This summer I will head out on a new adventure along with my brother and possibly a friend or two. This time around we will head back to Norway and also partly in Sweden, like last year, but this time there will be a two-part trip unlike last time when we did only biking.
The first part of the trip will be biking between Alta – Nordkap – Alta. I expect harsh climate even if during summer time with lots of rain and winds and somewhat cold temperatures.
The second part will be backpacking in Abisko National Park for about a week, exact roundtrip is not yet decided but we do know we want it to be for about a week.
When I this winter went on a solo backpacking trip I had troubles with a to heavy backpack along with some bad choices in gear which had me to abort the trip early. Lesson learned I am now heavily focused on lightweight backpacking and since it’s summer this time around my goal is (including camera-system for documentation and three meals a day + snacks for 7 days) is below 12 kilos (26.46 pounds). Although I can have it down to 10 kilos (22 pounds) I will go for the slightly heavier system as it will be more durable. The base weight is 5778 grams (12.74 pounds) as it stands for now.
The choices I dabbled between was ZPacks Solplex versus Hilleberg Enan 1000, that’s roughly 500 grams versus 1200 grams. I already own a Hilleberg and I am happy with it and I know it’s durable. Of what I understand trough watching reviews of ZPacks I am pretty sure a Hilleberg will beat it in durability all year around and protect you way better agains the elements.
When it comes to backpack I will go with Bergans Helium 55L, with Hip belt pockets coming in at 1080 grams in total. The alternative I was considering was ZPacks Arc Blast with belt pockets, 637 grams in total.
If you are curious of the items in my pack, please head over to my LighterPack-list. Please do share your thoughts on my gear-choices, if there’s anything I could improve/change.
Alaska Frank 