Gotta jump in here somewhere... sorry I haven't been on for a while - dashed out to Colorado for a week (not for fun - Dad had an emergency bypass - he is now "turbocharged Grandpa" according to our youngest son)<br><br>Jampot, while I have not been in Lapland, I have spent a lot of time (years) "professionally" outdoors in the arctic, including teaching survival training (short and long term). I have built and used just about every kind of shelter (including many variations of "no shelter"), and most have their place. Factually, a snow shelter is a snow shelter, no matter if it be quinzee, "igloo" (which is NOT a North American Eskimo shelter - peculiar to Greenland, IIRC), or thermal shelter. Density of snow, thickness, interior dimensions/volume, ground temperature (if close enough to ground to matter), etc. are the variables. Having said that... quinzees and their close cousin thermal shelters typically have lower density snow than igloos = better insulating value. If the snow conditions permit, I agree that igloos are by far the fastest to build.<br><br>I strongly suggest that you do not plan to go without alternatives to snow shelters - the snow just isn't there sometimes, or is otherwise unsuitable for the conditions (a chinook can make a snow shelter a dripping wet hypothermia chamber, for example). I like snowshelters... but I won't stake my life on them without a backup plan. Neither will the native North Americans I've known and lived with, and their old folks are the "real experts" in this hemisphere.<br><br>Four weeks is a long time for the first trip to the Arctic. January, in particular, can bring some extreme temperatures. No one can accurately predict how they will fare on a given day in extreme temperatures. Some days one may function perfectly well at -40C; other days the same person may be in great discomfort and danger at -25C... there are too many physiological and mental variables to enumerate here. And the dangers from hypothermia when by oneself cannot be understated. You really have to have been there (and pulled back by someone else) to fully appreciate this, as I think Mac implied. If you are by yourself, once hypothermia gets to late stage 1 / early stage 2, you ARE GOING TO DIE if you are by yourself - no equivocation; no exceptions. I have heard from a lot of people who say they were hypothermic and did thus and such to save themselves - BS! They were simply very cold or in stage one hypothermia by definition. So... avoid hypothermia, eh? I'd like to read about your trip next year when you get back from it - from your hand. <grin><br><br>A proper tent is the surest thing - you don't have to use it all the time. A frost liner makes a difference, and I highly suggest you make and use one if you decide on a tent. You should be able to run your stove in your tent, of course (In the USA, Boy Scouts of America does not permit that, but it is rather important in extreme conditions). Since it sounds like you will be able to use open fires at least part of the time, you may be able to carry enough fuel for 4 weeks... it takes a fair bit more in the Arctic. White Gas (Coleman Fuel or preferably Blazo) usually winds up being the best reliable compromise for a long trip like that.<br><br>A tarp is the minimum I would consider. If you really want to "go native", use hides - caribou (reindeer). I agree with Mac - Canvas has better qualities than nylon for this sort of use BUT it's too heavy for the trip you are planning. In the right conditions, a very adequate shelter that I am fond of is a simple snowhole stamped into the snow with my skis or snowshoes, then covered by my tarp. Very fast shelter. Great at -20F; not warm enough at -55F, but much better than nothing.<br><br>Moisture in your sleeping bag is going to be an issue you'll have to plan to deal with. I used a down bag for years in the Arctic with great success - the issue of water (ice) in the bag is the same no matter what the fill in the winter, so synthetics are really no better in those conditions. Plan for it and deal with it and you'll be ahead of the game.<br><br>Food is going to be an issue, no doubt about it. I must disagree with our slender Eastern Mountaineer a bit - think FAT and protien. Lots of fat... You'll crave it - listen to your body. This is a whole topic unto itself... 4 weeks is a LOT of calories to carry, especially if you are active (walking, building shelters, foraging, etc.). Under those conditions, I lose weight at 6,000 calories/day. I stay even at around 7,000 calories / day. I am average sized (~71kg or 180 lbs) and I am lean (cannot float in fresh water), and that's what it takes for me to maintain weight. Do the math for yourself and please try to err on the side of caution - you know your metabolic needs. I cannot plan to live off stored body fat for very long, but perhaps you have hit upon a way to do that - I dunno; sounds risky to me.<br><br>"ultralight" in the Arctic? I hope you mean that in a relative sense! Are you planning to travel strictly with a pack, or is an ahkio or pulk something you are willing to consider? I would use one, given the choice. What over-snow method of travel are you considering - snowshoes or skis?<br><br>Hope this gives you some useful things to consider - please feel free to contact me directly or here if I can be of any assistance in your trip planning. I look forward to hearing all about it!<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Scouter Tom