Jerimiah Johnson and the hot coals technique

[jloden]

I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work for a hammock, but you have to be careful with technique so as not to light anything on fire or melt some nylon (yikes). If you're too high above the heat source it won't do much for heating you and you'd lose a lot of the heat to convection from wind under you and your tarp. It requires a pretty decent amount of effort to burn coals, dig out an appropriate area, cover it, etc. All in all I think I'd rather expend the energy to carry some extra down quilt weight

If I were going to try something that marries bushcraft techniques with hammocks I'd probably try the "supershelter" system FourDog has detailed in some other posts. If you're not familiar with it it's the Mors Kochanski supershelter adapted to a hammock; clear plastic tarp in front, reflective blanket/tarp in the back. Fire burning out front lets heat in through the front and bounces it off the reflector, creating a greenhouse effect. In addition to the efficient heating this type of shelter would block more wind so you have a double benefit. May not get to it this year but definitely on my list of things to try sometime!

-Jay

[dejoha]

I'm not sure how well it would work if you were elevated above the coals -- heat would dissipate all over the place. I think the idea is that you trap the rocks and insulate them and by laying on top, you ensure the rising heat heats you. When you leave an empty space between the rocks and the hammock, a lot of heat will end up going no where.

This winter, I experienced this with an experiment in Snow Canyon, Utah. It was a cold 15°F night and I was ground sleeping with my son. I took the large, sandstone rocks that circled the fire and put them in our tent. I figured the hot rocks would heat up the tent (I didn't bury them, just left them out in the open inside the floorless tent).

The rocks were hot to touch, but even lying right next to one, I could only barely feel the heat. Within a few hours, there wasn't much heat left.

Now, I'm not a geologists, but I'll guess that sandstone rocks don't hold heat as well as granite or other igneous rocks.

I agree with Jay that doing a FourDog "greenhouse" shelter would be the way to go.

[kellyk7]

My father grew up on the Platt river in Nebraska my grandfather told of weathering out a sudden storm that come up on him by finding a little drift to block the wind and building a small smokey fire then squatting over it with his long coat. said you just had to pay attention to how big the fire was and not let it get to small. said he made it over night and into the next day in a sub zero norther. did not sleep much but survived.

Now the key to this buried coals technique is the same that is key for a hog in the ground, a good bed of coals to start with and then snuff them in dirt, loam is best , clay tends to pack to tight, but it is like those hand warmer things, your not looking to cook yourself just add some heat from below

the times i have done it by morning I am on a bed of dead coals but by then my rig is acting as insulation and the ground does not suck so much heat off you

I know guys who camp with tarps or floorless tents in winter just to be able to maintain a small fire in the tent..

[Hooch]

Bear Claw would be an excellent trail name for someone who could live up to it.

Only one I know is Bearpaw and he definitely lives up to that. Bear Claw, you say? Well that's a different story.

Can you skin griz?

[Tumbleweed]

When I was a kid my grandpa would take us kids ice fishing on Onalaska / Mississippi River / Wisconsin. We would each sit on a board placed across our own metal 5 gallon pail. Coffee can inside with a roll of toilet paper in the coffee can. Squirt in some lighter fluid / alcohol and light it. We each wore old woolen greatcoats with our backs to the wind. Could fish for 4-5 hours with a place to warm and dry hands, warm sandwiches, etc. About every half hour he would come by to pass out a shot of brandy. Caught many pails of fish too. Just sayin' , and a pail would fit in my pulk.

[Others]

"you skin that one and I'll git you another"!

[mountain_man_mike]

I'd be nervous about someone sneaking up on me, stuffing an apple in my mouth and breaking out the grass skirts... yikes!!

[Bearclaw]

Bringing the rocks that ring your campfire into your shelter works and doesn't require any digging. Of course, care needs to be used so the rocks don't explode but, it's the same care a body should use in choosing fire-ring rocks anyways.

So true, DON'T USE ROCK FROM A DRY CREEK BED! The water in the rocks will super heat and the rock will explode.

[Bearclaw]

Bear Claw is a god.

I'm not a god, close but not quite.