Jaska Halttunen
The father of Fillaripäiväkirja
Jaska Halttunen is a bike tourer, photographer and content creator from Karkkila who has spent ten years testing the limits of bike travel, from Hanko to the Arctic Ocean and across Iceland. His Fillaripäiväkirja (Bike Diary) project grew from one man’s trip videos into a national TV series and two books – a third is already in the works. Below, he explains in his own words how it all began and what he wears when his bike bags need to be packed light.
Freebird
Into the forest by bike
Over the years, my bike has become a natural extension of me. As well as a piece of exercise equipment, it is a way to get out into nature and the forest. From the very beginning, my trips have been more about experiencing and being in nature than about performance.
In the beginning, there was the bike. I have always cycled. When I was a child, my family did not have a car, so if you wanted to go somewhere, you went by bike. When my old mountain bike started to give up, I got myself a new MTB. It carried me more easily, faster and further than my previous bikes. Before I knew it, I was planning my first long bike trip, all the way from Hanko to Nuorgam. The rest, as they say, is history.
“It is no exaggeration to say that I could not live without the forest, without exercise and without looking after myself.”
I spend time in the forest all year round: roaming, picking berries and mushrooms, running, cycling and skiing. Sometimes I just stop, listen and take it all in. Now and then I grill sausages and brew coffee over the campfire. I only really discovered the joy of being active in my thirties. In my forties, I got even more out of it, both physically and mentally. Along the way, I suppose I have also become proof that it is never too late. The best thing about it all is that you get to be active in nature in so many ways, summer and winter, without having to book slots or pay membership fees.
From trip videos to the TV screen
Fillaripäiväkirja started as one man’s trip videos on YouTube and grew all the way to television. The sixth season of the series starts on Alfa TV in autumn 2026. So far, I have also written two Fillaripäiväkirja books. The first, from 2017, tells the story of a bike adventure from Hanko to Utsjoki and the Arctic Ocean. The second, from 2022, covers bikepacking and bikerafting trips around Finland in all four seasons. It includes routes, national parks, gear and practical tips for trips.
I am now working on the third book in the trilogy, Fillaripäiväkirja 3 – Polkupyörävaelluksella Islannissa (Bike-trekking in Iceland). In summer 2026, I made a longer and tougher trip than ever before, cycling 2,400 kilometres around and across Iceland. The country was harsh, beautiful and at times even dangerous. From the start, I knew I wanted to turn the adventure into a book, where I could really tell how you prepare for a trip like this and how it unfolded, with all its twists and turns. It was just as clear that I would self-publish it, so I launched a Mesenaatti crowdfunding campaign to cover the book’s production and printing costs.
From Iceland to the next challenge
I have been on plenty of trips, but conquering Iceland was an incredible experience.
“It was like cycling on another planet.”
But how wonderful it was afterwards to come back home and pick blueberries in my own local forests.
Just as memorable was a winter trip to Syöte National Park on a fat bike, pulling a pulk behind me. The route went from hut to hut, and at the edge of the first bog the sky lit up with the northern lights. The next morning, I woke up in the Toraslampi wilderness hut to what sounded like skiers arriving outside and voices coming through the old log wall. I had spread out over the whole length of the hut, with my kit everywhere, so I jumped out of my bunk and gathered everything up in a flash. But when nobody came in, I went outside to see where they had got to. To my surprise, the whole yard was covered in a thin layer of fresh snow, without a single ski track in it.
My next big goal is a full-distance triathlon in my own way: 3.8 kilometres of swimming, 180 kilometres of cycling and a 42-kilometre run on top. Ironman races are expensive and rarely held in Finland, so instead I am organising my own Högfors swim-bike-run event for the whole family in Karkkila in August 2027. I hope to get people moving by swimming, cycling, walking or running, each at their own pace. That way, nobody has to do it alone.
Jaska’s layering lessons
What matters most in clothing when you are on the bike?
Jaska: “I like natural materials, and clothing has to feel pleasant against my skin. I also appreciate it when the same garment works just as well for exercise as on a building site. When I pack my trip gear onto the bike, the properties matter even more: lightness, packability, breathability, warmth and odour resistance. On a bikepacking trip, everything has to be optimised. You don’t carry anything unnecessary, so layering really is key. I go on trips all year round, and you can’t always hang your top on a radiator to dry. That’s why the material also has to dry easily while you’re wearing it.”
What has been your worst clothing mistake?
Jaska: “It must be 15 years ago now that I set off to cycle to work the long way round on the first frosty day of winter, wearing a thick shell jacket. A few things went wrong: I was wearing too much, and the thick shell jacket didn’t breathe at all. In the end, all the sweat froze to the inside of the jacket. Luckily I was only on my way to work.”
What are your tips for layering?
Jaska: “Don’t put on too much when you step out of the door. The only way to learn how to dress is to try out what works best for you. We are all individuals and run very differently hot or cold: what is too little for one person can leave another overheating. A good starting point is to feel slightly cool when you first get outside. Once you start moving, your body warms up. If you are wearing too much, you start sweating more and sooner, and the whole thing becomes unpleasant and even hard work. And remember: Gore-Tex shell garments are only meant for rain. They are not breathable enough to let out all the moisture you sweat.”
Jaska’s favourites from Svala
Svala Freebird collaboration
We have a commercial partnership with Jaska Halttunen. He tests Svala products and shares his experiences in his own words.
