Trip To Sweden

[Siberianfury]

some Time around This summer Davey569 and My self are planning a Trip To Sweden To test our "Supreme Manhood" in the Boreal forests up there...

Not quite sure whats happening just yet as we have just started planning but From what Dave says we should be going up to the North and make our way back down to catch the flight Back...

Im Planning on hopefully making a "video Diary" of the trip and perhaps uploading it to the amazing and mighty Youtube.

Does anyone have any experience of this part of the world?

Any advice on Kit, Travel, Expenses, Legal stuff and the culture and landscape around there would be much appreciated.

Also we will be taking cutting tools with us so advice on getting them there would be great aswell, i suppose they would be ok in the Hold?

The Kit list I planned on bringing personaly was:

small Tent - covered
Sub zero sleeping bag- need to get a decent one at a good price
Thermarest - covered
Pots n pans- covered
Army Rashon's - need to source some
decent clothes and boots- covered
cutting tools - covered
somthing to take game and fish with- not sure about the legalitys there.

and Misc things.


ATB
Josh

 

[Ahjno]

On the hunting / game / fishing bit:

For fishing you'll need a license. If you dig up some old threads by Viking and or Abbe Osram you'll find some info.
Hunting, IIRC you'll need to do a (elaborate?) course to get a license.

 

[Siberianfury]

On the hunting / game / fishing bit:

For fishing you'll need a license. If you dig up some old threads by Viking and or Abbe Osram you'll find some info.
Hunting, IIRC you'll need to do a (elaborate?) course to get a license.

cheers man,

i suppose it will have to be army rashions then

 

[robin wood]

re stuff in hold they are only worried about stuff that might go bang so they look harder at laptops than axes. I have taken lots of axes.knives turning tools etc all over and they rarely get a second glance as they go through, simply not what they are looking for.

My advice would be don't try to cover too much ground, the distances are huge and much of it is the same (forest, lake, forest, forest, lake, forest, lake). Better off sticking in one area and getting to know it.

 

[FerlasDave]

Thanks Robin, but do you think we would really need an axe? I would have thought a camp knife would be better.

 

[Shewie]

Don't forget your goggles Davey

 

[Siberianfury]

Thanks Robin, but do you think we would really need an axe? I would have thought a camp knife would be better.

i think an axe would make things easier, i may take the SFA if theirs room but if not we will settle on the camp knife

 

[scrogger]

Will you need a sub Zero sleeping bag in the summer?

 

[Siberianfury]

Will you need a sub Zero sleeping bag in the summer?

i think i will if its the same temprature as over here, id rather spend it in comfort with a good nights sleep

 

[Bushwhacker]

Sounds good Josh.

Take a mozzie net and repellent for definite.

 

[Thijzzz]

Been there last summer on a canoe-holiday with SWMBO.

Culture: friendly people, almost everyone speaks English, or does their best to understand you and make themselves understood.

Travel: don't know if you own a car, but train/flight would be more comfortable and probably cheaper. You'll have to sort out station/airports yourself. Smaller airports are only reachable with inland flights.

Expenses: fishing licence was a few quid for a week, so not bad. Shopping: roughly same prices as in UK / Europe.

Landscape: indeed a lot looks the same, at least it did when canoeing. If you travel the forests by foot, I'd pick an area where you can hike easily from 1 forest to another. If you choose a canoe trip: make sure you don't have to make too many land portages - they're HELL.
Or book a 3-day trip and mak it 8 days, exploring the surroundings.

Season: beware of midges! Take a tent with a mosquito net, head nets, and buy mosquito-repellent over there.

Sub zero sleeping bag > Alpkit / Highlander / Snugpak. That's the shortlist I came too when looking for just that.

Big Swede, a forum member, should be able to tell you much more!

Rgds,

Thijs

 

[robin wood]

Thanks Robin, but do you think we would really need an axe? I would have thought a camp knife would be better.

Best bet is go with a mate who is carrying an axe.

 

[Siberianfury]

Been there last summer on a canoe-holiday with SWMBO.

Culture: friendly people, almost everyone speaks English, or does their best to understand you and make themselves understood.

Travel: don't know if you own a car, but train/flight would be more comfortable and probably cheaper. You'll have to sort out station/airports yourself. Smaller airports are only reachable with inland flights.

Expenses: fishing licence was a few quid for a week, so not bad. Shopping: roughly same prices as in UK / Europe.

Landscape: indeed a lot looks the same, at least it did when canoeing. If you travel the forests by foot, I'd pick an area where you can hike easily from 1 forest to another. If you choose a canoe trip: make sure you don't have to make too many land portages - they're HELL.
Or book a 3-day trip and mak it 8 days, exploring the surroundings.

Season: beware of midges! Take a tent with a mosquito net, head nets, and buy mosquito-repellent over there.

Sub zero sleeping bag > Alpkit / Highlander / Snugpak. That's the shortlist I came too when looking for just that.

Big Swede, a forum member, should be able to tell you much more!

Rgds,

Thijs

Cheers man,

That should help alot

ATB
Josh

 

[forestwalker]

Hunting, IIRC you'll need to do a (elaborate?) course to get a license.

Besides having to have somewhere to hunt. Besides, in summer there is not much you can hunt. As in basically nothing except jays.

 

[forestwalker]

cheers man,

i suppose it will have to be army rashions then

Forget the army rations at home. There are lots of small grocery stores all over the country, just stop in these every few days and buy some groceries, be it freeze dried, tinned or fresh.

 

[forestwalker]

Thanks Robin, but do you think we would really need an axe? I would have thought a camp knife would be better.

Depends on what you are doing. If I was doing a long trip I'd pack a lapplander/folding bucksaw and an axe, simply because firewood becomed so much easier with these than without. But you can manage quite ok without any cutting tools at all; in order to feed a honey or such all you need can be obtained with just your hands.

 

[forestwalker]

i think i will if its the same temprature as over here, id rather spend it in comfort with a good nights sleep

In the northerns mountains the temps can get down to around 0 C or so, down in the forest I would be surprised at lower than +5 C in summer (June-August)

 

[forestwalker]

some Time around This summer Davey569 and My self are planning a Trip To Sweden To test our "Supreme Manhood" in the Boreal forests up there...

Just please remember that some of us natives live in those forests, and own bits of them as well. Be a considerate guest and no one will mind, leave a mess, cut down live trees, etc and expect the landowner to be rather upset.

Not quite sure whats happening just yet as we have just started planning but From what Dave says we should be going up to the North and make our way back down to catch the flight Back...

What kind of distances are you planning on covering?

Does anyone have any experience of this part of the world?

I live in it (pretty much near the geographical center, in eastern Jämtland).

Any advice on Kit, Travel, Expenses, Legal stuff and the culture and landscape around there would be much appreciated.

1. Unless you go out on the tundra/mountains in the very north you'll never be more than a few days -- at the very most -- from civilisation. You might be only a few km from a dirt road, and 10-20 km along that to a village. Or 500 m from someones home.

2. There are coaches that are fairly cheap, trains are not very cheap, petrol about the same as the UK, but distances can be much greater (I have only 8 km to the nearest grocery shop, but 25 to one with a bit of selection, and 50 to anything "townlike" at all).

3. You can camp overnight almost anywhere (allemanrätten, the right of common usage), but the important points is (a) not inside a built up area, (b) not close to someones home, and (c) leave no trace (as in no garbage, etc).

4. During summer there will be fire bans. Respect them. Bring a Trangia, any petrol station can sell you fuel (meths/ethanol mix with a vile tasting emetic and a red dye, sold in 1 L bottles under the name "T-röd").

5. Be friendly to people and they'll be friendly back.

6. Costs are hard to say, but a 2 kg packet of flour costs about SEK 10, a 175 g packet of crappy bacon about the same, potatoes anywhere from SEK 3-15/kg, rice about SEK 20-30/kg.

small Tent - covered
Sub zero sleeping bag- need to get a decent one at a good price
Thermarest - covered
Pots n pans- covered
Army Rashon's - need to source some
decent clothes and boots- covered
cutting tools - covered
somthing to take game and fish with- not sure about the legalitys there.

Fishing rod and some lures, look for a sign like

for where you can purchase local licences. Coastal waters are free with rods (IIRC), inland you need a licence.

 

[EddBamber]

Sounds like one fun trip .
I've heard the scenary is very beutiful is this true?
I think i'd definitely take an axe over a camp knife.
I have a few friends in sweden i dont know if they could help you out with the weather at all but have a great trip.

Edd

 

[FerlasDave]

Great replies thanks to everyone!

I thought Id add the travel plans so people can give some better advice.

We will take a flight out to Goteborg, travel north to vannersborg. ( I hear there is a nature reserve here with europes biggest deer? ) Then walk back to goteborg for the flight home. Ive worked it out to just under 100 Kilometers give or take but without any maps yet No route has been planned so It could be more or it could be less. Either way I think 7-10 days should be adequate time for us to experience the area and get home in time.