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- Jun 3, 2010
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- 1,516
Last weekend there was a Nor Easter forecasted going by the name of Hercules. Figured why not? The temps were expected to plunge to record lows with high winds. But how many times has the forecast been wrong? One never knows till after the fact. In any case wanted to test out some new kit for a planned longer range winter hiking trip. The Kifaru EMR with E&E packed with Kifaru 6-man tipi and DIY stainless steel tent stove. I am really packing enough shelter for 3-4 people and the weight reflected that.
Reactivated this old fire ring. There was a very fine ice mist falling. Almost impossible to see with the eye but showed up on clothing. Given the cooler weather and fine snow on the ground elected to keep my tinder and fuel off the ground.
My firekit for the day. A Mora #2, rock and charred cedar bark. I wanted to try the knife stuck in log method as a potential alternative to blade in hand method for tinder too delicate for placement on a rock or times when the chance of injury from holding the blade is too great.
It was more difficult than expected. Maybe the cooler temps combined with very fine falling ice dust or could be the rocks were getting rounded? The charred cedar bark did take a spark and in no time I was cooking bacon on a stick. The firecraft action can be seen in the video.
Took some water from this little feeder brook. It was cold but crystal clear. Just the same I would be boiling it later. Didn't have all that much water maybe 80 ounces total. I because planned on melting snow once the storm showed up.
One way to overcome the limitations of a narrow mouth water bag is to use a cup or bowl to fill the Platy. Easier than fighting with that little opening in cold water. I got a bunch of use out of that Ti bowl during the outing.
One reason why I targeted the little brook rather than river was the ice along the bank. We had a warm spell so the ice wasn't that thick but appeared to be expending by the hour. If I really had to guess something could have been worked out like breaking the ice but with small feeder brooks available there wasn't the need for the extra effort and potential wet pants. I got two left feet after all.
Nice spot by the water. Kinda like a summer waterfront vacation home without everything that goes along with it such as warm weather and the party scene.
This house runs on wood so got right to business. My preferred order of operations when setting up camp is shelter, water and wood. Once the shelter is up weather like a summer thunder storm or winter snow is mitigated. Gathering wood before dark is a big help, more so during winter when both green and dead appears more alike. Darn shame the maker of the Sawvivor is no longer in business. Maybe one day it will come back?
The GSI stainless steel kettle did a fire job boiling the brook water and melting snow.
Here is a little heated shelter trick. Very often I kick leaves or snow around the edges to keep out drafts. I don't do this when snow is expected soon as nature will take care of that job. I am all about working smart or maybe I am getting lazy as the years progress? However the door nearly always has a gap because the leaf litter or snow gets kicked away every time someone goes out. The Mylar blanket reflects some of the heat back into the shelter towards my butt but more importantly it helps shield the drafts. Often I hang out near the door to cook and sleep off to the side or behind the stove.
Beyond messing around in the cold and snow I wanted to test out some newly purchased kit. For those who own an Exped one of the downsides to these warm, comfortable pads is the longer inflation times. This is at it's very worst with those pads employing internal hand pumps. Just two inflation bag's worth of air was enough to fill my Downmat 7 XS in a minute. I guess the 9DLX might take 4 or 5 but this is much easier and faster than the internal hand punp. After this trip my initial impressions are good. Also this is a multi purpose gear item. The bag is both air and water proof (within reason). The other primary use is as a dry bag for my sleeping bag and or extra clothing. It is large enough to accommodate both I would imagine. I think it is under 3 ounces so longer term durability might be a concern or might not? Exped sleeping pads with internal pumps require an adapter.
Exped 7XS. Despite being thinner and considerably shorter than my Downmat 9DLX I found it warm and comfortable during this outing. The larger sized Ridgerest pad worked very well with the shorter insualted inflatable for sleeping. I also used the closed celled pad when processing wood, around the camp fire and stove. Places the vulnerable inflated pad shouldn't be.
Water within the Platy turned to slush very fast. The stainless GSI kettle did a fine job at boiling water and melting snow.
The Nalgene within the insulated cover remained ice free even as temps plunged.
Potatoes and tea. Not exactly peanut butter and jelly but it happened and here is the proof.
The next dish was more appetizing. Bacon and rice. Think in terms of beans and rice but substitute the beans for bacon with ALL the grease.
The snow was late but finally started to fall along with the temps. My water front view.
The warm glow of the stove through the wind blown snow. A welcome sight after hanging my food and taking care of other biz.
Stoked the stove good before heading outside. The wood was a bit damp despite trying to avoid that. Damp wood combined with a storm made heating a bit challenging. I originally designed the stove to fit into a Molle sustenance pouch, yea know those long side pouches. Made to heat my Paratipi and 4-man not the larger 6-man. It did the job but at times was on the edge. In any case when I walked in from the snow and cold it was burning good.
We didn't get the expected 18 inches, guessing maybe 6 but they called the freeze perfectly. I didn't pitch the shelter all that tight and only policed it a few times so there was some build up in the morning.
Without the stove running everything froze over inside the tipi.
To my surprise there still was a little water moving. I expected this to be frozen over given how cold the air felt.
Cold and uninviting.
Warm and welcoming. Stove running with some snow cleared away.
Given the small river was more ice than water I elected to melt snow for water. This isn't a fast process but it is a process that produces potable water. Unless you melt yellow snow containing 20% vole droppings. Then my advice is to boil as well. Same goes for any snow that has been around for some time in the woods. Well that's what I do anyways.
Once the snow is melted some people like to filter out any floaters with a bandanna. Depending on conditions boiling or other treatments might be required. This is freshly fallen snow therefore melting was sufficient for me.
It was too squirrely outside with the wind to comfortably pack down the stove therefore did most of that within the tent. My stove pipe is in two parts due to internal dampening experimentation. This made it easier to pack within the tent but added to difficulty during the setup.
Used the old metal bowl/cup trick to scoop out the ashes before taking the stove outside. The wind was just to strong to take a stove filled with hot ashes out the door. Once it was nearly empty the risk of melting the doors was much lower. Even with the doors pegged open there is a chance a strong gust of wind might wrap the nylon around a hot stove. I even added snow to the bowl so the coals within would be out before exiting the tent. Probably overkill but there were some really strong gusts.
All packed up and ready to go.
Clear and cold.
Bushwhacking my way through the woods.
I have camped in colder weather but there was just something different about THIS cold. I can't explain it but my fingers and ears suffered some when outside the shelter. Maybe I should have taken a warmer hat and mittens over gloves. In any case for the most part it was fun. Here is a video.
[video=youtube;ZfVG7pPhZsM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfVG7pPhZsM[/video]
Thanks for looking.
Reactivated this old fire ring. There was a very fine ice mist falling. Almost impossible to see with the eye but showed up on clothing. Given the cooler weather and fine snow on the ground elected to keep my tinder and fuel off the ground.
My firekit for the day. A Mora #2, rock and charred cedar bark. I wanted to try the knife stuck in log method as a potential alternative to blade in hand method for tinder too delicate for placement on a rock or times when the chance of injury from holding the blade is too great.
It was more difficult than expected. Maybe the cooler temps combined with very fine falling ice dust or could be the rocks were getting rounded? The charred cedar bark did take a spark and in no time I was cooking bacon on a stick. The firecraft action can be seen in the video.
Took some water from this little feeder brook. It was cold but crystal clear. Just the same I would be boiling it later. Didn't have all that much water maybe 80 ounces total. I because planned on melting snow once the storm showed up.
One way to overcome the limitations of a narrow mouth water bag is to use a cup or bowl to fill the Platy. Easier than fighting with that little opening in cold water. I got a bunch of use out of that Ti bowl during the outing.
One reason why I targeted the little brook rather than river was the ice along the bank. We had a warm spell so the ice wasn't that thick but appeared to be expending by the hour. If I really had to guess something could have been worked out like breaking the ice but with small feeder brooks available there wasn't the need for the extra effort and potential wet pants. I got two left feet after all.
Nice spot by the water. Kinda like a summer waterfront vacation home without everything that goes along with it such as warm weather and the party scene.
This house runs on wood so got right to business. My preferred order of operations when setting up camp is shelter, water and wood. Once the shelter is up weather like a summer thunder storm or winter snow is mitigated. Gathering wood before dark is a big help, more so during winter when both green and dead appears more alike. Darn shame the maker of the Sawvivor is no longer in business. Maybe one day it will come back?
The GSI stainless steel kettle did a fire job boiling the brook water and melting snow.
Here is a little heated shelter trick. Very often I kick leaves or snow around the edges to keep out drafts. I don't do this when snow is expected soon as nature will take care of that job. I am all about working smart or maybe I am getting lazy as the years progress? However the door nearly always has a gap because the leaf litter or snow gets kicked away every time someone goes out. The Mylar blanket reflects some of the heat back into the shelter towards my butt but more importantly it helps shield the drafts. Often I hang out near the door to cook and sleep off to the side or behind the stove.
Beyond messing around in the cold and snow I wanted to test out some newly purchased kit. For those who own an Exped one of the downsides to these warm, comfortable pads is the longer inflation times. This is at it's very worst with those pads employing internal hand pumps. Just two inflation bag's worth of air was enough to fill my Downmat 7 XS in a minute. I guess the 9DLX might take 4 or 5 but this is much easier and faster than the internal hand punp. After this trip my initial impressions are good. Also this is a multi purpose gear item. The bag is both air and water proof (within reason). The other primary use is as a dry bag for my sleeping bag and or extra clothing. It is large enough to accommodate both I would imagine. I think it is under 3 ounces so longer term durability might be a concern or might not? Exped sleeping pads with internal pumps require an adapter.
Exped 7XS. Despite being thinner and considerably shorter than my Downmat 9DLX I found it warm and comfortable during this outing. The larger sized Ridgerest pad worked very well with the shorter insualted inflatable for sleeping. I also used the closed celled pad when processing wood, around the camp fire and stove. Places the vulnerable inflated pad shouldn't be.
Water within the Platy turned to slush very fast. The stainless GSI kettle did a fine job at boiling water and melting snow.
The Nalgene within the insulated cover remained ice free even as temps plunged.
Potatoes and tea. Not exactly peanut butter and jelly but it happened and here is the proof.
The next dish was more appetizing. Bacon and rice. Think in terms of beans and rice but substitute the beans for bacon with ALL the grease.
The snow was late but finally started to fall along with the temps. My water front view.
The warm glow of the stove through the wind blown snow. A welcome sight after hanging my food and taking care of other biz.
Stoked the stove good before heading outside. The wood was a bit damp despite trying to avoid that. Damp wood combined with a storm made heating a bit challenging. I originally designed the stove to fit into a Molle sustenance pouch, yea know those long side pouches. Made to heat my Paratipi and 4-man not the larger 6-man. It did the job but at times was on the edge. In any case when I walked in from the snow and cold it was burning good.
We didn't get the expected 18 inches, guessing maybe 6 but they called the freeze perfectly. I didn't pitch the shelter all that tight and only policed it a few times so there was some build up in the morning.
Without the stove running everything froze over inside the tipi.
To my surprise there still was a little water moving. I expected this to be frozen over given how cold the air felt.
Cold and uninviting.
Warm and welcoming. Stove running with some snow cleared away.
Given the small river was more ice than water I elected to melt snow for water. This isn't a fast process but it is a process that produces potable water. Unless you melt yellow snow containing 20% vole droppings. Then my advice is to boil as well. Same goes for any snow that has been around for some time in the woods. Well that's what I do anyways.
Once the snow is melted some people like to filter out any floaters with a bandanna. Depending on conditions boiling or other treatments might be required. This is freshly fallen snow therefore melting was sufficient for me.
It was too squirrely outside with the wind to comfortably pack down the stove therefore did most of that within the tent. My stove pipe is in two parts due to internal dampening experimentation. This made it easier to pack within the tent but added to difficulty during the setup.
Used the old metal bowl/cup trick to scoop out the ashes before taking the stove outside. The wind was just to strong to take a stove filled with hot ashes out the door. Once it was nearly empty the risk of melting the doors was much lower. Even with the doors pegged open there is a chance a strong gust of wind might wrap the nylon around a hot stove. I even added snow to the bowl so the coals within would be out before exiting the tent. Probably overkill but there were some really strong gusts.
All packed up and ready to go.
Clear and cold.
Bushwhacking my way through the woods.
I have camped in colder weather but there was just something different about THIS cold. I can't explain it but my fingers and ears suffered some when outside the shelter. Maybe I should have taken a warmer hat and mittens over gloves. In any case for the most part it was fun. Here is a video.
[video=youtube;ZfVG7pPhZsM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfVG7pPhZsM[/video]
Thanks for looking.
