Norway and Sweden are a true paradise for camping lovers. They provide the most freedom in daily distances, especially when you also camp in the wild.
A few practical camping tips.
The prerequisites for a practical tent, are very personal. For camping in Norway and Sweden, two aspects are not a necessity, but useful nonetheless.
- A tent that can stand in its own right without the need for herrings. When camping in the wild, you cannot always choose the surface that you can stand on. With a freestanding tent, you can pitch it on a stone underground. Your tent could even be pitched in side a shelter (Norwegian: gapahuk, Swedish: vindskydd) where the tent is useful to keep bugs and bad weather outside the tent.
- A tent of which you put the outside up first and then the inside. Very usefull with rainy wheather. This way you can keep your stuff dry while pitching or breaking down the tent.
- Always check the tent in advance, that the tent actually is really waterproof and can withstand hours of rain.
It can get very chilly at night. A sleeping bag with a comfort temperature of at least 5 degrees centigrade is best suited. If you have a thinner one, you could consider a (silk) liner for your sleeping bag.
When traveling in June, take into account that it will not get very dark at night. A sleeping mask could help to keep your biological clock ticking correctly.
For a gas stove: gas cans with a screw-on connector are a bit more expensive, but with the availability at outdoor shops, DIY stores and even some gas stations and campings, the availability is very good. It is always a good idea to have one spare with you.
For a multi fuel burner: gasonline, diesel, spirits, (denaturert sprit)) and parafin (lampe parafin) are available at gas stations. At outdoor, hunt and angler shops, there are the more (pricy) bottles with fuel for sale from brands like Optimus, Primus and Coleman available.
Tip Do you go to Norway and/or Sweden by plane? Fuel can not be brought on the plane. You should buy it after arrival at your country of choice.
Here you'll find some useful websites and apps for cycling holidays in general.
Staying the night in general
- Camping sites: You can use a search engine of your choosing. (tip: have a look under 'Useful apps')
- Warmshowers
- Cycleplanet
- iOverlander
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
Stay the night in Norway
Staying the night in Sweden
Useful apps
- UT: overview of routes and DNT-huts
- Cycleplanet: meet other cyclists, find place to stay the night. Unfortunately, the map of Norway is still empty! But you can help to fill the map with useful information.
- iOverlander: overview of the most useful places for travelers (‘overlanders’) like camping in the wild or other places to sleep, drinking water and restaurants.
- Archies: one of the most complete apps with camping sites.
