So the plan I had put together for the three of us in late August was to walk an average of 12 miles a day, covering a circular route which would eventually bring us back to the metro station where we had started from. Kitted out with the Kimba Lite Jacket, Compresslite Jacket and the Kiwi Pro Lite Trousers, I was ready to tackle whatever the Norwegian wilderness was going to throw at me!
Hiking several miles every day was very enjoyable, waking early in the morning as the sun was breaking across the lakes we camped by, and hitting the trail not long after to give ourselves enough time to get to where we wanted with enough time to spare. Weight meant everything, as we wanted to travel far and fast, and we had a tight schedule, because once we began our circular route around the lake systems there was no way of shortening them if we wished to. So the equipment was as light weight as possible and I was carrying as little as possible, on the first day my pack was weighing in at 13.3kg, which I thought was a good starting weight considering I’ve never been able to get that low before!
The Kiwi Pro Lite Trousers have been a fantastic pair of trousers ever since I received them. Having used them on several trips, they are now my go to pair of walking trousers! They breathe well and the favourite feature for me is the fact that you can get them soaking wet and they’ll dry after 10 minutes of walking. I also find it extremely handy that I can roll them up and they don’t get tight where the roll is, so I have trousers and shorts in one without messing around with zips.
We climbed several peaks, in the aim of enjoying the view and getting some good content. The Kiwi Pro Lites performed flawlessly going up steep inclines with the stretch panels on the knees. I also found the zipped pockets particularly useful as it meant I could carry my camera and phone, for quick deployment, without the risk of them falling out.
It took a long time for it to get dark in an evening due to the huge lake systems reflecting light, and when the moon came up it gave off a surprising amount of light so it was never truly dark. The evenings and mornings were chilly dropping about 4 degrees, so I was glad to have my Compresslite Jacket, which is now one of my favourite jackets, packed away in my pack. I have yet to get cold when wearing it. Having very similar properties as down, I found this jacket very cosy when sitting around camp, I also wore it to sleep in a few times as it’s basically a wearable sleeping bag!
The Norwegian Wilderness is pristine and beautiful; we walked and walked, not seeing another soul for 3 days. Getting lost deep in the dense forests where we found old log cabins that looked like they had been abandoned for years, and areas of woodland that seemed like they had never been trod in by another human being.
We had absolutely glorious weather all week, after speaking to a few Norwegian campers we found out that we pulled very lucky and that the past few weeks had been awful weather. So as the week went on I didn’t think I’d get chance to use my Kimba Lite Jacket, which I was kind of sad about as I wouldn’t have minded a mix of weather conditions. That was until on the last night, when we watched the rain clouds move over us and before we knew it, we were in the middle of the biggest thunder storm I have ever witnessed. It was directly above us, with the loudest, deepest sounds I’ve ever heard. Then the wind picked up, and being on the edge of the lake for the beautiful view, meant the wind tour through our camp.
The sky lit up with lightning as I threw my waterproof on to tackle the storm. I battened down the hatches as quickly as I could, trying to avoid as much rain as possible getting into my shelter. Being as it was early, once I had sat out the worst of the storm, I decided to spend some time outside even though it was still raining. I don’t mind bad weather as long I’m equipped for it, I’d even say I enjoy the change. So I went for a walk until it was time to settle down for the night. The Kimba Lite worked wonderfully, it’s a lovely style of jacket, not too big and not too small. The pack ability again is fantastic, as a waterproof is something that you may not even use on a trip, so you don’t want it taking up too much space in your pack, however, when you do need it you need it to count!
Overall we had a fantastic trip that ran very smoothly! I thoroughly enjoyed the peace and solitude of the Norwegian wilderness; I plan on returning many more times to explore the vast forests they have there further. However, ensuring you have equipment you can rely on is important if you plan on leaving the comforts of civilisations for long periods of time.
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