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Give me your Cold & Wet camping tips


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Really important:   Folks often bring ground tarps to set their tents on. Those tarps have to be completely folded under the footprint of the tent. One exposed corner will ship more water into the m

I never understood that reaction.  Unless the suggestion is just truly dumb (hey, mix bleach & ammonia to get a great cleaning agent!) why not at least find out why a person suggested it.  I am no

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

I think what he means by "stay away air mats" is stay away from cheap, uninsulated air mattresses. A cheap air mattress, with no insulation in it, will let the heat from your body escape out the sides via convection and it will be no warmer than sleeping on the ground. What is needed is something that will keep the air from moving within the pad. Closed cell foam or an air mattress with insulation. I've had plenty of experience with sleeping on bad pads. For scouts, at the temps they're talking about, a fairly inexpensive closed cell foam pad will work fine.

 

Yes, this is what I meant.  Not the time to bring your old pool mattress.  

 

We do not have den chiefs, unfortunately.

 

We have a pop up shelter we could bring and 2 10x20 tarps, hopefully that will give enough extra coverage.  There is a picnic shelter, but it is small enough it would be tough to fit everybody under and keep dry in anything but a drizzle.  

 

Thanks you for the foot sandwich advice, I have never heard that before.  Our pack is not exactly in an affluent area, and finances are an issue for some of our families.  So while we know some will be well outfitted, others are likely not to have the $ for Frogg Toggs, therm-a-rest, etc.  We have some extra gear to lend, but I worry it may not be enough.  

 

I appreciate all the advice. 

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Tarps (+ropes and pegs) to block the upwind side of the shelter will materially increase its practical coverage.  The 10 x 10s off the side of the shelter will also work better if space allows.

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SHELTER ______________

                 |          tarp            \

                 |         annex          \

                 |           (^--^)           \

                 |                               \

                 |                                \

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Really important:

 

Folks often bring ground tarps to set their tents on. Those tarps have to be completely folded under the footprint of the tent. One exposed corner will ship more water into the middle of the tent than if a rain fly door was left open.

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Really important:

 

Folks often bring ground tarps to set their tents on. Those tarps have to be completely folded under the footprint of the tent. One exposed corner will ship more water into the middle of the tent than if a rain fly door was left open.

 

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

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For those of us in the upper Midwest, 40's at night on a campout would, in some cases, be a godsend!  We have spent many a night in 20's and 30's.  There are a lots of good suggestions here though.

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

 

I never understood that reaction.  Unless the suggestion is just truly dumb (hey, mix bleach & ammonia to get a great cleaning agent!) why not at least find out why a person suggested it.  I am not saying I would always take it, but why not at least find out the reasoning.  Respect for those leaders apologizing though, I have unfortunately met some who would not, no matter how wrong they were proven.

 

 

We bought 3 new tents so that all our boys could go on this camp.  Ended up getting tarps to go under them that are exactly 1 foot shorter in each direction to avoid said problem.  I know a lot of good tents can get by without, but these are cheap.  I hope they hold up if it gets bad, but cheap was all we could swing after already having to fund a camp kitchen.

 

 

And just to be clear--do NOT mix bleach & ammonia :)

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That overextended ground sheet really tests the waterproofing of the tent floor.  Since floors of many tents start out barely waterproof (1000 mm minimum standard) and inevitably go down from there,  trapping water between the ground sheet and the floor and applying the weight of a Scout typically pumps the water through the floor.  Buit as noted, even the most diplomatic suggestion can be suggested, as it was at our last IOLS course.  But we brought several LARGE sponges to bail out the resulting ponds.

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Here's what looks like a good tip to me....

http://scoutmastercg.com/keep-your-camping-gear-dry/

 

Yes, some of the best and most memorable trips are the ones with weather.... It seems more miserable when planning for it, than it actually is often times.

 

My experience is very low turn out with the cubs, when weather is foretasted.... as in so low it was only me and son in one case, and in another only me a den leader and our sons..... these were council camps so it was ok and we didn't have to cancel out of lack of interest.  Pack only trips a different story.....

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Plenty of warm and dry suggestions.  Best words I saw were good fire = good morale.  I would suggest once camp set up find a parent to walk around wearing nothing but a swim suit, shoes, and sunglasses (zinc oxide on the nose is a bonus) and check in on every scout.  Being wet is nothing - ask people in Hawaii on vacation.  Being warm is a state of mind.  Having FUN is important.  

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 A Mylar reflective blanket greatly increases the warming effect of a fire. which otherwise warms (by radiation) only the side facing the fire.

 

If cold is a state of mind, please attend our next Klondike here in NE Ohio in your swim suit.   :D  

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No one relied on state of mind in dressing us to walk to school in Stony Plain, Alberta in the Winter (-40 f several times).  Watching balls of spit bounce off the ground was great fun and the "coat room" was almost as large as the classroom.

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