Until Saturday night, I had never slept in a snow shelter before. I made it seven winters working at a winter camp for boy scouts and supervised the building of umpteen such structures, but had never spent the night in one. Necessity has a funny way of changing such things.
It all came to be because my sleeping system was woefully inadequate for the actual temperatures experienced.
I really have two sleep setups for cold (winter) weather: a -20F degree down bag and a 20F degree MYOG quilt that I put inside a 30F degree down bag. The former can be used in a tent, under a tarp, etc., while the latter is placed inside a bivy. I used this quilt and bag setup in Montana in 2009 and feel comfortable with it to take it down to single digits above zero when combined with insulated clothing.
This weekend, several forecasts said that the Sunday low was zero degrees, and the temp would rise into the low 30s later that day. Perfect testing for my setup in a controlled environment. And then the cold broke loose.
The weekend temperature plunge started Friday night continued into Saturday morning. It was -14F at sunrise on Saturday, and -9F when my crew left base camp a few hours later. I rarely put on my down coat before about 3 pm. This weekend, it was on by 12:45 pm - just a few minutes after getting to camp.
I assessed the situation - I needed to do something. At this pace, the temp would not get above zero during daylight. Once sunset hit, the temp would plummet 10 to 15 degrees until it bottomed out just before dawn the next morning. I did not want to shiver my way to dawn.
Even with wearing everything I had, I needed to get more insulation into my system. Snow was the only thing available. Inspiration hit. When I did the Hudson Bay Expedition in 2005, I bought Tom Brown's survival guide a few days into the trip and carried it with me. I paged through it in the evenings, making mental notes of interesting ideas.
Small is beautiful Brown advised. With that, I started to make a pile of snow. It was about 3.5 feet high and about six feet long. It rounded slightly at the top as most piles do, and angled off the back. I poked foot-long sticks into the sides for a guides later. And then I let it sit for a few hours. I was to make a quinzee, al beit slightly modified.
When the few hours passed, the snow had settled and digging began. With Brown's words in mind, I took a shovel and excavated a coffin-size tunnel out of my pile. I slid myself in to test: my feet were near the back and my shoulders were directly below the door. Perfect.
With that, I unfurled by bivy and in it went my two sleeping pads (full length and 3/4 Ridgerests). Then went my backpack (GG Vapor Trail) to its spot under my feet, the remainder of its contents sitting in the bivy. Sleeping bags were next: first the bag and then the quilt layered inside. The whole package slid neatly into my tunnel.
Nightfall came, and now came the test. I took off my boots (Steger Arctic mukluks) and changed into dry socks. I then removed the boot liners from the moosehide and canvas shells, and placed them on my feet. As always, the mukluks went into my compression sack (itself turned inside out) and into the bag. I slid into the bag, wearing everything I had with me except my damp socks and insulated mittens. I even put hot water in my camp-issued 16 oz Nalgene bottle and threw it in the bag. Up went by parka hood, and my bag hood went over that. There was minimal space between the top of my bivy and the roof of the tunnel, but my insulation was not compressed.
I have never slept so well in the winter as I did that night. As usual, I woke up to urinate twice (1 and 5:30 AM - right on schedule) but was never cold. My feet were sufficiently insulated, and my nose was never cold. Dawn came at 6:30 am and I rose with the sun. I would later learn that the temp bottomed out at -14F - an impressive 20 degrees colder than I had ever taken that sleep system before. I walked back to base camp comfortable and more knowledgeable than when I left just 24 hours before.
My bags paid the price for this knowledge, though. I did not use vapor barriers, and perspiration condensed in my bag, quilt and down parka. Moisture from my breath condensed on and in the shell of my bag in front of my face and collapsed and severely compromised the insulation there (Andrew Skurka faced a similar problem on his Icebox trek). If I had had to spend another night out, I would have needed to spend an hour or so drying my bag in the afternoon sun.
This was not a situation I intend to repeat, but it was inspirational and informative. I can't think of how I could have solved my problem any better, and I am for the wiser because of it. I do not intend to test this again, but its lessons will be used on many trips to come.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Sunshine and snow melt on the SHT
I spent Feb. 26-28 on my favorite section of the Superior Hiking Trail: Beaver Bay to Highway 1. The weekend was fabulous - the weather was warm, and with the exception for Sunday morning, there was no cloud in the sky. The weather was so warm throughout the weekend, I hiked in my base layer top for most of Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning into the afternoon. Rarely did I have anything else on my torso besides my top and sunglasses.
I was the first obvious human visitor to the area between somewhere south of Penn Creek and Mt. Trudee in a while. The trail was obvious because of prior indentations (and subsequent snowfall), but there were no fresh tracks. The trail register at the east fork of the Twin Lakes Trail confirmed that what I thought: I was the first person to make an entry in the log since jan 2, 2010, a span of eight weeks.
I also saw only one person physically on the trail, and he was out walking his dog. I saw no other hikers. From my vantage point atop the adjacent ridges, I saw some persons icefishing on Bear and Bean lakes, and two cross country skiers on Bear Lake.
There were at least more recent visitors in the section between Penn Boulevard and Penn Creek. Unfortunately, some snowmobiles south decided to carve their path on the SHT. It made walking easy, but it does not lessen the intrusion. The SHT crisscrosses numerous snowmobile trails, and the trail clearly marked with "Foot Traffic Only" or "No Motorized Vehicles." Signs mean what they say: snowmobilers, stay off.
The trail section between Mt. Trudee and through Tettegouche State Park to Highway 1 was much more compacted, likely because of visitors to the park. The compacted trail pretty much started at the summit of Mt. Trudee and wound its way back through the park.
I was the first obvious human visitor to the area between somewhere south of Penn Creek and Mt. Trudee in a while. The trail was obvious because of prior indentations (and subsequent snowfall), but there were no fresh tracks. The trail register at the east fork of the Twin Lakes Trail confirmed that what I thought: I was the first person to make an entry in the log since jan 2, 2010, a span of eight weeks.
I also saw only one person physically on the trail, and he was out walking his dog. I saw no other hikers. From my vantage point atop the adjacent ridges, I saw some persons icefishing on Bear and Bean lakes, and two cross country skiers on Bear Lake.
There were at least more recent visitors in the section between Penn Boulevard and Penn Creek. Unfortunately, some snowmobiles south decided to carve their path on the SHT. It made walking easy, but it does not lessen the intrusion. The SHT crisscrosses numerous snowmobile trails, and the trail clearly marked with "Foot Traffic Only" or "No Motorized Vehicles." Signs mean what they say: snowmobilers, stay off.
The trail section between Mt. Trudee and through Tettegouche State Park to Highway 1 was much more compacted, likely because of visitors to the park. The compacted trail pretty much started at the summit of Mt. Trudee and wound its way back through the park.
Somewhere in Tettegouche State Park in amid its cedar forests is a climb dubbed The Drainpipe. It is the toughest single climb on the SHT, and and it reminds me of the Hillary Step, a 40-foot climb on Mt. Everest only 269 vertical feet from the summit (although no where near as difficult). To climb up this section, I had to click up the heel bars on my snowshoes and take it one slow step at a time. This photo does not do it justice.
Because I did an out-and-back, I had the pleasure of going down and then up the Drainpipe. I can compare the two only as such: going down was likely more dangerous because my feet could have more easily slipped out from underneath me (landing me on my butt), but going up was harder because of the single-step/rest-step method I used to get up.
It was the second weekend out with my Betalight. I had initially wanted to modify the anchors by adding ladder lock buckles to the corners, but I did not get the chance to do that before I left. This would allow me to get a tight pitch, and to tighten the pitch throughout the evening should the silnylon sag or the snow shift. Instead, I pitched the shelter as tight as a could, then set up the shelter. My poles (115 cm Gossamer Gear LightTrek 3s) were too short to get a tight pitch, so I had to add rocks under the poles to boost them slightly. This tightened the pitch, and created vents along the base of the shelter because the pitch was not tight to the ground.
I spent Saturday evening on a hill just outside the park boundaries. The moon rose over the lake, leaving a glow over the lake and throwing shadows from everything. It was one of the best campsites I've been at in a while.
Being on top of a hill, it was breezy. I closed up the door to keep drafts off my chin and expected heavy condensation on the interior walls throughout the night. But when I woke up, there was minimal condensation on the interior walls, just some mild condensation directly above my face. The ground-level vents created by the pitching method created sufficient ventilation to prevent an icing, too.
Here is my Final 2.26-2.28.10 Gear List (Google Spreadsheet). You'll notice that I have not calculated my base weight. This was not intentional, but in hindsight it is less important in winter because your clothing system changes throughout the day - you're simply adjusting layers more often.
I made two last-minute gear-list changes: In my initial gear list, I cut out my SMC Snowstakes to save approximately 8 oz off my pack weight. But I added them back in out of sheer convenience. I also listed my sole base layer bottom as a pair of GoLite Stride shorts. But I brought along (and wore) my new Patagonia R1 Bottoms instead because I wanted to have a base layer over my knees.
Taking the snowstakes was the correct decision. I got into camp Friday night at around 12:30 am, and the stakes were convenient. I did not have to go searching for sticks, and the stakes sliced into the packed snow of the designated campsite. However, I should not have worn my R1 bottoms. The temperature was too high for their use, and I was sweating on my legs throughout the day. That all said, as soon as I stopped the bottoms dumped heat, just as the fabric is designed to do.
Because of anticipated weather conditions, I switched from my MSR Dragonfly, a white gas stove, to an MSR PocketRocket, a top-mount canister stove. Canister stoves are not traditionally used in the winter because the temperatures tend to be below the boiling point of the fuel in the canister. I use MSR canisters (almost exclusively), which contain a mixture of isobutane and propane. Isobutane boils at +10F, and propane boils at -43.8F (chart from BPL). Like white-gas stoves, the fuel for a canister stove must be in a gas form to burn efficiently. Thus, when the temps drop below +10F, the canister will start to burn propane almost exclusively, and when that fuel runs out, the stove stops dead. Now, take into effect Boyle's law (as pressure decreases (through using the stove), the temperature decreases) and the canister can cool below +10F and cause the stove to stop working despite the canister being two-thirds full.
The weather cooperated with the stove. The daytime temps were in the mid 20s to mid 30s. I also warmed the canister inside my jacket, and on Sunday (photo posted above) I kept the sun shining on the canister throughout the snowmelt.
It takes about the same amount of fuel to melt snow as to bring 40F water to approximately 180 degrees. According to BPL testing, the PR used an average of 8.3 g of fuel to bring 16 oz of water to a boil under optimal conditions. My testing is yields similar results.
I was surprised by the stove's performance: I used 93 g (of a full 227 g canister) to melt approximately seven cookpots of 25 oz water. I also boiled a small amount of water for oatmeal on Saturday; this amount is not included in the calculations below. I was using the MSR Titan Kettle, which holds 850ml/28.75 oz of fluid brim-full, and my melts were mostly full, but never brim full. Thus, I believe my fuel consumption and water melting data are conservative estimates. All total, I melted 175 oz, or approximately 11 pints, over the course of 48 hours. Running the numbers, I used approximately 8.45 g/pt.
Finally, I did have one major problem with my boots because my feet were wet from Saturday afternoon until I got to my car on Sunday. The snow was melting and despite the GoreTex liner in my boot, my feet were wet.
Problem diagnosis: I do not think snow got in over my boots because I was wearing over-the-calf gaiters. My pants were wet on the outside of the lower part of the gaiters, but this is from condensation on the inside of the packcloth of the gaiters. I do not think it was from excessive perspiration. I was wearing heavy winter socks (SmartWool Mountaineering), but my right sock was wetter than my left (on both days) and on Sunday afternoon (in the sunshine, temps well north of 32F) I wrung water out of my right socks. I think there is a failure of the Gore-Tex lining (similar to the hole I wore in my Saloman on the SHT in 2008), and I'm going to contact Innov-8 to see if it is a warranty issue. I love the boots, but this is unacceptable.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Quick hitters from my last winter weekend with scoutsin 2010
1. The BD Betalight is a massive shelter, easily capable of sleeping two people (maybe three with poles angled). I could sit up, move around, and use the area between the doorway and first upright pole as an effective vestibule. As expected, there is no ventilation other than the door and any gaps you leave at the edges and condensation condenses into ice on the interior walls.
2. Sleeping with your boots (mukluks in my case) inside your sleeping bag, stashed in my sleeping bag's compression sack, is an excellent way to keep them from freezing overnight. Unfortunately, it also melts any snow and ice on the boots, which the boots them absorb. Pick your poison: have frozen boots or warm supple boots in the morning (which may eventually freeze-up). I chose the latter in my continual winter education.
3. Patagonia's R1 fabric makes great base-layer bottoms (link to updated R1 bottoms). Just like the venerable R1 Hoody, it is tight to the body, warm when sitting and breathable during high-exertion. Only PowerStretch fleece could possibly be better for the function.
4. Tyvek is great for protecting a tent or bivy bottom from abrasion. But it is not waterproof, and should not be used as a ground cloth when one's sleeping pads may not be wide or long enough to completely protect one's sleeping bag.
2. Sleeping with your boots (mukluks in my case) inside your sleeping bag, stashed in my sleeping bag's compression sack, is an excellent way to keep them from freezing overnight. Unfortunately, it also melts any snow and ice on the boots, which the boots them absorb. Pick your poison: have frozen boots or warm supple boots in the morning (which may eventually freeze-up). I chose the latter in my continual winter education.
3. Patagonia's R1 fabric makes great base-layer bottoms (link to updated R1 bottoms). Just like the venerable R1 Hoody, it is tight to the body, warm when sitting and breathable during high-exertion. Only PowerStretch fleece could possibly be better for the function.
4. Tyvek is great for protecting a tent or bivy bottom from abrasion. But it is not waterproof, and should not be used as a ground cloth when one's sleeping pads may not be wide or long enough to completely protect one's sleeping bag.
Monday, February 8, 2010
I. Will. Go. Snowshoeing. this. Winter.
I haven't been able to get out on a non-scouting trip since October (gasp!). So I've carefully planned a trip to northern Minnesota the last weekend in February.
On my sidebar at right is my current winter gear list. Critique away. Most of the stuff has been used in some capacity or another for the past two or three seasons.
The major new addition is the BD Beta Light, which will be coming in the mail from a BPL guest. I have been drooling over pyramid shelters ever since Ron Bell came out with his Duomid, which when made of silnylon and combined with the mated net tent just might be the lightest, most versatile shelter out there.
I also was pretty convinced after Sam and I stayed in a GoLite Shangri-La 2 in Montana. It had plenty of room for two, cook space if necessary, and set up reasonable quickly. The only issue (this is not confined to mids, by the way) is set-up time for the stakes in the snow. Because the shelter is not free-standing, the stakes are necessary for the shelter to be supported. In Montana, we set the stakes in and the poles out and went and cooked dinner. By the time we got back, the stakes/deadmans were set up and the shelter was solid.
On my sidebar at right is my current winter gear list. Critique away. Most of the stuff has been used in some capacity or another for the past two or three seasons.
The major new addition is the BD Beta Light, which will be coming in the mail from a BPL guest. I have been drooling over pyramid shelters ever since Ron Bell came out with his Duomid, which when made of silnylon and combined with the mated net tent just might be the lightest, most versatile shelter out there.
I also was pretty convinced after Sam and I stayed in a GoLite Shangri-La 2 in Montana. It had plenty of room for two, cook space if necessary, and set up reasonable quickly. The only issue (this is not confined to mids, by the way) is set-up time for the stakes in the snow. Because the shelter is not free-standing, the stakes are necessary for the shelter to be supported. In Montana, we set the stakes in and the poles out and went and cooked dinner. By the time we got back, the stakes/deadmans were set up and the shelter was solid.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Lessons from a first winter weekend
Just back from my first of three weekends at winter scout camp. Here's some quick-hitting lessons learned:
1. Over-glasses (yeah, those ones) are a great substitute for glacial glasses. And no one cares what you look like as long as you're warm.
2. Puffy vests are excellent. This was the first winter weekend that I used my Patagonia Micropuff vest during winter. And it performed beautifully. I wore it walking around camp over my baselayers and windshirt, and it kept my core warm. In turn, my arms and legs were warm. Excellent all around. Puffy vests are also great for taking up space underneath overparkas without making your arms bulky.
3. BD powerstretch gloves eventually die. Not a new lesson for me (this is my second pair I've killed, and my brother has gone through at least one pair), but I came to realize it more this weekend. I went into the weekend with a small hole on the inside of my left thumb, and the hole only got bigger as I used my hands. I also developed a small hole on the inside of my right thumb. These gloves are a little over a year old, and I used them in all seasons. Despite this durability shortcoming (again, expected), I will continue to use these gloves because I love the material and the leather palms.
1. Over-glasses (yeah, those ones) are a great substitute for glacial glasses. And no one cares what you look like as long as you're warm.
2. Puffy vests are excellent. This was the first winter weekend that I used my Patagonia Micropuff vest during winter. And it performed beautifully. I wore it walking around camp over my baselayers and windshirt, and it kept my core warm. In turn, my arms and legs were warm. Excellent all around. Puffy vests are also great for taking up space underneath overparkas without making your arms bulky.
3. BD powerstretch gloves eventually die. Not a new lesson for me (this is my second pair I've killed, and my brother has gone through at least one pair), but I came to realize it more this weekend. I went into the weekend with a small hole on the inside of my left thumb, and the hole only got bigger as I used my hands. I also developed a small hole on the inside of my right thumb. These gloves are a little over a year old, and I used them in all seasons. Despite this durability shortcoming (again, expected), I will continue to use these gloves because I love the material and the leather palms.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Windchill galore and upchuck reflex
It was a windy one this weekend. The campsite my scouts selected is only protected on one side - the east. And giving the local weather pattern, if weather is coming from the east you're looking at some serious precipitation comeing from the sky anyways. The site is on a peninsula and is exposed from the north, west and south. And there was wind out of the northwest this weekend.
Life got real for a few scouts as a result. Scouts were getting cold while they were eating dinner as a result as the temps dropped as radiant heat loss left the earth. The lack of clouds did not help this scenario. The temps bottomed out at -2(F) sometime in the early morning. This was the second coldest weekend of the season for the camp; the season low is a balmy -12(F) a few weeks ago that I was absent for.
Speaking of getting warm, here is a getting warm dance I learned at a scout camp in 2000. It is a little complicated and most folks can't hack it. But this scout was great at it, and his entire crew was, too.
I also joined a selective group of camp staffers who have been woken up by scouts in the middle of the night, a group that now consists of two persons. Sometime around 2:14 a.m., there was a light shining on the long side of my tent. "Wake up," the light said. "I threw up in the parachute." Great. I got up, opened the door and two scouts approached the small entrance. I sat up and shuffled my torso out of my sleeping bag.
The scout promptly relayed the pertinent information: he had woken up, vomited and managed to dispense the contents onto the snow instead of his bag, boot or other thing that would need to be cleaned. He woke up his buddy, drank some water, ate some gorp, got dressed and started moving to get warm. And that wasn't working. So I was called in, and rightfully so.
Camp policy on this situation is pretty simple: we are not a survival camp and no scout has to sleep outside he or she does not want to. Vomiting generally puts a scout into the category of not wanting to stay outside - it removes all the liquid and food from your stomach. Because digestion generates heat and provides energy to movement (which also generates heat), vomiting is especially troublesome because it is like taking a fuel bottle and dumping it all over the snow. This is not the first time a scout has vomited while outside in the course of the weekend. In 2008 or 2007, a scout vomited almost immediately after supper. He got cold and did not want to stay outside with his sick stomach and went in almost immediately.
So while I got dressed to the light of my headlamp, the scout woke up his father and we walked back to base camp, a series of two buildings about 1.5 miles away through a swamp and over a hill or two. I got to base camp around 3 a.m., and was back at my site about 20 minutes later. I stripped down to my base layers once again and crawled back into my sleeping bag. (The scout was fine - him and his father walked back out to our site the following morning to eat breakfast and pack up their gear.)
I never did figure out what prompted his upchuck reflex. My best guess is dehydration, although he said his urine was clear throughout the day. The dehydration was likely caused by eating supper without drinking water and not drinking water later in the evening before bed. The issue then is why did this occur at 2 a.m. and not earlier? I guess I'll never know.
As for gear, I changed up my gloves system this weekend, opting for the PowerStretch gloves as liners underneath the packable SD mitts. In previous weeks, I have used a pair of generic polypro liner gloves. As a further push of the mittens, I tried to do as many tasks as possible with the mittens on - pulling zippers, buttoning pants, pumping and lighting stoves, etc.
The results were mixed - I could pull zippers, pump and prime stoves and set up my tent with no minimal dexterity issues. Much to my surprise, I could even unclasp the Velcro closures that held the poles in place in my tent. I had issues closing the fly on my pants and fine tasks such as removing a match from a matchbox. Lighting the match, however, was no issue.
Although winter is not over yet, there is only one weekend left of scouts. I have a trip tentatively planned over spring break in late March, but my winter camping for this season is almost at an end. There issue with this is that so far I have not been able to effectively test the precipitation resistance qualities of the Sierra Designs insulating parka and softshell jacket that I have been testing throughout the season. Final and summary comments on these two garments, along with the Packable mitts is coming next week. I have already compiled my notes from the previous weekends and will be putting together a final product soon.
Life got real for a few scouts as a result. Scouts were getting cold while they were eating dinner as a result as the temps dropped as radiant heat loss left the earth. The lack of clouds did not help this scenario. The temps bottomed out at -2(F) sometime in the early morning. This was the second coldest weekend of the season for the camp; the season low is a balmy -12(F) a few weeks ago that I was absent for.
Speaking of getting warm, here is a getting warm dance I learned at a scout camp in 2000. It is a little complicated and most folks can't hack it. But this scout was great at it, and his entire crew was, too.
I also joined a selective group of camp staffers who have been woken up by scouts in the middle of the night, a group that now consists of two persons. Sometime around 2:14 a.m., there was a light shining on the long side of my tent. "Wake up," the light said. "I threw up in the parachute." Great. I got up, opened the door and two scouts approached the small entrance. I sat up and shuffled my torso out of my sleeping bag.
The scout promptly relayed the pertinent information: he had woken up, vomited and managed to dispense the contents onto the snow instead of his bag, boot or other thing that would need to be cleaned. He woke up his buddy, drank some water, ate some gorp, got dressed and started moving to get warm. And that wasn't working. So I was called in, and rightfully so.
Camp policy on this situation is pretty simple: we are not a survival camp and no scout has to sleep outside he or she does not want to. Vomiting generally puts a scout into the category of not wanting to stay outside - it removes all the liquid and food from your stomach. Because digestion generates heat and provides energy to movement (which also generates heat), vomiting is especially troublesome because it is like taking a fuel bottle and dumping it all over the snow. This is not the first time a scout has vomited while outside in the course of the weekend. In 2008 or 2007, a scout vomited almost immediately after supper. He got cold and did not want to stay outside with his sick stomach and went in almost immediately.
So while I got dressed to the light of my headlamp, the scout woke up his father and we walked back to base camp, a series of two buildings about 1.5 miles away through a swamp and over a hill or two. I got to base camp around 3 a.m., and was back at my site about 20 minutes later. I stripped down to my base layers once again and crawled back into my sleeping bag. (The scout was fine - him and his father walked back out to our site the following morning to eat breakfast and pack up their gear.)
I never did figure out what prompted his upchuck reflex. My best guess is dehydration, although he said his urine was clear throughout the day. The dehydration was likely caused by eating supper without drinking water and not drinking water later in the evening before bed. The issue then is why did this occur at 2 a.m. and not earlier? I guess I'll never know.
As for gear, I changed up my gloves system this weekend, opting for the PowerStretch gloves as liners underneath the packable SD mitts. In previous weeks, I have used a pair of generic polypro liner gloves. As a further push of the mittens, I tried to do as many tasks as possible with the mittens on - pulling zippers, buttoning pants, pumping and lighting stoves, etc.
The results were mixed - I could pull zippers, pump and prime stoves and set up my tent with no minimal dexterity issues. Much to my surprise, I could even unclasp the Velcro closures that held the poles in place in my tent. I had issues closing the fly on my pants and fine tasks such as removing a match from a matchbox. Lighting the match, however, was no issue.
Although winter is not over yet, there is only one weekend left of scouts. I have a trip tentatively planned over spring break in late March, but my winter camping for this season is almost at an end. There issue with this is that so far I have not been able to effectively test the precipitation resistance qualities of the Sierra Designs insulating parka and softshell jacket that I have been testing throughout the season. Final and summary comments on these two garments, along with the Packable mitts is coming next week. I have already compiled my notes from the previous weekends and will be putting together a final product soon.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Gloves anew
I wasn't going to buy any gear this month. And then I lost my mainstay gloves on Inauguration Day. Anywho, I finally broke down and went to Midwest and to my surprise, gloves were on sale. I went again with my pair of mainstays, the BD Windweights (formerly Jetstreams) and a pair of BD midweights (formerly Powerstretch). The windproofs are for winter, the midweights are for the rest of the year. My girlfriend also replaced her Powerstretch pair after leaving it at the Beatles museum in Liverpool a few weeks back. She received a pair of TNF Denali gloves but has been thoroughly dissatisfied with them and demanded a replacement.
The Windweights are great for winter use at camp where I have a constant need for use of my fingers. They are so good I recommended them to a friend at camp who rarely buys gear; the friend promptly purchased a pair and has had rave reviews ever since.
The Windweights are great for winter use at camp where I have a constant need for use of my fingers. They are so good I recommended them to a friend at camp who rarely buys gear; the friend promptly purchased a pair and has had rave reviews ever since.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Another weekend, and some interesting finds
The weekend was an odd one. Early last week, the low temps were above freezing and it rained Monday overnight into Tuesday morning. Around my apartment, the snow had disappeared; was the snow still around in the woods of central Minnesota?
Yes, yes it was. But only barely. The snow that remained was crusty and supported a person's weight. Only in areas of shade underneath coniferous trees was the snow powdery. My mukluks never had a chance to get moist - there was never any snow to stick to them. It was all firmly frozen to the ground. To get enough snow to bury a pot of water, a few of my scouts had to chop up the remnants of a collapsed snow shelter.
I opted to sleep in my warmer mummy bag, and older Marmot Col that is rated to -20 and holds the rating quite nicely. The reasons were three fold: first, I was ill and did not want to risk a fitful night of sleep; second, I left my insulated pants at home by accident; and third, hindsight would show that the low temp Sunday morning was 2F, 6 degrees colder than my previous low. Although I slept comfortably, I did learn than I need more insulation underneath me than a single shortie Ridgerest - I was warm above me but I could feel cold seeping to my back. This was confirmed by the frozen shape of my sleeping pad on Sunday morning.
Once again I slept in my MK1 with another person - to mitigate the condensation inside the tent, I opened the door slightly but left the mesh intact. I did not adjust the roof vents. Because ventilation is the best method to remove minimize from an area, it was necessary to open the door. Previously, I kept the door closed and the tent was a load of condensation inside even though the temp only got to 8F. Both nights, the air was still.
The method worked well. There was minimal condensation inside the tent, except on the downward-facing edge of the poles. Next time, I not leave the mesh open and I should have even less condensation. Although I know it is out there, BPL has an excellent article on managing moisture inside shelters (another must-read: Condensation on different fabrics). Surprisingly, no-see um mesh significantly impairs a shelter's ability to manage condensation. I had read this previous to this weekend, but wanted to see the results first-hand in the winter.
Yes, yes it was. But only barely. The snow that remained was crusty and supported a person's weight. Only in areas of shade underneath coniferous trees was the snow powdery. My mukluks never had a chance to get moist - there was never any snow to stick to them. It was all firmly frozen to the ground. To get enough snow to bury a pot of water, a few of my scouts had to chop up the remnants of a collapsed snow shelter.
I opted to sleep in my warmer mummy bag, and older Marmot Col that is rated to -20 and holds the rating quite nicely. The reasons were three fold: first, I was ill and did not want to risk a fitful night of sleep; second, I left my insulated pants at home by accident; and third, hindsight would show that the low temp Sunday morning was 2F, 6 degrees colder than my previous low. Although I slept comfortably, I did learn than I need more insulation underneath me than a single shortie Ridgerest - I was warm above me but I could feel cold seeping to my back. This was confirmed by the frozen shape of my sleeping pad on Sunday morning.
Once again I slept in my MK1 with another person - to mitigate the condensation inside the tent, I opened the door slightly but left the mesh intact. I did not adjust the roof vents. Because ventilation is the best method to remove minimize from an area, it was necessary to open the door. Previously, I kept the door closed and the tent was a load of condensation inside even though the temp only got to 8F. Both nights, the air was still.
The method worked well. There was minimal condensation inside the tent, except on the downward-facing edge of the poles. Next time, I not leave the mesh open and I should have even less condensation. Although I know it is out there, BPL has an excellent article on managing moisture inside shelters (another must-read: Condensation on different fabrics). Surprisingly, no-see um mesh significantly impairs a shelter's ability to manage condensation. I had read this previous to this weekend, but wanted to see the results first-hand in the winter.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Mid-season winter outing pushes bag limits
As I followed the weather for this past weekend, the estimated temps started in the 40s with a high chance of precipitation. As the week grew on the estimated high dropped into the mid 20s and the low was estimated to hit the low teens. And the wind would pick up. All in all, a great opportunity to be outside. The only thing that it was missing was some precipitation.
In my third installment of "How cold can I push my Hydrogen," I was determined to use the 30 degree bag despite lowered forecasted temps. The purpose of the experiment is to determine what I need to wear at what temps to stay safe throughout the night. If I can wear (insulating) clothes to bed, I can carry a lighter sleeping bag or quilt and be just as comfortable. It was also my first time out with my recently-acquired GoLite Ether.
I wore the Ether over my R1 Hoody all day - it was windy and the temps were colder than I anticipated. The hoods on both stayed up and never went down for long (the R1 not at all). The windshirt did an excellent job of cutting the wind and being breathable for the moderate exertion I did, but I needed the extra warmth from my softshell jacket throughout the afternoon.
I also left my puffy down coats behind this past weekend - my sole puffy insulation on my torso was my Thermawrap Parka (see sidebar - I adore this parka). I also did not bring another insulating hat out, instead opting to rely on my three hoods to keep my noggin warm (base layer, windshirt and puffy parka).
Weekends with the scouts typically require more insulation because there is more downtime - standing around while the scouts work on snow shelters, participate in team-building or other games or other tasks. Because of this, I was skeptical that my insulation would be sufficient come late evening.
My skepticism was (mostly) in error. I was plenty warm throughout the evening, and I made sure I moved around enough to keep blood flow up - the various skills that need to be taught require demonstrations and guidance that keeps one's metabolic rate up. The (mostly) part came in the nighttime during sleep. In bed, I removed my softshell clothing and windshirt and kept the rest of my lineup on - I added my Thermawrap pants as extra insulation for my legs. Once again, I slept with a single 57" Ridgerest and a generic closed cell foam chunk under my feet.
My toes got cold at about 3 a.m., and then again at 5 a.m. The first time, I removed my VBL socks to see if that was the problem - nope. My toes were cold again my 5 a.m. I ate a few hundred calories throughout the evening and maintained adequate hydration to help keep my body temp up. All of this worked fine and I had a very restful sleep - I was refreshed when my alarm went off at 6:35 a.m.
Finally, to all the Scouts and leaders who are now following this blog - Hello! and I hope you find what you seek and enjoy what you find.
In my third installment of "How cold can I push my Hydrogen," I was determined to use the 30 degree bag despite lowered forecasted temps. The purpose of the experiment is to determine what I need to wear at what temps to stay safe throughout the night. If I can wear (insulating) clothes to bed, I can carry a lighter sleeping bag or quilt and be just as comfortable. It was also my first time out with my recently-acquired GoLite Ether.
I wore the Ether over my R1 Hoody all day - it was windy and the temps were colder than I anticipated. The hoods on both stayed up and never went down for long (the R1 not at all). The windshirt did an excellent job of cutting the wind and being breathable for the moderate exertion I did, but I needed the extra warmth from my softshell jacket throughout the afternoon.
I also left my puffy down coats behind this past weekend - my sole puffy insulation on my torso was my Thermawrap Parka (see sidebar - I adore this parka). I also did not bring another insulating hat out, instead opting to rely on my three hoods to keep my noggin warm (base layer, windshirt and puffy parka).
Weekends with the scouts typically require more insulation because there is more downtime - standing around while the scouts work on snow shelters, participate in team-building or other games or other tasks. Because of this, I was skeptical that my insulation would be sufficient come late evening.
My skepticism was (mostly) in error. I was plenty warm throughout the evening, and I made sure I moved around enough to keep blood flow up - the various skills that need to be taught require demonstrations and guidance that keeps one's metabolic rate up. The (mostly) part came in the nighttime during sleep. In bed, I removed my softshell clothing and windshirt and kept the rest of my lineup on - I added my Thermawrap pants as extra insulation for my legs. Once again, I slept with a single 57" Ridgerest and a generic closed cell foam chunk under my feet.
My toes got cold at about 3 a.m., and then again at 5 a.m. The first time, I removed my VBL socks to see if that was the problem - nope. My toes were cold again my 5 a.m. I ate a few hundred calories throughout the evening and maintained adequate hydration to help keep my body temp up. All of this worked fine and I had a very restful sleep - I was refreshed when my alarm went off at 6:35 a.m.
Finally, to all the Scouts and leaders who are now following this blog - Hello! and I hope you find what you seek and enjoy what you find.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Ice Climbing Failure - Crampons end the day
I'm OK - I'll get that out first. In fact, I never set foot on the ice in Lilydale Park.
I was to go ice climbing with a friend today. I have a little climbing background to know (slightly) what I'm doing. But that is on a wall. In the summer. This was a little different. The only boots I have that would possibly work for a pair of crampons are an old pair of hiking boots that still keep water out after all these years. They don't breath particularly well (al beit GoreTex lined), but they do work. I currently use them for biking to work. They are not meant to be used with crampons.
We had two pairs of crampons at our disposal - a pair of Grivels and a pair of FootFangs (these were old). We tested the crampons on my boots indoors. The Grivels did not fit, but the Footfangs did. At least indoors. Both crampons were step-in style and depended on grooves in the boots to lock the two together. Needless to say, my boots lacked these all-important grooves.
Had we used a pair of non-step-in crampons, I would have been able to climb with the boots. The winter camp I work at has sets of crampons that will work with my boot. Alas, we lacked these. Without crampons, we were left with nothing to climb. Hike out we did, and enjoyed the sunshine in the early portion of the afternoon. Noting the failure, I'll get a pair of boots that work for ice climbing. Perhaps next year or sometime in the summer when winter is far away.
On another note, St. Paul requires a $25 use permit per season. This we found out when a city park employee walked up the trail to inform us of this fact. My friend will now be getting a permit.
I was to go ice climbing with a friend today. I have a little climbing background to know (slightly) what I'm doing. But that is on a wall. In the summer. This was a little different. The only boots I have that would possibly work for a pair of crampons are an old pair of hiking boots that still keep water out after all these years. They don't breath particularly well (al beit GoreTex lined), but they do work. I currently use them for biking to work. They are not meant to be used with crampons.
We had two pairs of crampons at our disposal - a pair of Grivels and a pair of FootFangs (these were old). We tested the crampons on my boots indoors. The Grivels did not fit, but the Footfangs did. At least indoors. Both crampons were step-in style and depended on grooves in the boots to lock the two together. Needless to say, my boots lacked these all-important grooves.
Had we used a pair of non-step-in crampons, I would have been able to climb with the boots. The winter camp I work at has sets of crampons that will work with my boot. Alas, we lacked these. Without crampons, we were left with nothing to climb. Hike out we did, and enjoyed the sunshine in the early portion of the afternoon. Noting the failure, I'll get a pair of boots that work for ice climbing. Perhaps next year or sometime in the summer when winter is far away.
On another note, St. Paul requires a $25 use permit per season. This we found out when a city park employee walked up the trail to inform us of this fact. My friend will now be getting a permit.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Prelimary winter report after two warm weekends
Since purchasing my my R1 Hoody and reading more and more about CLO and ideal hiking clothing, I have gone into the remainder of winter with a simple task - wear as little clothing as possible to keep me warm in all conditions and take the lightest sleeping bag I can.
My winter layering system involves (almost) never taking a later off to add another layer - or take a second layer off to remove a first layer. The layering system on the torso goes like this: Capilene shirt -> R1 Hoody -> hooded windshirt -> softshell jacket -> insulated jacket. At least one or two of these layers could be dropped (probably the Capilene shirt and either windshirt or softshell jacket) and still meet all of your winter needs - lightweight and breathable base layer, wind layer that doubles as a softshell/storm shell and insulated jacket that is highly breathable, compressible and has a highly water resistant or waterproof shell.
My first weekend, Jan 16-18, exertion was minimal for walking - the campsite was not that far. I was wearing the R1, windshirt and my gloves on my torso. The Hoody excelled as a multifunctional piece of clothing. It served as three pieces of clothing in one - balaclava, base layer and wrist warmers/tubes. I also tucked the hoody's low bottom hem into my pants to seal off drafts. While my Ion is not very breathable, it does block wind effectively and has a tight hood. Later in the afternoon when the wind picked up in an open frozen swamp, I threw on the Capilene shirt (underneath the hoody) and softshell jacket, the SD Frenzy. However, I eventually dropped the windshirt because the wrist cuffs were too tight and cutting off superficial blood flow - I felt a ring of cold around each of my wrists, a ring that corresponded with the cuffs. (I since have replaced my Marmot Ion with a GoLite Ether - a big upgrade I will report on later).
Nighttime brought out the BTU jacket over everything else. I did not, however, put the hood up until I went to bed. It snowed lightly throughout the last two hours of the evening before bed and the jacket shrugged off the precip. Snow bounced off the jacket much like it would on a softshell jacket. Temps were about 15 degrees F and it was not warm enough of the surface of the jacket for snow to accumulate and melt.
To bed I went - temps were projected to hit about 10 degrees F and I was carrying my 30 degree down bag, a shortie Ridgerest and was sleeping in my MK1. I needed to wear my insulating clothes to bed and use one of the closed cell foam sit pads for my feet. Off came my softshell pants and on went my Thermawrap pants. The softshell pants were dry, but I did not want to layer over them because they would put excess pressure on the insulation in the pants from the interior. I also removed my softshell jacket and put on my hat and neck gaiter. I put the hood up and closed down the hood of the sleeping bag and slept.
I slept surprisingly well and woke up three times to urinate - once shortly after I sent to sleep, once at about 2:30 a.m. and a third time around 6 a.m. shortly before I needed to get up. I have previously pushed my Hydrogen bag to 10 and 11 degrees, but each time I had more insulation underneath me - a full length Ridgerest and a full length ProLite 3. This time the insulation was obviously less significant. Despite these differences
This was the first wilderness test for the R1 Hoody, Capilene shirt, and the SD pieces - Frezy Jacket and BTU Jacket. I am currently working on finding out the amount of down will in the BTU jacket. This will help me determine how much margin for error I had in my sleeping system.
---
My second weekend out, Jan 30- Feb 1 was a different story. Temps were projected to hit 35 in the daytime and drop to the high teens at night. Once again, I brought out similar clothing and rarely needed all of it. I brought my Capilene shirt to the indoor basecamp, but did not use it in the field.
It was a good weekend - the high temp ended up being 45 degrees sometime Saturday afternoon, an exceptionally high daytime temperature for late January. The meteorologists around the metro area were all gaga about how we were going to make it through the entire month of January without a thaw. Well, they got it. Woopie.
The temps made the weekend different. It was can be more difficult to manage layers and control perspiration. Mukluks are also lose their appeal in such wet weather. The moosehide soaked up the melting snow and eventually soaked a portion of my wool socks. Thankfully I was not trudging through unpacked snow for a significant portion of the day. Had I been on a serious trek, I would have opted for a different pair of boots. My VB socks also were wet inside and out. Although the temps did not warrant the VB socks, I wore them more to protect my feet from direct moisture and as a test.
Temps dropped over night to a low temp from about 15-20 F. The boots froze up, but started to dry out as I wore them for the few hours the next morning. This of course shows promise for the boots in serious long-term trekking in varying temps.
I slept in my Marmot Hydrogen again, despite temps below the rated temp. I went to bed wearing only base layers and wool socks. A few hours into the night I woke up slightly cold - I trudged out to relieve myself and put Thermawrap pants and SD BTU jacket. I slept through the rest of the night until about 6:15 a.m. when the morning chill woke me up just a few minutes before I had to get up and wake the scouts up. Once again, I used only a single shortie Ridgerest with some old closed-cell foam chunks under my feet. I slept inside my MK1, this time with another staff member. Everyone else who looked at the tent declined to share it with me. After sleeping in there and getting dressed in the morning and I was quite pleased. There was no condensation on the walls and minimal condensation on the poles. The door was closed and the vents were open, as usual. If I was going to do some serious trips with the tent with a partner, I think a vestibule would be in order. This would allow easier pack storage, food storage and cooking.
Once I got home from the weekend, I received a new windshirt in the mail that I bought from a another BPL member. It is a GoLite Ether, men's small and has a full zip. It weighs in at 90 g (3.2 ounces), a full 20 grams below spec. The fabric is very wispy and the hood draws down well. My only issue is that the pocket (for self-stowage) is on the lower right side, almost where a hipbelt would be. At first glance, the pocket does not appear functional - this will be an important part of testing.
I got the windshirt to replace my Marmot Ion, which I am not terribly happy with. I want to start using a poncho-tarp and the windshirt will serve as a water-resistant layer to be worn in misting conditions and to setup and take down the poncho-tarp when it is raining. By taking a rain jacket out of my gear equation, I cut my packweight by about 14 ounces.
Initial testing results of the Ether are great. I have worn it biking 7.5 miles into work, and while running in it. Both times I wore a midweight base layer underneath it and not much else on the rest of my body. Temps for both tests were in the 20s. I was shocked to find that I did not sweat out the windshirt in those conditions - with my Ion I would have been roasting in a sauna. When running, I had a little bit of sweat accumulation on the insides of my elbow. I attribute that to having the fabric clustered up around the angle and air not being able to flow effectively.
Temps this weekend are supposed to be warm. I am taking a similar clothing combination but am leaving the BTU jacket at home - I do not think the temps will warrant it, and I want to test my Thermawrap Parka in light winter conditions.
Finally, I have started running again. I think my ankle is healed up enough now to get some new shoes and put on the miles. I hate taking four weeks off of training, but it is necessary to prevent further injury. More on my training program later.
My winter layering system involves (almost) never taking a later off to add another layer - or take a second layer off to remove a first layer. The layering system on the torso goes like this: Capilene shirt -> R1 Hoody -> hooded windshirt -> softshell jacket -> insulated jacket. At least one or two of these layers could be dropped (probably the Capilene shirt and either windshirt or softshell jacket) and still meet all of your winter needs - lightweight and breathable base layer, wind layer that doubles as a softshell/storm shell and insulated jacket that is highly breathable, compressible and has a highly water resistant or waterproof shell.
My first weekend, Jan 16-18, exertion was minimal for walking - the campsite was not that far. I was wearing the R1, windshirt and my gloves on my torso. The Hoody excelled as a multifunctional piece of clothing. It served as three pieces of clothing in one - balaclava, base layer and wrist warmers/tubes. I also tucked the hoody's low bottom hem into my pants to seal off drafts. While my Ion is not very breathable, it does block wind effectively and has a tight hood. Later in the afternoon when the wind picked up in an open frozen swamp, I threw on the Capilene shirt (underneath the hoody) and softshell jacket, the SD Frenzy. However, I eventually dropped the windshirt because the wrist cuffs were too tight and cutting off superficial blood flow - I felt a ring of cold around each of my wrists, a ring that corresponded with the cuffs. (I since have replaced my Marmot Ion with a GoLite Ether - a big upgrade I will report on later).
Nighttime brought out the BTU jacket over everything else. I did not, however, put the hood up until I went to bed. It snowed lightly throughout the last two hours of the evening before bed and the jacket shrugged off the precip. Snow bounced off the jacket much like it would on a softshell jacket. Temps were about 15 degrees F and it was not warm enough of the surface of the jacket for snow to accumulate and melt.
To bed I went - temps were projected to hit about 10 degrees F and I was carrying my 30 degree down bag, a shortie Ridgerest and was sleeping in my MK1. I needed to wear my insulating clothes to bed and use one of the closed cell foam sit pads for my feet. Off came my softshell pants and on went my Thermawrap pants. The softshell pants were dry, but I did not want to layer over them because they would put excess pressure on the insulation in the pants from the interior. I also removed my softshell jacket and put on my hat and neck gaiter. I put the hood up and closed down the hood of the sleeping bag and slept.
I slept surprisingly well and woke up three times to urinate - once shortly after I sent to sleep, once at about 2:30 a.m. and a third time around 6 a.m. shortly before I needed to get up. I have previously pushed my Hydrogen bag to 10 and 11 degrees, but each time I had more insulation underneath me - a full length Ridgerest and a full length ProLite 3. This time the insulation was obviously less significant. Despite these differences
This was the first wilderness test for the R1 Hoody, Capilene shirt, and the SD pieces - Frezy Jacket and BTU Jacket. I am currently working on finding out the amount of down will in the BTU jacket. This will help me determine how much margin for error I had in my sleeping system.
---
My second weekend out, Jan 30- Feb 1 was a different story. Temps were projected to hit 35 in the daytime and drop to the high teens at night. Once again, I brought out similar clothing and rarely needed all of it. I brought my Capilene shirt to the indoor basecamp, but did not use it in the field.
It was a good weekend - the high temp ended up being 45 degrees sometime Saturday afternoon, an exceptionally high daytime temperature for late January. The meteorologists around the metro area were all gaga about how we were going to make it through the entire month of January without a thaw. Well, they got it. Woopie.
The temps made the weekend different. It was can be more difficult to manage layers and control perspiration. Mukluks are also lose their appeal in such wet weather. The moosehide soaked up the melting snow and eventually soaked a portion of my wool socks. Thankfully I was not trudging through unpacked snow for a significant portion of the day. Had I been on a serious trek, I would have opted for a different pair of boots. My VB socks also were wet inside and out. Although the temps did not warrant the VB socks, I wore them more to protect my feet from direct moisture and as a test.
Temps dropped over night to a low temp from about 15-20 F. The boots froze up, but started to dry out as I wore them for the few hours the next morning. This of course shows promise for the boots in serious long-term trekking in varying temps.
I slept in my Marmot Hydrogen again, despite temps below the rated temp. I went to bed wearing only base layers and wool socks. A few hours into the night I woke up slightly cold - I trudged out to relieve myself and put Thermawrap pants and SD BTU jacket. I slept through the rest of the night until about 6:15 a.m. when the morning chill woke me up just a few minutes before I had to get up and wake the scouts up. Once again, I used only a single shortie Ridgerest with some old closed-cell foam chunks under my feet. I slept inside my MK1, this time with another staff member. Everyone else who looked at the tent declined to share it with me. After sleeping in there and getting dressed in the morning and I was quite pleased. There was no condensation on the walls and minimal condensation on the poles. The door was closed and the vents were open, as usual. If I was going to do some serious trips with the tent with a partner, I think a vestibule would be in order. This would allow easier pack storage, food storage and cooking.
Once I got home from the weekend, I received a new windshirt in the mail that I bought from a another BPL member. It is a GoLite Ether, men's small and has a full zip. It weighs in at 90 g (3.2 ounces), a full 20 grams below spec. The fabric is very wispy and the hood draws down well. My only issue is that the pocket (for self-stowage) is on the lower right side, almost where a hipbelt would be. At first glance, the pocket does not appear functional - this will be an important part of testing.
I got the windshirt to replace my Marmot Ion, which I am not terribly happy with. I want to start using a poncho-tarp and the windshirt will serve as a water-resistant layer to be worn in misting conditions and to setup and take down the poncho-tarp when it is raining. By taking a rain jacket out of my gear equation, I cut my packweight by about 14 ounces.
Initial testing results of the Ether are great. I have worn it biking 7.5 miles into work, and while running in it. Both times I wore a midweight base layer underneath it and not much else on the rest of my body. Temps for both tests were in the 20s. I was shocked to find that I did not sweat out the windshirt in those conditions - with my Ion I would have been roasting in a sauna. When running, I had a little bit of sweat accumulation on the insides of my elbow. I attribute that to having the fabric clustered up around the angle and air not being able to flow effectively.
Temps this weekend are supposed to be warm. I am taking a similar clothing combination but am leaving the BTU jacket at home - I do not think the temps will warrant it, and I want to test my Thermawrap Parka in light winter conditions.
Finally, I have started running again. I think my ankle is healed up enough now to get some new shoes and put on the miles. I hate taking four weeks off of training, but it is necessary to prevent further injury. More on my training program later.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Gear reviews from SHT
The high temps (mid 20s) and the hard work overwhelmed my clothing system while hiking the first day. I sweated out my base layer and softshell clothing in my hiking - the snow coming down did not help. With these conditions in mind, I offer the following reviews.
Starting from my feet, my sock combination kept my feet warm - I wore X-static socks, ID VBL socks and then Smartwool Mountaineering socks as warmth socks. All of these were inside my Steger Mukluks. There was little moisture inside my VBL socks when I took them off when I went to bed on night zero. There was a little moisture in my liner socks, but these dried out overnight in my bag.
The mukluks performed well but not flawlessly. The leather laces, moosehide I think, stretched and absorbed water as they sat in my tent overnight. Temps in the tent were high and melted the snow that was attached to them - the laces absorbed it right up. The next morning when I went to my boots on, I pulled one of the laces too hard and it snapped! I lost about a 5 inch chunk of leather. This was not a huge deal because the laces are about three feet long and stretched, but it did prevent my from getting an optimum snug fit on my other foot because I did not want to repeat the breaking. Also, when I was at the cafe in Hovland, the snow on my mukluks melted and soaked the canvas and the leather - this in turn got my warmth sock wet and made my feet cold. I changed into dry socks and wore a pair of boots that were in the car for the ride home. This would not be a problem had I stayed outside, however on the trip I would have needed to go indoors at least twice to get resupply packages. On colder trips, this obviously would not have been a problem.
My softshell pants, a pair of Marmot Scree softshell pants performed well. They repelled snow and exterior moisture beaded up on the outside - however, they did wet out from sweat from my hard hiking on day zero. I did not have this problem on day 1 (Sunday), so I belief this was caused by the warm temps. Each day I was wearing a pair of trusty thin base layer bottoms (Theramar poly pro) underneath. At night, I wore the pants over my VBL pants in a successful effort to dry them out. The fabric is sufficiently stretchy to accommodate a wide range of temps and they are great pants. For $99, they are highly recommended (and not, I did not pay that much). I currently use these pants when I bike to work on a twice and soon-to-be thrice weekly basis and they do a good job breathing and cutting moderate wind.
My softshell jacket, an REI Mistral with PowerShield fabric performed well but is flawed in that it does not have a hood. (related: my rant on rain hats and how useless they are.) Like the pants, they wetted out from sweat but generally, snow bounced off the jacket. Snow that did land melted and the jacket dried quickly. If it had a hood, it would be great - the jacket is very lightweight for a softshell jacket, uses quality materials the construction is decent. The jacket would be excellent if the cut were narrower and if it had pit zips. (Note: You can get all of this and more at Beyond Clothing, where you can customize your own clothing, including softshells.) At night, the jacket was soaked through and through and I put it between my pads to keep it from freezing. I needed to take it off because when I was in camp, I could not dry it out underneath my down jacket without compromising the insulation. More on that later, but I eventually brought the jacket into the sleeping bag and it moderately dried out overnight and was wearable the next day. It dried out completely while I walking out.
That all said, I am now convinced of the value of softshell clothing in temps respectfully below freezing (below about 20F, to use a semi-arbitrary temp). Any more and a hardshell might be preferred. For those of who have read my doubting of softshell clothing, consider this an apology - you were right, I was wrong, now lets all going hiking and forget about it. A softshell may not even be necessary, however, if one goes with a light hooded base layer and a breathable windshirt with a decent DWR - more on this in a later post.
My VBL clothes really had no use in the high temps I experienced. I wore them overnight next to my skin and underneath my softshell pants because they would keep exterior water from getting to my skin. I also tried to wear the jacket briefly on the first day of planned hiking (Sunday), but took it off after getting too hot. I think now that VBL best used when the body is in low metabolic states (i.e. not hiking). I did wear the shirt successfully in 0F degree weather at winter camp training while walking around, but I did not have a pack on and the walking was not strenuous. VBL is still necessary to keep insulation dry - much has been written on this and will not be repeated here.
I made a balaclava out of Epic fabric (which I goofed on and generally did a poor job constructing) but it worked well as a hood substitute. The fabric was moderately breathable and showed good potential for wider uses as a windshirt-on-'roids, a la Wind Things.
My snowshoes, a pair of 25" MSR Lightning Ascents, did me little good on the snow. Many people have suggested to me that I should have used bigger shoes, and I think they are right. I should have gone with a pair of 30" shoes or an even bigger pair. Atlas makes shoes that are 35" long, Crescent Moon makes a 37" pair and of course there are the old military surplus-style ones. That all said, I don't think any pair of snowshoes would have allowed me to wade through that snow effectively. It was just too deep to make any progress and it was light and powdery. The problem was that there was a lot of it and that made it heavy. I could have used two or three feet less snow, and the fresh snow that fell on night zero did not help.
My ID MK1 performed the best of any gear I brought along. I failed to get a solid pitch on night zero but the tent help up to winds without budging and shed snow with ease. The fabric was incredibly breathable and there was minimal condensation on the interior of the tent fabric (or the poles for that matter, a testament to how warm it was in the tent i.e. above the dew point) in the morning. The tent is small, but it is built for climbers. One nitpick - the bag supplied is too small so I brought a larger stuff sack. I also like to roll my tents (not stuff) which further complicates the matter.
I took a TNF Nupste as my sole puffy insulating garment for my torso. In hindsight, the jacket needs some serious DWR on its exterior shell fabric. I refused to cook in the tent, so I was outside waiting for snow to melt and water to boil and had to wear the down jacket (because every other torso layer except my VBL shirt) was soaked. This got the shell wet and probably compromised the insulation. It is a warm jacket, but the weather was too warm and snow melted on contact. This jacket shall be relegated to around-town usage. Without a better DWR, my older version does not below in serious conditions. That said, I will be testing the Sierra Designs BTU jacket, which is really a parka, this winter. It is hooded, has a wp/b shell and so far has kept me warm in some extremely cold conditions around town.
For water bottles, I used 48 oz collapsible Nalgene Canteens. I took two - one as a backup because failure would be catastrophic. I rested the bottle underneath my softshell jacket but on top of my hipbelt while I was walking and the combination worked perfectly. The canteen was easy to pour into and drink out of and the collapsing was nice. For purification, I took chlorine dioxide tablets. These presumably worked well (I did not get sick as a result of poor water quality) but left an chlorine smell to the water and the bottle. The tabs did not affect taste once the water was in your mouth - the smell was not terribly pleasant, however.
A few items I did not extensively use and do not warrant reviews here - my neck gaiter, balaclava, insulated mitts and everything else.
Here's the whole list. It is not all quite accurate, notably the stove weight. I never did get a chance to weigh my fuel bottle without fuel in it.
Starting from my feet, my sock combination kept my feet warm - I wore X-static socks, ID VBL socks and then Smartwool Mountaineering socks as warmth socks. All of these were inside my Steger Mukluks. There was little moisture inside my VBL socks when I took them off when I went to bed on night zero. There was a little moisture in my liner socks, but these dried out overnight in my bag.
The mukluks performed well but not flawlessly. The leather laces, moosehide I think, stretched and absorbed water as they sat in my tent overnight. Temps in the tent were high and melted the snow that was attached to them - the laces absorbed it right up. The next morning when I went to my boots on, I pulled one of the laces too hard and it snapped! I lost about a 5 inch chunk of leather. This was not a huge deal because the laces are about three feet long and stretched, but it did prevent my from getting an optimum snug fit on my other foot because I did not want to repeat the breaking. Also, when I was at the cafe in Hovland, the snow on my mukluks melted and soaked the canvas and the leather - this in turn got my warmth sock wet and made my feet cold. I changed into dry socks and wore a pair of boots that were in the car for the ride home. This would not be a problem had I stayed outside, however on the trip I would have needed to go indoors at least twice to get resupply packages. On colder trips, this obviously would not have been a problem.
My softshell pants, a pair of Marmot Scree softshell pants performed well. They repelled snow and exterior moisture beaded up on the outside - however, they did wet out from sweat from my hard hiking on day zero. I did not have this problem on day 1 (Sunday), so I belief this was caused by the warm temps. Each day I was wearing a pair of trusty thin base layer bottoms (Theramar poly pro) underneath. At night, I wore the pants over my VBL pants in a successful effort to dry them out. The fabric is sufficiently stretchy to accommodate a wide range of temps and they are great pants. For $99, they are highly recommended (and not, I did not pay that much). I currently use these pants when I bike to work on a twice and soon-to-be thrice weekly basis and they do a good job breathing and cutting moderate wind.
My softshell jacket, an REI Mistral with PowerShield fabric performed well but is flawed in that it does not have a hood. (related: my rant on rain hats and how useless they are.) Like the pants, they wetted out from sweat but generally, snow bounced off the jacket. Snow that did land melted and the jacket dried quickly. If it had a hood, it would be great - the jacket is very lightweight for a softshell jacket, uses quality materials the construction is decent. The jacket would be excellent if the cut were narrower and if it had pit zips. (Note: You can get all of this and more at Beyond Clothing, where you can customize your own clothing, including softshells.) At night, the jacket was soaked through and through and I put it between my pads to keep it from freezing. I needed to take it off because when I was in camp, I could not dry it out underneath my down jacket without compromising the insulation. More on that later, but I eventually brought the jacket into the sleeping bag and it moderately dried out overnight and was wearable the next day. It dried out completely while I walking out.
That all said, I am now convinced of the value of softshell clothing in temps respectfully below freezing (below about 20F, to use a semi-arbitrary temp). Any more and a hardshell might be preferred. For those of who have read my doubting of softshell clothing, consider this an apology - you were right, I was wrong, now lets all going hiking and forget about it. A softshell may not even be necessary, however, if one goes with a light hooded base layer and a breathable windshirt with a decent DWR - more on this in a later post.
My VBL clothes really had no use in the high temps I experienced. I wore them overnight next to my skin and underneath my softshell pants because they would keep exterior water from getting to my skin. I also tried to wear the jacket briefly on the first day of planned hiking (Sunday), but took it off after getting too hot. I think now that VBL best used when the body is in low metabolic states (i.e. not hiking). I did wear the shirt successfully in 0F degree weather at winter camp training while walking around, but I did not have a pack on and the walking was not strenuous. VBL is still necessary to keep insulation dry - much has been written on this and will not be repeated here.
I made a balaclava out of Epic fabric (which I goofed on and generally did a poor job constructing) but it worked well as a hood substitute. The fabric was moderately breathable and showed good potential for wider uses as a windshirt-on-'roids, a la Wind Things.
My snowshoes, a pair of 25" MSR Lightning Ascents, did me little good on the snow. Many people have suggested to me that I should have used bigger shoes, and I think they are right. I should have gone with a pair of 30" shoes or an even bigger pair. Atlas makes shoes that are 35" long, Crescent Moon makes a 37" pair and of course there are the old military surplus-style ones. That all said, I don't think any pair of snowshoes would have allowed me to wade through that snow effectively. It was just too deep to make any progress and it was light and powdery. The problem was that there was a lot of it and that made it heavy. I could have used two or three feet less snow, and the fresh snow that fell on night zero did not help.
My ID MK1 performed the best of any gear I brought along. I failed to get a solid pitch on night zero but the tent help up to winds without budging and shed snow with ease. The fabric was incredibly breathable and there was minimal condensation on the interior of the tent fabric (or the poles for that matter, a testament to how warm it was in the tent i.e. above the dew point) in the morning. The tent is small, but it is built for climbers. One nitpick - the bag supplied is too small so I brought a larger stuff sack. I also like to roll my tents (not stuff) which further complicates the matter.
I took a TNF Nupste as my sole puffy insulating garment for my torso. In hindsight, the jacket needs some serious DWR on its exterior shell fabric. I refused to cook in the tent, so I was outside waiting for snow to melt and water to boil and had to wear the down jacket (because every other torso layer except my VBL shirt) was soaked. This got the shell wet and probably compromised the insulation. It is a warm jacket, but the weather was too warm and snow melted on contact. This jacket shall be relegated to around-town usage. Without a better DWR, my older version does not below in serious conditions. That said, I will be testing the Sierra Designs BTU jacket, which is really a parka, this winter. It is hooded, has a wp/b shell and so far has kept me warm in some extremely cold conditions around town.
For water bottles, I used 48 oz collapsible Nalgene Canteens. I took two - one as a backup because failure would be catastrophic. I rested the bottle underneath my softshell jacket but on top of my hipbelt while I was walking and the combination worked perfectly. The canteen was easy to pour into and drink out of and the collapsing was nice. For purification, I took chlorine dioxide tablets. These presumably worked well (I did not get sick as a result of poor water quality) but left an chlorine smell to the water and the bottle. The tabs did not affect taste once the water was in your mouth - the smell was not terribly pleasant, however.
A few items I did not extensively use and do not warrant reviews here - my neck gaiter, balaclava, insulated mitts and everything else.
Here's the whole list. It is not all quite accurate, notably the stove weight. I never did get a chance to weigh my fuel bottle without fuel in it.
| Pack | Carried | Worn |
| Granite Gear Vapor Trail | 36.16 | |
| Shelter | Carried | Worn |
| MK1 XL | 77.00 | |
| SMC Sno Stake x8 | 8.47 | |
| Sleeping | Carried | Worn |
| GG Comp. Sack (XL) | 3.84 | |
| Blue foamer (57") | 7.65 | |
| Ridgerest (57") | 8.08 | |
| Marmot Col, -20 (long) | 74.00 | |
| Clothes worn | Carried | Worn |
| OR Sonic Balaclava | 2.36 | |
| NW Hat (100 weight fleece) | 1.02 | |
| Stephenson's VBL shirt | 8.47 | |
| Base layer bottom (Theramar) | 6.24 | |
| Marmot Scree | 15.17 | |
| BD Jetstream gloves | 2.79 | |
| Glasses | 0.67 | |
| Goggles | 3.25 | |
| Base layer top (Theramar) | 5.93 | |
| Neck Gaiter | 2.05 | |
| Footwear | Carried | Worn |
| Steger Mukluks, Arctic | 41.02 | |
| MSR Lightning Ascents (25") | 60.04 | |
| Integral Designs VBL socks | 2.19 | |
| Smartwool Mountaineer socks | 4.62 | |
| Fox River X-Static socks | 0.85 | |
| Clothes carried | Carried | Worn |
| Fox River X-Static socks | 0.85 | |
| Smartwool Mountaineer socks | 4.62 | |
| TNF Nupste | 24.83 | |
| Stephensons VBL Pants | 4.69 | |
| Montbell UL Thermawrap pants | 9.77 | |
| REI Ridgecrest Mitts | 7.30 | |
| S2S stuff sack | 1.16 | |
| MLD eVent mitts (in pocket) | 1.09 | |
| Softshell hood (Epic), MYOG | 1.31 | |
| Kitchen | Carried | Worn |
| DragonFly | 15.77 | |
| 30 oz fuel can | ||
| REI 1.3L Ti Pot | 4.97 | |
| Hot Spark (on ribbon) | 0.35 | |
| Lexan Fork | 0.39 | |
| 30 matches | ||
| Hydration | Carried | Worn |
| 48oz Nalgene Canteen | 2.22 | 2.22 |
| Chlorine Dioxide x20 | ||
| Emergency | Carried | Worn |
| FAK; repair kit | 3.70 | |
| ACR Microfix | 10.65 | |
| Emergency Fire Kit | ||
| Misc | Carried | Worn |
| Tikka Plus | 2.75 | |
| CF poles | 13.30 | |
| Knife | 0.67 | |
| Cell phone | 3.92 | |
| $20 Cash; ID; 2x key; Credit; Ins | 0.39 | |
| Camera | 6.56 | |
| Triptease | 1.31 | |
| Notebook and pencil | 2.22 | |
| Toiletries | Carried | Worn |
| Toothbrush | 0.42 | |
| Toothpaste (baking soda) | ||
| TP and wet wipes (4x day, 5 days) | ||
| Handsanitizer (1 oz) | ||
| Sandwich bag (toiletries) | 0.07 | |
| Navigation | Carried | Worn |
| Map(s), average (2) | 0.99 | |
| Silva Polaris compass | 1.06 | |
| Aloksak for phone | 0.32 | |
| Aloksak for maps | 0.42 | |
| Comsumables, trailhead max | Carried | Worn |
| Food, 5 days | ||
| 30 oz White gas | ||
| Water, 56 oz | 58.42 | |
| BASE | Carried | Worn |
| OZ | 292.20 | 268.37 |
| LB | 18.26 | 16.77 |
| TOTALS | BASE | SKIN |
| Totals | 18.26 | 35.04 |
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