Persuade me to go light?!

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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,092
1,624
Vantaa, Finland
That is more tricky to kit out for than very cold conditions
Kind of I guess, it is not unknown to have a week of drizzle here too but yes it is a problem trying to keep the important pieces of equipment dry in those conditions. Below -20C it is not just the weight of clothing but also the bulk that needs to be considered.
 

Wayland

Hárbarðr
One of the big challenges we have to going light on our Arctic trips is that we can no longer rely on temperatures being below -10°c.

As such, we need to kit for the cold wet snow conditions we typically get in the UK as well as the cold dry snow conditions we would normally expect in Boreal Scandinavia.

Cold wet needs almost twice the level of kit to cold dry in my opinion and unfortunately some of it is not interchangeable. ( Pac boots v Mukluks for example. )
 

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,092
1,624
Vantaa, Finland
As such, we need to kit for the cold wet snow conditions we typically get in the UK as well as the cold dry snow conditions we would normally expect in Boreal Scandinavia.
Yes a few degrees below zero C is a difficult temp, clothes tend to get wet from snow.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
@Paul_B Chris Townsend? He still writes for TGO magazine and has walked all sorts of places. Quite a few of us have been using a lighter weight approach to backpacking since the late 90’s. The biggest growth in that has, as you say been driven by the US cottage industry for thru hikers.
The one I'm thinking for the lightweight winter round was someone else I think. The cover appears every so often when TGO has another significant milestone date. It's from one of the earliest editions of the magazine. Before I was reading such things possibly from the late 70s. Can you believe it has been published for 40 plus years?! It's not turned into a comic neither.

Chris Townsend certainly knows his stuff. There used to be a female gear reviewer that was almost like a female version. I found her clothing reviews good. Anything she recommended I got the men's version if I needed such an item. Her recommendations led to my best clothing purchases. It's funny how that worked out because I was tall and thin and she was... erm, not!
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
I think if we talk about winter we have to consider that @TLM and me surely have different conditions in mind than most Brits.

Already in Cologne they change from Autumn directly to Spring in my opinion.
 

Spirit fish

Banned
Aug 12, 2021
338
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Doncaster
I suspect that you are a 'younger man' :). I'm retired and, despite being reasonably fit, not overweight and working in woodland most days, muscular strength is deteriorating and stamina is lacking - I can't do a whole day in the hills with 40 or 50Lb on my back anymore. It happens to all of us I can assure you :)
I know a lot of men in 60s 70s who are extremely strong so id disagree in part my dad was one of those guys he was as strong as a ox until he died he use do powerlifting though so 50lb was peanut weight to him
 

Spirit fish

Banned
Aug 12, 2021
338
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Doncaster
I think you are creating scenarios to suit your opinion.. 20 degrees below zero and I would probably carry a tent, AND a mat. At 10 degrees below zero I do not, however I rarely experience those conditions.
At 20 degrees below zero a human body struggles to maintain heat without plenty of heavy equipment Witness what Ranulph Fiennes carried to cross polar conditions - he needed a sled to carry all he needed. This is because he could not light a fire.
How do you think persons such as primitive hunters, slept out before the closed cell mat?
See, I am just trying to persuade you to go light, which is the title of this thread.
Iv slept in a debris hut in the UK in winter it keeps u warm without fire due to insulation, when building natural shelters small is beautifull it's like a cacoon\natural sleeping bag it wasn't comfortable but I didn't die of hypothermia or get cold ,u have prepare well I spent 5 hours making sure it was perfect
 

PoppyD

Full Member
Jul 18, 2021
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Stourton
Bushcraft is just a made up name that covers everything from watching nature to killing it. I don’t want to camp out in the cold, but I like making things while sitting quietly looking for wildlife. And I like eating stuff I find and identifying stuff. Tracking stuff too. I’m not that interested in making spoons and baskets. And I’m not that interested in fires Even though I can do bowdrills. I just like nature and being out in it.
 

Spirit fish

Banned
Aug 12, 2021
338
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Doncaster
Bushcraft is just a made up name that covers everything from watching nature to killing it. I don’t want to camp out in the cold, but I like making things while sitting quietly looking for wildlife. And I like eating stuff I find and identifying stuff. Tracking stuff too. I’m not that interested in making spoons and baskets. And I’m not that interested in fires Even though I can do bowdrills. I just like nature and being out in it.
its very impressive u can do bowdrills :) and that u find edible things to eat when you be older I'm sure your going to be a expert at all things wilderness :)
 
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PoppyD

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Jul 18, 2021
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its very impressive u can do bowdrills :) and that u find edible things to eat when you be older I'm sure your going to be a expert at all things wilderness :)
Dad taught me. I did it first time. It is fun, but a ferro rod is easier. I am going to be an entomologist. Nothing will stop me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Even mom has given up convincing me to do other things now. She knows I will never change my mind.
 
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Spirit fish

Banned
Aug 12, 2021
338
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Doncaster
Dad taught me. I did it first time. It is fun, but a ferro rod is easier. I am going to be an entomologist. Nothing will stop me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Even mom has given up convincing me to do other things now. She knows I will never change my mind.
you have a awesome dad ,most kids never experience these things in life ,if I have kids I'm going to teach them the same things :)
 

TeeDee

Full Member
Nov 6, 2008
10,451
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Exeter
I know a lot of men in 60s 70s who are extremely strong so id disagree in part my dad was one of those guys he was as strong as a ox until he died he use do powerlifting though so 50lb was peanut weight to him

Few things.

No 50lb isn't a heavy weight for an active man to lift.
But moving with 50lb on your back for most of the day will humble a lot of 'strong' men.

Weights fit and Hill Fit are two very different physiological demands.
Duration of demand on a body whilst carrying a moderate weight has crumbled the dreams of many a man,
 

Spirit fish

Banned
Aug 12, 2021
338
73
31
Doncaster
Few things.

No 50lb isn't a heavy weight for an active man to lift.
But moving with 50lb on your back for most of the day will humble a lot of 'strong' men.

Weights fit and Hill Fit are two very different physiological demands.
Duration of demand on a body whilst carrying a moderate weight has crumbled the dreams of many a man,
Iv done a lot of rucking and hill sprints ,hill sprints up extreme inclines are even harder give them a go
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
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Berlin
To be honest, I find it far more complicated to set up an Aldi tent than sleeping in a heap of leaves. Every hedgehog can do that easily.

Primitive skills are called primitive skills because they are primitive. There isn't so much about it, that we could talk every evening about that.

If somebody asks we will explain how to start a fire. Or which wood can be used for what. Or whatever.

But the only chance that most of us can learn something new is, if we talk about modern gear. But that doesn't neccessarily mean that we would be unable to survive in the woods without it.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
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www.mont-hmg.co.uk
It's easy for us to forget that, for newcomers to the forum, it is not clear that we have members who are qualified archaeologists; Mesolithic, Neolithic and bronze age experts and students; leather, wood, textile, fibre, and bone artists and craftsmen; bowyers, archers, hunters, anglers, and flint knappers; trekkers of deserts, jungle, forests and ice; mountain climbers; woodsmen and foresters; travellers by foot, canoe, and sledge; specialists in ethnobotany; experts in foraging plants and fungi for food and utility; teachers and instructors for a wide range of skills; yes, and even survival experts :)

However, if a person's cup is already full, there is no room for more tea :)
 

Allans865

Full Member
Nov 17, 2016
470
196
East Kilbride
It's easy for us to forget that, for newcomers to the forum, it is not clear that we have members who are qualified archaeologists; Mesolithic, Neolithic and bronze age experts and students; leather, wood, textile, fibre, and bone artists and craftsmen; bowyers, archers, hunters, anglers, and flint knappers; trekkers of deserts, jungle, forests and ice; mountain climbers; woodsmen and foresters; travellers by foot, canoe, and sledge; specialists in ethnobotany; experts in foraging plants and fungi for food and utility; teachers and instructors for a wide range of skills; yes, and even survival experts :)

However, if a person's cup is already full, there is no room for more tea :)
Well said Sir

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