Bikerafting in Finland

At the end of last year, Viktorka Rys set off on her first bikerafting expedition. Her destination was Finnish Lapland, and she ended up like Robinson Crusoe on Lake Inari. What was it like?

It was actually your first bikerafting expedition. Why specifically a bike and a boat?

I have always been attracted to paddling, but I was not keen on transporting a traditional boat. So a packraft was the obvious choice. I am not really into cycling trips, having only been on two longer cycling trips before. On my way to the Baltic Sea, I was hit by a truck, and nothing interesting happened on my trip from Prague to Bosnia. This time, I wanted to visit the Finnish lakes, and when I was thinking about how I would get between them, a bike seemed ideal. Plus, I'd been interested in bikerafting for a long time. So it all came together nicely.Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

So where did you go? Did you have a fixed plan, or did the trip change according to your mood?

The plan was to take an autumn trip above the Arctic Circle and, above all, enjoy the huge Finnish lakes. But I planned the route during the trip, as I felt like it. It was a seven-week trip, and I spent two weeks of it working as a digital nomad, so it was actually digital nomad bike rafting.

What was the strategy for packing all the equipment onto the bike?

That was quite a challenge! Before I found a solution, I repacked everything at least twenty times, and it took several days. And in the end, I bought front panniers in Poland along the way because the rear of the bike was overloaded. I used waterproof panniers from Ortlieb for the rack, placed the packed boat between them, and secured it to the rack with Velcro straps along with the paddle parts. I attached a life jacket to it, under which I tucked a small backpack with food in case of need, and I attached a solar panel to the top of the jacket. I attached the middle parts of the four-piece paddle to the frame tube, also using Velcro straps. I had my camera equipment in a bag on the handlebars. When I set off for the first time, I rode 3 meters and the rack broke under the weight. My camping and cooking equipment, clothing, etc. were ultralight and compact, but the tools and spare parts for repairing the bike, all the water stuff, dehydrated food packages, camera equipment, and computer... all of that turned my normal gravel bike into something like a moped in terms of weight. For the first few kilometers, I had trouble keeping my balance and seriously doubted whether I could do it. But it was a challenge. Later, I had to get used to riding a bike without a load again, and suddenly I couldn't keep my balance on an unloaded bike.

And conversely, how did you secure the bike to the packraft?

I removed one wheel and used Velcro straps and standard straps to attach it to the bow. Attaching the wheel to the packraft was definitely easier.

How do people survive on lakes in Finland?

I was actually surprised by how strong the currents could be between the islands; in some places, I felt like I was on a river. I enjoyed the large, rugged lakes with lots of small islands the most. But I also enjoyed the calm surface, I liked how it reflected the autumn colors, and I took a lot of photos.

I also had the feeling that you were trapped somewhere on an island?

I set out for Lake Inari when there was strong wind and huge waves. I had no experience with such conditions, so I decided to give it a try and see what happens. The boat was difficult to control and it was extremely exhausting, so I ended up landing on an island to wait for more favorable conditions. I made a fire, tried to catch fish, explored the island... I spent one night there and used my packraft with a spray deck as an emergency bivouac bag. It was beautiful, I felt like Robinson Crusoe.

And where next?

I have plenty of ideas, but I make spontaneous decisions, so I have no idea. But I know for sure that I will go to Lapland again. I loved this trip and was enchanted by the vast Nordic nature.