Give me your Cold & Wet camping tips

[Scouts2Mom]

I know this is late,  but i have my Cubs, and new to camping parents, use this product found at home depot / lowes.  It is basically bubble wrap with the thin silver space blanket material on both sides.And it reflects like 90% of your heat back at you,  and 90% of the cold ground back at the ground.

 

Reflectix 50-sq ft Reflective Roll Insulation (24-in W x 25-ft L)  About $25

 

 Cut a length and slip it into their sleeping bag.  Or sleep on top of it.  Put some on your camp chair and make a "hot seat". Even make a pancho out of it and duct tape.  The only down side, is it is slightly loud in the middle of the night as you roll over.  But we have used this in our beds in the north east when snow storms have cut power for days.  It is like sleeping on a full length heating pad.  

 

 

[TAHAWK]

We lose body heat by several mechanisms: radiation; conduction; convection; evaporation; and respiration.  The reflective coating helps reduce only radiant heat loss.  

 

The Mylar coating you seem to be describing, as on "Space Blankets," adds slightly to the reduction of heat loss achieved by by plain plastic by reducing loss of heat by radiation.   The plain plastic would be as effective against evaporative and convective heat loss.

 

The "bubbles" increase insulation value by creating "still" or "dead" air.  Plus.

 

Experiment with plastic sheeting and plain bubble pack.

 

http://undergroundmedic.com/2016/10/some-life-saving-advice-about-mylar-emergency-blankets-and-28-alternative-uses-for-them/

[EagleonFire]

I was at national Jamboree and saw a troop from Arizona put their tents on oversized ground cloths.  I politely suggested they tuck them under.  I was informed that this is the way they always did it and that I should maybe tend to my own boys.  Two days later we had a good storm and two of the AZ leaders came over and apologized.  Even adults can learn along the way.

I fight this with my co Leaders every time we go to a council camp. I leave to check everyone in and they take our group cloths and not only don't tuck them under but they shove a stake through them wher they hang over. It pisses me off since they have been told that that is basically defeating the purpose of the ground cloth. And ruining them in the process. The kids have been trained to do it right if the adults would just listen

[MrBob]

I know this is late,  but i have my Cubs, and new to camping parents, use this product found at home depot / lowes.  It is basically bubble wrap with the thin silver space blanket material on both sides.And it reflects like 90% of your heat back at you,  and 90% of the cold ground back at the ground.

 

Reflectix 50-sq ft Reflective Roll Insulation (24-in W x 25-ft L)  About $25

 

 Cut a length and slip it into their sleeping bag.  Or sleep on top of it.  Put some on your camp chair and make a "hot seat". Even make a pancho out of it and duct tape.  The only down side, is it is slightly loud in the middle of the night as you roll over.  But we have used this in our beds in the north east when snow storms have cut power for days.  It is like sleeping on a full length heating pad.  

 

Genius!

[Stosh]

I fight this with my co Leaders every time we go to a council camp. I leave to check everyone in and they take our group cloths and not only don't tuck them under but they shove a stake through them wher they hang over. It pisses me off since they have been told that that is basically defeating the purpose of the ground cloth. And ruining them in the process. The kids have been trained to do it right if the adults would just listen

 

I train my boys to tuck it under.  If they don't, as long as it doesn't rain, no big deal.  The floor of the tent is protected from rocks.sticks, etc. 

 

However, the first time it rains, all the rain runs off the rain fly and gets caught by the ground cloth which channels it under the tent like a rain gutter.  If my boys don't listen, eventually they will figure it out,...after that first rain. 

 

I try and not use the phrase, "I told you so..." which is so cliche.  Instead, I look in the tent, see the sopping mess and say, "I bet you don't do that again anytime soon..."  That officially ends the lesson.  

[ianwilkins]

If my boys don't listen, eventually they will figure it out,...after that first rain. 

 

 

Setting up hammocks...

 

Me: I think you really ought to have the tarp a bit more over the end of the hammock

Explorer Scout: Naaa Ian, it'll be fine

M: Okay, if you say so.

[after a rainy night]

ES: Ian, my sleeping bag is wet

M: why's that then?

ES: because it rained

M: nothing to do with the position of your tarp then?

ES: erm, well, errr....

 

My lot love to hammock, and they quite often pack the hammocks as close to each other as possible, and double deck them, so there will be three or four hammocks coming off a tree in different directions, making tarping them a little more tricky, non standard. They love it generally, as it means they're close to each other and can chat and so on, but it does mean sometimes that water feeds off a couple of tarps and merges together and all runs off in one corner, and I get a "had a really bad night's sleep, I could just hear water running off the tarp inches away from my head". I try to look vaguely sympathetic, but they don't usually buy it.

[Stosh]

We had a gully washer of a rain once and I was sleeping in an old military dog tent.  Had a ton of water run through the tent.  I was on a cot with 4" legs and my pack sitting on 3 rocks on the other side.  Boys couldn't figure out why I was the only one that was dry the next morning.  It took a little cramped aerobatics, but it can be done.

 

I have an A-Frame Civil War tent as well that allows me to stand up, have a full military sized cot, lawn chair and plastic tub as a nightstand.  Hooks on the ridgepole hold the pack off the ground as well   As long as everything is picked up and off the ground, they work great.  I find that often times the floored tents retain water better than just letting it run through.  With a heavy rain, just pull the cot to the middle so one doesn't touch the canvas and go to sleep.

[TAHAWK]

ian,

 

Your story reminds me of a conversation that began: "But if you pitch your tarp totally horizontal like that (so three of them could "fit"), what will happen if it rains hard?"

 

And it did.  Interesting noises when the hundreds of gallons of collected rainwater provided enough leverage to pull out the pegs about 3 AM.  

[ianwilkins]

ian,

 

Your story reminds me of a conversation that began: "But if you pitch your tarp totally horizontal like that (so three of them could "fit"), what will happen if it rains hard?"

 

And it did.  Interesting noises when the hundreds of gallons of collected rainwater provided enough leverage to pull out the pegs about 3 AM.  

 

And then one time they took ponchos that doubled up as tarps, and they managed to pitch it so the head hole wasn't at a low point, to start with, but the rain ran into the hood and weighted it down as it filled up, right over the hammock, then overflowed. I tried to be sympathetic, honest I did.

[Stosh]

And then one time they took ponchos that doubled up as tarps, and they managed to pitch it so the head hole wasn't at a low point, to start with, but the rain ran into the hood and weighted it down as it filled up, right over the hammock, then overflowed. I tried to be sympathetic, honest I did.

 

I like your style.  Best lessons are those taught at a practical level.  "Bummer, I bet you never do that again!"

[qwazse]

... "Bummer, I bet you never do that again!"

@@ianwilkins, Do Brits still blush at that? Or have we desensitized you with our ignorance of your slang?

[TAHAWK]

I did wonder what it felt like as the cold, clammy water-burdened tarp pressed down on the sleeping faces before the ultimate collapse.  But I heard no screams - until after the collapse.

 

Next day it was on the trail to backpack to Saturday night's campsite - wet sleeping bags and all.

 

They decided they had "discovered" a cool way to collect rain water.  Lemons.  Lemonade.  I guess.

 

But they never pitched a tarp as shelter that way again.  Nobody died.

[Stosh]

I did wonder what it felt like as the cold, clammy water-burdened tarp pressed down on the sleeping faces before the ultimate collapse.  But I heard no screams - until after the collapse.

 

Next day it was on the trail to backpack to Saturday night's campsite - wet sleeping bags and all.

 

They decided they had "discovered" a cool way to collect rain water.  Lemons.  Lemonade.  I guess.

 

But they never pitched a tarp as shelter that way again.  Nobody died.

 

The best life lessons are learned by failure.  Not only did these scouts learn, they will in fact pass on their experiences around the campfire for the next generation of scouts.  Even then the next generation is going to maybe have to learn the lessons over again on their own, but hey, that's life.

[ianwilkins]

I like your style.  Best lessons are those taught at a practical level.  "Bummer, I bet you never do that again!"

 

It was sunny the next day, and as I walked up to them the sun shone right through the pendulous low hanging hood. "Look! Come here! Look at the sun shining through the water! That's cool, you can see how much has collected!" - they seemed slightly less enamoured.

 

@@ianwilkins, Do Brits still blush at that? Or have we desensitized you with our ignorance of your slang?

 

Totally desensitised. Blame Bill and Ted* and Wayne's World, at least for my desensitising. Well, I might not use "bummer" with cubs or younger, and I'd suspect it would sound old fashioned to young years, but no, I'm not blushing.

 

* I do use "Be Excellent to each other" sometimes when signing off.

[MerleneMir]

Has anyone used thermal heat insoles for camping?