OUR TRIPS
Tour tips
Jon’s best travel tips
Saty warm.
In order to have a good trip and a nice experience when traveling in winter, it is important to find the things that make you comfortable.
If you manage to stay warm and comfortable, you will see that you will be able to enjoy the trip even more. It’s a lot about finding the things that make life easier.
Here I have therefore collected a couple of my tips for how to engage in winter outdoor activities!
Drawstrings on the trousers
Many trousers and jackets come without a strong cord on the zippers. This makes it difficult to use them and you therefore often end up taking your mittens off, which is stupid. Therefore, tie small extensions with rope and a knot that makes it easy to get hold of them with the mittens. It makes the whole thing both easier and more efficient.
Vapor barrier
The feet are one of the most important things to take care of on a trip. Our feet can quickly get cold, but we also sweat a lot when we walk. A tip to keep your ski boots dry is therefore to use a vapor barrier. Vapor barrier is a plastic membrane that prevents your sweat from getting into the ski boot and making it damp. When using a vapor barrier, the ski boot thus remains dry throughout the trip, which is an advantage when it is very cold. A vapor barrier can be something as simple as a shopping bag from the store. Put a thin wool sock on the inside of the foot, then a plastic bag followed by a thicker wool sock. In this way, the sweat collects in the thin sock, which is easy to dry when you get to camp. The thick wool sock and ski boot stay dry. It can be uncomfortable to use at first, but you quickly get used to it.
Don’t drop the mittens..
It is often windy in Svalbard and this places some demands on the control of the equipment. Therefore, have something to hook the mittens or gloves to your body when you take them off so that you don’t fall into the trap of putting them on the ground. Either a small carabiner or a lanyard for the body/wrist.
Liners and mittens
When it comes to hands, my best tip is to always keep them covered. Bare skin can quickly be damaged, either by cold and wind or by touching metal or the like. Always carry a good pair of gloves for when you have to work with your hands, as well as a good pair of mittens. My tip for you is to wear a pair of thinner woolen gloves, so-called liners, on your hands inside the mittens. This means that when you quickly have to work with your hands, you are still protected and an extra layer of wool keeps you warm.
Don’t sweat, so dress in layers.
Dress with wool on the inside, then a middle layer and windproof on the outside. This is a very simple and perhaps a well-known tip, but it is very important. This means that you can easily regulate and therefore avoid sweating. Sweat can quickly cool you down when you stop and therefore it is not good to sweat too much. You can also reduce the pace if you start to sweat too much.
Talkum
It is important to air and dry your feet when you arrive at camp. Keep a box of talcum powder in your toiletry bag when traveling and sprinkle the white powder over your damp feet. This absorbs all the moisture and it is a wonderful feeling to put on dry socks on a dry foot after a long day’s march. You can dry the thin woolen socks on your body while you sleep at night.
Brush
Take a small and simple brush with you on your trip. Melting snow quickly makes you wet and damp. In the Arctic, the snow is often dry and it is therefore easy to brush it away when it settles on clothes or things. A simple dish brush works perfectly. But also use it often, and get all the snow off your clothes and shoes. This way you will also stay dry.
TermokoppThermocup
Take a small thermos cup with you, then you can always have something hot to drink available, both when you walk, but also in camp. Hot and sugary drinks are very good on a trip, I myself like to have a cup of hot blackcurrant toddy handy.
Snack bag in the pocket
Without food and drink, the hero will not do. Food and snacks are very important on a trip. Whether you feel cold or you need a little extra energy to get up the last hill. Therefore, keep a small snack bag in your pocket that you can eat from whenever you want, without having to stop. It can contain whatever you want, but good tips are raisins, nuts, chocolate and wine gum.
Keep warm in the sleeping bag.
A good trip is often defined by how well you sleep at night. Therefore, have a good and warm sleeping bag and a good sleeping pad with you. But this does not hold in itself. A sleeping bag works like a thermos, if you’re cold when you lie down in it, it won’t warm you up. Therefore, take some time before going to bed to warm up your body with activity. Running, squats and push-ups are good exercises to get the body good and warm.
Hot water bottle.
A hot water bottle in the sleeping bag not only helps to keep warm, but also increases comfort in the sleeping bag! Use a bottle that can withstand hot water (e.g. a nalgene) and pour the boiled water into it. Then pull a sock or similar over it and place it next to your body in the sleeping bag. But remember to have something between the bottle and your body. Boiling water until the skin can become harmful.
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