5thGenTexan 504 Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 I might be stupid!!! We had a Council "Camp-In" this weekend. We all camped at home, did Scout things during the day, and shared on the Council FB page what we did. Anyway, last night was another miserable night. Waking up every so often hurting. I have been opening the valve on my sleeping pad and throwing it in the tent to inflate while I do other stuff. Never been much of a pad. I decided to get out in the house tonight and open the valve and just watch it. It wasn't doing a lot. I fished the instructions out of the bag and it said to blow on the valve to desired firmness. Well, now its a good two inches thick and firm. I feel pretty stupid. Its an ALPS pad if that makes any difference. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Eagledad 2777 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I used to visited a friend in the mornings a few years ago to enjoy a cup of coffee with him. I was impressed with his talking microwave and would take the opportunity to warm up my coffee just to hear it talk. My friend always looked at me strangely when I responded to the talking microwave's "HI", with my "And A Good Morning To You". One morning his wife walked in the kitchen and placed her muffin in the microwave. She made a selection on the heating choices and then pushed start. The microwave responded with "MEDIUM". I felt pretty stupid. But it's a good story during breakfasts on camp outs. I never used those inflatable sleeping pads, but they were always a long topic of discussion with the adults who did use them in how to get them comfortable. Barry 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Double Eagle 128 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Off subject, but the microwave incident has me brought to my Tiger granddaughter two months ago. She took a compass out, held it flat, and spoke into it "show me North". It was too funny to see. You gotta love the newest generation. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
TAHAWK 1420 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 12 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said: I might be stupid!!! We had a Council "Camp-In" this weekend. We all camped at home, did Scout things during the day, and shared on the Council FB page what we did. Anyway, last night was another miserable night. Waking up every so often hurting. I have been opening the valve on my sleeping pad and throwing it in the tent to inflate while I do other stuff. Never been much of a pad. I decided to get out in the house tonight and open the valve and just watch it. It wasn't doing a lot. I fished the instructions out of the bag and it said to blow on the valve to desired firmness. Well, now its a good two inches thick and firm. I feel pretty stupid. Its an ALPS pad if that makes any difference. Blowing up a "self-inflating" mattress is an old trick, but you need to store it with the valve open to allow some of the resulting moisture to evaporate to try to avoid mildew inside. Storing it open also greatly improves inflation in the "field." Link to post Share on other sites
5thGenTexan 504 Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 1 minute ago, TAHAWK said: Blowing up a "self-inflating" mattress is an old trick, but you need to store it with the valve open to allow some of the resulting moisture to evaporate to try to avoid mildew inside. Storing it open also greatly improves inflation in the "field." See, no one ever told me it was going to be one hour per week PER scout, and now I am learning you have to blow up a self inflating mattress and store it with the valve open. What other important information has been withheld??? Link to post Share on other sites
TAHAWK 1420 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Polyester batting-insulated sleeping bags gradually lose loft (insulation value) if stored compressed. The greater the compression, the faster the loss of loft. Some polyester batting resists such abuse better , but all yield in the end. Some makers advertise otherwise. Some believe the Earth to be flat. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagledad 2777 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 (edited) 57 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said: See, no one ever told me it was going to be one hour per week PER scout, and now I am learning you have to blow up a self inflating mattress and store it with the valve open. What other important information has been withheld??? Stuff the tent into the storage bag instead of folding and rolling because the folds can wear thin spots that leak. Stuffing doesn't have any fold spots to wear. Stuffing the tent in the backpack is easier and faster because it can be stuffed into voids around the other gear. Give the poles to your partner. They think they are getting the better part of the deal. Barry Edited April 20, 2020 by Eagledad Link to post Share on other sites
TAHAWK 1420 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Find a competent IOLS course in your part of the World and take it. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagledad 2777 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 2 hours ago, TAHAWK said: Find a competent IOLS course in your part of the World and take it. Hmm!. So, during this strange time of spending of lives in our homes with a computer, your suggestion is wait for an unscheduled course with a unknown staff of unknown experience to learn a few tricks that will make camping more comfortable. Sometimes I worry about you. Barry Link to post Share on other sites
qwazse 4342 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 3 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said: ... What other important information has been withheld??? If you leave your boots outside your tent (even in a vestibule) put them sole side up. It's easier to shake out scorpions than snow. Link to post Share on other sites
TAHAWK 1420 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 25 minutes ago, Eagledad said: Hmm!. So, during this strange time of spending of lives in our homes with a computer, your suggestion is wait for an unscheduled course with a unknown staff of unknown experience to learn a few tricks that will make camping more comfortable. Sometimes I worry about you. Barry Your capital suggestion? One supposes he could go on asking questions here, there, and elsewhere. Jolly good! Link to post Share on other sites
TAHAWK 1420 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 (edited) In Winter when tenting well-below freezing, place the tops of your boots between the sleeping bag and the insulating mattress so they don't freeze solid. A sacrificial sheet or light fleece blanket over your sleeping bag in cold weather causes the condensation to be less absorbed by the sleeping bag. Moisture in your sleeping bag may freeze when you have abandoned the bag to ambient temperatures, unless your Winters are sunny and dry (Ours are grey and damp, except, occasionally, when below 0º F) and reduces the insulating value of the bag Edited April 20, 2020 by TAHAWK Link to post Share on other sites
Eagledad 2777 Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 3 hours ago, TAHAWK said: Your capital suggestion? One supposes he could go on asking questions here, there, and elsewhere. Jolly good! You just described the forum. Barry Link to post Share on other sites
TAHAWK 1420 Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 Hopefully there would be answers - acceptably correct answers. Hopefully he would know what questions to ask: "... I am learning you have to blow up a self inflating mattress and store it with the valve open. What other important information has been withheld??? " Can we supply handouts? Link to post Share on other sites
desertrat77 1144 Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 (edited) 21 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said: I might be stupid!!! We had a Council "Camp-In" this weekend. We all camped at home, did Scout things during the day, and shared on the Council FB page what we did. Anyway, last night was another miserable night. Waking up every so often hurting. I have been opening the valve on my sleeping pad and throwing it in the tent to inflate while I do other stuff. Never been much of a pad. I decided to get out in the house tonight and open the valve and just watch it. It wasn't doing a lot. I fished the instructions out of the bag and it said to blow on the valve to desired firmness. Well, now its a good two inches thick and firm. I feel pretty stupid. Its an ALPS pad if that makes any difference. Last year I finally humbled myself and bought an inflatable sleeping pad. (Ego, I can sleep on the ground, my 35 year old foam pad still works just fine, etc...not so much any more!). All that to say I had a remarkably similar experience to the one you described. Edited April 21, 2020 by desertrat77 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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