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TENT(S)
Undoubtedly, one vital piece of equipment is the tent. Travel conditions can be pretty mild, like in 2006 and only rain during 3 nights, but several days of severe rain in a row are no exception.
From our first trip, we opted for a swedish-design tent, and don't regret the (heavy) expanse!
While we had tried fairly renowned tents in the US (even through tornado-strength winds) or Corsica, we find the Hilleberg are one notch above. Our first choice was the lightest (Nallo 2): light but sturdy, siliconed outer shell which is "totally" waterproof. Once Glenn joined us, we chose to add a larger tent, a Nallo3 GT. Using both gives us great space in normal conditions (2 in the Nallo3 GT and 1 in the Nallo 2), with the option of deploying only the Nallo3 in difficult weather. Remarkably, even the Nallo 3 GT is below 3 kg!
(looking up other sections of this web site, you will notice that the same tents were put to use in the southern alps -Mercantour-Argentera, when unusual weather had basically cleared the path of its usual crowds of visitors).
While they can be quickly set "in one piece", one nice facility is to put first the outer part of those tents, and to build later from the inside. This is useful as a temporary shelter (lunch time in hard weather), or as a quick way to secure things in case of sudden rain. For this reason, we usually keep at least one tent with inner and outer part separated. It is also obviously the case if we need to fold a wet tent: the inside stays dry in the tent bag, while the outer part is carried in a spare plastic bag.
SLEEPING
Sleeping bags and mattresses.
For mattresses, we use self-inflating units from a well-know brand, in the lightest version. They prove dependable, as long as one is careful to use them inside the tent only-- otherwise, be ready for some (laborious) repair.
For sleeping bags, we have each our preferences. These go from a comfortable goose down bag (1.4 kg), which expands in an impressive way once out of the bag, to a much lighter one (less than 1 kg) or a synthetic filling. The weather we met (our trips were this far in summer) was never exceptionally cold, but could go below freezing during some clear nights. This could require putting on some more clothing inside the lighter bag.
BACKPACKS
A lot of Swedish people use the traditional "external ladder" packs, particularly for very large loads. In our case, we had already some mountain-type internal frame packs (Lowe Alpine, in a range from 65 to 90 litres), which are perfectly convenient. Obviously, a rain cover (preferably the seamless, siliconed version) is needed, and it would even be better to have some extra fitting points to make sure it covers well less streamlined loads (for instance, when the tent has to be carried outside of the main pack). The loads can go heavy (ranging at the start from 15 to 27 kg some years !), and one needs to make sure that the harness is up to the task. We found that the more basic bag (with an old APS3 harness) was fine up to 16 kg or so, but became tiring around 20 kg. In this case, the extra weight of a more evolved harness is easily compensated by the carrying comfort it gives (the heavier bag uses a much stronger APS9 harness, in Lowe Alpine parlance).
COOKING
We use a simple, very light burner, adapted to the locally available gas cans (the threaded, Prius or Coleman type), rather than the more stable "Camping gas" set we have for the alps. The reason is simply that we cannot bring gas cans in the plane, and usually have to scramble to get the cans between the plane and the trailhead. Note that even these compressed gas cans are not necessarily the most available, as many people rely on alcohol (the legendary Trangia set).
We found that this burner lacks a bit in stability, specially atop a large can (even with the little plastic legs added to the can), and also that in even the least windy circumstances, it needs to be well sheltered. In ideal conditions however, the heating power is impressive. For our last 13 day trip (3 people), and with only minimal use of mountain huts (2 nights), we did not completely empty the 2nd large can we had taken along. Note also that with possibly cold nights, it could happen that the gas is too cold to actually light the burner - the answer is obvious, one of us places the can in the bottom of his sleeping bag!
CLOTHING
We use several layers, alone, or in combination according to the weather. A strong rain jacket (with membrane-based rain protection and a lot of ventilation openings for strong effort) is a need. Quick drying tops, convertible trousers are obvious. We always pack a "polar" sweater, and thermal underwear: to be used both as base layer in cold weather and as extra layer in the sleeping bag if needed. Overtrousers are a real problem: it is difficult to find something tough enough for the terrain we have to deal with, waterproof an breathing enough. We use light membrane-backed overtrousers. In "normal" temperatures, JM prefers to use them without other layer (or gets totally soaked!); he does the same for the raincoat -- an expeditive way to avoid the build-up of humidity in the (non-existent) lower layers!
In 2006, we experimented with stronger trekking trousers, rather heavy but stretching material, with a silicone-strengthened link to the shoe. They prove fairly convenient, even in warm conditions, but we did not experience the drenching test of the years before!
Many Swedes prefer to use rubber boots, or strong-soled high waterproof boots of some sort (these are widely available in Sweden, but not at lower latitudes). We are used to mountain-type boots with Goretex membrane (this needs very little maintenance, except for careful treatment with a water-based water repellent before and after the trip), and have always found it possible to get through that way, sometimes at the price of "sandal crossings", or of choosing our path accordingly. Just for reference, JM and GAF use Lowa Thibet shoes, while KBr uses a lighter shoe of the same brand.
River crossings can be challenging. The usual recommendation is to avoid crossing if the water gets above the knee. Even so, this is far beyond what shoes of any kind allow. We use rubber-based sandals (Teva or similar) for such crossings, and they double as an "after-walk" shoe. Other solutions could be light jogging shoes, there are also some suggestions of using neoprene socks (like those used by windsurfers), but since the crossings are usually limited, and although the water from melting glacier can be close to freezing, we never experienced any difficulties with the sandals. In any case, it is essential to use a stick as an extra support (or both walking sticks taken together).
At the beginning, the thought of using walking sticks may seem unappealing, and both JM and GAF resisted (the latter still does). Custom in Sweden seems to go for the use of a strong wooden stick. We had experienced before with the light telescopic aluminium-alloy sticks, and KBr would not do without. After some time JM got converted too, at least when lugging a heavy backpack. They can really be a big help in uneven ground -- not that the arms really carry part of the weight: those muscles are really no match for the tights! -- because they improve the lateral balance. By using very little strength on the arms, on can actually avoid most lateral/twisting effort on the knees, and the leg muscles are free to give their full power to the forward motion. For this reason, at least in the walking conditions we have (specially very uneven terrain on mountain slopes, going up and down though partly swampy ditches...a pair of sticks is much more effective than only one. Well worth the weight, thus! By the way, in stone fields with sizeable boulders, they can come in handy too ( although most people tend to give them up in such conditions): it is then a matter of placing them forward at with a large opening (45°) , and of using the very tough carbide tips on the granite rocks to gain stability.
NAVIGATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY
In clear weather, a lot can be done just from the topography, and the standard FJALLKARTA , although their scale is rather small (1/100 000) : further south, we are more used to 1/25000, but it is true that there are less intersections in Sarek than in Belgium! By order of importance, a compass comes next. Even if some sports watches have electronic compasses, a light, basic magnetic compass is a must (even the small gadget which clips on a wristband). A small lamp (those with white LED are light and consume little power) may come in handy, even if the days are long. An altimeter watch can also come to be useful: definitely in 2006, where we used it to choose to plot our itinerary between Sarek and Arasluokta.
This being said, we must confess to keeping a small GPS unit as a back-up. We use a Garmin Gecko, which weights less than 100g and is waterproof. It was bought in the US, where the price is markedly lower, for the same tool, than in Europe - a sad policy of Garmin. It also needed a bit of "improvement". It is indeed powered by holding for a few seconds a semi-recessed button. It turns out that this command is poorly designed, and the unit will turn on in the pocket. This is very inconvenient, as the battery life is then of the order of a few hours, while in normal condition, a set of 2 AAA batteries is much more than is needed for taking a few daily fixes. The simplest solution (apart from removing one of the batteries, as we had to do the first time) is to glue a small washer around the button, and to file it until the correct sensitivity is achieved. (we did this with a small O-ring from plumbing supplies). The accuracy is usually very good, and this gimmick is definitely a safety in overcast/foggy conditions.
We carry usually a pair of binoculars. Partly just for fun and watching scenery or animals, but sometimes used in scouting the ground ahead, or (in Norway) for spotting distant cairns.
As camera equipment, we stared with a light and compact Nikon SLR (F65), and then, after hesitation (we were worried about the batteries autonomy) moved to a digital D70. The latter turns out to have outstanding autonomy (we never had to use the backup battery, although we took from 300 to 500 photographs). The basic lens is a small zoom, but we also like to have a close-up device (either ring or additional converging element). When weight allows, or the prospect of wildlife is overwhelming (this is more in the Alps: Mercantour than in Sarek), we also take a 180mm telephoto and doubler. In general, reliability was good, except for 2006, where a stuck diaphragm on our only lens seriously hampered our picture-taking: fortunately, it was possible to spot this, and partially correct from the preview on the digital camera!