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I'm sitting here on a wet day in the UK thinking I haven't really got much to post on this group at the moment. Then I thought, "What about the trip we are planning?"
Things have been in Limbo for a while because this trip was originally planned for February 2021 before the pandemic closed everything down. For some of you, being able to step out of your back door into proper winter conditions, that might not seem like a big deal, but in the UK we are surrounded by the sea, warmed by the Gulf Stream and to get into deep snow we need to travel.
For that reason, some of our preparations might seem unusual to you but we need to get our gear into bags and on to commercial flights. I thought some of the challenges involved might be of interest to you.
First of all, the toboggans need to roll up small enough to get into a standard duffel bag.
This is the second toboggan I have made. The first worked well but was of 5mm UHMWPE and weighed in at 7kg, a significant part of our flight weight allowance. This new one made of 3mm HDPE comes in at just 4.5kg saving a lot of weight allowance which can now be used for something else. It's also a lot easier to roll up, which will be a great help when packing it for the return flight.
For travelling, the two flight duffel bags attach to the toboggan allowing easy access to the gear while on the move. The yellow dry bag in the nose curl is for provisions which we normally pick up locally on arrival. There is a supermarket just a couple of miles from the airport at Kittilä and that will be our first stop.
For shelter, I have gone for an unusual approach. I prefer cold camping as I feel the admin. is easier, especially when moving from outside to inside shelter. Just my preference, not trying to convert anyone.
On my first trip I took a light cotton tarp, which worked well enough for shelter but the snow tended to cling and when we entered a thaw freeze cycle, it became stiff with ice.
Since that time I have been using poly builders tarps like the one you can see in the picture above. Snow does not stick and if there are any weight issues on the return flight, it can be discarded for minimal cost.
That thinking has developed into a construction dubbed by my friends "The Wayland Snow Shed".
You can see it being tested under temperate conditions here.
It is based upon an adaptation of the Adirondack pitch of a square tarp but with two extra panels, one fixed to give more shelter and the other which can be raised or lowered as needed.
I weighs little more than the tarp on it's own but it has been cut and taped to form the shelter that just requires a couple of well placed trees to pitch from.
It can be closed down in bad weather or it provides adequate shelter for sleeping when open, which I prefer.
With the addition of a bit of snow construction this should prove quite comfortable for the trip.
That trip just took a major step towards reality last weekend with the booking of the flight tickets. We are looking at a party of seven, with differing approaches and levels of experience and it looks like a good mix.
I'll post more up on this post as the trip approaches and a full trip report after of course.
Any questions or thoughts always welcome.
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