heating a shelter with hot rocks

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

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Mar 22, 2006
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I mentioned in a previous thread I'll be doing ab over night in about a week, I'll be cinstructing a shelter of all natural materials... I decided on a leaf debris hut, as I have a fair amount of experience making these, and I know they'll be no short amount of leaf litter on the ground. (unless it's been snowing, in which case I'll have to build something else) I was considering constucting a hot rock bed (burried) so that the leaves won't combust.. However I was recently reading a book where they suggested puttting hot rocks in a pit, in a sort of foyer area of the shelter.. I like this idea, seems like less work than rock bed of course it would require me to make a hut with a little extra room up front.. It seem like it might singe my noggin a bit though. Does anybody have any experience with using this method to heat up a small shelter?? debris hut is usually small enough inside that it can even be heated by a candle, but bringing a candle in there is not a good idea.
 
Fire in a debris hut is never a good idea... smart decision.


I have used hot rocks and buried coal beds.... They are great for drying out and preping a shelter before you head in, but are difficult to keep up at night and don't offer versitility.

IMHO a Nalgene type bottle filled with hot water is the "bee's knees" when it comes to staying comfy on cold nights. Slipped into a thermal sock it can be placed against your skin and put where you need it. Use a couple.... I use my large Nalgene, an army canteen and a wool blanket in -35C weather.

Fill the bottle and throw in an herbal tea bag..... you can sip it during the night. Don't forget that you lose more heat holding in your pee than you would getting up and relieving yourself. Keep a pot in the hot coals of a dying fire so you can refill when you need to.

If you don't ever want to get up during the night.... make a really good shelter with lots of insulation and close up the door of your cocoon. Also remember that when sleeping on the ground the heatloss ratio is 25% off the top and 75% through the ground.... make sure you are well insulated from the "heat-sucking" ground.

Have fun.... I wish I could go with you!
 
Thanks for the kind words, and the advice... wish you could come too.. it's gonna be fun. I plan insulating alot against the ground.
 
Biggest thing is to remember not to heat rocks that are water-logged or taken from water -- as picking rock fragments out of your face after their explosion would really suck in a survival situation....
 
Pshrynk said:
Biggest thing is to remember not to heat rocks that are water-logged or taken from water -- as picking rock fragments out of your face after their explosion would really suck in a survival situation....
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True..... but the screaming might potentially get rescuer's attention!... always look on the bright side.:p
 
Yep.. I grew with a river bed as my back yard...1 of the many lessons learned the hardway in my youth
 
Pshrynk said:
Biggest thing is to remember not to heat rocks that are water-logged or taken from water -- as picking rock fragments out of your face after their explosion would really suck in a survival situation....
Click to expand...

Have you ever had a rock explode on you? I have always been somewhat fearful of this, but have only experienced rocks cracking.


As far as the shelter goes, with enough evergreen bedding, the hot rocks may not be worth the effort. Just make sure you get the bedding good and thick, you can never have enough. Also keep in mind that when you sleep only certain parts of your body touch the ground. These are the parts you want to insulate most with extra layers of clothing or thick bedding.
 
i've had rocks explode... I've never been tagged luckily.. but they do explod if taken from a stream bed or similar area
 
Scott Free said:
I can't imagine this is true. It just doesn't make sense to me. :confused:
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Oh its true...... its all scientific like.... with big words like "urination" n stuff..... lol.

Actually last year I did my cold weather training (average -25C to -45C) with Allan Beauchamp and was told that. Mors Kochanski also agrees with this. These are 2 top-notch extreme cold weather experts.

Your body has to keep all liquid in your bladder at body temp which takes alot of energy over a period of time. Holding it until you absolutey have to go not only prolongs it but keeps you awake in the process.
 
Pshrynk said:
You must be one of those glass is half full kinda people :D
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Some see the glass as half empty...
Some see the glass as half full...
I see it as an improperly engineered glass for the amount of water used...

:thumbup:
 
Magnussen said:
Oh its true...... its all scientific like.... with big words like "urination" n stuff..... lol.

Actually last year I did my cold weather training (average -25C to -45C) with Allan Beauchamp and was told that. Mors Kochanski also agrees with this. These are 2 top-notch extreme cold weather experts.

Your body has to keep all liquid in your bladder at body temp which takes alot of energy over a period of time. Holding it until you absolutey have to go not only prolongs it but keeps you awake in the process.
Click to expand...

100% true. Not many people believe me when I tell them this either. The bad part about relieving yourself though is getting piss shivers when you go for a squirt, very unpleasant in -40. :eek: At least it makes you hurry up and scoot back to the warmth, heheh.
 
Magnussen said:
Oh its true...... its all scientific like.... with big words like "urination" n stuff..... lol.

Actually last year I did my cold weather training (average -25C to -45C) with Allan Beauchamp and was told that. Mors Kochanski also agrees with this. These are 2 top-notch extreme cold weather experts.

Your body has to keep all liquid in your bladder at body temp which takes alot of energy over a period of time. Holding it until you absolutey have to go not only prolongs it but keeps you awake in the process.
Click to expand...


I would think if your body has to keep the urine at body temperature wouldn't it be better to pee it out takes a lot of energy to heat up water to body temperature.
 
Many years ago, I went camping with a friend. I had quality gear. He showed up with a crappy K-mart backpack and an old girl scout sleeping bag that couldn't have been much more than an inch thick. All day throughout the hike he'd tell me how foolish I was to spend lot's of money on fancy expensive gear--he was doing just fine.

That evening, just as it was getting cold, he got sick and started throwing up, and then shivering. Then he tried to get in his sleeping bag and the zipper broke. So--he starts explaining to me, since he was sick and shivering, why we should trade sleeping bags for the night.

Ha, ha, ha, ha... It still makes me laugh!

I couldn't let him die (although it did cross my mind.) So I heated rocks in the fire. Rolled him up in his crappy sleeping bag with the hot rocks, and then wrapped cord around the human burrito. He slept well, woke up fine, and now credits me with saving his life. :)

When this all happened long ago, I did not know much about "survival." The hot rocks thing just seemed to make sense at the time. Then again, holding your pee til morning seemed to make sense, too.
 
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This time of year I have heat packs in all my bags ready to go. Foot warmers, hand warmers, they are pretty cheap and light weight. They stay hot for a good long time, I tuck one in my shirt pocket and I'm good for six hours, no matter how cold it gets.
 
one can also pee into a bottle and use that as a heat source :thumbup:.......just dont reach for the lemonade haflway thru the night!!! :eek: :barf:
 
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