Some of the traffic recently on tarps and bivy bags stimulated me to wonder if it might be useful to tap our collective wisdom in the arena of camping/tenting tips -- the kind of stuff which makes life in a campsite more comfortable and easier (or more enjoyable). Seems plain from some of the postings on tarps that there are different needs for different regions, so I'd suggest people focus on what works in these categories: Temperate climates Tropical climates Desert climates Wintertime in places where it freezes hard -------------------- I'll kick off with a couple goodies I've run across recently. They fit "Temperate" best, though the butane lighter crosses climate zones, I think. 1. scraps of carpet backing -- sold in marine stores sometimes as "non-skid matting." We use a piece of this some 18 inches by 24 inches as a "doorstep" just outside the tent door. Provides a reasonably non-muddy surface for shuffling our feet before we don boots on exit, and a spot to stand while doffing same on entry. 'Cause the stuff's rubber, it absorbs no water and shakes clean when it's time to move camp. 2. A lightweight fleece liner, sleeping bag size (seems about like Polartec 100 in weight) with a separating zipper down the side and the foot. I slide this inside my lightweight summer bag and make it into a winter bag when I'm out there alone. She does not know it yet, but my sweetie is getting one to mate with mine so we can jointly snuggle -- or, so she can use hers for those nights when she needs more warmth than I do. The ones I have seen are made by Nordic Gear, and REI has these on sale right now for US$30, I think. 3. Windproof/wetproof butane lighters, which use a piezoelectric ignition system (no flint to wear out or fail when wet), employ some sort of metal catalyst surface for the oxidation of the butane so there is no flippydippy flame, just a really hot afterburner zone out the nozzle and are **refillable**. Cheapest ones I have seen are US$15 each, from Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA). Ran across much more expensive versions of this from Japan couple years ago. These babies will light a stove under any condition, I think. The refill feature gets rid of the throwaway kind. Let the tips roll in! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR Usual disclaimer: no affiliation with any of the mfrs/retailers mentioned. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
ralph diaz wrote: > <snipped> > > Don't forget the light tents and sleeping bags and other things from the > Stephanson (spelling?) catalog (they are located somewhere in Vermont or > New Hampshire. <snipped> A web search of Stephanson, Stephansen, Stevenson with tents or camping didn't yield me any hits, soooo, if you could provide more info....? And for the record, my interest has nothing to do with the nude models, I plan on only reading the gear descriptions. :-) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Kruger wrote: --snip-- > categories: > Temperate climates > Tropical climates > Desert climates > Wintertime in places where it freezes hard Winter tip: Moisture is the enemy, so sleep nude, keep the bag and tent well ventilated, leave the bag in open air in the day to thoroughly evaporate, and use a vapour barrier if it does not drive you nuts (I can't handle one, but I recognize their value). Cheers, Richard Culpeper *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 06:19 PM 11/30/99 -0600, Chuck Holst wrote: >>> >Actually, having to get up in the night is not usually a problem in >winter, because of how dehydrating the air is. Cold air holds little >moisture, and winter air in Minnesota can be drier than a desert. >Keeping hydrated is one of the biggest problems in winter camping; as on >a hot day, you have to force yourself to drink before you get thirsty. A few years ago, I had an interesting time exchanging e-mails with a guy that was wintering over at the south pole. They have an interesting little hobby there -- when the outside temp gets below -100F, they heat up the sauna to +200F, bake a while, then run outside . . . eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegad! It's interesting that the south pole, covered in snow and ice a couple miles deep, is actually a desert due to the lack of precipitation. "Great God," Scott said, "This is an awful place!" They don't get mail down there for several months -- note the recent "rescue" of the woman doctor that was diagnosed with breast cancer while there -- but they do get e-mail. I was e-mailing my friend the text for a newsletter that I was doing, to help him pass the time. I was getting set to post the same text, when all of I sudden I realized that I had deleted the version on my own computer. No problem -- my friend e-mailed his copy back to me. >From the south pole. I keep having visions of Robert Falcon Scott rolling over in his icy grave . . . -- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> At 06:19 PM 11/30/99 -0600, Chuck Holst wrote: > >>> > > >Actually, having to get up in the night is not usually a problem in > >winter, because .... Not a problem for me because in winter ( as in summer) I bring a wide mouth nalgene bottle into the tent for personal use. Saves me from mosquito/gnat psychosis in the summer and from chilling my tender self in the winter. Good practice for old age as well. The bottle does double duty as a "head" in my kayak. Larry Koenig *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Richard Culpeper wrote: > > Sandykayak_at_aol.com wrote: > --snip-- > > > So, all you winter nude sleepers. What happens when you need to tinkle? > > Funny you should ask. Once I tried to make a quick relief trip outside in a > snowstorm. Got lost. Got VVEERRRRYY CCCCOOOOLLLLDDDD. Since then my sleeping > partner is a Nalgene bottle. > > Cheers, > Richard > (Who to this day has a small white spot to remind him of frostbite) > > That reminds me(and then I promise to shut up)of me "being lost" once. We(the crew and I)had been cutting a hiking trail for almost 2 weeks, on the back side of Sheep Mt(or also called Gunsight Mt. from the other side). We had a large canvas army type tent pitched just above the timber line......, anyway, all good things come to an end. We got a call on the radio late one evening, to "grab personal gear, leave camp setup and prepare to be picked up by copter". There was a fire bust around McGrath(this is all up in Alaska, BTW), and we were being flown up there now. GRRRRRR. McGrath is noted for many things, one of them is an ample supply of mosquitoes! Anyway, we went from one wall tent to anouther one just like it in McGrath, awaiting to be flown out to a fire. So far so good. Early morning found me yielding to the call of nature. No problem, my still sleepy mind said, as I walked out the frount of the tent a couple of feet and started to "do my thing", like I had done for the past two weeks, high on a mountain. Standing there with my eyes still closed I heard laughter. Why was I hearing laughter on this mountain?!? I opened an eye and to my horrow saw a LONG line of fire fighters(male and female), waiting for the cook shack to open it's door! I calmly zipped up, waved, and walked back into my tent. I guess you might say "I was lost". :-) Upon returning back to Glennallen, my area manager approched me and said, "I hear you made quite a spash at McGrath", and that was the end of the discussion.. James, and sorry about straying off topic. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Tue, 30 Nov 1999 21:03:18 -0600 Sarah Ohmann" <sohmann_at_earthlink.net> wrote: >>>>Well I love winter camping, but have decided along with some friends to try it the Conovers' way (see "The Snow Walker's companion", their great book). They have many ideas taken from old style and native techniques, but the linchpin is using a lightweight cotton tent with a wood-burning stove. This way we will have all the advantages mentioned before, plus a heated lighted tent, even in the middle of the Boundary Waters. Total weight for our 4 person tent plus stove = 31#, not too bad when you divide the it up. Now all we need is a "real" winter here in MN to test the setup, so we are hoping for -30 or colder this year... Sarah O. PS maybe we should try stuffing the stove into a kayak for shoulder season kayak camping, too. I think it would almost fit?<<<< A father and son died this past weekend on a camping trip near Perry, FL. They were using a small propane heater to heat their tent, and succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. I would never have suspected that this was possible in a tent. Just thought it was worth mentioning after reading Sarah's post. Al Parker Tallahassee, FL jalparker_at_email.msn.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
jalparker wrote: > > On Tue, 30 Nov 1999 21:03:18 -0600 > Sarah Ohmann" <sohmann_at_earthlink.net> wrote: > > >>>>Well I love winter camping, but have decided along with some friends to > try > it the Conovers' way (see "The Snow Walker's companion", their great book). > They have many ideas taken from old style and native techniques, but the > linchpin is using a lightweight cotton tent with a wood-burning stove. >(snip)< > Sarah O. > > PS maybe we should try stuffing the stove into a kayak for shoulder season > kayak camping, too. I think it would almost fit?<<<< > (Al adds)< > A father and son died this past weekend on a camping trip near Perry, FL. > They were using a small propane heater to heat their tent, and succumbed to > carbon monoxide poisoning. I would never have suspected that this was > possible in a tent. Just thought it was worth mentioning after reading > Sarah's post. > > Al Parker Hi Al, and all, What you say is true, and something everyone should be aware of, however, I think what Sarah was speaking about is a vented stove. As long as they have a open chimney to the outside and enough air for the stove to burn correctly there should be no problem. It is the non-vented burning devices that use up the oxygen in a tent(in this case)that the danger lies. Even a candle burning in a small tight tent would be dangerious. Hate to hear about things like that happening, when just a bit of up frount knowledge and planning could have prevented it. Thanks for reminding us all! James *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Places that sell our outfit snomobiles sell ice pics with big handles which are easy to grasp when wearing gloves. Cheers, Richard Culpeper Michael Daly wrote: > If you're into floe-rafting, one thing you can consider is to get a pair > of old screwdrivers, drill holes in the handles and tether them to > your kayak foredeck. When you get on the ice, grab the screwdrivers and > use them as picks to drag yourself across the ice. Since your paddle likely > can't grip the ice, this gives you some control "just in case". Since you > have to drop the paddle, it's a good idea to tether it as well. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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