Planning the trip of dreams - six nights north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden

**K0m4** · 06-23-2014, 10:44

Hej draugen!

Given where you're located, I'm taking extra care to listen to your advice! :-) I kind of figured as much about the mosquitoes - I recall reading in a book about an Englishman going fishing in the north of Sweden that there's a game they play up there: they smack their palm on their thigh, and count the mosquito corpses.. someone had gotten more than 60...!

I've never been so far north to experience the midnight sun - maybe I should ditch the headlight for one of those eye covers that rich housewives have!

I've been looking at the weather the past few days. Long-term forecase for a week indicates night temps around 4-5 to 10, and daytime 7-8 to 15. Rain, sun, cloudy, winds and calm.. only thing I've not seen forecast so far is snow

I know this will obviously change until I get there (I'm a sailor after all), but still this is indeed what I'm preparing for. Great times!

**Floridahanger** · 06-23-2014, 13:51

It's not spaming your own thread, it's being thorough. Having a list is great, but seeing the items you catagorized is a great tool for beginers to look at so it helps them with their setup.

Great job.

**K0m4** · 06-23-2014, 14:04

Thanks Floridahanger!

And you know what - it's a lot of fun just tinkering, fiddling and playing with your gear too!

**Chard** · 06-23-2014, 14:34

One option for bears might be a pressurized air horn like the one used for boating which also, incidentially, doubles as a excellent audio signalling device. You might also want to make sure you clean and prepare your fish well away from your camp as well and don't wipe your fishy hands on your pants. Bring a dishrag and/or kitchen dish gloves..

Sounds like you're in for a fantastic trip though. Like everyone's already said, take lots of pictures and write up a nice trip report.

Good luck!

**draugen** · 06-23-2014, 17:12

Hei Kom4
You seem well prepared. Just take precautions regarding insects.

Just let me know if there is some kind of lokal info you need to check. Websites might not be translated etc. Id be glad to help out if needed.

**K0m4** · 06-24-2014, 00:18

Originally Posted by Chard

One option for bears might be a pressurized air horn like the one used for boating which also, incidentially, doubles as a excellent audio signalling device. You might also want to make sure you clean and prepare your fish well away from your camp as well and don't wipe your fishy hands on your pants. Bring a dishrag and/or kitchen dish gloves..

Sounds like you're in for a fantastic trip though. Like everyone's already said, take lots of pictures and write up a nice trip report.

Good luck!

Not a bad idea with the gloves - I have a box of latex gloves at home (for medical purposes!), that might work. I've been meaning to get a dish rag to stuff in the cook kit too, I should really do that..

Originally Posted by draugen

Hei Kom4
You seem well prepared. Just take precautions regarding insects.

Just let me know if there is some kind of lokal info you need to check. Websites might not be translated etc. Id be glad to help out if needed.

Thanks for the offer draugen! I think I've got it covered as far as language goes though - I'm from Sweden. Albeit from the south, so generally I could probably just as well be from the other side of the moon

**Latt** · 06-24-2014, 05:54

The water in streams are probably cleaner than any other water people have in their homes so I wouldn't bother with water purification

As others mentioned and I also touched upon, the biggest issue is likely going to be mosquitoes.

I believe the second biggest issue is going to be the near perma-light conditions under which you'll be camping. So I actually think it's a VERY good idea to bring one of those rich-lady-eye-covers-you-see-in-movies-when-they-sleep you mentioned. I've only once been in Norrland during midsummer some 6 years ago and I literally couldn't sleep for 3 days and it screwed up my head severely... and this was in the most southern part of Norrland, so it's going to be far worse for you

**K0m4** · 06-24-2014, 13:27

Originally Posted by Latt

I've only once been in Norrland during midsummer some 6 years ago and I literally couldn't sleep for 3 days and it screwed up my head severely... and this was in the most southern part of Norrland, so it's going to be far worse for you

Hehe.. I grew up in Jönköping, and still felt that.. I guess it explains a few things about me!

Now living abroad it's the thing I miss the most without comparison. I remember going on a work visit to the south coast of Norway in June with a colleague from Central Asia.. She pretty much went crazy like you describe

But as a Norwegian woman once told me - you shouldn't waste the summer nights sleeping!

**Latt** · 06-26-2014, 05:27

I still felt the difference from Göteborg to Sundsvall to be tremendous but I certainly like the Norwegian woman's saying

**K0m4** · 06-26-2014, 11:11

Wow! Took delivery today of the camera batteries. Seven days after placing the order! That's seriously fast for shipping UK-Georgia. So now I have two Nikon and three no-name batteries for the camera (don't know how well they work yet of course, but better than nothing certainly), but only one 16gb card. It's got a capacity of 600 pics (taken both jpg and NEF formats) or 20 minutes of 720p video. Granted, I've never managed to fill that up on individual occasions, but then again I've never taken a trip like this and of this duration.. Might go get myself a 32gb card or two...

Also got a batch of fly-tying material! The problem with that being that I'm so giddy about this trip that it's hard to sit still behind a fly-tying vise!