Endless forests, days without people and kilometers of wilderness to explore. This could sound a little intimidating but after cycling from south to north, and back, I've come up with 5 essential tips to make your bike packing adventure in Sweden truly epic.
Tip 1: Bring a good waterfilter
Distances are vast in Sweden and at some moment you'll find yourself without a grocery store for a day.
Luckily with 1000's of lakes and rivers it's not hard to get a refreshing refill, but make sure to filter it first! Having your own filter gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of distance and wildcamping adding to an overall better and more relaxed experience on the bike.
Tip 2: Don't buy alcohol at the systembolaget to save some money
Sweden is an expensive country but alcohol prices are insane. No worries though, in supermarkets you can find relatively cheap beers for the after cycle relaxation. These beers are 2.5% ABV so you get to enjoy that hard earned beer and still wake up fresh for another day in the saddle.
Of course if you want a ''real'' beer you can hop into any systembolaget and get the higher ABV beers but be ready to pay a lot more!
Tip 3: Gas stations are your friend
A gas station might not be the first place you think of as a place to visit when cycling through Sweden but you'll learn to love them.
They always have fresh coffee brewing, a toilet, often a table where you can charge your phone and the best thing: instant potato mash + sausages.
If you're lucky some of the gas stations also have a warm shower you can use! Perfect if you want to freshen up a little bit before exploring the gravel roads again.
Tip 4: Lakes almost always have a shelter
It can be a little daunting to cycle without a plan, hours on end on your own. Where do you sleep, what if you can't find a suitable place? Well, I've been in this situation a few times, usually because I thought there'd be a prettier spot to camp.
When you run out of time to find a suitable place to sleep, cycle towards the nearest lake you can see on google maps. Small or large, there is a big chance you will find a shelter. Often these shelters have an outdoors toilet, firewood and a table, combine this with a lake view and you have yourself a perfect place to spend the night.
Tip 5: Stock up on snacks/food before heading out a town
Be prepared to be always hungry when taking on a long distance cycling trip. With an average of 3-4000 calories burned each day you can eat as much as you want. Although in some countries snacks are easier to find than others.
The distance between services can often be around 80-90km, and further North sometimes a little longer. Usually this means you don't need to bring lots of dinners but make sure get some snacks to enjoy whilst riding/after riding.
I always tried to have +- 2 days worth of food with me at all times. When I knew I'd be wildcamping more I would bring a little extra.
Breakfast
Polar bread
Skippy peanut butter (only brand with a plastic jar to avoid heavy glass that could break)
Jam
Lunch
Wasa Knäckebröd with spread
Bread
Tubes with bread spread. The Swedes love a tube with spread. Spicy cheese, fish or meat. There are endless options for a convient tube.
Dinner
Freeze dried food
Instant noodles + instant soup. When using less water you get this amazing saucy consistency.
Canned mackerel and bread
Snacks
Corny Big bars
Mixed nuts
Sweets
Maribou chocolate
Bonus tip: Shelter map
I can highly recommend the app ''shelter map'' for traveling through Sweden. It shows lots of shelters in your area, often with pictures and a description.
It only gives a rough idea though, sometimes the shelters are a bit more wore down and sometimes you find a fresh stack of firewood.
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