BWCA November BWCA - hot tent or cold? Boundary Waters Winter Camping and Activities
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      November BWCA - hot tent or cold?     

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canoegal
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08/10/2014 06:11PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
My question has probably been covered somewhere, but I could not come up with a thread with my searches, so sorry if it's a duplicate.

We've winter camped in BWCAW with a hot tent, but it was in the dead of winter - plenty of snow and cold to justify a hot tent. But what about extended camping in late October and well into November. Can one use a hot tent without ample snow and cold? My main concern is the wet, cold weather - can the tent handle the rains/ice that can happen that time of year, or do folks drape a tarp over their canvas wall tent to shed that wet precip? (our tent is already "seasoned")

Any other tips for hot tent camping during that transitional time of year would be appreciated (as far as what to do differently compared to the harsh mid-winter camping season). Thanks!
 
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Fullpack
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08/10/2014 06:25PM  
Late October-November 30 degree damp weather is WAY colder feeling than January 30 degree weather. We hunt out of a snow trekker in the fall. Nothing feels better than a fire in the canvas tent at the end of a day. A tarp ready to stretch would be handy if heavy wet snow was expected.
canoegal
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08/10/2014 06:42PM  
quote Fullpack: "Late October-November 30 degree damp weather is WAY colder feeling than January 30 degree weather. We hunt out of a snow trekker in the fall. Nothing feels better than a fire in the canvas tent at the end of a day. A tarp ready to stretch would be handy if heavy wet snow was expected. "

Thanks. Yes, that transition time with the cold, damp weather would be a challenge without a heated tent. Glad to read that plan will work! We'll be sure to bring tarps too.
DanCooke
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08/10/2014 07:54PM  
I have used a hot tent in October. Really nice to end a day of canoeing in the snow and sleet in a warm dry tent. My tent is all nylon and has no issues with wet snow or rain.
08/10/2014 07:56PM  
Like just about every other piece of gear, it's a trade-off between comfort and pack weight. Last October I picked up a new Snowtrekker and took it on a BWCA trip thinking that was a better break in than January. On the first day the weather was nice and the tent seemed like overkill, but each day got worse and I had snow mixed in with rain and wind by the end of the trip. I was glad to have that stove and so was my always wet dog. Other than having to drive stakes into ground rather than snow, there is no difference in usage I can think of.
08/10/2014 08:19PM  
Actually, there is one difference. If you drive stakes into dirt and there. Is a hard freeze, it canbe tough to get them out. Last November in my back yard I had to use boiling water to soften the ground to get the stakes out, but that was in a very hard freeze.
billconner
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08/11/2014 07:59AM  
quote Jaywalker: "Actually, there is one difference. If you drive stakes into dirt and there. Is a hard freeze, it canbe tough to get them out. Last November in my back yard I had to use boiling water to soften the ground to get the stakes out, but that was in a very hard freeze. "


Winter - car - camping I take 12" barn spikes and a hammer. Works great for our January, February, and March campouts. Just a Timberline - no heat.
08/11/2014 04:14PM  
I use my Snowtrekker in both fall and spring seasons. It's great to have the comfort of the stove on those chilly evenings. I love it.

If you have a chance why don't you join us at the Winter Camping Symposium in late October.
canoegal
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08/11/2014 10:36PM  
quote awbrown: "I use my Snowtrekker in both fall and spring seasons. It's great to have the comfort of the stove on those chilly evenings. I love it.


If you have a chance why don't you join us at the Winter Camping Symposium in late October."


The first Winter Camping Symposium we attended was a couple years ago. Great event, and dog-friendly. :) We were just there for an afternoon, but would like to participate more in the future. That's where we picked out our model of Snowtrekker and got lots of other helpful ideas for winter camping. I anticipate we'll be unable to make the symposium this year due to a large project we'll be wrapping up around that time. Eager to go again though! ...next year.
08/11/2014 11:03PM  
october and november have become the months that i spend the most time in the bw. the weather can be miserable, but sometimes glorious. you don't mention (i think) if you are canoing and or backpacking, or hauling a sled. i have access to a nylon 'winter' tent (i think it is a cooke design), but for me lightweight is important. we use a four season tent. i've done this with my kids for years. with a good sleeping bag you should be fine in an ordinary tent.
canoegal
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08/17/2014 10:10PM  
quote jwartman59: "october and november have become the months that i spend the most time in the bw. the weather can be miserable, but sometimes glorious. you don't mention (i think) if you are canoing and or backpacking, or hauling a sled. i have access to a nylon 'winter' tent (i think it is a cooke design), but for me lightweight is important. we use a four season tent. i've done this with my kids for years. with a good sleeping bag you should be fine in an ordinary tent."

This would be for a canoe trip. Since the prolonged cold, damp weather gets to me, I don't think our regular tent with good sleeping bag would be enough for me. We better opt to take the canvas tent and stove.
08/18/2014 06:37PM  
Here's a couple ideas that worked for me and may help others in canoeing with a stove. My Kni-co stove has some pretty hard edges on the bottom, so on my trip last fall I decided to leave my new stove in the cardboard box it came in to both protect the canoe and the stove from anything it might bump. To protect the cardboard, I realized my stove ( medium size, which is 12x12x19 inches), would fit perfectly in an IKEA blue bag which made carrying easy. Tucking my blue tarp for the floor over the top kept splashing water off. Worked great. Lastly, I used a length of webbing to wrap it. Two carabiners let me attach it to some D rings on the front of my backpack straps. Ended up being very easy to carry. Don't forget you can stuff extra stuff in the stove like extra fuel, small lantern, coffee pot, etc. I ended up sewing a Cordura cover for my stove and box, but the ikea bag worked.

canoegal
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08/18/2014 09:00PM  
Great ideas, Jaywalker! Thanks!
sirlips
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08/28/2014 08:19AM  
Jaywalker, i think you built your Cordura cover upside down.


08/28/2014 08:47AM  
Click on the picture...it flips it...at least it did for me.
 
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