>Canada>Ont>EGL Gearing Up For Winter 2014-2015 - We knew why!

[Chard]

Quick trip report on another great hang at Valens Concervation Area.

It was good to see faces new and old and many thanks go out to the Park staff who made our stay so pleasant.

Friday night 5 guys braved -17c temperatures and worse windchills.
Saturday night 8 guys managed to survive -13c temps.

No one froze. No one starved. Everyone went home intact. Check, check and check!

Some pictures..


The Pit


Moose85 wolfing down breakfast


Highboy in mid-chuckle


Bubba cradling his new best friend, the hot watter bottle!


LovemyBonnet chilling out


Mark1085 and Quiet staring down the cameraman


Iguana behind his tarp (aka Wilson from Tooltime)


Moose85's rig


Bubba's rig


LovemyBonnet's rig


My Rig


Mark1085's rig


Highboy's rig

And the shelter everyone has been waiting for... The Smokehouse!!! Quiet takes winter hanging to the next level!












And introducing my new Squirrel Cooker with LovemyBonnet's dutch oven in the background. He managed to make a really nice pot-roast in subarctic conditions. Nice!


PS: Be informed; take the time to learn about some of the health impacts of WiFi.

[jscudds]

Looks like an awesome hang! I'm hoping to make the next one,.. would have loved to inspect the winter tarps as that's next on my DIY list.

[Fish]

My wife bought me a new HG Burrow for Christmas, but the 20* version probably won't take me to -17C :P
One of these days I'll be geared up for a winter hang.

[LuvmyBonnet]

It was a great time. Chillin with the Canadians! I'm on a new saving for gear mode now. I want that SmokeHouse hammock shelter and a TiGoat stove.

[Bubba]

Had a great time! Had fun testing out my new Folding Firebox. Always nice to get out into the woods (away from WiFi) even if its just car camping.

[Mark1065]

I also had a great time meeting new people and enjoying the outdoors, car camping with heated bathrooms made for a nice relaxing weekend, hope to do it all over again soon

Mark

[Mark1065]

HaHaHa, just reread your title Chard, "We Knew Why" that's funny

[quiet]

I missed our special guest, but I’m not questioning why… (sorry, inside joke for those who were not there)

I had a great time again, catching up with old friends and getting to know new people. Special call out to LuvmyBonnet from Buffalo NY who braved the border crossing to attend a Canuck hang. Also Mark1065 who showed me some amazing photographs of owls he’s taken in the wild.

Some of you were asking about the tarp I had. It’s a Smokehouse Outfitter II made by forum member Smokehouse. The specs are:

Multicam 70D, fire retardant fabric, seam sealed.
12’ ridgeline, 8’ sidewalls including 29” short wall.
Weight is 7 lbs.

There’s sod cloth along the edges, fiberglass cloth where the stovepipe comes through and both door ends are zippered; each with 3 pulls. I had it set up at 6’ at the ridgeline. Poles were one of the options. Smokehouse can provide them or you can make your own (I made my own).

Delivery was USPS/Canada Post; for whatever reason the shipping was smoking hot… from Arkansas to my doorstep in 5 days. I told a few people how much it cost, but I won’t post it. I’m sure you can request a price list from Smokehouse if you PM him.

I used a Four Dog titanium stove with maple and birch hardwood (cut and dried a year ago) that lasted all night. I filled it with wood at 1:00 a.m. when I went to sleep and there were several inches of coals when I got up around 7:00 a.m. I slept with only an underquilt for several hours and then put a top quilt over me with my feet hanging out for the rest of the night. I was wearing a fleece top and bottoms. There was no condensation inside the tarp as it stayed heated the whole night.

There was lots of room inside for the wood stove, a bridge hammock, a camp chair, wood storage and all my gear. The one downside is when I go backcountry, I’ll need to find a large enough clearing as this tarp is huge. However, that’s not going to stop me from bringing it on winter trips.


Smokehouse out of the box


Smokehouse set up


Looking into the Smokehouse


Inside the Smokehouse


Four Dog Ti stove

[SmokeHouse]

WOW!! looks like everyone had a great time, wished I could have been there,,, maybe one day...
On the Sodcloth I always put that on the inside, but thats up to you... Thanks for sharing and hope to see more action photos...

[Chard]

WOW!! looks like everyone had a great time, wished I could have been there,,, maybe one day...
On the Sodcloth I always put that on the inside, but thats up to you... Thanks for sharing and hope to see more action photos...

Yeah, it was great fun. When I left the warmth of the fire to go check out Quiet's setup for the first time I was amazed. It was my first time in a fully stoked hot tent during winter and it was glorious. Like setting up the little tropical embassy in the middle of nowhere. Not ultralight, but certainly the way to go for deep cold or an extended trip when you're hauling everything in on a pulk/toboggan anyways. But then again I guess the weight's in the stove given that the Smokehouse seems to be about the same bulk and weight of a standard tent. Excellent design! If ever you're in our neck of the woods, drop us a line.