Winter Camp 2015

[Jaeger]

Here are a few photos of our 1750's winter encampment in Northern Michigan. The weather was good to us: around 10 degrees at night, and in the 20's during the day. All food, equipment, etc. was tobogganed in to the camp. Howling coyotes entertained us at night.

 

[George]

That is one 'cool' camp.

Enjoyed the pictures.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

Wow! that's cool :haha: must have been a tight fit putting 4 guys under one tarp.

Can you tell us more about it? I think there's a great story in there somewhere.

 

[ny griz]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Great pics,great camp.Yes,tell us more. :hatsoff: Griz

 

[Jaeger]

Thanks for your interest! Yeah...we didn't get 4 guys under that small lean-to. It was two guys the first night, and then another arrived. The other guy built his "elevated bunk" under some trees in the open air. I like to call what he does "moving off campus". We bought some bales of straw this year, broke them up and used that for the sleeping area base, which was a very good idea as it turned out.We've been using pine boughs for the last three years, and, while perhaps more authentic, are pretty damned lumpy. We'll be using straw from now on. Straw with a canvas tarp thrown over it is just downright comfortable. If you have a discerning eye, you might spot a few items in our camp that are not exactly totally period correct. We DO do some "controlled cheating" from time to time. Pack baskets, for example, are not really correct for the 1700's....more of an 1800's kind of thing. But they sure are handy. Our meals, also, were stuff mostly pre-cooked and frozen at home to be re-heated, except for breakfast. Keeping cooking and drinking water thawed for use is a constant effort.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Yep! I noticed some oddities right off including the straw......but I don't care, heck your camping in the winter. :hatsoff:
Did you cheat and use a sleeping bag or just wool blankets?

 

[Jaeger]

Busted! Haha....yeah, we used sleeping bags carefully concealed inside a canvas outer cover. Using wool blankets only is maybe something to strive for, or maybe try once. We are not young men, so our motto is "we are here to learn something, and to have a good experience, but not to get hurt". I really don't know if I'd want to try and sleep in 0 or 10 degree weather with just wool blankets. Maybe others in the forum have opinions about this.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Having camped in subzero weather, I totally understand. :haha:

 

[smo]

:hatsoff: To you all That looks like a great camp :thumbsup:

 

[Silky921]

My hats off to you guys.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I really don't know if I'd want to try and sleep in 0 or 10 degree weather with just wool blankets. Maybe others in the forum have opinions about this.

I have spent several nights under wool maybe 100 or so in the cab of a truck. Now understand I paid the fuel, so I never ran the truck at night unless it was going to make it hard to start (below 25f). Even then I would just get up at 1 or so & run the truck for 45 min. I only ran it all night when it was getting down to 15 or below.

Then maybe another 30-40 night in tents under wool. But again not below 20f or so.

:2 Wool blankets like sleeping bags are not all alike. The ones I would want for below 10f would suck to pack as they are quite thick. I would want at least 2 most likely 3 and be out of the wind.

Now if I had 2-3 other folks with me and wood was plentiful I would give it a try with one heavy & one light blanket, but each man would spend a stint tending the fire.

I was in this camp 5-6 nights again (guessing) 20-25f at night.



My hunting partner had a good down sleeping bag & I had 2 wool blankets, the cold would wake me before him to tend the stove every time. So I would say my 2 blankets = about a midrange sleeping bag.

 

[Grumpa]

Good on ye all! You did yourselves proud! :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

You had a great time, and looked good doing it.
Sure beats sittin' on the couch. :haha:

 

[Alden]

Jaeger, u da man even if ya did cheat a little. As the others said, share more about your exploit! Glad to see that early pot-bellied Dutch trade gun afield...

 

[pargent]

:thumbsup:

 

[Ron LaClair]

We are not young men, so our motto is "we are here to learn something, and to have a good experience, but not to get hurt". I really don't know if I'd want to try and sleep in 0 or 10 degree weather with just wool blankets. Maybe others in the forum have opinions about this.

Saw it, right off that you guys are getting a little long in the tooth for winter camping. :haha: Many years ago a pardner and I had a similar winter camp. we used straw also under our canvas lean-to but instead of sleeping bags we used wool blankets. The temps got down well below zero but we stayed fairly comfortable by keeping the fire going and with longjohns under our buckskins and a capote over the skins. Then rolled up in two Hudson Bay 4 point blankets. That was 40 years ago, wouldn't want to do it now.

The strange thing was I had a bad head cold when I went for those two nights of camping in -0 and when I got home my cold was gone. When I told my doctor about it he said I had froze the cold out. :idunno:

Where in Michigan are you guys?

 

[Keb]

I also made winter camps back when I was a whole bunch younger. I am still trying to forget my last one. My old rondyvoo buddy & I set up a tipi at a Utica, MI gun club (DSC if I remember correctly). It was in the -20°'s that night with wind chills dipping to -40°. We had buffalo hides down on the ground and a couple wool blankets and every available piece of clothing we owned on. We stuffed straw up between the liner & cover which helped, too. The coffee pot froze just inches away from the fire of which we kept going all night. We both put a pile of wood by our head and fed the fire when the flames died down. My pile didn't last as long as his did. I guess I got colder quicker than he did. :/
I decided right then and there to never make another winter camp and I've not since then.

 

[Ron LaClair]

The winter camp I mentioned was the Sauk Trails Hog shoot that they had every year in February and it was ALWAYS cold.They called it the Hog shoot because they'd kill a pig, cut and wrap it in packages and then they had line shoots with packages of hog meat as prizes.

The first time I went was in the open lean-to, the 2nd time we made a Wicky-up with bent poles covered with a tarp. That year we had a venison hind quarter hanging by camp and we had to hack the frozen meat off with an axe. After that year we got smart and camped the next year in a tipi with a sheet metal stove in the center with one length of stove pipe. As usual in was below -O but 6 men slept in the tipi like spokes in a wheel with feet toward the stove and stayed fairly comfortable as I recall. I've got pictures tucked in a drawer somewhere

 

[coloradoclyde]

I've got pictures tucked in a drawer somewhere

Fire up the scanner.....you know we want to see them. :grin:

 

[Jaeger]

Longhunter:We camped in the Cadillac, Michigan area.And yes, we used some of the same techniques. Wore longjohns under period clothes. I really have to try it without the sleeping bag and just layers of good wool blankets, which I possess. Believe it or not, my legs and feet got too warm in the sleeping bag at 10 degrees F, and I had to take my leggings AND socks off to get comfortable. That experience shows me that I have "wiggle room" for insulation. I have to mention that we had very little wind that weekend, which makes a HUGE difference.

 

[Vaino]

Looking good! Did you hunt any and what did you eat?.....Fred