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Re: [at-l] Message from Gypsy (fwd)

At 02:51 AM 2/25/97 PST, Gypsy/Marty wrote:
>
>Got to Dahlgren campground, went to set up my tent with my new Easton tent
>pegs.  Well, I hadn't checked to see if they fit the grommets on the tent -
>the pegs were too big!  Some very choice words later, one of the guys I was
>hiking with gave me 3 spare pegs, plus I could use the Easton pegs for the
>fly.

Try adding some camp cord tie-outs to the grommets.  The ones on my tent
are about three feet long.  These let you do several things:

(1) You can find a spot where you can actually get the tent peg in.  In a
rocky area, I can almost never put a peg in the first place I try.  If I
was pegging right to the grommets, then I'd probably never get my tent up.

(2) If the ground is just too rocky, you can tie out to a root or rock
(perhaps with some extra cord).

(3) You can use your stakes.

I picked this up from one of Cliff Jacobson's "Basic Essentials of XXX" books.

>
>I started to cook supper and discovered that I inadvertently left my
>breakfast pack at home.  I had supper, but no hot choc or cider mix, and NO
>COFFEE for the next morning.  I ate and felt a little better but it started

A friend told me the following system, and it seems to work real well.

(1) start out with a checklist
(2) as you locate each item, check it off once.
(3) as you put each item in your pack, check it off again.

I once left my tent poles at home.  It was embarrassing.

>getting colder and the wind blew the smoke from the campfire in which ever
>direction I moved.  I put on an xtra layer of thermals; fleece jacket,
>goretex pants & parka, and was still cold.  Finally I decided to get into my
>sleeping bag to see if I felt any warmer there.  It was fine until about 1
>am, and I suffered until morning.  If it was that bad at 30 degrees, what
>will it be like in the mtns when it's colder?

What are you using as a sleeping pad?  Remember that your bag offers almost
no insulation underneath.  I was playing in the back yard a few weeks ago
in 30 degree weather (on snow), and discovered that I was too cold to sleep
on my Z-Rest closed cell foam pad.  Adding an old 3/8 inch foam pad
underneath made all the difference.

You might also consider a silk liner.  I haven't tried one, but there was a
Backpacker (I think) article a little while back about them, and I remember
some discussion here.  You can get one from Campmoor if you arn't too tall.
 A liner can add some warmth to your bag, and helps keep it clean.

Did you wear your fleece into the sleeping bag?  If not, remember that that
is always an option.  Were you wearing a hat in the bag (try it, it helps
alot).  Also, try taking some dry clothing and using it like a scarf in the
bag to keep warm air from getting out around your neck.  Winter bags often
have a draft collar that does this... my 20 degree bag doesn't though.

>
>I'm thinking about going shopping for a down sleeping bag today, down
>booties, etc.  My sleeping bag is an EMS with synthetic fill and rated to 20.
> Will I need a bag rated to 0?  I didn't take my primaloft jacket with me
>because it's about 25 oz and I just can't take on any more weight, but my
>shoulders were so cold.  My fleece jacket is polartec 200 - should I also
>carry a polartec 100 to wear under it?  I feel like I need to start all over,
>and I only have 4 days left before I go!

Down shouldn't be any warmer than synthetic.  The thing that matters is
loft... how much air is trapped.  Down bags are usually warmer for the same
weight and compress better, and I've heard that synthetic bags are
sometimes not as conservatively rated as they ought to be.  Remember that
you can take your EMS bag back to the store if you arn't satisfied with it.

>
>Any words of advice or encouragement will be appreciated.  If something like
>this happens to me a day or two out of Springer I don't know what I'll do.
> And Murphy's Law says it will!

I dayhike regularly in weather down to zero or a bit less wearing light
weight long johns, wind pants, a goretex shell, gloves, and a hat.  I stay
tosty... while I'm walking!  While your moving, I bet you won't have any
problem.  A lot of folks on this list seem to follow the "dive into your
sleeping bag when you hit camp" strategy.  I think, also, that getting into
the sleeping bag BEFORE you get chilled will help.

As a disclaimer, I'm not the most experienced backpacker around.  I've
experimented some, and I've read alot.  Please take the above as
suggestions and not as "gospel".

Good luck, and stick with it.  I'd give alot to have your problem right now!

-- Jim Mayer



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