Packrafting In Glaskogen, Sweden. I had visited Glaskogen briefly when we where travelling through the area heading to Varmland for a Timber rafting expedition and thought I really need to come back. After all the time putting it off due to Covid and plenty of time spent planning the trip, finally we where there! If you looking to go packrafting in Sweden then you need to consider Glaskogen.
Getting to Glaskogen.
The nearest international airport is Oslo and with a ryanair flight with 20kg luggage (and the extra paid as I was over 20kg) it only cost £180 return.
You can then train and bus to the tourist info centre or the easiest way is to hire a car from the airport.
It only takes about 2.5 hours from Oslo and the roads are really good.
You also go passed a big shopping centre and System Bolaget if you need to stock up on food and drink.
For me though I was being picked up at the airport by Matty who I had met through a mutual friend. He had driven out from Wales as he was spending 6 weeks in Scandinavia (Lucky Git!).
Arriving at Glaskogen.
After stocking up on food (and snus) we arrived at about 14:00 and after purchasing our fishing card and camping licence, which cost about £150 per person, we started to pack our bags for the next 2 weeks.
A 2 week trip is a lot of gear, most of my weight was food and items to cook with.
You think that a packrafting trip will be light but add 2 weeks of food, fishing gear, packrafting gear and other camp essentials like an axe and saw, we where both pushing 20kg plus.
Packed and off we go!
Once we had found somewhere to stash Matty canoe as he had brought that with him and didn’t want to leave on the top of his van, we craned our bags on our backs and off we went.
The first leg was about an hours walk to Ristajamen which is a fairly narrow but long lake and as it was already about 15:00.
Setting up the packrafts at the portage point it made me think I would not like to be pushing and pulling one of the aluminium canoes that you can hire from the tourist centre along these routes.
Even though we where carrying quite heave packs it was still easier than pushing a canoe and in time we would get used to it.
The adventure begins.
Setting up the packrafts was fairly simple, the weather so far had been amazing and unknown to us for the rest of the trip it would be absolutely glorious.
I was paddling the MRS Microraft sent to me by the U.K. distributor, Paqualife.
The MRS Microraft is a perfect packraft for this sort of trip it had internal storage and comes with two long dry bags that clip inside, has a splash deck, skeg and is really well made.
Coupled with the Anfibio Boy Buoy inflatable jacket, and the wave lightweight paddle that was all I needed to get on the water.
Once all the gear was stowed inside the raft and my rucksack (which was to big to put inside) was put in a dry bag and attached to the front we where off.
Conditions where really good and the scenery was amazing.
Camp 1. Packrafting In Glaskogen, Sweden.
The first lake, Ristajem was fairly long narrow lake and an easy paddle.
Once we had passed under the road and onto Lelangen the first campsite marked on the map was only about 45 minutes on the right hand side.
We came across a very basic campsite, only 10 minutes into our paddle on Lelangen and chose to stop there for the night.
Once you purchase the map all of the Dano huts are marked, Each Dano hut is basically a wind shelter with a fire pit and most have a drop toilet.
Included in you camping card is the use of these huts, use of the fire wood (as collecting firewood is forbidden) and use of the toilets.
Our first night was not at a dedicated campsite but still a very beautiful place. It was the middle of June so it stayed pretty much light all night.
Once the sun had dropped it was a beautiful evening, Loons calling across the lake to one another, Osprey hunting and a Hoopoe seen in the trees.
This is one of the reason I fell in love with this part of the world, everything is so wild and so peaceful.
So, after setting up camp, I was sleeping in the One Tigris Backwoods Bungalow which turned out to be an absolutely perfect tent for this expedition.
A light weight summer sleeping bag by Fern and a Thermarest Sleeping mat.
We sorted out some food and sat back and watched the wildlife with a slug of Rum.
Day 2. Packrafting In Glaskogen, Sweden.
Day 2 started pretty early as they all do when camping. I’m an early sleeper and early riser which is perfect when the sun rises at about 04:00.
It was a little cold when I got out of my bag at 5:30 and plenty of biting insects about. I was so glad that I had brought my bug shirts with me.
Breakfast consisted of polar bread and squeeze cheese, a coffee and then it was time to break out the fishing rod and see what i could catch.
Fishing rod wise I had brought the brilliant X5 Adventure by Rigged and Ready. This rod is perfect for this sort of trip as it is small and really versatile. It can be fished as a bait rod, lure rod and also as a fly rod.
It comes with a fixed spool reel with a spare spool and a fly reel. Theres also a small amount of space in the rod tube for some gear.
So it started off pretty much like all of my fishing, 3 x lost lures, lost a fish and nearly fell in because I was wearing my camp slippers.
No fish caught, it was time to pack up and head further down the lake.
Once we set off we spent most of the morning not catching anything and then decided to pull up at the actually designated campsite for some lunch. By this time it was really warm.
As I hadn’t yet got into the swing of things, you know putting things in places where you can get to them easily. I had stowed my cook set inside my Packraft and couldn’t be arse to deflate it to get it out. So much was trail mix and a bag of Renjer Jerky.
We spent the rest of the afternoon not catching anything and we made our way to our campsite for the second evening.
Camp 2. Packrafting In Glaskogen, Sweden.
Arriving at the Dano hut for our second night we discovered an absolutely beautiful spot and the edge of a small bay.
It was sweltering hot so I was looking forward to a swim. We set up our tents, had some food and decided to walk to a small tarn for some fishing. The wasn’t much action on the surface so I doubted any of these lakes had Trout in them.
We spent the late afternoon catching small Perch from this lovely little lake (well Matty did I still caught nothing).
Coming back down to the Canoe hut I spent some time swimming and then decided to inflate the MRS packraft and head out with the fishing rod.
Still managed to blank but I sat in the sun, warm, with a can of beer in my hand just listening to the life on the water and in the surrounding trees.
I couldn’t have asked for more (well, a couple of fish would have been good).
Back at camp Matty had the fire going and it wasn’t long before I realised it was Midsummer Eve.
So out came the Rum and the Single Malt and the next thing it was one in the morning and we where pretty trashed cooking blueberry pancakes.
Day 3. Packrafting In Glaskogen, Sweden.
I woke at 5am absolutely freezing as id fell asleep (or should I say spun into a coma) in just my shorts.
My head was banging and when I saw the state of Matty he wasn’t much different.
It was at this point that i’d realised I’d got my dates wrong and in fact today was Midsummer Eve! (we’d have to do the same all over again tonight).
I had some breakfast which consisted of one of the Real Turmat Breakfasts and a swim to sort me out (which it didn’t)
Matty was asking if we wanted to have zero day and then he realised he was being a girls blouse so we started to pack up.
Todays paddle wasn’t very long at all, once we had crossed Lelangen to the portage point we came across another pack rafter coming the opposite way.
He had taken a different route to us and had come up from the South.
It wasn’t long until we had reached our put out and we had to pack everything away for land travel. My head was banging, it was going to be hot, the route was up hill and also not that short.
We got our heads down and started to make our way along the route.
We weren’t following the trail directly so we would have to look for either a place to camp or a put in onto Assjon.
The trail was fairly easy to follow and using the Outdoor Active App on my phone made it even easier.
We managed the up hill section not to bad and after a few stops as the bags where really heavy we finally started to descend down towards the lake.
Going down was a nightmare, they was so many ankle breakers (you know those hidden holes between rocks covered in moss) and with the added weight of a camel on my back it wasn’t easy.
Matty had found a campsite which was perfect and it wasn’t long before we where all set up, nappy nap initiated and awoke to perfect fishing conditions.
The sun had disappeared behind the clouds which gave us a little break as it had been about 28C all through the day.
I was feeling a bit dehydrated so spent some time filtering some water to rehydrate with on of the Real On The Go Energy drinks.
Finally a fish worth eating.
With rods in tow we started walking the bank of Assjon. Seeing so much signs of wildlife. From down Birch from Beavers, Ospreys circling above to the call of the Red Throated Divers.
Matty was the first to hook into a fish which was a Pike of a couple of pounds. The first decent fish and the first sizeable for eating.
I personally don’t mind eating freshwater fish. In the U.K. it’s not the thing to catch freshwater fish and eat it. In fact it’s frowned upon (although legally you can catch and keep freshwater fish as long as its in season and within size).
Here in Sweden as most of Europe its normal to catch and eat freshwater fish and this Pike was going on the fire.
Now, how to fillet a Pike, there’s a specific way due to the anatomy of a Pike. Pike have these big ‘Y’ bones and if not removed can be a nuisance.
So using the bush telephone AKA 4g signal Matty jumped on YouTube and watch a video how to fillet a pike whilst I made up the coating.
I generally take a few small bags with me for this reason.
- salt
- plain flour
- breadcrumbs
- dried egg
- old bay spice
Fish Coating
This recipe is fairly easy. It is always best to pre-salt freshwater fish for a while before frying.
Mix equal amounts of flour and breadcrumb, with a pinch of salt and teaspoon of Old Bay Spice.
Reconstitute a tablespoon of dried egg powder with 60ml of water ( I put it in a tiny tub and shake until all the lumps have gone).
Sprinkle the fish with some Old Bay Spice, dip into the egg, roll in the coating and add to a hot pan with some oil or lard, turning frequently and not burning it like below.
Very nice been looking for our next trip in Sweden after Rogen, this looks a bit easier to get to too
Yes it is. I was planning Rogen this year but as I didn’t visit the whole area I will head back to Glaskogen this year.
Hello,
I’m from France and loved your venture!
I didn’t quite grasp what you said in your video about wolves thag you lately saw during your first stay with family (timber rafti g)? Did you hear them or meet during your both expzditions?
Is it a big deal if i go there on my own from the point of view of wild animals ( wolves bear)?
We heard them in the distance. There’s no problem with wild animals at all. I’m heading back there in two weeks.
Lucky man what else to say, got approval from wife and children! . I’d been also mapping out my expedition till i had a terrible car accident so I resigned to watching merely your video.
So you think stumbling into wolves is more unlikely?
Also i’m not sure what you paid (camp + fishing) but looked into the matter and the camping is completely free. Fish.licence is still has to be paid?
To use the campsites in the park you have to pay but you can camp anywhere, the campsite have a fireplace and a store of wood and you have to pay for fishing.
You are heading to the same itinerary? Will you be alone or with someone? Do you think can do the trick or you don’t recommend?
Heading with a friend to a different area in the park.