In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
I'm Brian Allen, I paddle in the wilderness in a canoe.
These are things to bring on a paddling trip, make sure you don't forget anything.
| WATER FILTER I've been using my MSR water filter for years, and even though most paddlers agree that this is the best water filter money can buy it sometimes breaks down just like anything else that has moving parts. For those times it is absolutely necessary to bring a very light weight wood stove with absolutely no moving parts such as the Trailstove and a small pot to boil water in. | ||
| POT This is a very important item, you will need a pot to melt and heat water. Drinking hot water will warm up your whole body. I would recommend just getting a cheap mess kit and using the pot from it. You could just grab a pot from your kitchen but these tend to be relatively heavy which is OK in your kitchen but not in your canoe. | ||
| TENT Even if you're not planning on sleeping in a tent it is a good idea to bring one. Bad weather can develop very quickly and with a tent you have a shelter in a few minutes. | ||
| CAMP STOVE If you don't mind a bit slower cooking than what you're used to on your gas stove you might want to think about getting a Trailstove. It burns wood, just little twigs you pick up at your camp site. It ends up weighing less than any other back packing stove in the world since you don't need to bring fuel so you don't have to include the weight of fuel as you do with a regular stove. Definitely worth taking a look at. |
How to make a quick snow shelter
Find a flat sheltered spot for your shelter. Don't go too close to trees or
big rocks since blowing snow tends to accumulate around them.
Dig a hole in
the snow, about a foot longer than your body and about 3 feet wide, use the snow
from the dig to build walls around the hole. Try to get one of the short sides
downwind.
Keep digging until the hole is 3 ft from floor to upper edge. Keep
in mind that the smaller your shelter is the warmer it will be.
Leave a
1.5x1.5 ft opening in the downwind upper short edge with a connecting corridor,
this will be your door.
If you plan to use a stove in the shelter you must
also make a vent opening in the side opposite to the door. This opening should
be about 6x6 inches.
If possible, try to make a block of hard snow
1.5x1.5x0.5 ft to use as a door block, place this block inside the hole when
you're done.
Cover half of the floor on the opposite side of the
opening with soft branches to provide extra insulation from the cold snow
beneath. This will be your sleeping area, you will later cover the branches with
your sleeping pad. If you don't have a sleeping pad with you, make a thicker
layer of branches. If it is snowing while you are building your shelter, you can
do this step later, after the roof has been put up so you won't get snow on your
branches.
Place a number of tree branches over the hole. Keep in
mind that these branches may have to carry some heavy snow loads. You can use
skis and ski poles for this purpose as well but keep in mind that you won't be
able to use them again without ruining the shelter.
Cover the hole
with your tarp. Attach edges and corners as well as possible with stakes made
from tree branches or string to a nearby tree. Don't rely on weights such as
rocks or big chunks of wood, they will start sliding. You want to make sure that
there's no way that the tarp will start sagging or slip down through the
openings in the ceiling.
Cover the tarp with a layer of snow for insulation.
If there is powder snow available try to get a coverage of at least 3 inches. If
there is no powder use wet snow or hard snow to make blocks 1.5" thick to form a
sheet on top of the tarp, try to rest the blocks on the support poles and not on
the tarp. If it is snowing heavily you can let nature take care of this step.
Move in to the shelter. Put your sleeping pad on the
branches and sleep with your head away from the door. You can block the door
opening to keep warm but you must have at least two small air vents on opposite
sides of the shelter to ensure an adequate air supply.
SOME THINGS
TO KEEP IN MIND
When you're using a stove in the shelter you must open both
the door opening and the vent opening. Make sure that the vent opening is kept
clear from falling snow on the outside, poke around with a stick periodically if
needed.
If you need to urinate
during the night, don't go outside in the cold. Just go on the floor inside the
shelter. The urine will seep down through the snow, there will be a stained
crater left but you can just cover that with some snow.
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