View Full Version : Camping in the snow at Comrie
sc_steve
11-01-2010, 13:26
A couple of mates and myself had planned a January camping trip at Comrie Croft for a while and we weren't going to let the snow put us off. We had a Nordic Tentipi, firebox and a good few other bits of kit to keep us warm. Firelighting was a bit trickier in the colder temps as was finding tinder but birch bark helped out a great deal as well as cotton wool for a back up with the firesteels.
I got a chance to try out the new Mick Spain bushcraft knife I handled last week and enjoyed trying to identify all the wildlife tracks in the snow!
Pic from the BBC News website where the photo was shown today :)
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/5637/picture14y.png
On the 30th January I'll be back at Comrie with a few friends from BritishBlades.com so hopefully there will be some more snow for then! We were the only ones camping so very peacful :)
Nice, you're on the BBC!
Gonna get my GoLite Shangri-La 3 out and give it ago this weekend. Thinking about a Titianium Goat Cyclinder Stove as well to go inside (http://www.titaniumgoat.com/cstove.html - under 700g!!!)
Great pics Steve :)
Nice looking stove Mike, good price too
Looks like a nice place to be, better when its quiet as well.
sc_steve
11-01-2010, 14:40
Everyone thought we were mad going out but with the right kit we were fine. The Exped Synmat was really useful or two Thermarests my friend had.
I'll have a look at that link - it really is a great way of stopping the smoke in the tent. :)
Nice, you're on the BBC!
Gonna get my GoLite Shangri-La 3 out and give it ago this weekend. Thinking about a Titianium Goat Cyclinder Stove as well to go inside (http://www.titaniumgoat.com/cstove.html - under 700g!!!)
Where will you put the flue? I personnally would not use a wood burner in a silnylon tent such as yours or my Hex 3. I've used my Hex every winter since I got it in 05 or 06 and a gas lantern on low keeps it warm no problem and is IMHO safer than a wood burning stove.
Where will you put the flue? I personnally would not use a wood burner in a silnylon tent such as yours or my Hex 3. I've used my Hex every winter since I got it in 05 or 06 and a gas lantern on low keeps it warm no problem and is IMHO safer than a wood burning stove.
It should be fine, they are desinged to work with the Vertex shelter made by Ti Goat.
http://www.titaniumgoat.com/vertex5.html
I hear what you are saying though.
Thanks for the photos :D
It's a cracking site :approve: and the folks are excellent too :)
OT bit.
I've been wondering about the stoves for this kind of thing.
I've had it in mind to make a star dome, but I want lightweight covering so that means man made. I'm incredibly reluctant to use a wood fired stove in one.
We used to use the old Tilley lamps just as Rik described to heat the canvas Niger tents, and it worked fine, but they were draughty and very breathable.
Waterproof nylon isn't. So that means that any liquid or gas I burn in the dome will give off moisture, and that leads to condensation :sigh:
Kind of means back to the stove idea again.......how about charcoal ? Real British charcoal, not amorphous briquettes of glued together dross ?
So long as it was vented /flued properly, would that work ?
cheers,
Toddy
I have seen no problems with these at all, I admit the Shangra-Li 3 wasn't designed in the way. The Vertex series though has a deadicated flue and the steep side mean that condensation is rarely a problem.
I sleep in mine (in the snow) in a Alpkit sleeping bag and bivy - no groundsheet, so it just runs down the sides to the floor.
nice , cheers for sharing ..
m.durston
11-01-2010, 18:07
nice pics steve, i have yet to convince the missus to drop me and my mate at our usual camping site during periods of inclement weather. the lanes leading to it are very treacherous as was proved when i went airsofting on sunday.
also as an afterthought, did anyone else notice the ice cream van in the bbc website snapshot? if you guys were camping and that fella turned up i hope you and your mate done the right thing and ordered a couple of 99's :lmao:
sc_steve
11-01-2010, 18:52
The ice cream van shot was great! :)
Tipi fire - the Tentipis are designed to be used with either a stove or open fire. The CP is a cotton polyester mix and resists the odd floating ember or spark well. There is also a chimney in built and a place designed to put the stove pipe through.
I think the sqaure one on the Tit Goat site would be excellent! $400 though!