Packing for Lapland: McHale Packs

I expect when hiking for 10 days in Lapland that my pack weight including food and water may be as high as 16 kg and as a consequence I need to choose wisely with my rucksack and how it is packed. For this reason I have chosen to stick with a trusted friend who has already seen me through many days of hiking on 3 continents, it is my McHale Pack. This pack may not be the lightest pack, but its flexibility in design and carrying capacity along with “always feeling right” when I put it on has ensured its position as my pack of choice when hiking. The customizability of the pack has enabled me to adjust it to the requirements of the trip. The modular aspect of the pack includes a roll top or removable lid with a pocket, different hipbelt pockets depending on the trip, water bottle pockets, or not. As well I have found that the lid can be removed and made into a simple day pack with sufficient capacity to carry wet weather gear, a litre of water along with food for a day walk from a base camp.

So how does everything go inside? The volume is not a problem but I normally pack everything inside a large plastic bag and to help with decreasing volume Dave Wood (Red Yeti) has suggested that the use of Sea to Summit liners can be used to compress sleeping bags (and tents) into flat “pancake” shapes which use space more efficiently within a pack than the traditional stuff sacks, I have also found this to be true and well worth the few extra grams over the spinn sacks I have used in the past. The remainder of my gear is either packed in spinn sacks or packed loose to fill every nook and cranny of the pack.

Drivvejen

Had the opportunity to travel to Jylland in the last couple of days and as a result we were able to spend some time on the Drivvejen, which is a part of the North Sea Trail. Drivvejen starts at Thyborøn and finishes on the Danish German border at Sæd Grænse south of Tønder. The trail is approximately 200 km in length and is a collection of drove ways, some of which were originally established around 800 AD. The trail visits many important historical and geographical places along the way including Ribe, the oldest town in Denmark which was an important market place in the beginning of the eighth century. We hiked only a small section of the trail in the vicinity of Tønder and specifically visited Ribe and Råbjerg Plantage.

The weather has been dry and warm so we were able to explore the many different set ups of our Black Diamond Beta Light. Shown here is one of our favorites which we call star gazing.

My Favourite Pot

My favourite pot has to be my MSR 0.85 litre pot, it weighs 125 gms, a little more than some ultra light pots but it is also a little more robust than the thin Titanium Pots available. But perhaps the most important aspect is that I can use it with my Caldera Stove, my Optimus Crux stove, my Bushbuddy. The added advantage with the Bushbuddy and the gas stove is that they will pack inside the pot thereby making it easier to pack.

The photo shows the MSR sitting inside the Caldera along with the Gram Cracker Esbit holder.