Hey... that's a good thought to keep in mind this summer! Thanks Compass!Originally Posted by Compass
Hey... that's a good thought to keep in mind this summer! Thanks Compass!
I too will something make and joy in it's making
I'm heading 'up-state' this Tue/Wed, and I just got a Kleen Canteen to use as my hot water bottle. I got the large one (40 oz I think), and plan to try that. I'm not actually hiking, more gear testing. I plan to use this as a base camp water bottle rather than one I'd carry while on the move.
The harder I work, the luckier I get.
The pee bottle comes to mind. A regular ol' gatorade bottle works best for this. The bigger ones. Men have less trouble missing with the wider hole than is available in your run of the mill 20oz. That's all there is to say about that. Plus it's light, cheap, throw away.
If you're worried it'll spill out just pack that gatorade bottle empty and try with regular water. Better yet get some cheap gasket blank (auto parts stores sell this by the foot) and make a little gasket for the lid. That should keep it more than water tight.
I know a guy who uses the pee gatorade bottle regularly and has NEVER had a leak problem. And he's a ground sleeper.
On the topic of water as a warmer.
YES! Water is actually 4X better at holding heat than rock! It's a veritable heat battery. Heating your water up before bedtime and throwing it in the sack (any sack, hammock or not) is 100% guaranteed to help you stay warm. When the battery is "spent" and it's starting to absorb your body heat, get it out as quickly and efficiently as possible without letting out too much warmth and continue sleeping.
How did the Kleen Kanteen work as a hot water bottle? Being metal, did you need to use more insulation?
Creating a hot water bottle for night also has the duel purpose of helping to treat your water by boiling. I am fine with filtering and treating chemically but I am going with my wife next Sept. and she insist on boiling also. She is also a cold sleeper so I figured if I got to expend the weight with extra fuel I might as well keep her warm in her hammock too.
This reminds me of a way I used to stay warm while in Japan.
In the Winter, they have these guys who mount a wood stove to the back of a small truck and roam the streets by the train station or in residential neighborhoods selling roasted sweet potatoes wrapped in foil. In a cold January night on the 15 minute walk home I'd buy one, take a quick bite, and shove it in various pockets as a warmer. As a bonus, when I got home, I'd already have one course of my dinner prepared.
I don't think I'd like to try that in a hammock in the summer in Jellystone park though.
I'm...ombibulous.
That is a great idea. I will try this out in June on my BWCA trip.
It may gross some people out, but in the winter I carry a piss bottle so I don't need to get out of the warm hammock. When you use it, the bottle is also warm - no need to burn any fuel.
A thought just occurred to me, with the piss bottle,wouldn't the
"battery" be already depleted since it only starts out at body temp?
When your boiled-water bottle reaches body temp it's depleted, according to attrezzo (whom I happen to agree with). I mean, apparently some of us use piss bottles to good effect, but it doesn't seem to add up, for me at least. Am I just crazy?
Very curious,
Acer
It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Formerly known as Acercanto, my trail name is MacGuyver to some, and Pucker Factor to others.
It's not procrastinating, its proactively delaying the implementation of the energy-intensive phase of the project until the enthusiasm factor is at its maximum effectiveness. - Randy Glasbergen
The bottle feels warm to the touch b/c the pee comes out at your core temp...which is higher than your skin feels. I guess for a short time it would be worth keeping inside the quilt b/c it would warm up your extremities...but after a time your body would have to spend extra energy keeping the pee warm.
I guess a rule of thumb might be that as long as it still feels warm, rather than just "not cold," it's worth keeping in there.
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story
- My site: http://www.tothewoods.net/
- Designer, Jeff's Gear Hammock / Pack Cover by JRB
IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
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