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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2020 17:18:48 GMT -8
Hi!
New member with a question/query. I've booked flights to Bodo, Norway, and planned to skitour across the boarder to Sarek National Park, consisting of 4 days to cover 30 miles to 'basecamp', then several short tours ranging from 1-4 days from that camp (where I can use my smaller pack and only take the food I need), before hiking the 30 miles out, totalling around 30 days. My question is this, the amounts of food needed are ridiculous (fuel too), a rough calculation puts it at 47lbs of food!! I think I'll have to buy a pulka in situ?
I've done 2 months hiking before, but went town to town, and was never on my lonesome for more than 5 days. Is it even feasible to do 30 days unsupported? I've done a quick search and can only find people whom have done long through hikes with caches, which isnt an option. Anybody lived from their backpack for that long? I may be able to fish a tad, but it will still be very much winter. Day high expected to push mid 30's, but night low will be likely be in the teens
Current food list
15,000 2.72kg 5.52 15 dehydrated meals (I'd buy more but these are pricey af)
38,000 9.60kg 3.95 Huel (protein nutrient powder)
12,500 3.6Kg 3.47 potato powder
3,750 1.0kg 3.75 oats
32.600 4L, 3.6kg 9.05 sunflower oil
4000 1.0kg 4.03 cheddar cheese
105,850kcal @3500 per day for 30 days
total weight 21.52kg=47.3lb
ratio of kcal per gram is also included out of interest, it why I'm taking so much oil
The Huel powder contains enough nutrients and minerals to keep me alive, and I'm not too fussed about how good food tastes, but I've got the dehydrated packs to break up the monotomy. What are your thoughts? The logistics have me slightly frenzied :/
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Mar 4, 2020 17:39:18 GMT -8
Winter camping like that will require 2 pounds of food per day, possibly more. I would definitely look into a pulk. It will make your trip much more fun, and allow you to enjoy the 30 days. Another option for your meals is to dehydrate your own. It means buying a dehydrator, but they are relatively cheap. You can make what you like, with only the ingredients you want. No chems added. Powdered milk would make those oats taste better in the AM. Some nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew) would also make your lunches more healthy. Some flat breads, maybe some foil packets of tuna or chicken? By the end of 30 days, you'll be wishing for more variety. BlueBear, tigger, you guys are the best reference I can think of for a 30 day trip. Got anything to say? |
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Mar 4, 2020 18:14:51 GMT -8
I was reading about the recent crossing of Antarctica. His target was 7000 calories a day. 3500 is OK for shorter winter trips when you can afford wasting but over 30 days might not be good. He was traveling in a lot colder temps though. The other part is water. What is your plan about that? If you need to melt that is a lot more fuel. |
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Mar 5, 2020 8:30:24 GMT -8
Winter equals plenty of calories. I'd be shooting for 7-10k calories myself. Is it doable? Yes. Having the pulk will help out greatly. I think you're on the right track, but I'd recommend as much variety as you can muster. Don't forget about fiber and nutrients. Cashews, olive oil added to meals will boost your intake. I lost 16 lbs on our 30+ day ice sheet experience and we were eating pretty much anything we wanted.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2020 20:46:05 GMT -8
So Huel has enough nutrients and minerals to live off (I have done before out of interest), is super high in protein, and will be adding it to the oats instead of milk powder, better bang for buck. I really dont mind the monotony of the food, I would take much more Huel, but I have to buy it in the UK, and flying with 6kg of non-descript powder will be hard enough, im sure haha, and I'm taking 4L (1gal) of sunflower oil because its cheaper than olive, and has 2.25x the calories per gram of carbs.
I was going to buy some other random stuff, salami, nuts, some fresh fruit and veg for the first day or two. And I had thought about a pulka, but I cant fly with one, and I'm not going to spend a fortune on one there, because Ill have to leave it. perhaps a cheap kiddy sled would work?
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Mar 6, 2020 5:00:45 GMT -8
Lots of videos on making your own pulk from a sled. Try YouTube.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Mar 6, 2020 17:19:34 GMT -8
Or in this day and age have shipped by Amazon to your destination:
You could bring your own rope and harness for it (or ship that too)
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Post by Lamebeaver on Mar 10, 2020 8:45:30 GMT -8
Another option would be to do one hike out in the middle of your trip to restock. This would cut you load in half.
Based on the recommendation to double your calories, you're still talking 40-50 lbs of food per trip, so the sled's still a good idea.
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Post by ukpacker on Mar 10, 2020 12:59:36 GMT -8
HI detxj The most food I ever carry in a back pack is for 10 days, at about 1 kilo per day, I just buy regular food from supermarkets, pasta cheese salami muesli snickers bars etc, no powder protein, I once did about 30 days in Idaho by posting suplies to amenable locals, apart from once being invited to a meal of pulled pork I lived off my usual diet with no problems, apart from bulk I don't see there is any thing to be gained from buying specialist foods. I have a small pulk for winter snow but have never stayed out more than 7 days, my winter camping equipment without food or fuel weighs over 20 kilos , my fuel usgage where there is no liquid water is around 300mm per day. I would not consider staying out for longer than a week without resuply unless I had a big expedition pulk, which would be impossible to manage around towns without a private car. Don't know when you plan to go but you need to consider river crossings, I spent some time in Sarek one summer and found it impossible to cross some rivers due to melt water from glaciers, winter weather accross Europe has been record breakingly mild and you need to be ready for torrential rivers full of snow melt there are no marked trails or bridges in Sarek. If you use a pulk you need to be sure the snow is not going to dissapear. Sarek does not border Norway so where will you start your trip from? An alternative to your trip would be to fly on to Narvik, take a train to Gallivare where you can buy all the supplies needed and stay at Gallivare Camping, take the bus to Ritsem on which you can take a pulk, if lake Ahkajavrre is still safely frozen you face a long long ski accross the lake to pick up the northern section of the Padjalantaleden trail which passes close by Sarek. There are huts along the trail but more importantly bridges. Or you could get off the bus earlier at Saltoluokta then take the Kungsleden south to Kvilkjok, get the bus to Jokmok where there is at least one hostel and a supermarket, resuply and return to Kvikkjok and follow the Padjelantaleden trail back to lake Ahkajavrre that makes a circular trip around Sarek but still leave you with a trail option which I would expect to carry some snowmobile trafic.email hostels about snow and lake ice conditions and transportation options there may be a snow mobile service accross the lake from Ritsem where there is a hostel if there is it could make sense to start from Ritsem at least you know you won't be marrooned on the south side of the lake. Meals and a small shop at STF Saltoluokta , Kvikkjok STF may sell a few food items and certainly do meals, all very expensive though and don't plan on buying more than a few packets of pasta meals etc, Ritsem STF did not sell much last time I was there and may be closed for winter.
I have flown with my small pulk several times, no problems so far . I am suspicous of cheap plastic sleds as they become brittle in cold temperatures and may fracture. If you carry fresh fruit and veg how will you stop it freezing solid? Much of Europe may well go into lock down in a month or so. Let us know how your trip goes and what the snow conditions were like, I may do this on snow shoes one year if my new arthritis permits me.
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