Out in demanding conditions for rough minimalistic camping. As long as it was cold I was fine but when things start to melt it doesn't matter what you do. Things get wet. But I managed to keep the sleeping bag dry and that's the important thing. New pack turned out to be water proof thankfully. Second camp was a struggle with the fire. Not so fun when it happened but it gave me some strange sensation. It's like before.. when I first started doing this. I fought those battles constantly. Some I won and some I lost. Sorry I did not shoot the last part. I simply was too tired and just about had enough. Im getting a better head cam soon so I can turn something on and forget about it in those situations.
That wool sweater I have is a life saver. It warms very good even when moist. I really am not fond of gore tex and modern polyester materials. I have stuff with me but I usually end up just using my natural stuff, and modern materials turn completely worthless when wet. Ground cover and sleep mat however are modern and works fine. Rain clothes I struggled with constantly for years, many years ago, and never found something that made me comfortable. They do not breath and you get wet anyway. The rain poncho is my thing even though they are pretty bulky moving around in. In recent years I found it's better to have several layers of wool. It's like you become and animal with fur. It works for light rainy conditions when you have to work hard. You seldom see me use modern gear and that is for a reason. What I like about modern gear is its light and let you travel with ease. But every single time I use it something breaks. I hate that. But every outing and situation is unique.
I do not want to live without the Poly stuff. I use it when I need it. Mostly as a complement, I use it but I never trust it. The reason for not having my beloved canvas tarps, lavvus, or tents this time was I needed to try out this idea I had of a tweaked forester tarp setup hugging a tree. My lavvu would be too small for this. The tarp I'm using here is a big 12x12 (4x4m). Really solid solution that worked excellent. Weird but nice feeling to sleep like that next to a tree. It's like you get an amplified feeling of security in a way. (Like a bear would care mauling a dude against a tree instead of out in the open? ;) But I sure missed my lavvu at second camp. Thing you notice with the light big stuff is its so cold camping with. Canvas Lavvus are warm. With the lightweight tarps you really need the fire, but the poly fabric does not go well with fire I'm afraid. Before I started using canvas, years before KZfaq, I remember buying a new DD for every trip. That is partly because I'm always trying out new things. Taking risks in a way to try out an idea. But that is what I do or I would have gotten tired of this job a long time ago. Maybe you noticed I'm an odd bird never doing something exactly the same way twice. And I have to have the equipment that survive that, for it to be sustainable, so it's any point with doing things at all.
EDIT: Also got a good question from Tina, one of my subscribers. She asked why this setup with the tree? So I thought I might include my response to her here also:
In my area its pretty much impossible to find flat ground. You sometimes have to walk hundreds of meters to find a semi flat bedding for just one person. For a family tent you can walk a lot further in vain. Usually you find a bedding in an opening, for ex between two trees. You set something up like a tarp by tying a string to a tree or place your self standing tent. With the tree hug system I can gain a lot of ground in my search at where I normally don't look. Its a very protected kind of shelter because of the shape of the whole structure. That aint blowing down because the wind gets nothing to hold on too. Last but not least, the temperature under a spruce tree is several degrees warmer than out in the open. The only downside is the tree itself takes up a lot of space inside the shelter. But thats not an issue for one person with a bag.
Thank you kindly for watching!
#bushcraft #camping #survival #asmr