I have made my first attempt to put together an UL gear list, intended for a 2 week long hike in Northern Sweden this summer. The list can be found here.

Please critique. Temperatures range from 30-70 F (0-20 C) with probable daytime averages 50-60 F (10-15 C). In general I plan to thru-hike the Kungsleden trail from Hemavan to Abisko but will occasionally leave the trail to make detours through more remote areas of Vindelfjällen, Sarek, and Kebnekaise. The weather can be quite changeable at higer altitudes but I'm expecting no sustained rain.

wow.. we hiked a little north of where you are going (in norway) last year and had a much higher base weight. But given our experience, your clothing seems alright.. it was actually quite warm - almost hot in the sun - during the day sometimes. you seem to have enough insulation for the nights we experienced (but i hear it was a bit on the warmer side last year).

We did two trips of about 4 - 5 days each and hence didn't have to carry anywhere as much food as you all at once.

I see you have a Bushbuddy.. we were almost always above treeline (which was sometimes as low as ~ 300 ft!) and there was nothing but tundra - but I guess you must know where you are going. Or maybe you are evil and are planning to burn the (rather wet) tundra :)

PS: Water was so easy to find, we carried very very little.. on average, certainly less than the 1 lb you've allotted.

Edited by longhiker on 05/12/2010 00:34:24 MDT.

I assume that you know that the huts sell food. There is a 81 mile stretch with no huts, and at your pace of 20 miles per day you'll be covering that in four days.
So for most of your trek you could carry a much lighter load.

Thank you for your comments! In fact, I was most concerned whether my equipment, especially clothing, is adequate for the conditions that I'll encounter. I have extrapolated my selection of clothing from my previous experience with the heavyweight gear and my everyday winter clothing. Yes, there is lots of food in the list, I simply wanted to get a reasonable upper bound for the pack weight, I need to think more about this.

@longhiker: I try really hard not to be evil :) There seem to be at least three possibilities. a) Since the trail frequently descends below the treeline, I can pick up some dry twigs while in the woods. My daily need for burning wood weighs less than a third of the food that I eat up every day. b) If I'm not able to find wood, then I can try to burn branches of dwarf birch or crowberry or some other dead woody material (http://thebearablelightness.blogspot.com/2009/08/pushing-limits-using-bushbuddy-above.html). c) If even this is not possible, then I can just rehydrate my food and eat it cold.

@Kristin: Yes, I know that many huts sell food and other things and I probably will use the facilities (sauna etc) but it appeals to me to be completely self-supported. I think that one aspect of lightweight backpacking is that it enables me to leave behind not only weight but also worries.

Sorry about the somewhat flippant comment about the food, I just wanted to make sure you knew that there are frequent resupply possibilities.

Looking deeper into your list I have a few comments related to rain. Don't underestimate the amount of rain in northern Sweden. I've read that the huts have dedicated clothes drying areas, this must be because they are needed.

Make sure the poncho tarp is comfortable to use as a hiking garment, as you may be using it all day, every day for a stretch.
How quickly does your wool hiking shirt dry?
How quickly do your wool socks dry?
How quickly do your running shoes dry?
You get the picture. All I'm saying is that your hiking clothes will get wet. You need to make sure that they will dry by the next morning AND you need a a complete dry layer that you can put on while your wet ones are drying.

I have been hiking in Sweden and Norway sometimes.
It can be blowing windy and rainy, sometimes for days on a row, and cold. Though it doesnt have to be like that.
So i don´t think it is a good idea to use a ponchotarp as raingear. You will be misserable. Also to use it together with a bivy as a tarp, everything will become wet with those winds and rain.
So my advise is to take proper a rainjacket and a big tarp, if you are good at pitching in stormy weather, or tent.
As for the musquitos, it can be horrible, making it even impossible to eat, all those insects in the food and under your headmuquitonet. All the time sitting in the smoke of your bushbuddy finally will give you COPD. And a tent is then a very good way to calm your nerves again.
Bushbuddy you can use everywhere, even high in the mountains, there is plenty of wood. When it is to wet, you can buy alcohol in every hut or from people you meet on the trail.
I wish you fun there. Look for the lemmings and don´t drink unfiltered water. Ones we had to ´save´somebody who got stuck in the mountains with sever diarea, 3 days walking from civilisation (except for huts, they are everywhere).