Hi...I am starting the Kings Trail from Abisko to Kebnekaise in Sweden next week. And I am all set to go, with tent and food etc. However, I don`t know if it is possible to buy the Primus screw on gas on route? I wondered if anyone knows. I have spoken to several people who have done the trek...but nobody knows if you can buy the gas and if so where.
Any info would be greatly appreciated, because this is essential info for me, because I don`t want to have to carry 2-3 gas cartridges if I can help it. I heard that you can cook in the lodges, but I want to avoid this and only use it as a last resort.
A bit late as you've already been there and done that but the answer is yes you can buy gas canisters at some of the huts on the Kings Trail. Certainly at Sälka and I'm pretty sure we saw some at at least one more of the huts doing provisions.
I learned the hard way, carried 3 cartridges from the start at Abisko and when we got to Kebnekaise we had 2 and a bit left over. Ok, we did in fact use the facilities at the lodges sometimes, worth the money to pitch the tent near the lodge and pay the small fee to use the facilities and cook in the hut. It was worth it to get away from the mosquitos, some of which were as big as chickens, 2 or 3 of them could drain a grown man for blood in no time.
Next time I go that way I'll also take less food as they did in fact have a good selection and reasonable prices, again Sälka was the best (also the best sauna!).
I'd be interested to hear how it went. We were there, on the the TBT but continued to Abisko. Virtually no prob with mossies, and that was only south of Narvik later, at low level by a lake on Day 1 of that second part (no - third - we'd spent a few days around Abisko too. We had the first 3 1/2 weeks of Sept - really good weather, dry almost all the time, lovely colours.
Returning to the thread, albeit too late for MK, we got screw top gas in Abisko, no prob, exceptthey were out of the 250s. Screw-on stoves on 500s are a bit dodgy!
Mich and Ken - we're wondering about doing the KT this autumn, perhaps the same weeks as we did the TBT and around Narvik and Abisko two years ago - the first three and a half weeks of Sept. I would be interested to hear your accounts - did you write them up?
Re huts - are there any free ones along the way? We tend to camp, but it's nice to use huts very occasionally - but not at Norwegian prices!
I haven't written mine up but can give a quick summary :
My wife and I flew from Malmo in south Sweden to Kiruna via Stockholm. We live in Denmark so are a little bit closer than you are in the UK. Malmo is a short drive across the bridge from Copenhagen. From Kiruna we took the bus to Abisko and spent the night at Abisko Tourist Station before starting the hike the next day on 4th July.
This was our first go at such a long hike and in such a remote area, so we decided to play it very safe and didn't stray from the main trail at all. We also took it relatively slowly.
We camped half of the time near a hut, half of the time on the fell inbetween huts. We did spend one night inside at Tjäktja which is at an altitude of 1000 metres near the top of a mountain pass and not a nice place to pitch a tent. Swedish huts are even more expensive than than the Norwegian ones. You can save some money if you have an International Youth Hostels membership, worth considering if you plan on using them. When we camped near the huts we paid to use the facilities, about SEK 60 I think it was.
We spent a few days near Kebnekaise and the last night inside. We cheated by taking the helicopter from Kebnekaise to Nikkaluokta., price SEK 600 but you save a days trekking through boring low territory (and my first time in a helicopter so just had to do it).
You obviously have more experience than we did so maybe you should think of an an alternative route rather than staying 100% on the trail. KT is a bit like a 4-lane motorway in places. For example: Abisko, Abiskojaure, Unna Allagas, Alesjaure, Vistas, Nallo, Sälka, Kebnekaise.
We are going back again this year, last 2 weeks in July. This time we're taking the train all the way. I've just started planning the route so it isn't settled yet but it will certaily be different to last year.
Ken, that's really helpful - thanks very much. Sounds much busier than the Troms Border Trail. What is the scenery like? Not sure where Sarek Nat Pk is in relation to what you did - did you go thru it? It looks pretty good on the photos!
There was an article in 'The Climber' in 1965 about the KT which inspired me to go the following year, my first ever trip abroad. Boat from Hull to Gothenberg and then train. No cheap flights in those days. Got the local train to Gallivare. Walked from the Stora Sjoffalet National Park up to Abisko via Kebnekaise. Went in September. I remember beautiful Autumn colours and one day of snow. Not many people about but even then more on the Kebnekaise Abisko section. No screw top cylinders - hadn't been invented. It was expensive even in those days, especially for hard up students splashing out their summer earnings. Could just afford to buy a packet of blueberry soup at the huts.
Returned again in the 1980s and walked up through the Padjelanta NP. Finished where previous trip started. Went in July. Colours not so interesting, warm weather, mosquitos but not too bothersome. Still magnificent scenery.
Both trips stayed at huts not carrying any camping material whcih meant more capacity for food. In fact for Padjelanta carried 10 days worth.
If you go into Google maps and zoom in, the first names which appear include Sarek , Padjelanta and Gallivare so you see the positional relationship between them.
Pedro - many thanks. How did you find the scenery? And was it very busy then? Slightly put off by Ken's comments above re crowds - the TBT was very quiet, as were the Mountains of Narvik and the area south-west of Abisko we spent a few days in.
The main differences between my first trip and second from a scenic point of view was that on the first trip we were tending to walk up valleys between mountain peaks whilst Padjelanta is more a high level plateau (level walking) with mountains doted about. In neither case were we going over ridges into the next valley as one would in the Alps/Pyrennes. At one point in Padjelanta we climbed partly up a mountain and looked down into Sarek -now that looks wild!
As for crowds, the first trip we did not see many people except at Kebnekaise. Often we we had huts to ouselves. Mind you it was 40 years ago after the peak season. In Padjelanta we saw more people but I would not say it ws crowded.
Re huts - are there any free ones along the way? We tend to camp, but it's nice to use huts very occasionally - but not at Norwegian prices!
As you already have been told Rob, the prices are even higher in Sweden. Quite often they are twice the price! After a long hike using STF-huts you will learn what expensive really means. But wine and beer is cheap in Sweden, half of norwegian prices. Maybe it equals up in the end.
Thanks all! Interesting re huts - must be scary prices. But we did find a few free ones in Sweden, but used them hardly at all. Nice to find, though. And one came just when needed, on the only really dull, damp evening, where the camping opportunities were very limited.
Maybe it equals up in the end.
