WORDS & PHOTOS:
JOHN R. DEAN AND
SAM N. DEAN
PACKRAFTERS:
JOHN R. DEAN AND
SAM N. DEAN
John R. Dean
Performance coaches take on packrafting: https://paddlerezine.com/spey-packrafting/
Packrafting in Sweden: The land of … lakes and islands
Scandinavians have different words for their way of life and for the enjoyment of the outdoors. A handy phrase that is used to describe this experience or activity is friluftsliv (pronounced free-loofts-liv). Suppose you are planning to visit and open a dialogue with a Scandinavian. It translates as ‘open air living’, a connection to nature, an enjoyment of spending time outdoors, and a sense of connection with the environment.
Indeed, it is not a new word at all; the word and its meaning were popularised by the Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen in the mid-1850s as a term to describe the value of spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing, which society now craves. So, in summer 2025, we set off on a grand expedition for some friluftsliv, with packrafts, a variety of camping kit (ranging from a tent, hammocks and tarps, sleeping bags, thermal underblankets, a wood-burning stove, camping stove and gas, a barrel for storing food) and two bikes.
We aimed to explore a lake system, an archipelago in the Baltic Sea, and a multi-day lake expedition in southern Sweden to explore the versatility and the essence of packrafting. The bikes were kept for an extra trip we added in Norway, which involved a train journey from Trondheim to Bodø, a ferry to the Lofoten Islands, and a bike-pannier camping trip in the Arctic Circle.
Our adventure started when we arrived at the LeShuttle around 18:30 on a Monday in August, to an empty parking lot and an electronic sign encouraging us to take the next train in 30 minutes. A dash around the empty waiting area and we are in the small queue for customs (UK and France) and joined the train. On exiting the train around 30 minutes later, we turn left (or east) and head off through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and finally ‘The Bridge’ into Sweden. After a stop-off at a Swedish supermarket for provisions, we arrive at our first campsite.
Lake Åsnen is located in southern Sweden, in the county of Småland. One of the many lakes in Sweden that claims to have 1000 islands, and it probably does. Within the lake, some areas are protected (nature reserves), but they are easy to navigate around due to the wide expanse of the lake. While we stayed on one campsite in the southern part of the lake, there were quite a few more, all with ready access to the lake. As the lake is part of a canoe trail, canoes (aluminium) can be hired at various locations. Fishing in the lake is also possible, though a license is required (you can buy one at camp sites). Although the lake is popular in summer (June/July), in August it is pretty quiet, so it is easy to find your own wilderness on and off the water.
We did two single-day paddles to test out the packrafts and ourselves and settle into the start of our trip. Our first trip from the campsite allowed us to explore an area around the Äskekulla nature reserve. The reserve is about 8 km north of Urshult in the Tingsryd municipality, an area noted for its fruit and meadow orchards. We did manage to buy fresh apple juice and honey from roadside stalls with honesty boxes for payment during an evening walk.
In our packrafts, we gently glided in and out of inlets, enjoying our first paddling of the trip. Our second day trip meant a short drive to see another part of the lake, with a launch at Bosgård, a paddle north along the itinerant canoe trail and after a leisurely lunch, a return to our starting position. Even though on both days the prevailing wind was a westerly, we found no difficulty in packrafting with a Beaufort force 3-4.
Sankt Anna Archipelago
A change of location and an opportunity to packraft on the Baltic Sea. We drove a few miles from our campsite to Tyrislöt, also a starting point for sea trips, via a small ferry and sea kayak hire. Launching near the jetty was easy, as it had a very small beach area. The initial breezy conditions (a westerly of 12-14 mph with gusts of Beaufort Force 4) allowed us to test our skills and navigate between islands.
Essentially, ferry gliding on a much bigger scale than on a river.
The packrafts handled the bouncy waves very well. The headwind just required a little thought about how to apply trim to assist our forward progress, as the area abounds with islands, from bare rocks just showing above the water to those with seasonal habitation in the form of the classic red-painted Swedish cabins. The variable landscape, inlets and reeds along the water’s edge, along with a variety of wildlife, including cows wading in the sea shallows, provided an enjoyable paddle in a fantastic island paradise.
For our second trip, we chose a different location along the Sankt Anna archipelago. This time, launching at Mons, a holiday community, but as we were out of season in mid-August, it was all very quiet. The holiday community on a small inland headland consists of typical red-painted Swedish cabins aligned in rows, with a restaurant and sea kayak hire business at the water’s edge. We had decided to test the adaptability of paddling a packraft by adding an overland portage to our day; this allowed us to change from one bay to another, overland.
The lightweight packrafts, along with refreshments (lunch, drinks, snacks) and some other kit (first aid, spare paddle, spare clothing, electric and manual pump, repair kit, toilet bag and sunscreen) allowed, with ease, a 1.2 km portage from one bay to another via a country track and rural lane.
While enjoying a floating snack and enjoying the quiet, isolated scenery, we discovered it is easy to make a packraft raft, simply by placing paddles across both decks and each of us resting a hand on them. A potential easy way to add a rafted sailing feature, using a downwind pop-up sail to aid the journey.
As the area is popular with sea kayakers, we would occasionally spot small groups of them, between the islands, either heading back to Mons or leaving for a trip around the islands. Afterwards, we had a chat with the owner of the sea kayak hire business and discovered we had something in common, we both loved the Rogen National Park area of Sweden, us for the canoeing and him for winter walking in the snow.
He informed us that people hire sea kayaks for day trips or multi-day expeditions (up to two weeks in some cases), given the large number of islands you can visit. Some of the islands are bird sanctuaries, and so you are forbidden to land. However, the owner provides maps to help you decide what direction you want to travel and which islands you might want to visit.
But the highlight of our on-the-water trip was weaving in between the islands, and then, as we rounded one rocky outcrop, we saw a white-tailed eagle (or as we refer to them, a sea eagle) sitting there on the next rocky outcrop. And what a size, it seemed huge as we were less than 10 metres away and it was taken by surprise. As the sea eagle launched from the rock, we sat motionless in our packrafts and watched it take off and fly towards another hunting ground.
Tiveden
One of the objectives of using packrafts was their inherent versatility for transporting not only a person but also kit. We had opted for an overnight trip to test whether we could carry all the extra camping gear. We needed to make sure we could transport with us food (breakfast, lunch and dinner), camping gear (tarps, hammocks, underblankets and sleeping bags), cooking facilities (Trangia, cups and cutlery) and spare warm dry clothing with the ability to handle whatever weather (dry, warm, cold, dry, wet as we had experienced them all on our trip to Scandinavia).
This 15 km designated canoe trail has picturesque lakes, connected by narrower waterways, and within its length, five portages, the shortest being 40 metres and the longest 400 metres, for a total portage distance of 965 metres.
All the food and cooking facilities were placed in a barrel with carrying straps that allowed easy, stable attachment to the packraft. A larger dry bag contained all the camping gear, except the tarps. The tarps were kept separate in a smaller dry bag for ease of access. This turned out to be particularly useful when it rained quite heavily at lunchtime.
Experimented
The use of a tarp (3×3 metres) created a dry space to make a hot drink and eat lunch. The other two dry bags contained personal hygiene items and spare clothing. We experimented with the best way to carry all the deck-bound drybags and the barrel to maximise paddling efficiency and provide comfort. As it turned out, the three smaller dry bags created a comfortable extended backrest.
Overnight tarp with hammock camping provided a dry environment for all eventualities, including wind and rain, as well as an area to store kit overnight in the lee of the tarp. The use of a thermal underblanket and a three-season sleeping bag created a warm overnight sleep area even when the night time temperature dropped to 8°C (in August).
The ease of carrying a packraft made portages easier. With the ability to transport the drybags/barrel effectively on the deck of the packraft, secured with rescue tape and carabiners, the trip didn’t feel like an endurance test but a country stroll. We are already looking forward to our next adventure.
And what about packrafts?
Their main advantage is their light weight (4.1 kg), making them highly portable. The fact that they only need to be inflated to around 1-2 psi can easily be done using either a manual bellows system (supplied by the manufacturer) or a small electric pump (Feather pump). It literally takes one minute to inflate the packraft. This means you get rapid access to the water from unpacking the raft to setting up and paddling off.
A disadvantage of the packraft is the high water-to-boat contact, making progress relatively slow compared to, say, a sea kayak. As these packrafts lacked a skeg or fin attachment, they required constant correction to track across the water surface. Something that you start to do intuitively, particularly if you are familiar with kayaking small craft.
A significant opportunity of packrafting is that your gear is stowed in dry bags on the forward and rear decks. However, some packrafts also allow gear to be stored internally in the inflatable compartments. This, for other paddling craft, may seem a little odd, but it is pretty standard in packrafting. This ability to transport kit makes single- or multi-day trips easy.
A threat to packrafting is the potential for a puncture if you happen on an unexpected sharp rock or a partially submerged tree branch, but that is the same risk with any inflatable craft. And it is easy enough to take a small repair kit with you (it fits neatly in the back of the seat rest.
Packrafts are great fun!
There is high stability on the water, and when fitted with a spraydeck/cockpit, the inside of the packraft stays remarkably dry. Any water ingress is down to your footwear retaining water and shedding it once you sit down. It is recommended to use a longer paddle than a standard river kayak paddle; we found around 215 cm worked well. And for portability when travelling, a 4-piece kayak paddle supports the ethos of transportability.
As we were both in the same packrafts type, we found that we identified different and more individually comfortable seating positions based on our own preferences and nuances. This meant that our trim was slightly different, but it aided our progress and comfort. The trim was also affected by the amount of kit each of us shared out in the dry bags, its weight, and distribution. But this is all part of individualising your own paddling style and comfort when journeying was our goal.
Helpful information on paddling locations:
It is worth knowing that by mid-August, the holiday season has ended in Sweden, children have returned to School, and most of the camping sites are occupied by overseas tourists. This means the lakes are pretty empty of any form of pleasure craft, including the aluminium hire canoes that abound everywhere.
Lake Asnen, Småland
We stayed at Kaerrasands Camping, near Urshult on Lake Åsnen. The site has all amenities, summer outdoor concerts (we were out of season), and direct access to the lake. There are many other campgrounds around the lake. Camping: https://kaerrasandscamping.com/en/
You can obtain a free map from www.visitasnen.se that provides a more comprehensive overview of the lake and its many features. We also bought a more detailed map (1:70,000) that provided enough detail to navigate through small channels and the wider open spaces of the lake. Link to nature reserve: www.visittingsryd.se/en/nature-reserve-askekulla
Tiveden
Plenty of opportunities for wild camping or more formal camping: www.campingtiveden.se/en/). The canoe trail passes through several small lakes (Bosjön, Kvarnsjön, Bergvattnet, and Sävsjön), connected by narrow waterways and portage points.
Map of Tiveden (and surrounding area): www.calazo.se/kartor/tiveden-norra-vattern-sodra-kilsbergen-150000/
The Tiveden Canoe Trail: https://en.tiveden.se/paddling/tivedens-kanotled/
Canoe trail leaflet: https://uploads.naturkartan-cdn.se/uploads/site_pdf/file/2033/6b296a9f03892f36992900a1745f318c.pdf
Saint Anna Archipelago
It is worth knowing that the Baltic Sea has no tides due to its geographical location. It has limited water exchange with the Atlantic Ocean and is referred to as a brackish water basin (the world’s largest). The large number of islands around the Saint Anna peninsula (and sea areas north and south) makes it ideal for sea kayaking.
We stayed at Källbuktens camping, a campsite in the Östergötland archipelago. The site has all amenities, open areas for wooded motorhomes and regions for more seclusion if required. We used our hammocks and tarps, as well as a wood-burning stove and lived in isolation from the other residents of the site, though we did provide novelty value, as most had not seen a tarp/hammock system used for camping. And the glow from our enclosed fire made for an interesting sight for people taking an evening stroll with their dogs. While the site had direct sea access, the prevailing wind direction meant we selected other areas to launch and return to. There are many different camping sites in this area.
Camping: https://sanktanna.se/
Map of Saint Anna and the Gryt’s archipelagos: www.calazo.se/kartor/st-anna-och-gryts-skargardar-150-000/
Sea kayak hire: https://kajakparadiset.se
