Yet another contest.

I don't have a rc knife but ill give it a try just for S&G
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You could always pick up an Izula for starters for around $50. It's the entry-level "candy" that gets you hooked! :)
 
Doubt I will be able to try, but looking forward to the entires. A solid tested shelter with lots of construction pictures should serve as an excellent tutorial for the rest of us :thumbup:
 
I'm in... but you may end up with pictures of an Igloo the way the temps/weather have been running this year :)
 
don't own a RAT knife yet, but this is a good opportunity, i think. instead of using a knife in this contest, i will use my extremely sharp mind and brute force. 'nuff said.
 
corn said:
don't own a RAT knife yet, but this is a good opportunity, i think. instead of using a knife in this contest, i will use my extremely sharp mind and brute force. 'nuff said.
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Welcome to the forums...and the obsession!
 
rodloos said:
You could always pick up an Izula for starters for around $50. It's the entry-level "candy" that gets you hooked! :)
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This is like the third truest statement ever uttered by man, surpassed only by "Fire is hot" and "Space is big."

And I've got the powdercoated, kydex-pants-wearin', sharp-a** monkey on my back to prove it.


I'm totally in on this contest, by the way. It's gonna be a blast! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
HICKMAN said:
if anything, we have a good opportunity to learn by participating.
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Exactly! And that's the whole reason we do contests like this. Because it gets people motivated to go do something. And when they do something they learn something. And when they learn something they walk away with a little bit more knowledge that may save their butt some day.
 
Got a question for those with the answer, should a well built debris hut be able to keep one warm enough through the night minus a sleeping bag, in a low temp of about 35?
 
2 foot of debris all the way around should keep you comfy at that temp all night long provided you have plenty of debris cushion on the ground that you are laying on, and provided you close off the entrance hole with a "door"after you climb in. One of my training partners is actually doing some testing on debris shelters this week. It's been getting down to about 32 degrees here and he's been sleeping in one every night without a sleeping bag.
 
R.A.T. said:
2 foot of debris all the way around should keep you comfy at that temp all night long provided you have plenty of debris cushion on the ground that you are laying on, and provided you close off the entrance hole with a "door"after you climb in. One of my training partners is actually doing some testing on debris shelters this week. It's been getting down to about 32 degrees here and he's been sleeping in one every night without a sleeping bag.
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Just don't skimp on piling the debris on top and inside. Think of a debris shelter as a larger squirrel's nest. Lot of material around the outside, very small opening. They are the easiest cool weather shelters to build since all you really need is what's found on the ground. Make the shelter only big enough to crawl inside. The tallest part should be about crotch high with the other side of the ridge pole on the ground. Length should be just a little longer than your body. Built right these things are waterproof, cold-proof and last a long time!
 
crowdog said:
That is about the same temp we are getting around these parts, now that I know its safe I got me a plan to start making happen.
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a sleeping bag is about 2-4 inches of insulation. So it's not too hard to re-create that heat retention with debris. As Jeff mentioned, It'll have to be thicker due to the nature of the components, but the idea remains the same. Trap a dead air space, and use your body to heat it. Most of the problems I've seen/had with shelters is that they didn't trap any air, or were too large a space to be effectively heated by a body.
 
question. What do we use for insulation when we dont have any leafs? its all evergreen. We have ferns, but collecting 2 feet of ferns would take hours. We have some saplings that I don't really want to take, and a downed tree's which the bark can be stripped off. Great for waterproofing, but not insulation. It stays pretty warm, so the biggest concern is waterproofing around here.

Snow would work... but we don't have any yet.
 
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