Planning your first multi-day solo summer backpacking trip in Finland? Not sure if you should be prepared for snow, mosquitos or polar bears? No worries, getting your ducks in a row is easier than you would guess!
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Equipment
Rain skirt is one of the easiest pieces of hiking and backpacking gear to make yourself. An ultra-light rain skirt is handy to pack in your pocket and pull over your hiking pants when it starts raining.
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The long-distance fall hike is the most wonderful hike of the year. The best hiking season in the Nordics begins in the middle of September. Check your gear and you are ready to go!
When you want to hike with lightweight backpack, choose the 'big three' from the light end: sleeping system (sleeping bag and sleeping pad), tent, and your hiking rucksack. When weighing the options on a tight budget, consider which items are worth investing and which items are not that important.
For a long-distance or multi-day fall hike, you need more or less the same equipment as for a summer hike, especially if you're heading to Lapland or to the mountains. Hiking gear in fall is often supplemented with warmer layers of clothing, but if you have initially chosen equipment for three seasons, there is no need to make any new purchases.
In this article, I listed my own favorites, which I use on hikes from spring to late fall in the Nordics, some also go with me in winter. Here you can find gear list for lightweight backpacking for a week's hike (or longer):
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad
- Tent
- Hiking Backpack
- Cooking essentials
- Clothes and hiking shoes for fall
- Essential gear (first aid, toilet paper, electronics, map, etc.)
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Are you dreaming of more challenging wilderness hiking trails, but wondering how to cross rivers safely? Do you know what gear is needed to cross waterways? Are you unsure whether you should go wading alone or not?
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Are down jackets good for hiking and backpacking? One of the most important equipment for outdoor adventures is clothing suitable for layering. The light down jacket is an insulating layer that has incredible warmth to weight ratio compared to other alternatives.
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Choosing trail running shoes is perhaps one of the most difficult equipment choices for outdoor sports. It does not make it any easier for the buyer, that the selection of trail running shoes has become huge and the price difference is wide. If you google “best trail running shoes”, you will find hundreds of pages that talk about some specific running shoe brand(s).
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Winter is a great time to go hiking. Sometimes, it is just hiking in cold, when the trails are free of snow and ice. Sometimes, winter hiking is enjoying snow drifts and freezing temperature. With the right gear and mindset, you are ready for amazing winter experiences.
Winter hiking requires a bit more preparing than hiking in summer, when you can just throw on your hiking shoes and head to the woods. Once you get the basics right and have confidence to try winter hiking for the first time, you may find the magic and fun of winter outdoors.
In this blog post you will find everything you need to know for wintry excursions and hiking in snow. Here are my best tips to stay warm and safe in the Northern Latitudes (and in any other winter wonderland as well)!
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Choosing the right sleeping bag and sleeping pad for lightweight and ultralight backpacking may seem like a daunting task with all the various ratings and ever-increasing options. We are often advised to first think about what kind of backpacker you are: do you enjoy road trips and camping, or do you hike in a traditional style or do you want to shave as much weight as possible.
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Lightweight backpacking means hiking with lightweight equipment. In lightweight and ultralight backpacking, the focus is on packing only the necessary equipment and on reducing the weight wherever possible.
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