Who is going camping this weekend?

[Airehead]

Beautiful pictures did it snow. 

[Digital_photog ★]

26 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Ah.  I figured it was something like a re-enactment of certain times.  

Interesting stuff.  I'd rather read about your trips, than do it myself.  Seems very cold.

It is much heavier than the stuff you use but as I get older I like the warmth I get with this stuff. As I have said I have the light weight stuff and have used it as low as -20f.  Yes, it will keep you alive but this gives much more comfort.  I find it more fun to go out when I know I have a warm comfortable tent to return to.   Most of the campers I have experience with are a PITA in below freezing weather.

Winter camping can be a lot of fun with proper knowledge and equipment but can be deadly otherwise.  I have done it all my life.  Started with my parents using the heavy traditional gear. Went to the light, high tech stuff and now more often the older traditional way. The only real advantage that I see to the modern light stuff is weight.  It would be difficult to take what you see in these pictures on a backpacking or bike packing trip. Maybe could using one of my bike trailers but then I would be loaded as heavy as @Longjohn was on the 'Great Adventure" and I wouldn't even have the cast iron kitchen sink.

[Dirtyhip]

10 minutes ago, Digital_photog said:

It is much heavier than the stuff you use but as I get older I like the warmth I get with this stuff. As I have said I have the light weight stuff and have used it as low as -20f.  Yes, it will keep you alive but this gives much more comfort.  I find it more fun to go out when I know I have a warm comfortable tent to return to.   Most of the campers I have experience with are a PITA in below freezing weather.

Winter camping can be a lot of fun with proper knowledge and equipment but can be deadly otherwise.  I have done it all my life.  Started with my parents using the heavy traditional gear. Went to the light, high tech stuff and now more often the older traditional way. The only real advantage that I see to the modern light stuff is weight.  It would be difficult to take what you see in these pictures on a backpacking or bike packing trip. Maybe could using one of my bike trailers but then I would be loaded as heavy as @Longjohn was on the 'Great Adventure" and I wouldn't even have the cast iron kitchen sink.

HAHA!  Sounds like LJ had a lot of stuff. 

Our camper is easy in the cold.  It is very warm.  We just can't have running water, due to the need to winterize it.  Its cool.  I can avoid a shower for a couple of days. Dishes become more troublesome, but we manage.  

Heavy clothing is annoying for me.  It wears me out.  I have become a fan of wool.  I almost always wear a wool base layer, this time of the year.  It is truly wonderful. 

[Digital_photog ★]

15 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

HAHA!  Sounds like LJ had a lot of stuff. 

Our camper is easy in the cold.  It is very warm.  We just can't have running water, due to the need to winterize it.  Its cool.  I can avoid a shower for a couple of days. Dishes become more troublesome, but we manage.  

Heavy clothing is annoying for me.  It wears me out.  I have become a fan of wool.  I almost always wear a wool base layer, this time of the year.  It is truly wonderful. 

I was wearing smartwool base layer.  Blanket wool shirt with canvas pants and canvas anorak for top layer.  Wool cap. wool sox and the moccasins with the wool pacs.

 

[Digital_photog ★]

1 hour ago, Airehead said:

Beautiful pictures did it snow. 

Snow pictures are on page 2 of the thread.  It was beautiful.  Either that or I was high on 2 pots of coffee.

[Randomguy]

30 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

I can avoid a shower for a couple of days.

Gross.  

 

[Randomguy]

On 12/8/2017 at 6:36 PM, Digital_photog said:

I have plenty of wood and also a sleeping bag that will keep me warm to at least 0. With the liner it should handle nearly -20

What kind of bag do you use?  

I have winter camped, although probably less than 30 days overall.  I have had good winter gear, a Bibler Ahwanee tent, a -20 degree long left mummy bag, lots of baselayers, fleece pants, hats, gloves, and still kind of chilly, or at least not totally comfortable when it is below zero at night.  I have always wondered what they did in the old days when people were forced to camp out overnight.

A stove in the tent would be wonderful!

[Digital_photog ★]

26 minutes ago, Dickbag said:

What kind of bag do you use?  

I have winter camped, although probably less than 30 days overall.  I have had good winter gear, a Bibler Ahwanee tent, a -20 degree long left mummy bag, lots of baselayers, fleece pants, hats, gloves, and still kind of chilly, or at least not totally comfortable when it is below zero at night.  I have always wondered what they did in the old days when people were forced to camp out overnight.

A stove in the tent would be wonderful!

I have a Kelty cosmic down 0 bag.

Not the lightest or necessarily the best but it is about the cheapest down bag with that rating.  I have quite a few friends using them too.  I do recommend them for the price.  For cold weather I have a fleece bag liner that adds about 15 to 20 degrees to the rating.  Bivy sack also helps.  Many of us don't burn the stove all night but let it go out overnight and start it in the morning.  My stove needs to be fueled about every 4 hours to keep it going. Not necessary unless it is extremely cold.  Sure is nice to have the heat when it is -20 or colder.  At 20 degrees I was laying on top of the bag much of the night. The pyramid tent is small enough that with just a small fire the temp was from 60 to as much as 80 just after stoking it up.

 

[Randomguy]

3 minutes ago, Digital_photog said:

I have a Kelty cosmic down 0 bag.

Not the lightest or necessarily the best but it is about the cheapest down bag with that rating.  I have quite a few friends using them too.  I do recommend them for the price.  For cold weather I have a fleece bag liner that adds about 15 to 20 degrees to the rating.  Bivy sack also helps.  Many of us don't burn the stove all night but let it go out overnight and start it in the morning.  My stove needs to be fueled about every 4 hours to keep it going. Not necessary unless it is extremely cold.  Sure is nice to have the heat when it is -20 or colder.  At 20 degrees I was laying on top of the bag much of the night. The pyramid tent is small enough that with just a small fire the temp was from 60 to as much as 80 just after stoking it up.

 

But what did they do 150 years ago when in the mountains overnight?  I am curious, because it sounds like people had figured things out years ago, and those ideas were tossed with all this newfangled stuff that came out.

[Digital_photog ★]

leanto tent with a fire in front. something behind the fire to reflect heat.  Even a stack of logs works for that.  With a fire it isn't hard to keep a leanto warm.  By the late 1700s tent stoves were available.  Maybe not common but used to some extent.  Tipis was built with open fire in the center.  These methods are still used by many winter campers.  Many who have done it before all the light modern equipment was available may have tried the new stuff and found that even though it weighs more they prefer the more traditional.

 

[12string]

On 12/9/2017 at 2:22 PM, Dirtyhip said:

Good for you, and I am glad you are having fun.  

You and I camp differently.  I turn on the thermostat.  You have a stove.  Our set up is easy and not complicated.  Setting up camp takes less than 10 minutes.  Park, pop up the trailer, and install the jacks.  Done.

If we had a camper that didn't pop up, it would be even easier.  I am a fan of keeping things simple and easy these days.  we are in the market for a solid camper, because the pop up is going to fall apart, since we use it so much.

Did my time in a pop up.  Switched to a hybrid.  Takes the same amount of time, there's still canvas to deal with.  But much more room inside, and you don't have to pack and unpack, everything can stay in the pantry and closet.  But getting close to the end of the canvas' life, and I found a soft spot in the roof.  I don't feel like doing the repair, so it's time to move to  total hardside.

[Dirtyhip]

2 hours ago, 12string said:

Did my time in a pop up.  Switched to a hybrid.  Takes the same amount of time, there's still canvas to deal with.  But much more room inside, and you don't have to pack and unpack, everything can stay in the pantry and closet.  But getting close to the end of the canvas' life, and I found a soft spot in the roof.  I don't feel like doing the repair, so it's time to move to  total hardside.

Our pop up is a hard sided pop up, but still.  Those supports seem to get weak and can snap.  One snapped already, and my husband had to fix it.  It's a matter of time.  It probably doesn't help that this thing is sometimes bouncing down a gravel road, behind our truck.  We want a normal trailer now. Like a 17' one.