u/DKhike

I'm working on a lightweight 2–3 season clothing system with an emphasis on multi-use items, flexibility, and low pack volume. Some of these items I've already tested, while others are still works in progress. I'd appreciate any feedback, especially from people hiking in climates similar to Scandinavia

Conditions:

I live in Denmark and mostly do weekend trips in Southern Scandinavia, plus a few 1–2 week trips abroad each year.

Typical conditions:

•Mild temperatures. Often humid, windy, and rainy

•Camping season roughly March–December

•Long pants are comfortable most days

I'll be hiking the northern part of Kungsleden next week.

My Typical temperature range:

•2–35°C overall

•Most often 5–15°C

I overheat easily, so my goal is maximum breathability and layering flexibility while keeping weight and pack volume low.

I do not bring everything listed below on every trip.

Already Tried:

•Shorts + synthetic leg sleeves. The sleeves constantly slid down and needed adjustment.

•Rain skirt. Didn't really like it.

Looking for feedback on the following:

•My biggest challenge is finding a good combination of long pants, shorts, and either wool or synthetic bottoms for temperatures ranging from very hot to quite cold - such as Swedish Fjall weather where it can be unpredictable.

•Lightweight wool bottoms seem surprisingly difficult to find (at least where I live). Recommendations welcome.

•Good lightweight synthetic bottoms to pair with shorts?

•How do you layer multiple Alpha pieces (e.g. Alpha 60 + Alpha 90), and in what conditions?

•I've never tried a sun hoody. Not sure if I need one or whether additional layers are needed underneath. So far, sun sleeves have been sufficient

Any other tips on multi-use clothing items are very welcome.

Current System:

Head

•Synthetic cap – 70g

•Towel (80 × 40 cm) – 35g

 •Can be worn under the cap for additional sun protection

 •Used for drying off and wiping tent condensation

 •I prefer this over a cotton bandana

•Yamatomichi One Hood – 27g

 •Preferred over a buff because it isn't constricting around the neck

 •Can be used as a sleep mask

 •Can be worn over an Alpha hood while sleeping

Upper body

Sun Protection

•Sun sleeves + wool T-shirt

 •Sun sleeves approx. 30g

 •Used mainly in temperatures above ~28°C

Baselayer

•Wool baselayer (long or short sleeve depending on season) – 150–220g

 •I generally don't like synthetic tops for multi-day trips

Midlayer

•Yamatomichi Alpha Kangaroo Vest – 96g

•Yamatomichi Alpha Sleeves – 40g

 •Used with the vest

 •Can double as sleep socks

 •Less shoulder coverage than a traditional midlayer

•Yamatomichi Active Fleece (Primaloft Active) – 148g

 •Great when temperatures are consistently around 10°C or below

•Alpha 60 Hoodie – (weight not measured)

 •Usually used for sleeping

 •Can replace the Alpha vest + sleeves when temperatures drop

Camp Insulation

•Puffy jacket – 250g

 •Considering replacing it with a wearable quilt such as the Ice Flame NXT poncho quilt for -2C comfort seems like the only options. Liteway has a similar quilt for +4 but it is almost the same weight as the -2C comfort in both their own brand and the Ice flame.

Outer Layer

•Rock Front Silpoly Rain Hoody – 130g

 •Not really a multi-use item

 •Could potentially be replaced by a poncho, but bug pressure and ticks are common where I hike. I prefer single-wall tents as I habe managing and setting up both outer and inner tent.

•Cheap rain poncho – 25g

 •Mainly used during peak summer

Bottoms

•Yamatomichi 5-Pocket Pants – 250g

 •Quite wind-resistant

 •I tend to overheat in them above ~18°C

•Yamatomichi All-Weather Pants (2025 version) – 99g

 •Can function as hiking pants, wind pants, or rain pants

 •Slightly noisy fabric

 •Also used for my daily bike commute

•OMM Sonic Shorts – 26g

 •Extremely light, but no pockets.

•Wool bottoms – 400g

 •Current pair is too warm unless temperatures are below ~8°C

 •Looking for lighter alternatives

•Alpha 60 Bottoms – 99g

 •Currently used only as sleep/camp pants

Feet

•Nalekho Alpha Socks – 36g

 •Can double as mittens under rain mitts in near-freezing conditions

•Small plastic bag, can be used in camp if shoes are wet

•Trail runners

 •No plans to switch to sandals

•Merino socks

 •Liner socks on longer trips

 •Regular cotton/synthetic blend on shorter trips. No blister issues with this.

Hi,

I am hiking Kungsleden from Kvikkjokk to Abisko in July.

I have tried finding answers to these questions online, but it is not entirely clear to me.

- Seen a picture of the outdoor showers in the mountain huts. I can't really tell if you have a closed off space or not? I am trans and being completely naked in public is not safe for me.

- Sauna ettiquete. Is being completely naked a requirement or more a cultural thing? Normally in hotels in Sweden you are required to wear clothing. Trying to understand if I can bring a light pair of swim shorts or skip sauna entirely.

- Is it correct that you can only charge your devices like phone in the big mountain hotels, e.g. Kvikkjokk, Saltouloukta, Kebnekaise and Abisko? I won't have time for a detour to Kebnekaise.

- What size is the dry pasta sold in the hut shops? Is it like soup pasta? I would like to get away with using only a 750ml pot if I can.

- How many places can you get rid of your trash along the route? Is it also only by the bigger mountain hotels?

Hi, I've transitioned to floor sleeping in the last couple of months. My body has gotten used to it quick and I am currently sleeping comfortably on either my back and side on a thin summer duvet folded in half. My apartment gets boiling in summer, so it helps a lot with the heat.

However, in fall and winter my wooden floors get really cold despite heating the room as my apartment is over an uninsulated walkway. I don't think my floors get as cold as tile, but generally when sitting still my feet get cold after a while even when wearing slippers.

I am looking for tips to insulate against the cold when the weather gets colder without adding any hard materials such as wooden slats or tatami mats. I guess minimalist may be the wrong term here. I am looking for a non-padded setup. Only blankets and rugs, no matresses. I regularly hike and sleep in nature and use synthetic materials here to get to the lowest weight possible but at home I am trying to slowly move away from things that shed microplastics and want to build a setup without synthetics. Synthetic threads are ok.

Give me your best tips.

- Wool military blankets?

- Have you tried medical sheepskins?

- Any thin natural rolling mats that have insulating properties?

- I could perhaps compromise on a thin folding tatami or thin tatami squares, but several of these seem like they habe synthetic material underneath or are too thin to be insulating.

- I have had an electric heating blanket, but gave it away because it is synthetic and I rarely used it. Would rather not buy a new one.

I don't have a set budget - but I am in the EU. Don't mind ordering from outside the EU, but a lot of US shops don't send to the EU and I don't want to use a mail forwarding service as the cost on top of VAT and tolls simply is too high.

I have looking into buschcraft style bed rolls with a base of waxed canvas and a sewn in layer of wool. I think this could be nice to keep everything clean. However, from what I can read these are not insulating on their own. In nature, you need to lay close to a campfire probably wearing all your clothes. In moderate to warmer temperatures they probably feel cold.

Heya,

Cocoon company is a European company that sells kapok and natural latex mattresses. It is time for me to replace my old mattress, and I have one of their showrooms close by. A lot of their marketing revolves around mattresses for babies, but they also have adult sizes. I've been down their and tried both their mattresses and topper and quite liked how they felt. I haven't really been able to find any long term reviews of this brand ans wondering how kapok holds up over time?

I read their mattresses are overstuffed so they hold their shape for longer. Downside is that their 11 cm thick base mattresses aren't foldable and I'm unsure how to air them out in an apartment.

I'm currently sleeping on wooden floor on my old foam topper that I have folded in half. I let it air a bit in the morning and then pack it away in the closet. I still have my old bed and mattress for when my boyfriend comes over and sleeps at my place.