Bicycle and equipment

The requirements for a tent depend heavily on personal preference. For camping in Norway, two features are very useful, though not strictly necessary:

• A freestanding tent that doesn't need tent pegs. With wild camping, you can't always choose your pitch. A freestanding tent means you can camp on stony ground too. You could even pitch it inside a shelter, where it can serve as a mosquito net or offer protection against cold and driving rain.
• A tent where you pitch the outer tent first, then attach the inner tent afterwards. This is a real asset in the rain, as it keeps your gear and your inner tent dry while you're pitching or taking down the tent.
• Always check your tent in advance to make sure it's genuinely waterproof and can withstand hours of rain.

Nights can be pretty cold. A sleeping bag with a comfort rating of 0°C should do the job. If you have a thinner sleeping bag, you could bring a (silk) travel sheet as well. If you're travelling in June, keep in mind that it barely gets dark at night. A sleeping mask can help you keep your body clock on track.

For gas burners: gas canisters with valves are expensive but easy to find, available at outdoor shops, DIY stores, some petrol stations, and occasionally at campsites. It's always worth carrying a spare canister. For multi-fuel stoves: petrol, diesel, denatured alcohol (denaturert sprit), and paraffin (lampe parafin) are all available at petrol stations. The pricier Optimus, Primus and Coleman fuel bottles can also be found at outdoor, hunting and fishing shops.

Tip Flying to your starting point? You can't take fuel with you on a plane, so buy it once you've arrived.

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

• DNT
• Map overview of gapahuk (shelters)
• Tips voor camping in the wild in Norway

Staying the night in Sweden

• Map overview of vindskydds (shelters)
• Tips for camping in the wild 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.