No 558 - Packrafting in Sweden - The River Kaitum

The Outdoors Station

This is part two of my conversation with Mark Waring regarding the joys of Packrafting and his 140km trip in 2022 along the River Kaitum in Sweden with fellow packrafters David Lintern and Debra West.

In the conversation he mentions that it involved a 2 day walk to the put in, some it along the magnificent Kungsleden Trail. Once they were on the water, the trip took on all kinds of grade challenges and mixed terrain as they portaged around the more turbulent and high water rapids

It all has the feel of a perfect combination for any multi-disciplined trip. A mix of challenging technical paddling, hiking through dense undergrowth and an assortment of magnificent camping spots on open planes and riverside. Plus a few days to take in the view from high peaks too.

In the interview Mark mentions his previous solo trip a few years earlier along the same route and this can be found on my website.

The map on the Kaitum which is mentioned and shown in the video can be found on my website.

As Mark mentioned in his first interview, Packrafting does indeed offer a unique viewpoint of remote terrain from the water. The penalty of the extra weight of paddling equipment is easily offset by the flexible access and ability not to be hemmed in by water. Be it lake or river.

Now you have the mix of lightweight camping and extensive travel in some cases, to remote locations or shores few others rarely have the chance to set foot on.

However it has to be said you need to expect the unexpected sometimes, as the freak weather conditions brought out the most vicious mosquitos they could possibly encounter. Plan for the worst folks!

There are a couple of centres in the UK run by accredited professionals where you can try Packrafting to see if you like it and maybe explore this pastime further which the guys recommend.

Snowdonia: https://www.tirio.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/tiri0/

Cairngorms: https://backcountry.scot/ https://www.instagram.com/backcountry.scot/

If you wish to contact Mark or David directly to ask further questions, please do so via Twitter for Mark and via David's website.

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