View Full Version : Winter skills
How many of us are seasonal bushcrafters? Do we see bushcraft as a fair weather activity or do we like the adversity of the winter months to hone skills and get a good perspective of the wilderness in all conditions?
Any time
Any place
Any weather
I am always out there
Justin Time
17-11-2003, 13:08
Dry cold is my absolute favourite for walking... Tracking's easier for me after its been wet... Haven't quite perfected my debris shelter so as to get a solid night's sleep (sans sleeping bag) when it's cold, but am working on it
but making a fire when everything's sodden is so satisfying, even if my feather sticks never look as good as in the books...
Justin
i think we`re lucky to have the seasons we do over here (uk) and its good to get out in foul weather, personaly my thoughts have always been if you know at some point you`re going to be warm and dry then theres no worries and it gets your head going,once spent 2 weeks on dartmoor and it hacked it down non stop but at the end it was good to know that you could cut it and your kit was still working and you still had warm dry clothes to get into at night,still a shock getting into cold wet clothes in the morning though or whenever you were going wandering,plus i dont know about the other people here but foul weather seems to recharge me,thats the most i`ve ever written here :)
thats the most i`ve ever written here :)
and well worth it :biggthump
There is no bad weather only bad clothes :-D
I like the autumn and winter seasons just for the fact that its quieter..... You may wander into the odd farmer or forestry worker but thats about it. During the summer, its another story.... kids lighting fires up the mountain... burning out cars... the farmers close their land off.... middle aged business men jumping in rivers tied to a rope under the pretence of team building.... even at night you get cubs and scouts being led around blindfolded on some sort of exercise.... the mountains are packed with people that time of year...
Just my observations...
Ed
Roving Rich
17-11-2003, 14:30
i don't mind the cold or wet solong as iam or can get dry and warm. defrosting frozen wetsuits with a kettle is my idea of fun? A fire goes along way towards happy camping, shame all campsites don't have a fire pit per pitch as they do in the US/Canada.
What gets me down at this time of year is the darkness. It means i can do very little after work.
With all the autumn leaves that have just landed, I fancied a debris shelter this weekend, but trying to make one in the dark?
I think I'll try and blag my friends hammock and see how iget on with that ?
I'm glad we have seasons though, it would be nice if they are a bit more pronounced, less grey! I want snow and frost. Still roll on spring.
Rich
There is no bad weather only bad clothes :-D
I was going to say that!
I love being out and about in the elements, snug and warm in appropriate clothes
the worse the weather the better - less people around!
what ed and gary said, better to have "crap" weather than hoardes of squaling brats, and people out with dogs they can't control.
cheers, and.
I'm with you guys !
Justin - spot on - love those crystal cold clear days when the mud is frozen, blue skies and the grass goes crisp and blue green with the frost.
Mountain bike is no fun without the mud and rain
Wading across Kinder Scout : 10 foot visibility in low cloud, soaked from head to foot.
Scawfell : goretex doesn't work when your jacket has an ice skin all over it !
Skye : ten pairs of socks hung steaming around the fire.
Even the lousy days make great memories.
i agree with all of the peaple that like it in all weather i work outside
in it anyway so it make's no odds to me just love to be outside
ditchfield
18-11-2003, 20:32
I agree. The worse, the better :-?.
The temps were dipping below zero degrees F when I snagged this splake! When you play in the UP of Michigan in the winter, ya better love the cold, eh?
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/ma/tak/tak_1.jpg
Definatley year round, I was out this week practising friction fire lighting in the rain, only way to learn is to be able to perform a skill under any conditions.
Neil1
acw_akkermans
27-11-2003, 10:30
funny enough Tony, this poll seems to strengthen what I am experiencing. I teach many, many more customers, and there are more enquiries about courses during the winter then summer! In fact. This winter is nearly completely full untill the spring... :-D Maybe they should hold the Wilderness Gathering in january too!! Hahaha :twisted:
I like the cold.
No Sunburn
No Mozzies
No Hayfever
No numpties in the woods !!
Bring it on :-D
larry the spark
15-01-2004, 11:11
I totally agree with all the above but another reason to love the cold and wet for me is that it tests all that gear accumulated to combat the cold and wet. Hopefully passing the test and keeping you warm(ish) and dry(ish)!
Great Pebble
15-01-2004, 12:23
I can live with just about anything, but really high winds tend to spoil my enjoyment somewhat.
Nick in Belfast
all year round for me, though my ability to start fires in wet weather definatly needs some work :oops:
I'm the Tropical sort, :lol: work all day in 28 C. heated rooms (full of snakes) and like nothing better to be out in the rainforest or desert.... no noisey kids there! :wink: Don't mind rain, just don't like freezing weather!
I do spend time out in the UK...offroading in my Landrover.
With six months of muck, mire, and snow, it's go or go crazy (5 degrees and rain is a bit nasty).
I think that the days of decent winters have long left the UK, we havent had a freezing spell down here in sunny kent let alone any snow.
Why cant we have the winters that we had when I was a kid 3 feet of snow in 48 hours, the main reason that I have a Land Rover is that I live in hope of one day I may wake up and find that we are snowed in, I have had 4wd for the last 12 years and ever since no real snow.
I love camping in the winter, and run the survival skills badge course for our local scouts, and really looked forward to running these through the winter months until some mamby pamby scout leader chucked a spanner in the works saying that it would be to cold for the little darlings, so I went to Field Textiles (the mod wholesaler that some of you refered to in another thread) (cos I have an account with them ) and bought loads of winter kit for the kids and then a differant spanner was thrown.
My view is that if you can live the way that we do in the worst weather that the UK can throw at you then you can do it all year round, but some of the air con, central heating adicts amongst you may disagree.
I spent all day yetserday in the rain cutting and splitting 2 tonnes of fire wood for my home (bloody killed me) but no central heating here, just a love of the simple things in life that so many people miss out on.
Train hard survive easy :z: :z: :z:
I love the forest even more when it drops below -25°C, so peaceful and still, eerie even. The trees crack in the cold, it sounds like a rifle report in the still air. At the same time you skin cracks too, which isn't quite nearly as much fun (painful even when you're trying to do something fiddly). Moving through really deep snow can be a pain though. We can dip below -40 here, so it's quite important to get things right when you are out and about. Sweating can be a dangerous enemy when doing anythign physical, I've found it's better to have loose clothing, even untucked shirts which let the cold air circulate to your skin.
It can be so cold and dry here that if you boil a kettle and throw the hot water in the air, it disappears in a cloud of steam. I've got a vid of me doing this, if someone can host it for me?
Uploading to youtube is probably the easiest option. Sounds interesting.
I don't see it as seasonal. Come the rotten months I find my 'bushcrafty' activities change.
Most of my camping out is done between March and October (with an emphasis on the warmer months) because it means I don't have to worry about keeping warm and can just enjoy the mood. That said, I have spent the night out during winter and it looks like we're planning a winter camp for late Nov/early Dec later this year (and I did give a bit of a moan).
No, not seasonal, but some seasons get more activity than others.
There is a greater sense of achievement that comes with 'surviving' tough cold and wet conditions. It is important to have somewhere warm and dry to sit though, as long as I have the right clothing and kit I'm up for anything really! I do go out in all weathers all through the year and am looking forward to experiencing serious cold when we go to Canada. Brrrrrr :D
I get hay fever and I find mozzies irritating.
I love winter camping. http://www.wayland.me.uk/assets/images/fireside.gif
I get hay fever and I find mozzies irritating.
I love winter camping. http://www.wayland.me.uk/assets/images/fireside.gif
Could not agree more. No hayfever and no mozzies.....
Just planning out a new winter shelter at my local hide away so i can spend more time practicing skills and have a warm place to hide away when those early nights come back. Cant wait to be honest lol.
Mike Ameling
16-09-2008, 16:39
I go out in all weather - it's just something you adjust for.
Although, I prefer that it not be rainy/muddy and no high winds, I still go. And I actually prefer WINTER camping - often with 2 to 3 feet of snow and -20 (F). That cold weather really clears the bozos/yahoos out of the woods!
Often on a -20(F) night in January/February with a full moon, I will grab my wool blanket and hike down into the pasture to just set on the one hill to watch the "natural" world go by below along the creek. It's comforting to watch the deer play along the creek, hear the coyotes howling two ridges over, and see the "steam" rising from the sections of open water in the creek. The air gets that "crisp" feel to it. Sometimes I'll light a small fire, usually not. Sometimes I'll stay and watch for an hour or so, sometimes I just curl up in my blanket and sleep there overnight on top of the snow - especially if it isn't windy.
But you really need to plan well for winter outings, and condition yourself for it.
Rain/mud/sleet are more something to ... endure ... than enjoy too much. But I still do enjoy them. That feeling of "accomplishment" stuff. And if you have friends with you to also experience it, then you have that "shared trevail" feelings.
Yeah, "bad" weather sure clears out the bozos and pikers.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
Uploading to youtube is probably the easiest option. Sounds interesting.
Thanks for the tip, testing here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APCFsTpC-W0
Wow. That worked a treat!
I tell you what, not only are the woods emptier, you can see more and when it snows it is tracking time!
I get out when ever I can, as i dont have much choice given my work time table, so I can't afford to be too picky... any way its a set of skills that one should be able to use and be comfortable using "regardless of the season, weather or terrain"... (I think I spent too long in the Army with this last part... :rolleyes: )
Cheers...
Karl
Fallow Way
17-09-2008, 08:57
I am lucky in many respects because I work in the countryside/bushcraft field and so like it or not, I`m out in all weathers/seasons.
Fortunately winter is my favourite time of the year ad so I enjoy it hugely. From a selfish point of view, there are also less people out in the forests that time of year which adds to the quiet.
Hi All,
I try to get out avery chance I get. In practice this means whenever my better halve will let me. The weather is only a factor in what I do when get out there. For instance in the wet, firelighting is a challenge I like to try..... etc.
For me winter is the very best time to be out. The vibrance of summer can be distracting in my opinion. When the leaves have falen and the ground has frozen, lakes get low lying fog covering them its just magical. For me it seems much simpler in the winter months, fewer noises, fewer people. Lets also not forget that a small fire produces the best thing this time of year.......a hot cuppa !!!
firecrest
17-09-2008, 16:13
Winter gear is more expensive. you also need more skill. I lack both so its summer for me until Im richer and smarter. Or just smarter. I can rob a bank with smarts....
drewdunnrespect
17-09-2008, 16:20
the colder the wetter the better
I think that the poll is missing an option; When I can get a pass out from the other half!
Chris
Roibeard
18-09-2008, 00:12
I don't mind a bit of cold weather .
It can give some atmostphere but rain I don't like
It really does make camping just messy.
Its slows everything down and makes preparation so much more important.
Winter gear is more expensive. you also need more skill. I lack both so its summer for me until Im richer and smarter. Or just smarter. I can rob a bank with smarts....
I camped out last december and in june this year the temprature at night was 8c on both nights.
I agree you should always camp within one abitily and kits abililty, but having a good look on the metoffice website can save you having to stay in winter or getting hit by a storm in may. WOOL BLANKETS ARE GREAT, AND CHEAP AND MAKE YOU LOOK HARDCORE:D .
I like temperatures below zero. It means I do not run hot as quickly.
I really hate rain. Especially when exposed a lot; In the woods I don't mind rain as much. It also matters a lot if I am walking to get somewhere or just playing the hunter gatherer.
What I hate about heavy perspiration and rain is just the "dirty feeling" of being wet. It can be awful. I guess a week in a rainforest would be interesting for me to see what happens. Just to see if I am able to just stop the battle of trying to stay dry.
One of the most important winter skills must be shopping for suitable clothes ;)
Living in W.ales,if I waited for dry sunny days i would probably never get out.
kentynet
21-09-2008, 16:08
i think primi and winter are the best times beatse of the quietness and because winter is a challenging season when compared to the rest. it is also a nice to see some difrent weather (snow). i also like spring because of the countryside (especially the woods) busting back into life. hardly any people in woods either in these seasons. also (apart from my house) l think my habitat is very much the woods. :)
traderran
23-09-2008, 02:56
The Winter time is the only time the wife and I go camping. November
the 15 we will leave on a 6 week horse back hunting trip. If we can't
get it on 4 pack horses or our ridding horses we don't need it
littlebiglane
23-09-2008, 17:50
I was a bit quick to answer this. The macho kicks in :o ....you know how it is....;)
I don't mind cold
I don't mind a bit of wet
But as I get older, and more creaky I find that wet and cold really gets to me. Not straight away...but give it a few days...when you are wet and cold to the core, everything you stand in, you sleep in, you cr*p in...you sneeze in is damp...it gets miserable. No chance to dry things off properly sometimes and get on an even keel. It dampens morale and once this is on the slide you're toast (well soggy bread anyway).
I love crisp dry winters.
But long spells of wet make my bones ache......add a bit of wind and a week of this starts to tickle Miss Misery.
Rothley Bill
24-09-2008, 18:17
For me the magic is in having a good small fire to keep warm by, give me that and I can take all the muck the day throws at me.
I also belive like ost of you that winter and autum in the mountans is the best time to go, crisp clear mornings, sometimes some mist wonderful
I like a dry cold adventure (looking forward to wild camping at Killin in New Year - Big Snow last time!), but there's something about waking up under a tarp, having to put on loads of clothes and damp jackets etc and going out in driving rain that makes me remember camping in the bush in Zimbabwe very fondly - I carried one blanket, one pot, one SAK and that was my camp - it's amazing how far you can walk when your entire kit (and food) fits into a small day sack...
Ede
MitchelHicks
26-09-2008, 11:21
I love the fact that we have got 70% on,
"Bring it on, chuck me some cats and dogs, me and Jack frost can roast 'em"
getting out in the winter is essential my favourite time to be out and about.
Sleepy Weasel
27-09-2008, 18:37
Any thoughts on the fact that the human body is inherently waterproof?
I love being out, whatever the weather, but you've got to be dressed for it coz you'd look a tit in shorts when it's -10C!
My experience is that you can only get so wet, then you reach a sort of equilibrium of dampness and dryness.
Equilibrium of dampness? sounds like a Bond movie title!
crazy_chris_89
29-09-2008, 11:57
Nothing quite like camping in the woods in November, huddled under a shelter whilst it rains... as long as youve got a decent fire thats an unbeatable feeling.
johnnytheboy
30-09-2008, 21:24
Just having the wrong kit can waste your day weather wise as long as you are ready for the weather then it shouldn't be a problem
Just ordering Danner frontier 1000grms thinsulate boots, nice and toastie
Winter's our favorite time to camp. No bugs, no people, no worries about fires, and water everywhere. We have two different Egyptian cotton tents that are very cozy with a tent stove:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c116/Oblio13/IMG_4712.jpg
My wife, son and I spent a minus 10 fahrenheit night in this shelter. We were comfortable, but we sure used a lot of firewood.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c116/Oblio13/IMG_0760.jpg
There's an island we camp on year round, except when the ice is too thin to walk on but too thick to bust through:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c116/Oblio13/IMG_0565_1.jpg
A buddy and I had a bushplane drop us off on a ridge in Alaska, we stayed there for ten days hunting moose. Didn't have a thermometer, but it was cold:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c116/Oblio13/unknown.jpg
Twice now we've spent nights in igloos. If you can get your sleeping platform higher than the top of the door, they're comfortable, and they don't flap in the wind like tents, so we slept well:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c116/Oblio13/IMG_0687.jpg
Hope I didn't overdo it with the pictures.
crwydryny
01-10-2008, 10:24
I voted to roast the cats and dogs, yum yum yum lol.
I'm actually in the middle of planning a camping trip later this month in the mountains near where I live
Asa Samuel
11-10-2009, 18:31
I ended up picking the wrong one but I really love being out when its dry and cold, It's the perfect weather for me :D
drewdunnrespect
12-10-2009, 08:25
bring it on me and jack frost a best buds
dr jones
12-10-2009, 10:22
Cold and crisp are my favourite conditions but once a date is in the diary ill go whatever the weather/season!
winter is the best time for me...
nac mac feegle
12-10-2009, 18:09
i seem to get out in the woods more in the winter
summer months the weekends are spent canoeing or climbing
l with a camp of some sort but to just head out to c in the oods it seems to start n the autumn and head to spring
I voted for the slightly less macho option :)
90% of people think they are in the top 10% of intelligence - I suspect there's a bit of that going on but it's great that so many want to be out in all weathers.
The truth is I have been out more this year than for a long time: -10C in January (not very low I know) and near 30 in August (not very hot either but this is the UK!). What I don't like is the added risk of using tools such as an axe when everything is wet but I love sitting in woods in the pooring rain; it feels like the whole of nature is sitting out the weather with you.
Horizontal rain in freezing condition - no, I'll find shelter and good company around a fire with a good dram.
Broch
Klenchblaize
13-10-2009, 09:06
Some have little choice:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d46/klenchblaize/AutumnBag.jpg
Brown Bear
14-10-2009, 16:41
I love the cold season. It keeps the tourists off the hills.
I love the winter months out there - hardly anyone about and our "winter" is not usually that bad. Best winter days are when it snows so much they shut my school, send the kids home, and I can get out into the woods.
some like it cold
14-10-2009, 18:57
i like the cold but i dont like the wet too much and as im new to the whole bushcrafting thing i think i need to perfect my firelighting skills somewhere dryer at the least
looking forward to getting out for day trips at least this winter
This will be my first winter as a bushcrafter so it will be good to get out when the going gets cold. It looks like I will need to buy some more gear as mine is only 2 or 3 season stuff; what a great excyse for some more toys... . I would love to do fire inthe snow after seeing some youtube videos about it.
To me every season differs , summers easy ,,
winter takes more planning and needs to be treated with respect , love it all .
Twodogs