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[at-l] More on winter..
- Subject: [at-l] More on winter..
- From: dkiefer@JJG.com (Kiefer, David)
- Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 17:09:09 -0500
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We were fortunate this past weekend and had good sleep gear, and thus did
not have the same problems that Red had.
However, here is problem we did have.
Our drinking water froze while walking. That should be a clue as my wife
would say :-0 I "assumed" that by keeping mobile, the water would not
freeze, that was not the case. Although it did not freeze solid, it was
definitely a "slushy". Similarly, filtering water did not work, as our
pumps froze up. There may be a better way of doing this, but here is what
we did:
We heated creek water in our pot and then filtered it into our bottles. I
did not boil the water, as I did not want to waste fuel, and I was unsure of
what HOT water would do to the filter membrane. I still am unsure if did
not damage the filter, just because I did not come down with a case of the
runs this time, does not mean I didn't damage the filter. I was able to
wrap one bottle of water and my filter (Pur Hiker) in a wool scarf and then
bury it in my pack. After filtering, I disassembled the filter and hoses to
remove any water, and then "spun" the pieces to create a centrifuge-effect
and remove the water. I especially shook the filter element to reduce the
possibility of ice forming and tearing the filter membrane.
Melting snow may or may not have been more fuel efficient/less troublesome,
but we did not have enough snow to make a lot of water anyway. I am sure
there is some engineer out there able to perform the heat transfer
calculations to determine which method is most fuel efficient.
That was our only "real" problem, besides leaving our tent poles. #(*)#! Of
course there is not much anyone can do about operator error.
In other news, I am a full believer in polypro as the first layer against
your skin! I generate a huge amount of sweat and even though I did break
out in a heavy sweat from time to time, the fabric wicked the moisture away
so I was not excessively chilled when we stopped.
For me, I always sleep warmer when I eat a hot meal and then quickly get in
the bag! I drink most water/fluids in the morning and avoid lots of fluids
before getting in the bag. I hate those midnight nature calls, especially in
cold weather.
This may be redundant, but we also slept with our boots, drinking water, and
filter in the bag. Put the boots in a small garbage bag and put the water
in another water proof bag.
David
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<TITLE>More on winter..</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>We were fortunate this past weekend and had good =
sleep gear, and thus did not have the same problems that Red =
had.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>However, here is problem we did have.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Our drinking water froze while walking. That =
should be a clue as my wife would say :-0 I =
"assumed" that by keeping mobile, the water would not freeze, =
that was not the case. Although it did not freeze solid, it was =
definitely a "slushy". Similarly, filtering water did =
not work, as our pumps froze up. There may be a better way of =
doing this, but here is what we did:</FONT></P>
<P> =20
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>We heated creek water in our pot and then filtered =
it into our bottles. I did not boil the water, as I did not want =
to waste fuel, and I was unsure of what HOT water would do to the =
filter membrane. I still am unsure if did not damage the filter, =
just because I did not come down with a case of the runs this time, =
does not mean I didn't damage the filter. I was able to wrap one =
bottle of water and my filter (Pur Hiker) in a wool scarf and then bury =
it in my pack. After filtering, I disassembled the filter and =
hoses to remove any water, and then "spun" the pieces to =
create a centrifuge-effect and remove the water. I especially =
shook the filter element to reduce the possibility of ice forming and =
tearing the filter membrane.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Melting snow may or may not have been more fuel =
efficient/less troublesome, but we did not have enough snow to make a =
lot of water anyway. I am sure there is some engineer out there =
able to perform the heat transfer calculations to determine which =
method is most fuel efficient.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>That was our only "real" problem, besides =
leaving our tent poles. #(*)#! Of course there is not much anyone =
can do about operator error.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>In other news, I am a full believer in polypro as the =
first layer against your skin! I generate a huge amount of sweat =
and even though I did break out in a heavy sweat from time to time, the =
fabric wicked the moisture away so I was not excessively chilled when =
we stopped. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>For me, I always sleep warmer when I eat a hot meal =
and then quickly get in the bag! I drink most water/fluids in the =
morning and avoid lots of fluids before getting in the bag. I hate =
those midnight nature calls, especially in cold weather.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>This may be redundant, but we also slept with our =
boots, drinking water, and filter in the bag. Put the boots in a =
small garbage bag and put the water in another water proof =
bag.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>David</FONT>
</P>
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