BWCA Winter Slip and Slide! Boundary Waters Winter Camping and Activities
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McVacek
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02/20/2013 09:05PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
We bought a Snowtrekker tent this year and decided to get a trucker tarp for the floor of the tent. Initially, we thought the tarp would just cover the back part of the tent, leaving the area in the front of the tent to take off our boots. We discovered the tarp was exceptionally slippery on the snow (hence the slip and slide) and the area where the tarp didn't cover, melted, turning into a mudpit. Ew.

The next time out we tried covering the entire floor with the tarp, but the slippery tarp by the hot stove didn't seem like a good idea. We are curious about what everyone else does for the floor in their hot tents.

Thanks!
 
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BreatbigCubsFan
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02/21/2013 06:48AM  
I bought a tent with a bottom in it and it was slippery, but as I used wood there was a small layer of debris by the door. This helped some with the slipperiness.
Minnesotian
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02/21/2013 07:36AM  

We put down a tarp for most of the tent but leave the area in front of the stove open. However, to cut down on the mud and slipperyness, we throw down a square of Minicell foam. It has low water absorbancy and is light. In fact, we have started bringing two pieces now, one for the tent and one to cover the water hole so we don't have to always chisel it open. Minicell
02/25/2013 02:24PM  
This is one thing that I really need to improved on for next year. I have been using a lightweight red tarp maybe 6'x8' that I found at home depot. I cover that tarp with a wool blanket. For the area that it covers it is OK but it leaves the area under under the stove open. On my last trip I was setup on snow covered lakes. We moved four of the five days and on the layover day my stove was frozen into 3" of ice.

so far all of my options weigh a lot and take up valuable space on my sled.

Papinator
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02/25/2013 09:08PM  
On our last trip, we laid down tarps, but then on top, we put reflectix which was cut to the width of our sleds and folded accordian style in the bottom of them. That really stopped the slip under the reflectix, but under the front for the shoes, we also had a slip-n-slide... It would probably have been better just to leave that area snow.
ArrowheadPaddler
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02/27/2013 11:40AM  
Yeah this is a perpetual, and possibly dangerous problem. My friend uses some indoor-outdoor carpet that works pretty well (not very waterproof, but grippy), but it is only used for car/base camping situations as it is heavy. If not in the BWCA, you could always do a bough floor. Scattering wood chips, pieces of bark, etc. as mentioned previously seems like a good idea.
McVacek
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02/27/2013 08:11PM  
Thank you for all the ideas/suggestions! Will keep you posted if we find some other solution, but seems like it may just keep being slippery. :)
12/30/2015 08:37PM  
Any more updates on ideas for the floor? I purchased this tent a few years ago and it has a sewn in floor. The floor isn't that good and is starting to crack so I am thinking about purchasing one of these tarps and cutting out the current floor. I want to start camping directly on the ice. Does anybody have any thoughts, specific to camping on the ice? Thank you
01/01/2016 05:48PM  
quote karola: "Any more updates on ideas for the floor? I purchased this tent a few years ago and it has a sewn in floor. The floor isn't that good and is starting to crack so I am thinking about purchasing one of these tarps and cutting out the current floor. I want to start camping directly on the ice. Does anybody have any thoughts, specific to camping on the ice? Thank you"


When we have camped right on the ice water becomes a real issue. If you are using a warm tent be sure to elevate the heater. An inch of water is not only messy it is very slippery. We actually had a problem with water on the ice this year even without heat = water would seep up through the fishing holes. Best solution we have found = cots. (None of our tents has a floor)That way, even if there is water you and your gear stay out of it. I guess the other solution is a cold tent but that wouldn't have worked this year with the seepage. We ended up setting a base camp practically on shore then hiking out onto the ice to fish.
Kawishiwashy
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01/04/2016 09:28AM  
I shovel off as much of the snow as I can (getting down to bare ground) so there is minimal melting. Helps keep the inside mostly dry. I also bring the interlocking closed cell foam squares. Light and flexible and don't absorb much water. For under the stove, I buy an aluminum broiler pan and smash it down flat and hang under the stove on the front and back legs.
01/12/2016 10:03AM  
I use a canvas drop cloth meant for painting. I can be purchased at any hardware store. The canvas is not slippery and works quit well inside the tent. The area under the stove stays exposed to the ground. I have only used my hot tent on land so I can't vouch for this setup on the lake.
 
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