Many years ago, I lost my heart to hiking, but with two small children, the dream of long treks seemed distant. The solution was ultralight gear, which made it possible to pack for myself and the kids. Follow our story of an unforgettable 19-day trip on the 110 km long Kungsleden in Sweden—a tale of adjusting our pace, finding joy in simplicity, and proving that adventure doesn't have to wait.
I was introduced to hiking many years ago and was instantly sold. I managed to hike in Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, and Lebanon, but it wasn't long before I had children and my hiking dreams faded into the background.
From the World's Mountains to Shelter Trips with Kids
As the children got older, we went on tent and shelter trips, but I was alone with them and couldn't see how I would manage to carry everything if I were to go hiking with the kids. I thought hiking would only become a part of my life again once they were grown up.
In the winter of '23/'24, a kind employee at the store Eventyrsport made me aware of ultralight backpacking, and I joined the Danish Facebook group of the same name. It was fascinating to see how light backpacks could be, and it opened the door for me to go hiking with my children.
Three in a Two-Person Tent
In the summer of '24, I went on a short test trip with the children. We used the gear we had from my previous hikes and the tent and shelter trips we had been on together. To be able to carry it all, we could only be away for a single night. The three of us slept in a two-person tent on terrible 20-year-old sleeping pads, and we had no room for any clothes other than what we were wearing. Luckily, the kids loved the trip and wanted more. Therefore, I started investing in lightweight gear so we could go on longer and more advanced hikes.
The Dream of Kungsleden: 110 Kilometers Ahead
Our first big trip was planned for Kungsleden in Northern Sweden in the summer of 2025. We had 19 full days up there, and the dream was to walk the 110 km from Nikkaloukta to Abisko. Even though we had been on several smaller trips, I had no idea if we would succeed or how long it would take. I thought that with plenty of time, we would be free to take it as it came. We ended up spending 17 days on the trail and 2 days in Abisko after we finished.
On the Kids' Terms: Short Stages and Long Breaks
The trip went extremely well. We had fantastic hiking weather, and the area was indescribably beautiful. My son was very enthusiastic about the trip, but my daughter was a bit more out of her comfort zone. Fortunately, she became more and more comfortable and happy with the trip as the days went by. To ensure she thrived, we took our time. Most days we walked about 7 km, but our shortest day was down to just 3.5 km. In addition, we took 4 full rest days where we didn't walk at all.
My son and I definitely slept best in the tent, but my daughter really needed to be indoors, so we slept 6 nights in cabins. This was often in connection with our rest days, where we played cards, relaxed, and enjoyed the sauna in the evening.
In Abisko, we had 2 days before we had to go home. One evening, we went up Mount Njullá to see the midnight sun. It had been hiding behind the mountains while we were on the trail, so it was beautiful and exciting to finally see it.
The Gear That Made the Difference
The sponsorship from Loow meant a lot to us. I had to buy a lot of gear from scratch, and through the sponsorship, my son and I were incredibly well-equipped with everything from socks and underwear to t-shirts, sweaters, beanies, etc. All the clothing from Loow worked really well. It kept us warm in snow and cold, and cool when we hit a heatwave during the last days of the trip. We only washed socks and underwear along the way, but even though the t-shirts and sweaters were worn for many days in a row, nothing started to smell. We just aired them out whenever we could. We can definitely recommend Loow's products for hiking in both hot and cold weather.
Other gear: not all the gear was ultralight, but it was light enough for us to carry everything and food for 4 days. I have made a packing list that can be seen here.
