CHASING RIDGELINES: MELKER'S YEARLY PILGRIMAGE TO THE UK'S WILD SIDE

Every so often, we receive a message from someone in our community that makes us want to stop and say, “Tell us everything.”

Melker, an avid hiker and camper from Malmö in southern Sweden, was one of those people. He spends around 20 to 30 nights outdoors each year, and once a year, he makes the trip from Sweden to the UK's wild side — particularly the Lake District and Scotland.

Along the way, he's built up plenty of experience with different kinds of gear, from tents and backpacks to cookware and sleeping systems.

He also has a thoughtful, practical approach to gear — the kind that comes from using it regularly and figuring out what works best for him.

So we asked him a few questions about his trips, his gear, and what keeps bringing him back to the UK.

This one's a longer read, but we think it's worth it.

Why a Swede treks in the UK

Here’s the interesting part: Melker doesn’t spend most of his outdoor time exploring Sweden’s own mountains. Instead, about once a year, he heads to the UK — particularly the Lake District and Scotland.

The reason is actually quite simple: logistics.

"From where I live in Malmö, it's actually much easier to go to the UK than the Swedish mountains," he told us. "Half a day of traveling and I'm in the Lake District or Scotland. Driving to the Swedish mountains is 16 hours, more or less, if you're two people driving constantly. Plane tickets are also more expensive domestically in Sweden."

And that 16-hour drive, he was quick to point out, only gets him to the first mountains. The deeper terrain further north is still a good deal farther away.

Of course, Sweden and Norway have their own advantages. Melker says the feeling of loneliness, the wild terrain, and the amount of wildlife are difficult to find elsewhere — "so different," as he puts it.

But Scotland has its own answer to that. Head all the way to the North West Highlands, and you'll find genuinely wild, sparsely populated terrain there too.

So for Melker, it isn't really about choosing one over the other. Sweden and Norway offer one kind of wilderness, while the UK's mountains offer something different — and, from Malmö, they're simply much easier to reach.

North West Highlands

What UK hiking is actually like

So, what is hiking in the UK actually like?

If you've never explored the UK's mountain regions, Melker's description gives a pretty good idea of what to expect. The trails can be steep, the ground loose, and the weather can change surprisingly quickly.

"Hiking in the UK is pretty hard in the way that the paths up mountains are quite steep, loose scree, and very much atmospheric — weather and visibility can change very quickly from one side to the other. Often very wet and boggy, which means grip from your boots and trekking poles is recommended."

It is a very different kind of challenge from simply walking through the mountains. One moment you can have clear views ahead of you, and the next you're dealing with rain, fog, wet ground, and slippery paths.

It actually reminds us a little of our own expeditions in the Himalayas. The landscapes are very different, of course, but that same feeling of being in the mountains where conditions can change quickly is something we're familiar with.

For Melker, that is part of what makes these trips interesting. But it also means that choosing the right gear matters.

UK's mountain regions

The gear that gets him there

With the conditions in mind, Melker's approach to gear starts with one simple idea: use what makes sense for the trip.

You can see that in the way he chooses his shelter. For actual mountain camping, he doesn't cut corners. "I use a Hilleberg tent for those conditions — very expensive, but the strongest you can get." For car camping and glamping trips, he switches between Snow Peak, Naturehike, and Pomoly tents depending on what he's doing.

The same practical approach carries over to his backpacking setup. He has a Durston 55L, a Bonfus 40L, and a Hyperlite Mountain Gear pack, all made from Dyneema to keep things as light as possible.

His clothing is mostly Mammut and BlackYak Gore-Tex, with Mammut and Hanwag on his feet. For winter trips, he combines a Rab expedition sleeping bag with a Nemo bag or a quilt, along with Nemo sleeping pads.

Looking at his gear as a whole, there's no single setup that tells the whole story. Different trips call for different pieces, and Melker seems comfortable choosing what works best for the adventure ahead.

That flexibility says quite a lot about his approach to the outdoors. It's less about having one perfect setup and more about knowing what works for the kind of trip you're heading into.

Melker’s Shelter  

A cooking setup built around experience

Then there's the cooking setup, which is perhaps the most varied part of his kit.

Melker uses a mix of our titanium pots, pans, cups, and a stove alongside Snow Peak and Soto equipment. With so many nights spent each year outdoors, he's had plenty of time to figure out what works for him, and his choices aren't necessarily about sticking to one brand. Different pieces simply find their way into his setup for different reasons.

He uses both single-wall and double-wall cups depending on the trip. "Double wall when I'm car camping, to keep my hot drinks warm for a longer time, and single wall when hiking. They are both very good."

His experience with our titanium water bottles has been similarly straightforward: "They are excellent. Dropped them a few times with some dents but still no worries."

When it comes to the pans, his advice is equally practical. "All good — as always, you have to be careful when you're eager to grab your pan, since titanium gets instantly hot."

And he's absolutely right about that. A good pair of outdoor work gloves is always worth having on an adventure, especially when you're cooking over a fire and handling hot cookware.

Interestingly, the frying pan that comes with his pot set isn't the one he reaches for most often. For actual cooking, he has found that a thick plate works better for him.

His thoughts on cutlery and bowls are simpler: "Very good, really like that they are sturdy." The larger bowl has even become his go-to for onion soup.

And then there's his view on titanium thickness.

"Thin or thick titanium — well, they are both good for different purposes, as I use them. I really do like the thicker ones — not so much for the extra weight, but the feeling is so much more."

If you'd like to learn more about how titanium thickness can affect the weight, durability, and feel of outdoor gear, you can also read our blog piece: Titanium Thickness Explained

That probably sums up Melker's approach to gear better than anything else. Weight matters, especially when you're carrying everything up a mountain.

But the more time you spend outdoors, the more the small things start to matter too — how a cup feels in your hand, how a pan behaves over the stove, or whether something continues working after being dropped.

For him, the best setup isn't necessarily the lightest or the most expensive. It's the collection of pieces that have proven themselves useful, trip after trip.

Melker’s Cooking Setup

The takeaway

By now, Melker has had plenty of time to figure out what works for him — and what doesn't.

Some of his gear has picked up dents along the way, but that hasn't stopped him from using it. He has preferences about titanium thickness, the cookware he reaches for most often, and the small details that make a difference when you're actually out there using your gear.

None of these are things you necessarily figure out from reading a specification sheet. They come from using the gear again and again, trip after trip.

That's probably what we appreciate most about hearing from people like Melker. The useful feedback isn't always about whether something is simply "good" or "bad." Sometimes it's about the little things — what feels better in the hand, what works better for a particular style of cooking, or what you find yourself reaching for again and again.

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Melker — and for taking the time to share your experiences with your gear. If you'd like to follow more of Melker's adventures, you can also visit his YouTube channel, Getaway Camping.

And if you're part of our community and have a story of your own, we'd love to hear it. Maybe it's a memorable trip, a piece of gear you've put through its paces, or simply something you've learned along the way.

Good feedback, bad feedback, or anything in between — send us a message. Your story might be the next one we share.

To your next adventure,

Steve