Hiking in Finland

Climbing, bikepacking, skiing & packrafting in the north

ULA Ohm Ordered


Inspired by James from backpackingbongos and the need to get a lighter backpack, I ordered last Friday an ULA Ohm. I was looking already for a while for a new backpack, and in nearer consideration, besides the Ohm, were the Osprey Exos 46 and 58, the Gossamer Gear Mariposa and the Blast 32 from ZPacks.

While the Blast 32 would have been the lightest Option, weighing only 260 g with all the extras, I didn't want to wait till December - Joe, the owner of ZPacks, is out hiking and so the Shop is closed. I like the looks and functionality of the Mariposa, but somehow I didn't click with it. I tried on both Exos models, and found them comfortable, but they're heavy, expensive and mainstream.

So I decided for the Ohm. Simple, functional, great looking, and made by a cottage manufacturer in the USA, offered for a unbeatable price of $130. With a base weight of 595 g it was also the lightest pack (after the Blast), and after careful study of the threads on backpackinglight.com I decided on a Size L with a Medium hipbelt. The order was placed last Friday, and lo and behold, the backpack was shipped that same Friday! That's what I call customer service. So now I spent the days waiting, and hope that my new backpack will arrive as quick as James' so that I can take it out for a hike next weekend! Hopefully also my new tent will be here by then...

OutDoor

The OutDoor trade fair in Friedrichshafen is over, and more and more news are popping up for those which weren't able to attend.



Odoo.tv covers the Fair in videos which are very worth viewing, even if you don't speak German. Video is the medium of the internet, and it is great to see some of the tents, sleeping bags and other equipment in living pictures.

Roman aka Lighthiker also presented already a few interesting posts about new goodies, his Tent article shouldn't be missed.

hrXXL also was at the OutDoor, and is reporting about the new Inov-8 Roclite 288 GTX as well as tents and other goodies. Hit the British flag on the top right to read his blog in English.

All of the above surely will keep the posts coming during this week, and will inform us what's new and hot for the UL aficionado. So add them to your bookmarks and let them know that you appreciate their efforts! My thanks go out to these great folks for keeping us, who weren't able to make the trip to Friedrichshafen, up-to-date. Arigato.

Sailing Away

I traded the land this weekend for water and the trailrunners for a boat. My girlfriend and me left to Lahti early on Friday morning, and after meeting up with our friends and a good lunch we headed to the harbour. Our friend kept us in the dark what kind of floating device will act as our mode of transport, and the more surprised we were as we walked up to a beautiful wooden boat:

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My friend's boat.

We stored our gear in the boat, and soon we land-rats were on the lake, wind in the hair and sun shining down on us. We picked up a friend and his son on the way and then headed to the island where we stayed for the night, Selkäsaari. Walking up from the dock we saw the lean-to shelters in which we slept. We started a fire and then exercised by playing Crocket/ Cricket.

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The lean-to shelter in which we slept.

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Pancakes...

After pancakes, sausages and corn we started to build the Sauna. It was a laborious undertaking and lasted the whole evening, but if you're blessed with a beautiful sunset these tasks take a backseat and one sits down to enjoy the nature.

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The Sauna, early work in progress.

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My girlfriend keeps on saying "This just remembers me of Lapin Kulta."

We went to sleep around 1.30 o'clock and continued the work in the morning, after a delicious breakfast it went fast and soon we head it ready.

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Benches, stove, framework for the tent.

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My Hand-made Sauna ladle of birch bark.

The Sauna was excellent, together with a cool beer and good conversations and the swim in the lake in between. We had a rest in the sun afterwards, and then started to disassemble the Sauna tent. A late lunch before heading back to the city by the same beautiful boat ended this trip, which we truly enjoyed. Sometimes you don't need to hike for kilometers to reach a beautiful place, but just need to hop on a boat and drive for a short while =)