Early planning stage, Arctic winter camp.

[bopdude]

Hi all.

Well as per title on another forum a few of us are in the planning stages for an Arctic adventure, not confirmed yet but it's looking like Northern Sweden in January or maybe February of 2017. This will be my first time in such an environment, I first wanted to go on a trip like this a couple of years ago but 'life' got in the way, I've been dreaming of it since then. So, crazy or not, the kit is getting bought bit by bit when funds allow, I'll be hot tenting in a Helsport Varanger 4-6 which I have bought off the bay in excellent condition, I've sourced a Ti woodburner, the next is a toboggan and then clothing etc............. anyway, just thought I would open a thread as it was mentioned recently.

Any comments and thoughts welcome

[FishyFolk]

Yeah, will you be alone in that tent, or do you plan to share it with the rest of the group?

Hot tenting is more of a group thing as you would have to fill that oven quite often to keep that tent comfortably warm at night. It is doable for an overnigheter or two but over any
length of time it gets to you. So the best way is simply to have one man/lady awake who both keep the fire going, and act as a fire guard.

Else excellent choice of tent, so you are off to a good start there.
At last...if I where you I would do this in February. Still deep winter, and cold , but the sun will be back, so you will have longer hours, but still have the dark nights for Aurora watching. Also the weather tend to be more stable then. January can be quite wet, even up in the hills, even if there will be a lot of snow. And you will hardly have any daylight...just a couple of hours each side of noon depending on how far north you go.

I am in Northern Norway, as far north as Kirruna in Sweden. Also be aware that the supermarket in Abisko is due to close for good in September. So if going there is the plan, the nearest supermarket is either on the border with Norway 40 km from Abisko, or 90km away in Kirruna....

[bopdude]

Thanks for the input.

Still early planning but there will be at least 2 of us with hot tents, I have no problem sharing firewatch if one of the others wants to bunk down, one of the other points you make about daylight has be mentioned and that is why it could now be a February camp, makes sense ? We are planning on Northern Sweden, possibly flying into Lulea and then meeting with a couple of local guys at some point, as I say, still early days in the planning but I've got the butterflies doing gymnastics in my gut lol.

Thanks for the input

[FishyFolk]

If only 2 -4 person go, I would strongly recomend sharing one tent. If you want more privacy, just bring a tarp to sleep under for a night or two (highly recomended).
Personally I would not even bother with tents. I would rent a cabin up there as a base and drying kit place, and just go sleep outside with a tarp. That way I have a backup if the weather turns serious, and up in those hills it can change from still, weather with blue skies, to a hurricane force blizzard within minutes.

Actually make sure that each of you have a light shovel with a metal blade with you. Up there it is not a knife or an axe that will save you, it's a shovel and a candle (bring that too) . And the spades are excellent for sorting out the camp, and you need to dig that tent down and build a wind break. If there is one pice of kit I can guarantee that you will use a lot, it is that shovel.

Btw how do you plan to transport you kit out in the snow?

[bopdude]

Thanks for all the tips, I don't think renting a cabin would be on the agenda as good as it sounds, I'll be taking a tattoo and hammock hear as I fancy that as well. A snow shovel is on all our lists as are candle lanterns, we'll be using toboggans as transport once we're done by road. One of the local guys it's bringing his sled and dogs as far as I know.

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[rik_uk3]

I can understand the desire to haul a load of kit on a Pulk but as its your first experience 'up there' I'd go the cabin route with one or two nights in tent/tarp not far from the safety of a cabin.

I've never been to the Arctic but have done a lot of UK winter camping; 'hot tenting' I've done but as Fishy said keeping a stove 'in' all night can be a pain in the ass. Concentrate on buying the very best sleeping bag you afford which will keep you warm all night after the stove has gone out...an undisturbed nights sleep charges your batteries and don't forget to fill a thermos before sleep time...that warm sweet drink first thing in the morning from the comfort of your sleeping bag is wonderful

[bopdude]

I can understand the desire to haul a load of kit on a Pulk but as its your first experience 'up there' I'd go the cabin route with one or two nights in tent/tarp not far from the safety of a cabin.

I've never been to the Arctic but have done a lot of UK winter camping; 'hot tenting' I've done but as Fishy said keeping a stove 'in' all night can be a pain in the ass. Concentrate on buying the very best sleeping bag you afford which will keep you warm all night after the stove has gone out...an undisturbed nights sleep charges your batteries and don't forget to fill a thermos before sleep time...that warm sweet drink first thing in the morning from the comfort of your sleeping bag is wonderful

As much as I understand the cabin aspect it won't be happening, the lad that is 'chief organiser' has done a few arctic trips so have faith in his judgment, not to say that I don't hold anything your saying here with respect, I do. As for sleeping system, I'll probably be using a Canadian forces arctic set up which is meant to be good down to below -50 ?

Thanks for the input so far

[FishyFolk]

Okay, now that we are done trying to talk sense into you we can concentrate on giving you the small tricks that will make life better in the situation you will actually be in.

Now, if you end up around Abisko, or the hills up towards the Norwegian border, on the Swedish side there will be litterally hundreds of locals driving snow scooters, most of them with sleds attached.
You can probably ask them nicely, and they will haul your heavy kit for you. Offer them a shot of whiskey and they will marry you :-)


Before you go to bed, fill a nalgene bottle with boiling water and stick it inside the wool socks you were wearing during the day, and throw it into your sleeping bag (just make sure the ther is no leaks).
This will:

A.) Heat up your sleeping before before you go to bed.
B.) Keep you warm trough the night. If you start to be cold, just put it between your thighs, to heat up your femoral
artery a little. You will be toast all night.
C.) In the morning your woold socks will be dry as as sand in the sahara, and nice and warm to put on your feet.
D.) The water in the bottle will still be luke warm, perfect for your morning face and hand cleaning.

ANother trick...your boots. Get a couple of zippo type hand warmers. They are nice to have anyway, but genious for sticking into the toe of your boots.
They burn all night and in the morning you have nice, warm and perhaps dry boots to put your feet in, instead of a couple of blocks of sollid ice....

Get yourself a shoe brush. STick it in the cargo pocket of your smock/ anorak. Use it to brush the snow off you before you eneter the hot tent. The snow will melt and make you wet, and freeze when you go outside.

[bopdude]

As said, early days still but the rough plan is fly into Lulea or Kiruna and make our way by road to the Porjus area, from there walk up the lake to make camp, a bit of that could all change but that is the rough plan. The hot water bottle is a deffo as are the hand warmers, thanks again

[FishyFolk]

That sounds very doable. If there is a lot of snow on the ice, there is probably plenty of snowscooter tracks to use. And from the village of Porjus you can go straight onto the ice, and be on the flat all the time, which is nice if you are draging tobogans or pulks.

I am not familliar with the area itself in winter, only been there in summer a few times as a young lad, but like on lake Torneträsk, Store Lule lake should be crawling with people ice fishing if the weather is nice, and unlike Norway, that means snowscooters. Which will be a safety asset for you.
(but may be irritating if it is the great quiet of the northern wilderness you are after).

https://www.google.no/maps/@66.95934...8i6656!6m1!1e1