In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.

Anyone here do any hot tent camping or backpacking?

Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******

This looks like a pretty sweet one person setup

Oh, what is hot tent camping, you ask? Good question. It's not just farting in your tent any more:


This guy does a nice review of his setup (a two to three person):


Some will die in hot pursuit
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain

Comments

  • pulsarncpulsarnc Member Posts: 6,568 ✭✭✭✭

    Did some single person motorcycle camping through the Smokey mountains in my younger days . Now I prefer the holiday inn . Winter time camping never floated my boat

    cry Havoc and let slip  the dogs of war..... 
  • Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,509 ✭✭✭✭

    Did a three-day coyote hunt in Idaho once, based out of a large canvas wall tent with a wood stove. Got down to near zero temps at night, but the tent was surprisingly comfortable. Not warm by any stretch, but doable. Notice that I said I did it once.

    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******

    For me, the camper is just but another option. :)

    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • dcon12dcon12 Member Posts: 32,041 ✭✭✭✭

    Not on purpose! Don

  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭

    Have you ever thought about where the wood for the wood stove is going to come from? When it's 20 degrees with 8 inches of snow on the ground. It looks snug and cozy in the photos. But the reality is something else, IMHO.


    Far as I'm concerned, anybody who voluntarily does any cold weather camping is a masochist.

  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******

    Yes of course. It has the same availability it normally does, in the areas I hike and backpack, which is to say it's pretty available usually.

    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • mohawk600mohawk600 Member Posts: 5,529 ✭✭✭✭

    The only "hot tent camping" I have ever done was at Ft. Lost in the Woods (Ft. Leonardwood) during basic from Oct-Dec 87. During our bivouac it got so cold that we were moved from our pup tents to GP medium tents with wood burning stoves so that no trainees would freeze to death.

  • Nanuq907Nanuq907 Member Posts: 2,551 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2020

    You guys are nuts. Cold weather camping is the best... no bugs, no bears, everything stays clean and dry. You just have to plan a little differently. I've taken my Boy Scouts troop out for "Freeze Points" camping dozens, probably well over a hundred times, and thoroughly enjoyed each one. If the forecast calls for colder than -35F then we only allow the older boys to come along, because they've earned the knowledge how to do it safely.

    No "heated tents" for us, in fact most of the time in winter we don't use tents (no bugs). We dig down to the ground, line it with a tarp, and rig a shelter overhead to keep snow off.

    Two ground pads, closed cell foam. In the morning the snow won't be melted beneath you. Mummy bag, wool hat, light wool sleep gear like old longjohns, wool socks. Use your sleep wear ONLY for sleeping so it stays dry. Keep your boots inside the shelter, stand your backpack up outside with orange garbage bag over it so you can find it if it snows. Bury your propane cylinder in snow so it doesn't freeze. Bring "tent warmers" made from thick hot Jello and butter stirred together and set hard. Most important, bring a good attitude.

  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • Nanuq907Nanuq907 Member Posts: 2,551 ✭✭✭✭

    Oh yeah! Boil the water and add too much Jello so it's thick. Melt in a stick of butter. Pour out into a square pan and let it set into really firm cubes.

    When you eat one the sucrose hits right away and you get instant warmth to help heat the sleeping bag. Then you start metabolizing the fat in the butter and that takes a couple hours, so the heat hits later and lasts longer. "Tent warmers". Large size Snickers bars are a good alternative.

  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,437 ******

    Gotcha. I was imagining something you slid down into your sleeping bag.

    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • chmechme Member Posts: 1,471 ✭✭✭✭

    Well, did 2 winters out of Fairbanks with a Light Infantry battalion. We moved by cross country skis or snowshoes, and towed a fiberglass sled with our gear, IF we used a tent, we had a gasoline burning stove- but night time, we might shut that down, and just use a Coleman lantern for heat.

    Best non-tent winter bivouac would be to find a large evergreen, The area right around the tree would have a 4-5 ft deep bowl shaped depression in the snow, and evergreen branches above. Double sleeping bags, and a dry cotton towel across your face. Worked well at around -50 or so. Once our weapons got cold, we left them cold, never brought them in to the warm.

    Yeah, we did the snow shelter/ igloo, snow cave thing for practice. Works, but really time and labor intensive. Good snow cave would take you from -50 up to zero, which can be managed with clothing. And at -50, butane lighters don't work.

  • notnownotnow Member Posts: 1,860 ✭✭✭

    My son just took a backpacking trip that started out at Tuscon AZ and went south I believe. The trail had a name but I forget it. He spent three months planning and getting in shape and no drinking . Which says something about his dedication and taking it seriously. He had one problem. The shoes he bought were a little too big. His feet were mangled. Deep blisters and his ankles were even swollen. He was with two experienced hikers so he made it OK.

  • papernickerpapernicker Member Posts: 1,371 ✭✭✭

    I have two propane heaters, meant for inside and really work... if I was to try them. In a car, they warm it up in a few minutes and stay in my cars all winter. Never needed them luckily

  • BrookwoodBrookwood Member, Moderator Posts: 13,769 ******

    Memories of a late summer\early fall campout in Michigan's UP with my 4 sons several years ago. Using a new nylon cabin tent for the first time. First night out it got pretty cold with temps in the upper 30's. I kept the Colman lantern going and with all the windows closed I noticed upon awakening that my boys were breathing very hard in their sleep.


    The lantern had gone out and trying to relight it found that there was not enough oxygen inside the tent to even light a match!! This outing could have very well ended in disaster!

Sign In or Register to comment.