Resupply strategy in rural parts in Norway

Hi everybody!

I've started to plan summer hike from North Cape to Varberg.
The main problem that there are several 8-10 day sections w/o any possible resupply.

From N to S:
Bjorkliden(Abisko)- Sulitjelma
Umbukta Fjellstue (hitchhike to Matbussen) - Skjeldbreia (hitchhike to Sandvik)
Skjeldbreia - Stugudalen
Roros - Koarskar
Koppaberg - Molltorp

So, guys, i will be really appreciated for your advice.

UPD. What do you think about sending some resupply boxes ? What are the rules of Norwegian post?

Regarding supply packages you may take a look on Andrea's and Ole's Blog . They shipped 11 Supply packges between Noth Cape and Grövelsjön.

Last year, I've sent 4 supply packages (Skjelbredtunet, Umbukta, Sulitjelma, Abikso). I did also ask Teveltunet, but they did not answer my mail, so I decided to start further north. In retroperspective, the STF station in Storlien may be a viable alternative.

For shipments to Norway, you have to fill a customs desclaration (listing all content and its price). Usually you won't have to pay taxes for ordinary food and hiking equipment. However, you should ship the packages far in advance. One of mine was hold in customs for 4 weeks. You are not allowed to import potatoes into Norway (as well as the usual forbidden stuff like fireworks, drugs, weapons...).

Shipping to Sweden/Finland is easier and cheaper. However, for some reason my Abisko package was sent to the nearby supermarket, and for some reason the STF guys didn't pick it up. But to be fair, other people had better experiences, and I did not watch the tracking (since I was concerned about the norwegian package stuck in customs).

About your sections:

• Abisko-Sulitjelma: you can buy food in the STF huts at Abiskojaure and Unna Allakas, and in the BLT huts (from Låddejåkkåstugan till Stadda jåhkå). In Staloluokta, there is also a kiosk. Needless to say, these options are quite expensive, but fore me, restocking for 1 day was a reasonable compromise. Some people choose to restock at Ritsem, but it's also rather pricey, and the ferry costs additional 250 SEK.
• Umbukta - Skjelbreia: There is a small supermarket (and a pub) in Skrovatn. The variety is not exciting, but heading south, I think it's sufficient for 2-3 days to Skjebdretunet. From Road 7022 (around Namsvatnet/Bustadmo) you may also hitch to Røyrvik where you find a larger supermarket.
• Skjeldbreia - Stugudalen: At Teveltunet you cross the road to Storlien - hitch or walk 5 km east. Maybe Road 72/Sandvika is also an option to hitch intocivilisation, but there weren't many cars when I passed it, so you may need some patience to get away from there.
• Roros - Koarskar: I have not been on that part, but you can definitely send a package to Grövelsjön.
• Koppaberg - Molltorp: I have not been on that part either. Maybe hitch E18 to Örebrö?

Michael, Thanks so much for your answer!
What do you think is the cheapest way for resuplying? Could it be cheaper just to send boxes in advance all over the Northern Norway and Sweden? Do post and STF stations take charge for storage?

Could you write the prices of "common" hiking food like sausages/cheese/candy bars/noodles/mashed potatoes in rural parts of Norway and Sweden. I need to calculate cost of postage + food and so on and to understand is it reasonable

Is it possible to pay by banking card in small villages and in Staloluokta's kiosk?

Unfortunately, I have no prices available - I only remember 50g candy bars costing around 15-20 NOK. Generally, Norway is pretty expensive, they tax all the fun, especially meat and sugar. However, shipping to Norway is also expensive.

I wanted to have a lot of salami snacks and protein bars (like ~1kg of each for 200km) . Thus, for me, the shipping costs for a package every 200-300 km did definitely amortize well. If you have a modest candy consumption, things may be different, so I don't want to give you advice in this case.

None of my package stations charged a fee, but in all cases I spent a night there. I feel, the STF stations would not care if you pick up your package without using any of their servies. (Generally, people in northern Scandivia are very helpful.) Shipping to a post office may also be an interesting alternative. I did not try out. Please report, if it works for you

Food in Sweden is cheaper than in Norway, and so is shipping to Sweden. In paricular, Gäddede and Storlien are interesting alternatives in this regard.

Staloluokta's kiosk accepts banking cards. Unna Allakas and Abiskojaure do not! In small villages, card payment is generally possible, in Scandinavia this is pretty common.

Ok... The results...

I've written several letters to STF, DNT, Norwegian and Swedish post and also made some calculations.
You can send parcel directly to a post office. But problem is in taxes... W/o them I could save like 30-40% of resuply cost.
I'm living outside EU and for everything that I'm gonna to send with a value of more then 350 NOK or 500 SEK I should pay VAT.

It will take lots of time for boxes preparation So I decided not to do it.