Evolution. It happens all the time.



Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to steel. Steel leads to weight. Weight leads to suffering.

You, dear Ladies & Gentlemen, ROCK! Sadly I only can give away three Kupilka 21 kuksas, but those three lucky ones, we know, have the Force very strongly in them.

- Jason Picard from Lightweight Adventures Ontario in Canada.

- John Dourneen from Teach, Travel & Trek in South Korea.

- The Jolly Green Giant from LIGHTWEIGHT AND ULTRALIGHT BACKPACKING in the USA.

A massive Kiitos! - Thank you! to everyone who participated, I am blown away by all your responses and the list of outdoor drinks you created is excellent!

The three winners, please contact me via Email at hendrik dot morkel at gmail dot com with your address and then I will make the three kuksas ready for shipping during the coming week.



Mike from Big Wheel Building has a great post up about "What camera?!" in which he tells which camera and lenses he uses.

The UL Backpacker made a MYOG Panel loader with innovative outside pockets and inside pockets!

Ever wondered how to sleep comfortably in a hammock? I know I have, and so this article is a good one if you want to be able to answer that question.

Steven explains how he uses technology to do routes.

The Velo Hobo has some hot bike porn to see.

Heber enhenced his GoLite Ultra 20. If you want to pimp your quilt to new heights, read this article!



Simon from Northern Focus wants to go lighter - on a budget. Drop in and help him out!

The Radtke's are musing on Mids, especially the GoLite Shangri-La 5.

Sabine lets us know which gear was top and which gear a flop in her Greenland Gear round-up.

James has a first look at the PHD Yukon down pullover.

PTC has a close look at the LaSportiva Crossover.

More lightweightweight footwear is looked at by Carsten in form of the VFF Bikila.

Maz does a great analysis of his Winter Overnight System.

Perkunas has a great How to make your own axe sheath article up, a recommended read for owners of axes without sheaths.

Finally, I did a long-term review of the Klättermusen Loke down hoody.


If it just would already be like this.

Tony got lost in the dark. A great read, drop in and read this educational article!

Greg went to Bell Knot and onwards to Little Hart Crag and wonders if they should take away the sheep for a while. Great photos!

Paul did the Bannerdale Round.

Mark published part one of his "Traverse of Kinder Plateau and Bleaklow" trip report.

Adventure in Progress is Looking back on Speck Pond, a great family adventure in the first snow!

Cara tells about her [mis]adventure, a excellently written story of how sometimes trips can go wrong! Recommended read.

Gustav went with his family on a daytrip in Serbia - UL style. Great read and photos, if you have kids a must read!

If you followed Sabine's Arctic Circle Trail adventure in Greenland, you might have the same question as a lot of folks: How is Greenland?

Around Scotland takes us on a photographic journey around Loch Lubnaig.

Going Lighter is going Onwards.

Part One of Keith's "The Mourne Wall" trip report is online and you should go immediately to go read and see it.

Mike went to Fiend's Fell.

Yeti went with a friend on an overnighter, and that at the worst time of the year.

Check out Eugene's Deadman Peaks 50 Ultramarathon on the CDT video. Now!

Martin was in the Peak District.

Gleouraich and Spidean Mialach was a daytrip by "Oh Inverted World".

Shown patience you have, young UL Padawan. Time to reward thee and see if the force is with with you.



Three Kupilka 21 wait to enhance the life of UL Masters and Padawans in this galaxy. To earn the right to carry this Nordic status symbol, thou shalt show that you are worthy to carry it.

Leave a comment under this post, indicating your interest. To compete, thou shalt name the non-alcoholic beverage you want to drink from it, and as we all are able to control the force thou also shalt name the alcoholic beverage you want to consume from it.

On the 7th of November (this coming Sunday) at noon the competition closes, and the Force™ shall help to decide who are the worthy ones. They shall be announced in that same Sunday's The Week In Review.

*You want to become a Follower and come back on next Sunday to see if you won.*

UL Jedis wear thick, puffy pullovers and jackets to boost the warmth rating of their quilts, because that's multiple use of items and allows us to go lighter. The Klättermusen Loke is enhancing our warmth force field and allows us to look dangerous and sexy at the same time, and hence is the ideal UL Jedi puffy pullover.




Adventure, danger, safety = ingredients of a UL Jedi's life.

A year ago I gave you a first, teasing look at the Klättermusen Loke. It has seen plenty of action in the forests and hills of Finland, Sweden and Russia since, and thus it is time to shed more light on this garment. *Takes out his scale* 421 g for my Size S, after cutting off the useless adjusting strings on the hood. Klättermusen says its 370 g in a Medium, as mine is a Prototype model it is possible that they tweaked it a bit further to reduce the weight. Down weight is 95 g of finest 800+ goose down.

It has a Boxwall construction without penetrating seams, which means it is warmer than sewn-through garments which get cold spots at the seam. The arms are fairly long and I can hide my hands comfortably in them, and the elastic hem and cuffs keep the warmth in and the cold drafts out. It is made of environmentally friendly, lightweight ripstop nylon and has the shoulders and hood reinforced with stretch polyamide. It also has a good DWR coating (PFOA free) which kept the drizzle off, very nice if you just need to go for a quick pee at night and don't want to get dressed with your hardshell.


The front can be opened well and allows for good ventilation.

So, what is so good about this puffy pullover, you ask? Well, I really, really, like the retro look of it, aka the slanted button front. Yeah yeah, function over style, for sure, but if you get both then that rocks, right? That's the reason not more people wear Dri Ducks, for example ;) Anyway. The hood is excellent, and the front closes nice high which allows you to just peek out with your eyes, the rest is protected from the cold. I like the kangaroo pocket very much, a good place to store gloves, buff, puukko, spoon and other stuff when you need your hands free. It lofts so good, it is unbelievable - even after sweating well into it, after it was left to dry it lofts again as it did on day one. Excellent. It also loses very little down, always a concern with down garments.

Bushwhacking, on the few occasions that I did that with this garment, it faired well and took no damage. The Loke packs very small and lofts quickly after unpacking, and has kept me warm in the evenings at the campfire and at night under my quilt. The hood was the main reason for me to get it, as I needed something to keep my head warm at night in my quilt. The Loke's hood does that very well, the fit is perfect and I can close the front fairly small, practical for those cold winter nights. Finally, I of course love that it is made of recycled materials and can be recycled at the end of its life - and you even get money for that! Way to go, I'd say, we need more of such initiatives.


Shoulders and hood have a more durable material, allowing you to wear it while carrying your pack and not damaging it.

The Dark Side? Well, for me things can always be lighter and have more down =) Also, that inside store-away pocket is useless and will be removed by me in the future. I just don't use it for anything, and it actually bothers me when sleeping on my belly, so it goes. The elastics on the hood went already, as they bothered me when sleeping as it pushed uncomfortably into my head and their function also was not good.


UL Master Jedi uses "The Hooded Stare™". Mind the slanted front button closure.


The pimped hood from behind.

Improvements. Well, as you can see from the not-so-good paragraph, get rid of the inside pocket, the hood elastics, and add a bit more down instead (its plenty warm, but more down is always good!). I also imagine that smaller zippers would do the job just as well as the big ones they have now - I rarely use them so you might even consider taking them out completely and putting elastics in instead.


Closer look at the kangaroo pocket zip. Also, Swedes love to put their flag on things, Klättermusen is no different there.

Bottom line? At 291€ (includes 25% Swedish VAT!) it isn't cheap. But considering that it is made of top-notch, environmentally friendly materials which are build to last (but can be recycled at the end-of-life!) I think it is worth the money. It packs small, is incredibly warm and looks as good around the campfire as in a hip bar on a Saturday night. If you think so too, click here to find a retailer near you.


End of life? Recycle me and get money!