who you would have thought would be up to date with current thinking! I think I must be living in a lightweight bubble. It just shows that there is huge potential out there, I talk to lots of customers who are just upgrading one piece of kit this year and have decided to make weight a key decision making factor, they have caught on to the idea but can’t afford to replace everything. I think there will be a lot more people going Ultralight in the future but it will be a slow process.

Do you participate in fairs or happenings, like the OMM or TGO Challenge?

I don’t participate in events preferring to make my own way.

Mark, I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there something you would like to add?

One thing about being on-line is we get very little feedback about the website or what we’re doing – any feedback that the readers would like to give us, both positive and negative, is very welcome.

So far all interviews were with cottage manufacturers which primarily sell their goods themselves. However, there are a few larger manufacturers out there - GoLite, Rab, Montane, Inov-8, to name just a few - which sell lightweight gear via retailers. Many Brick & Mortar retailers still only carry the normal gear (at least in Finland) so that much of the lightweight gear is purchased online. One of the most popular online retailers in Europe is Ultralight Outdoor Gear in the UK. I managed to get Mark Richardson, the owner of UOG, to answer my question. You know the drill - get your morning coffee and enjoy!


Mark in the Pyrenees.

Mark, please briefly introduce yourself and tell us who you are. Since when are you backpacking, and how did you start? How often are you out backpacking nowadays?

Mark Richardson – now approaching 50! Did my first backpacking in my early teens when I was in the Boys Brigade (youth organisation), but also did many years at static camp for 100+ boys. I have a range of experience, from lightweight camping to Marquees, cotton ‘patrol tents’ to ‘Bell tents’ like those used by the military at the turn of the century! I had a long spell where climbing was what I wanted to do most of all but frankly I’m too heavy to be good at it. I had a leader fall about ten years ago and never recovered my nerve.

In my teens I started a company called Outdoor Specials, I made rucksacks and tents to order, based on a basic design and the customer specified the features on their particular product, then we made it. I think the concept was good but I didn’t have the marketing skill to make it work, if the internet had been around then it may have been a different story.

I usually do a decent trip of a couple of weeks a year but intend increasing this to 3 weeks in 2010 and 4 weeks the year after, when I hope to do the John Muir Trail in the US. Other than this I do 3-4 shorter backpacks a year and lots of days out – mainly in the Lake District which is only a couple of hours from where I live.

When and why did you start to go lightweight/ UL?

I started backpacking again after I’d given up climbing – I don’t miss climbing at all, I still go scrambling but its often part of a longer backpacking route. I wanted to go Ultralight as soon as I got back into the sport, I’ve always been a bit of a gear freak and still drool over new gear whenever I come across it.



Ultralight Outdoor Gear is one of the best know mailorder shops when it comes to a wide option of ultralight gear here in Europe. Can you tell us a bit how you started the company, and how it developed over the years?

I found that much of the Ultralight gear was only available in the US and it was costing me a small fortune buying it and getting it shipped to the UK, this was about 5 years ago while I was working as a senior manager in the UK NHS. At the time things were comfortable at work and I was looking for something else to interest me, so I started Ultralight Outdoor Gear as a hobby with the aim to address the things I found annoying about shopping for lightweight stuff:

- Ordering from US retailers was very expensive
- There were very few (if any) UK retailers that specialised in lightweight gear, the ones that did had a very limited range, and that left me trawling through standard websites to find the lightest kit, which was often impossible to identify as weights were often not quoted
- Often weights quoted by manufacturers were inaccurate which really wound me up, imagine working out you’d save 100g by switching from your existing waterproof over trousers to new light ones – then finding actually you only save 40g when you got them home and weighed them.
- I’m an XL, so it was always anybody’s guess what an XL weighed as its usually the weight of a medium that’s quoted.

I hope we’re achieving this!


The UOG premises!

Mark, we love to be let in on the work-in-progress stuff! Can you tell us a tiny bit on what kind of new products and brands we might be able to get in the future from Ultralight Outdoor Gear?What is the most sold piece of gear from Ultralight Outdoor Gear? Also, where do your customer come from?

There are lots of ‘best sellers’, the best seller numbers–wise would be the Light My Fire Mini Firesteel or Titanium pegs – 6 pack. Best selling tent would be the GoLite Shangri-La 3, Best selling rucksack would be the OMM Villain, best selling sleeping bag the RAB Quantum 250.

I used to make my own gear when I was a teenager and into my early twenties, I liked designing stuff, making it and using it, I guess that stuck because I’m really keen to produce our own gear. We are well down the road of a single skin lightweight tent design, it will be around 6-700g but will be bug proof and pitch with trekking poles - I hope to have it available by the summer but I can’t be sure yet. I don’t want to confuse any of our customers so we’ll be creating a new brand called “Gram-counter Gear”. As well as tents (we have 4 initial designs) we hope to be able to offer rucksacks in 2011, plus we have a host of accessory ideas.


Gram-counter Gear coming in 2010!

More mainstream: in 2010 we will be offering Western Mountaineering sleeping bags – these are arguably the best in the world and will be our premium brand alongside our other quality brands GoLite and RAB, both of whom have new ranges for 2010. We are also stocking Nemo tents, in particular there are a couple of single skin designs that are very interesting. There are other things in the pipeline – that’s just to whet your appetite! Our customers: We are pleased to be able to sell all over the World, though our main markets are in Europe.

Ultralight gear is only a small slice of the huge outdoor market, and there are many cottage manufacturers which sell direct to their clients. How easy, or difficult, is it to compete versus other online shops and brick and mortar shops?

The internet is highly competitive, but we try not to look too hard at what our competitors are doing – its too easy to worry about what others are doing and end up being a follower, I have a clear view of what I want us to provide and focus more on this.

Once more back to gear: Do customers often come back to you and ask if you can get them a certain piece of gear?

We handle a lot of special orders, we can get anything from our current brands and do so on a regular basis. For UK based suppliers this adds perhaps 3 days to the total time it takes, but we also supply one-offs from companies like Integral Designs, we order from them every couple of months and almost always add things on for some of our customers.

What is your own favorite backpack, sleep system and shelter?

I have to say that the GoLite Shangri-La 1 is my favourite shelter, because it is spacious and light (if you use the groundsheet option). I used the Hut 1 before it, the Shangri-La 1 is much better because it has a bespoke bathtub groundsheet and a higher front end allowing you to sit up much more easily. Its not suitable for all situations though, Scotland for example is full of midges and I would need insect protection, then I’d go for a Hubba or a Big Agnes Fly Creek.

Favourite rucksack is a huge question, for a backpack I like the OMM Jirishanca, at 35 Litres its enough for a week or two when 3 season backpacking, a good compromise between weight, features and comfort. But I also like the GoLite Jam when I want to be a bit lighter. For a daypack I reach for the Vaude Rock Ultralight Comfort 25 Litre pack, a bit big perhaps but I like the way Vaude have packed a lot into a small weight pack, it has a removable stiff back panel and a padded back, the only omission is a decent hipbelt, if it had this I’d use it for backpacking as well. We’ve just stared stocking Exped and their Drypack Pro 15 or 25 Litre packs look fantastic for just a grab and run day in the hills – I’m looking forward to trying them out.

My favourite sleep system is the last one I used – described fully here. The key points are a down sleeping bag, thermal liner, down top that can be used for sleeping in, and insulated airbed. I’ve been very happy with self inflating mattresses over the years but now I’m hooked on the comfort of an airbed, the Thermarest NeoAir is THE top product as far as I am concerned, it has everything, light weight, small pack size, comfort etc. But a close alternative is the Pacific Outdoor Equipment Ether Thermo 6, again very comfortable but not as light or compressible as the NeoAir. I don’t mind sleeping in clothing at all, which is a big advantage when you want to keep your weight to a minimum, and I’d always take down sleeping bags, insulated clothing is best synthetic for wearing on the trail and down for when you’re around camp, the Crux Halo top is magnificent and very comfortable to sleep in.

What was your last longer backpacking trip, and what was your baseweight? Are you trying to get lighter and lighter still, or did you already reach your perfect 3 season setup?

My last trip was in the summer, two weeks in the Pyrenees – the details are on the website. I must admit I compromised here because I wanted to use a Lightwave rucksack and tent, it was a new brand for us last year and I wanted to get some direct experience with it. I could have saved a kilogram by using something lighter – my first choices would have been the Shangri-La 1 and OMM Jirishanca rucksack, but I’ve used both these many times and the opportunity to try something new would have been gone.

I don’t think I’ll ever reach a perfect 3 season setup – its always possible to improve – and that’s half the fun.



Do you think ultralight backpacking will become more popular and break into the mass market, or will it continue to be something for a small group of people?

Whenever I go into Europe I’m always amazed, everyone still has huge packs and lots of heavy gear, especially young people who you would have thought would be up to date with current thinking! I think I must be living in a lightweight bubble. It just shows that there is huge potential out there, I talk to lots of customers who are just upgrading one piece of kit this year and have decided to make weight a key decision making factor, they have caught on to the idea but can’t afford to replace everything. I think there will be a lot more people going Ultralight in the future but it will be a slow process.

Do you participate in fairs or happenings, like the OMM or TGO Challenge?

I don’t participate in events preferring to make my own way.

Mark, I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there something you would like to add?

One thing about being on-line is we get very little feedback about the website or what we’re doing – any feedback that the readers would like to give us, both positive and negative, is very welcome.

Interview: Mark Richardson of Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Nuuksio National Park Day Trip

As I said last week, I went to a day trip to Nuuksio National Park, just half an hour by car from Helsinki, so the perfect escape for us Cleantech Bloggers. It was a very welcome trip, after a few weeks in Helsinki I was ready for some nature.



We had two presentations that day, one by Suntrica which manufactures portable solar chargers and was so kind to give us one - expect a test report on that - and one by One Did It, the company which created the Ecological Backpack Tool which I have written about already a few times. After the two presentations the guide came and took us for a short walk through the forest, explaining us on the go about the ecosystem of the national park, and which animals can be seen if one is lucky.


The Guide in red, Karl & Ed listening.




Mushroom soup is cooking.

We arrived at a lean-to shelter, where we prepared the mushroom soup, grilled sausages and cooked coffee, all without a hurry. It was really relaxing, and the guide had plenty of stories to tell. After we all were well fed we continued to the sauna, where we broke a whole in the ice, in which we took a dip after each sauna turn, as it is tradition here. Its rejuvenating and healthy, and after a few times your fresh and full of power!



After Sauna we waited for our bus to bring us back to Helsinki, where it was time to say good bye to the other cleantech bloggers, which were going back to the USA, Germany and some continued to Copenhagen, where tomorrow the UN Climate Summit starts. I won't be going due to the amount of work I have at the moment, and also because I will go for a weekend trip next week Friday till Sunday!

As I said last week, I went to a day trip to Nuuksio National Park, just half an hour by car from Helsinki, so the perfect escape for us Cleantech Bloggers. It was a very welcome trip, after a few weeks in Helsinki I was ready for some nature.



We had two presentations that day, one by Suntrica which manufactures portable solar chargers and was so kind to give us one - expect a test report on that - and one by One Did It, the company which created the Ecological Backpack Tool which I have written about already a few times. After the two presentations the guide came and took us for a short walk through the forest, explaining us on the go about the ecosystem of the national park, and which animals can be seen if one is lucky.


The Guide in red, Karl & Ed listening.




Mushroom soup is cooking.

We arrived at a lean-to shelter, where we prepared the mushroom soup, grilled sausages and cooked coffee, all without a hurry. It was really relaxing, and the guide had plenty of stories to tell. After we all were well fed we continued to the sauna, where we broke a whole in the ice, in which we took a dip after each sauna turn, as it is tradition here. Its rejuvenating and healthy, and after a few times your fresh and full of power!



After Sauna we waited for our bus to bring us back to Helsinki, where it was time to say good bye to the other cleantech bloggers, which were going back to the USA, Germany and some continued to Copenhagen, where tomorrow the UN Climate Summit starts. I won't be going due to the amount of work I have at the moment, and also because I will go for a weekend trip next week Friday till Sunday!

Nuuksio National Park Day Trip