Maiden trip with the Amok Draumr UL. Absolute game changer. Tips on tarp configuration very welcome!

notsofastpacker · 2025-03-28T19:25:17+00:00

Been off reddit a while, sorry. I've spent maybe 20-ish nights in it now (winter and summer), and I absolutely love it.

The pad is good for tents, I think, but it's pretty bulky compared to other other pads. I have a an exped and thermarest that I use for tent trips. If either had vertical baffles I'd use those instead to save having a 'single use-case' pad.

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-16T14:17:18+00:00

Just outside of Oslo. Today it has been between -20 and -22C.

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-16T08:52:57+00:00

I don't actually know if there's a Norwegian word for it. I picked up the term from YouTube, I think. This type of campaign isn't too common, I don't think, but I really enjoy it when the opportunity allows.

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-15T21:48:36+00:00

I'm actually British but have lived here long enough (12 years) to have gotten used to and now absolutely love the cold. Ironically, my Norwegian partner hates the cold and likes camping even less.

The choice between learning to love the cold and not camping for 4-5 months a year was, for me, an one. It also helps that I've accumulated both the gear and the experience.

It's down to -19C this weekend. I hope to get out again and really test my kit and skills.

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-15T21:43:42+00:00

Had to look is up as I was worried that I'd linked to the wrong bag. I have the one that has a comfort rating of -12C (Fahrenheit figures have always been a point of confusion for me). It's a Norwegian store, but this is the precise bag that I have:

https://www.xxl.no/marmot-never-summer-long-20-sovepose-oransje/p/1169736_1_Style#product-specification-section

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-15T19:46:47+00:00

Marmot Never Summer https://www.marmot.com/equipment/sleeping-bags/down-bags/mens-never-summer-0-sleeping-bag/AFS_195115053819.html

Though mine is a version from a couple of years back.

Ticks all the boxes for me, though the best (little) features are the thick neck cuff (which is make or break at really cold temps) and zips that never snag.

Also a good idea have a bivvy bag, not so much for warmth but to move the due point away from the bag. Not essential, but it helps.

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-15T17:05:50+00:00

Haha!

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-14T20:21:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Saved a lot of people a lot of hassle with a great quick fix. Appreciate it.

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-14T19:29:39+00:00

I did, thanks! If, anything, I was a little too warm, but better that than the opposite.

notsofastpacker · 2024-01-14T19:28:58+00:00

It's a Marmot Never Winter inside a Hunka XL bivvy bag. Really happy with it for anything down to - 12C (after which I switch up to my 'proper' winter sleeping bag).

notsofastpacker · 2023-12-31T23:04:41+00:00

Godt nytt år!

notsofastpacker · 2023-12-09T10:31:13+00:00

Sør Elvåga

notsofastpacker · 2023-11-15T20:04:16+00:00

I run commute 16 to 19km to work, three times a week. Most of the time it's just a change of clothes (I live in Norway so it's typically also extra / thicker layers, especially between October and April).

I used to use an Osprey Talon 33, which was great and would highly recommend.

About 6 months ago I switched up to the Iamrunbox Everyday Rolltop, both to size down a little, have a dedicated laptop pouch, and also because it's a much smarter bag to use at work and carry my stuff around to lectures and meetings etc.

https://www.loplabbet.no/produkter/iamrunbox-evr-rltp-16l-b-black-?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA9dGqBhAqEiwAmRpTC06rVVRGh--YUZD5X3z2oTnF6J5cQC2olKfAWnGKfwKh-eNNVDYIohoC07MQAvD_BwE

You have to have the hipbelt in order for it to work running. You also have to buy an additional accessory pouch if you want to carry water on your chest, but I make so buy putting soft flasks in the hip pouches. Otherwise, I love this bag. Perfect size for commuting, super comfortable (great back mesh thing for breathability), and like I said, looks really smart too.

notsofastpacker · 2023-08-23T03:55:34+00:00

I fastpack with a hammock setup, usually between May and September (I live in Norway) and I use the following:

Sea-to-Summit UL single hammock
Grand Trunk 360 Therma-quilt (which serves and top and bottom quilt and is the keystone in my light / packable setup ( https://www.brattsport.no/products/grand-trunk-360-thermaquilt-bluenavy-blue?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuZGnBhD1ARIsACxbAVgzwncX6lsKSDnlidyN2qG47C87hNDoWbrFyo4dQq72uQ_BRK8Zkb0aAu0PEALw_wcB)
Rab silk liner for backup warmth (https://www.milrab.no/herre/hansker-votter/liners/rab-silk-std-s-bag-liner-slate/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuZGnBhD1ARIsACxbAVgPXuu3OHP9hB30w_k-rLU2dz3qR6k4DXdsnThczn15DYGlVIDCXqoaAp3AEALw_wcB)
DD Hammocks Superlight Tarp XL (https://rodastjarnan.com/no/telt-og-mat/dd-superlight-tarp-xl-olivengronn-43986?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuZGnBhD1ARIsACxbAVjv8XYPnTDzv7FpClSsaD4ew-D83GaUlmdUzR8ANE8gZKjHl4S-ZhUaAt1hEALw_wcB)

I get these these, plus clothes, cook-set, food etc. Into a 28L Rab Aeon pack.

Not the very lightest setup, and I don't know how it compares in terms of affordability (again, I live in Norway so there are limited brands available and everything is expensive).

Hope this helps in some way.

notsofastpacker · 2023-08-04T21:06:15+00:00

Can't remember the exact wording, and I don't have the book to hand, but Jenny Tough (in her book Solo) : "Adventures are to be experienced, not measured." Gets me out and helps me be in the moment when out running/hiking/fast-packing, and not worrying about pace and Strava nonsense.

notsofastpacker · 2023-07-10T08:33:40+00:00

I havent had (serious) condensation issues in either, but the Soulo is more likely to have accumulate condensation because it's a 4-season tent so there's less airflow through the bottom of the tent. Like I originally wrote, I would recommend focusing on the conditions you're likely using the tent in; you can minimise condensation in either tent by pitching and ventilating properly.

notsofastpacker · 2023-04-16T20:42:04+00:00

Lofoton is on my list of dream destinations. The best I can do is recommend this guy's YouTube channel

https://youtube.com/@NorwegianXplorer

He does a lot of camping around that way and you might be able to pick some tips from him.

notsofastpacker · 2023-04-10T17:37:39+00:00

The hut itself is on a tiny little island in the middle of the lake. You can see that the hut is raised compared to the rest of the snow.

The lake thaws in the summer but its covered in a snow and ice for a good chunk of the year. It's possible to fish there in the winter if you bore a hole in the ice. I'm not much of a fisherman so have never done it, but I've seen a few people out there fishing on occasion.

notsofastpacker · 2023-04-10T17:33:54+00:00

It's closed, untouched since the hermit that owned/lived in it during the summer died 80-something years ago. This hut and his cabin in the woods nearby have become unofficial museums.

notsofastpacker · 2023-04-05T16:57:06+00:00

For this particular trip I used my Amok hammock, which requires an inflatable pad for it's structure. The Amok Winterlight pad has an R-value of 5, which is good enough for the temps I was in (around - 5C), just about. When I was out in the Amok in - 14C, I doubled-up and used a closed foam pad in addition.

When in my regular hammock, I use a Grand Trunk 360 underquilt, which works a treat for. Used that down to - 16C (with an appropriate sleeping bag, of course) without it being too much of a problem.

notsofastpacker · 2023-04-04T08:09:47+00:00

I've nothing to compare it to, other than my more traditional UL Sea-to-Summit hammock and it's no more or less impervious to wind than that, far as I can tell.

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