Messages

1

General Winter Camping Discussion / Re: Ontario Provincial Parks While Closed what are the rules?

« on: November 05, 2018, 01:09:03 PM »

Certainly I use "non-operational" provincial parks, of which there are many in Ontario, winter and summer. I just treat them as crown land. I also have entered and exited operational parks which are closed for the winter, such as Halfway Lake, during the winter by ski and snowshoe. I am not sure what the actual rules are, if any, and probably won't bother to find out, as I am doing no harm. 

Kinguq.

2

Other Winter Camping Gear / Re: The new generation of winter air mattresses

« on: October 23, 2018, 09:47:06 AM »

The problem with the Thermarest Neo's is that they seem to lose all their insulating value when you move. I surmise that this is because the air inside gets thoroughly stirred up when you roll over, which destroys the temperature gradient in the pad. I really notice this when using the pad at temps below freezing. I find I have to put at least a closed cell pad on top of the Neo for winter use. Not under, on top.

I love them for 3 season use, but I just don't quite trust them for winter use when the consequences of an irreparable failure are more severe. Therefore I have gone over to using 2 self-inflating thermarests (one long one short) strapped together in the winter. Pretty comfy, warmer and there's some redundancy in case one fails.

Kinguq.

3

Tents and Shelters / Re: Do You Want To Stay Warmer In Your Hot Tent?

« on: September 07, 2018, 09:26:23 AM »

One option I tried last year was using Reflectix material as a floor. It is bulky but I made it into a sort of tank for my pulk so it serves that purpose as well as being a floor. It is also slips around on top of snow but I solved that by cutting some holes and pegging it down. Seemed to work fine but of course there is the annoyance of getting loose snow on top of the material, which then can melt. I therefore only use it in areas where I don't walk, which is actually most of the tent.

Don't really like the aesthetics of a silver floor, but it saved me some time and effort cutting boughs, and that is important especially for a solo traveller.

Kinguq

4

Classifieds / Re: Eureka 4-Person Alpine Meadows

« on: April 28, 2018, 10:32:41 AM »

KU--Your photos are no longer showing on the site.

That is because of the PhotoBucket shakedown. Fortunately there is a solution, you can install an app on your browser to see photobucket photos on sites like this. See https://www.wintertrekking.com/community/index.php?topic=4809.msg44461#msg44461

Works for me.

Kinguq.

5

Classifieds / Re: Eureka 4-Person Alpine Meadows

« on: April 28, 2018, 08:44:05 AM »

I converted an Alpine Meadows 4-person by cutting out the floor, putting a cord across the middle to hold the centre hoop in place, and putting smoke holes in the tent and fly. I use it for solo camping with a Chimpac stove.

Some photos here https://www.wintertrekking.com/community/index.php?topic=3493.msg30602#msg30602

It is a good size for one person and tight for two.

Great tent, but I don't really need another one!

Kinguq

6

News & Events / Re: Ransom and photobucket

« on: April 18, 2018, 07:32:19 PM »

Wow, this actually works! I added the extension and now I can see all my old photos on this site! And those of everyone else, as far as I can tell.

Why would photobucket allow this to exist?

Oh well, it works for now. Thanks.

Kinguq.

7

Back Country Skiing Discussion / Re: waxing Hoks

« on: April 12, 2018, 11:40:57 AM »

I use ski skins (not Hoks) and they do clog up when the temp is near 0 C.

I have some of the skin wax ANDN mentioned and that helps a bit. Just rub it on, preferably in a warm room as the wax gets too hard when it is cold. I am guessing it is basically just paraffin. It doesn't clog up the hairs and it wears off pretty fast.

Still, using skins around the freezing point can be problematic.

Kinguq.

8

Fire and Woodstoves / Re: The Need for Stove Baffles

« on: April 08, 2018, 07:12:17 PM »

"It's just a box. And it has fire in it."

At one point in this discussion I was going to write something similar: it isn't rocket science. Then I realized that it almost is rocket science!

There are real similarities. In both cases we put fuel into a combustion chamber, ignite it, and spew hot gasses out a pipe. The rest is just optimization for a particular use, e.g. maximizing thrust vs maximizing heat released into a room. But similar principles apply.

One of the things I like best about winter camping is that there is still lots of space to innovate with gear. Anyone can build a stove that is as good or even better than most that are on the market, and the best designs probably haven't been made yet. Same applies to tents, sleeping systems, sleds and all the other stuff we use. There is so much opportunity for new ideas and making your own gear, compared to summer camping where pretty much everything that can be done has been already. That makes it fun, for me at least.

Re the yurt: I would go with an airtight, high efficiency stove made for a house, like a Pacific Energy or similar, since weight is not an issue. These are so efficient and easy to use. I might also pile some concrete blocks or rocks around it for some thermal mass. A yurt will not hold the heat well once the stove get's low, so some thermal mass might make it warmer in the morning.

I really want to build a yurt, just haven't come up with a reason to. Yet.

Kinguq.

9

Fire and Woodstoves / Re: The Need for Stove Baffles

« on: April 06, 2018, 08:41:48 PM »

I think if the baffle comes too far forward on a horizontal box stove it can increase the tendency for smoke to come out the door. As others have said, not sure what the numbers are. Maybe a baffle that slides back as the door opens is needed.

When I first installed the baffle in my stove I had the hole in it right in front of the door, and the stove smoked when I opened it. So I patched part of the hole and cut it back a bit. Fixed the problem. No need to have a complicated arrangement, just a bit of trial and error until it is right.

Hahaha way to complicated for me, I'm really happy with my non baffle stove and I think I will keep it that way! That said if I ever built a smaller stove I have ideas that will probably solve a lot of the problems... But don'T wait here for it to happen, cause you might dry out waiting!!

There's virtue in sticking with whatever works for you! If it ain't broke, why fix it? But for me, installing a baffle solved two problems: it made the cook top hotter, and eliminated chimney sparks.

Kinguq.

10

Fire and Woodstoves / Re: The Need for Stove Baffles

« on: April 06, 2018, 02:20:20 PM »

An other question, since the chimney run cooler does it encourage creosote? I mean every body seem to like using those chimney thermometer but with a baffle that seams like nonsense?!?!?!

I don't use one but it might be a source of entertainment I guess! Re creosote I don't get much in the chimney of my baffled pot stove but I have seen a little condensation on the baffle itself. Very little and easily shaken out after a few days of use.

I do get creosote in the chimney on my baffled Chimpac stove, enough after a few days of use that it seriously impedes draw. So now I make a point of banging the chimney with a stick every time I enter the tent, and that seems to solve the issue. I should note that this is a very narrow chimney, tapering to less than 2 inches.

Kinguq.

11

Fire and Woodstoves / Re: The Need for Stove Baffles

« on: April 06, 2018, 11:48:31 AM »

Don't know what the magic numbers are.

But the opening in the baffle should be at least as big as the chimney size, possibly a touch bigger. You don't want to constrict the draft.

For the same reason the gap between the baffle and the stove top should be large enough that it doesn't restrict the draft, i.e. at least the same volume as the pipe for the same distance. I suspect this is easily achieved and exceeded in virtually all baffle setups.

Beyond that I couldn't say. There are likely tradeoffs in adjusting these variables but it seems hard to predict what they would be. Any baffle is going to restrict draft a bit, simply because of friction and reduction of stack temperature. Of course you could make the baffle adjustable for these parameters and experiment, but that sounds like a lot of work. Perhaps the rocket stove afficionados would have more ideas about these things.

Kinguq.

12

General Winter Camping Discussion / Re: Snowdog

« on: April 05, 2018, 04:32:18 PM »

I've read similar difficulties and that extra weight has helped some as well. Here is one owner that added extra weights, perhaps it's your friend?

Yes, that's him. Other people don't seem to have this issue, however, so maybe it is only under certain conditions? Is it really that much heavier on the right side?

Kinguq.

13

General Winter Camping Discussion / Re: Snowdog

« on: April 05, 2018, 02:46:27 PM »

My friend in Yellowknife has had difficulties with his pulling to the right in soft snow. He thinks it has to do with weight distribution, and has actually added weight to the left side, which he claims lessens the problem. The dealer recommended adjusting the track tension, but I don't know if that worked for him. I will be curious to see whether yours has this issue too.

These look like fun and useful machines. Looking forward to your reports!

Kinguq.

14

Fire and Woodstoves / Re: The Need for Stove Baffles

« on: April 04, 2018, 02:45:17 PM »

Hi Dave,

Could you explain how you interpret the results of such an experiment? I thought baffles worked not by reducing the draw of the chimney (although they will do that, slightly) but rather by giving the hot gasses a longer path and retaining them longer in the stove body. And also by directing them against the stove top to give a better cooking surface.

I can only say that adding a baffle to my pot stove improved cooking performance, and I also think (although I can't prove it) that it throws more heat per unit fuel. And sparks were completely eliminated, which was important to me since I was using a lavvu with a chimney straight up the middle.

Kinguq.

15

Fire and Woodstoves / Re: The Need for Stove Baffles

« on: April 04, 2018, 01:27:37 PM »

And the other, to me huge, advantage is the near elimination of sparks coming out of the chimney.

Kinguq.