Let us know how it goes, Im sure you will have a great time either way, its all about the adventure!!
Let us know how it goes, Im sure you will have a great time either way, its all about the adventure!!
"I love not man the less, but Nature more."
Byron
Out of curiosity, where are you headed? I'm not seeing much in the forecast other than wind and cold here in S. central Indiana.
Take a shovel, and build a break... Where extra clothes... The CCF pad and hot water bottle would be easy contingencies...
Live, Laugh, Love, if that doesn't work. Load, Aim and Fire, repeat as necessary...
Buy, Try, Learn, Repeat
I've had my MacCat deluxe in windy, snowy conditions. I like to have the front in semi porch mode because i like to see things. In early dec. i woke up at midnight with snow on my face and snow blowing horizontally thru my rig end to end. I got up and pitched the tarp steeper/tighter and that took care of it. You might want to think about a sock for the future if you think it would be useful. Something for your face is nice so you don't have cold air blowing in your face all the time. You'll probably be fine. At the every least it will be a teaching.
good luck
bill
" The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it."
“The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.” ~Wayne Dyer
www.birchsidecustomwoodwork.com
Super six or vapour barrier for gyproc can be used to supplement your tarp and break the wind. It is relatively light and folds or rolls nicely. You can use the marble trick to make tie outs wherever they are needed and you can cut it to size right off the roll. A poncho can also be a handy wind break and is also a multipurpose item. The super six is obviously not a breathable material so may add to condensation issues. I have not used it in cold weather.
A balaclava is nice. I usually fold it so my mouth is not covered but my nose and eyes are. Warm nose and blocks the light ( I have been sleeping in the back yard and have streetlights, headlights and if I sleep in, sunlight.
Pee bottles can be your friend. Having a well fitted, easily threaded lid and a different size or shape then your water container are likely a good ideas.
The last couple of times I was out I used the poncho liner as a pea pod by simply tying the tie outs together under my DD Frontline. I wrapped the en ds together around the foot end. It got down to -10C (14*F) and I was warm but had trouble sleeping, as i think the liner restricted my ability to get diagonal or into the foetal position. When i rolled it down so it just covered my feet, there was more draft but was much more comfortable. I think next time I will add some shock cord between the tie outs to add width and stretch. Maybe tying two of them together (or adding velcro ???) and cinching the ends would give more of a sock effect and not be as restrictive. Hmmmmm.
Here are some pics of the woobie sock.
Last edited by bodhran4me; 01-19-2013 at 13:13. Reason: added pics
Hangin' High and Dry
I've been experimenting with some asymetrical pitches in windy situations. One of my favorites is pitching the head end into the wind, set low with the sides steep and the doors of my tarp folded flat across one another. The foot end of the tarp ridgeline I set a foot or so higher and widen the sides up less steep to give myself more room to move around. Often I can leave one or both the foot end doors tied back. This works well for circulation and less frost inside the tarp.
Another variation of this setup I like for especially windy situations when I have my tarp pitched steep and low to the ground is to just open up one corner that is on the most leeward side into a porch mode. This makes it so much easier getting in and out.
David
Not sure if bodhran4me was alluding to this in his first sentence, but I have an older & a bit heavier space blanket with six grommets on it. If it was me, I'd wrap that around the outside of the uq and attach around the ridgeline. This would block the wind, add some insulation, and protect your set up from getting wet from blowing snow.
Mort,
Super six is 6mil polyethylene used between your insulation and drywall when insulating your outer walls. It is clear which is nice for lighting etc. It would be lighter and more compact than your space blanket (you have the one that is silver on one side and usu. green or orange on the other to avoid tears/punctures???) but, on the other hand it offers no insulation, strictly wind and rain protection. Also there are no ready made grommets or tie outs, thus the need for the marble trick.
The only problem I would foresee with the space blanket (or any vapour barrier) as a sock would be condensation. I found the woobie worked pretty well as a sock but was a little restrictive (see in my post about adding shock cords or a 2nd woobie.) I have added some pics to my previous post to show the woobie-sock for those interested.
markr6,
What did you come up with to supplement your setup? Hope you have a good and safe trip. We look forward to hearing how things go on your trip.
Last edited by bodhran4me; 01-19-2013 at 13:24.
Hangin' High and Dry
hey there best thing if your heading out into the big freeze is prepare yourself before you leave, test out what gear you`ve got to the weather your going into,if you cant do that then bring extra stash better to carry more than you think you`ll need and dont use it than to need something you aint got with ya,, something like 3 pairs of wool socks instead of 2 can make a big difference even if your just going over night.. start off not going too far away if it all goes wrong you can get back, then go further away, most importantly find somewhere out of the wind, windchill can kill, barriers again s this is key!!! either digging out snow or tarp hung low and winter sock,space blanket, UQ elct having a good fire and way to start a fire, warm food,drink helps its awesome when you have a good set up and its ****ed up when you dont all the best to ya
Bookmarks