Keeping warm in the North

[caedmon]

Ok, single blanket packs are cool, so long as you live in Texas or Australia, but what about more extreme temps? Anyone have thoughts on a minimum blanket/cloak for wet weather/winter camping?

[Ringulf]

I was watching Jerimiah Johnson a few nights ago and they did alot with bearskin or Buffulo rugs, capes and all types of other clothing made from fur. They would be rather heavy but up in the mountains or tundra in the time periods we are suggesting, I do not think there are many alternatives.
Aside from proper layering and heavy fur usage, I started to realize as I watched, it was more crucial to employ proper shelter to survive the real cold. Though the one interesting outdoor "sleeping on the ground" scene was the old Mountain man Will Geer (Grandpa Walton) teaching Johnson to dig a pit, build a fire, let it burn down to coals, then spread it and cover it with just the right amount of dirt. Then you build your ground cloth and blankets over that.
Of course Jeramiah had to learn the right amount the hard way.

"Not 'nough dirt Pilgrim...Ah saw it right off!"

I always enjoyed the connection between the mountain man and what one of my variations of what a Dwarven Ranger could be.

Substitute a big crossbow for the black powder (unless your playing WOW)

[Yavion]

I was watching Jerimiah Johnson a few nights ago and they did alot with bearskin or Buffulo rugs, capes and all types of other clothing made from fur. They would be rather heavy but up in the mountains or tundra in the time periods we are suggesting, I do not think there are many alternatives.
Aside from proper layering and heavy fur usage, I started to realize as I watched, it was more crucial to employ proper shelter to survive the real cold. Though the one interesting outdoor "sleeping on the ground" scene was the old Mountain man Will Geer (Grandpa Walton) teaching Johnson to dig a pit, build a fire, let it burn down to coals, then spread it and cover it with just the right amount of dirt. Then you build your ground cloth and blankets over that.
Of course Jeramiah had to learn the right amount the hard way.

"Not 'nough dirt Pilgrim...Ah saw it right off!"

I always enjoyed the connection between the mountain man and what one of my variations of what a Dwarven Ranger could be.

Substitute a big crossbow for the black powder (unless your playing WOW)

I seem to remember watching a vid (maybe Ray Mears?) where he did that trick but layered in part of a kill to cook so that he had breakfast waiting in the coals for him in the morning.

[Ringulf]

Sounds like Multi-Tasking to me...my idea of multi-tasking is reading on the hopper!

[man_of_tanith]

from what i have read in M Bakers A Plgrims Journey Vol 2 the long hunters used a hot rock bag which held a heated rock in the bedding, this would work well if scorching the rock somewhat.
often i fill my metal water bottle with boiled water and use as a hot water bottle which is very effective.
other than that a reflector built behind the fire, a heated bed in the style of jerimiah johnson, well insulated bedding ie browse, an eleveated bedding area to allow heat from fire to circulate beneath body are all effective,
if relying on the fire to keep you warm you must be prepared for broken sleep as you wake every so often to rebuild it. whilst awake you can run around to warm up/do some callisthenics anything to get the circulation going and warm up before bedding down again.

[Straelbora]

I was watching Jerimiah Johnson a few nights ago and they did alot with bearskin or Buffulo rugs, capes and all types of other clothing made from fur. They would be rather heavy but up in the mountains or tundra in the time periods we are suggesting, I do not think there are many alternatives.
Aside from proper layering and heavy fur usage, I started to realize as I watched, it was more crucial to employ proper shelter to survive the real cold. Though the one interesting outdoor "sleeping on the ground" scene was the old Mountain man Will Geer (Grandpa Walton) teaching Johnson to dig a pit, build a fire, let it burn down to coals, then spread it and cover it with just the right amount of dirt. Then you build your ground cloth and blankets over that.
Of course Jeramiah had to learn the right amount the hard way.

"Not 'nough dirt Pilgrim...Ah saw it right off!"

I always enjoyed the connection between the mountain man and what one of my variations of what a Dwarven Ranger could be.

Substitute a big crossbow for the black powder (unless your playing WOW)

Here in the States, Costco sells sheepskin rugs every winter for about $150 (they've gone up- I bought mine for about $120). They're made of four sheepskins sewn together, and the final product is about six feet by four feet. Using that and a few individual sheepskins, a wool blanket and wool socks, mittens and hat, plus thermal underwear, I've slept outside in the snow when the temps were about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. I remember the temp because a friend of mine who is a public defender commented that the same weekend I was sleeping outside, the local police were rounding up homeless people and forcing them into shelters. It turns out the community where she worked (and defended homeless people who didn't want to be forced into shelters) decided that 10 degrees was the magic number, and only 'crazy people' would want to remain outside at those temps.

http://www.costco.com/Auskin-Lambskin-C ... 07232.html

[Eledhwen]

I do minimalist year round. I just change the fabric of the clothing I wear from linen to wool, add a layer or two, and sometimes add a cloak in with the blanket roll. Other than that, I don't make changes. It is easier to keep warm than to keep cool, generally speaking, assuming no A/C and all.

Eledhwen

[Ringulf]

It is easier to keep warm than to keep cool, generally speaking, assuming no A/C and all.

Eledhwen

I heartily agree!

[Greg]

The critical thing is to remember that no tool which is designed to handle a myriad of tasks is going to do any of those individual tasks better than the single separate tool designed specifically for each individual task. Case in point, a Knife, Corkscrew, Screwdriver, scissors, and toothpick will all do their respective jobs better than a single swiss army knife can cover all of these tasks.

Bringing this on-topic:
I've tried really hard to make parts of my kit multi-task well so I can carry less. In a few ways, this has worked well. Obviously, the backside of a hatchet can double as a hammer. But when you make a cloak out of heavy canvas with the intent of using it as your shelter tarp at night, you encounter problems. Did it work well as a cloak? Absolutely. Did it work well as a shelter tarp? Reasonably so, though the shape wasn't super-versatile. After it served its purpose as a shelter tarp in a rainstorm, did it go right back to functioning well as a cloak, soaking wet?

Bingo.

So now I've got a 20+ pound soaking wet hunk of cold canvas, and I robbed myself of the availability of a nice heavy cloak to wear all night long by using it as a tarp.

So, in these terms, having a dedicated ground cloth is important. It needs to not be a cloak or other garment...it should serve that purpose, and that purpose alone. Similarly, if you carry a tarp, you can't bank on using it for anything clothing-wise. Can you use it to carry a large pile of leaves 20 feet to your bedding location? Yes. Should you plan on tossing it around your shoulders after the rainstorm? No.

On a similar line to the above about putting on wet tarps...when we hike in to a location, regardless of outside temperature, we're bound to sweat a little. If we're well-insulated in period garments of linen and wool, we're just about guranteed to...even with snow on the ground. Changing into a dry shirt before bedding down will make a huge difference. Clean socks are a huge priorty on my list, too. Even if they don't seem wet, changing your socks will almost instantly raise your body temperature before falling asleep.

Straelbora's comment about sheepskins is an excellent reference. The nice thing is, you don't necessarily have to have one that is full-length...that's a lot to carry. One that's about the length of your torso and head, perhaps as far down as your tailbone, can do the trick because your legs are fairly good at keeping themselves warm. In more frigid weather, such as what he's describing, I would certainly recommend the full-length deal, but you at least can be flexible based on the severity of the weather for the sake of weight.

I've baked a few flat rocks and placed them under a layer of dirt...I don't trust hot coals because the ground here is made up so much of recently decomposed organic matter that I'd expect it to smoulder right through it, but rocks have made for a comfortable night before. It just takes a lot of work (digging), and leaves a remarkably clear trace of your passing on the site.

Fur is awesome. I love my deerhide mantle, which has done wonders to keep my torso warm on cold nights, but I'd really like to make a replacement from caribou, as I'm told that the hide has air pockets within the leather itself which does wonders to trap warmth. Caedmon...can you elaborate on this at all?

[Peter Remling]

Just a warning for those who wish to heat their rocks: Be careful where you are getting those rocks from, never take rocks from a stream bed or where there has been an obvious cascade of water over them. Rocks are porous and will absorb some water over time. Placing rocks with a high moisture content in a fire can cause the rocks to explode as the water turns to steam. Shrapnel never tastes good as a bedtime snack. If is perfectly safe if you are careful where you get the rocks from. We up in New England have thousands of miles of old stones fences, several stones from the top of a fence is perfectly fine and you can put it back the next morning. Camping by one of these fences provides an excellent wind break too.

[wulfgar]

Never underestimate the power of a good heap of leaves or fir boughs as a bed. I have made a large pile of leaves to sleep on before and this provided enough insulation from the ground so that I was able to use all of my blanket for top cover. Think about a squirrel nest, get a large a pile of leaves as you possibly can and sleep on it or in it.

[Greg]

True that ^^^. Nothing will do this better than pine needles.

[brownl_91]

Last winter I went camping and was going to just bring 2 thick wool blankets because the coldest temp was going to be around 18 degrees F. I ended up letting a friend use my down feather sleeping bag. Right after I did that the weather changed from a low of 18 to a low of -20 degrees F. I stayed warm enough by bringing 3 wool blankets, a wool cloak (which I wore while hiking) a down feather jacket, and snow pants. Though it's not as traditional as I would like and my bedroll was very thick when i slung it over my shoulder for hiking. I stayed warm enough in the frigid temps, though i did end up sleeping in a tent and putting a water bottle of warm water by my feet.