stuck in the snow

[robin wood]

Yesterday I was in London, got the train back to Macclesfield the the roads and pavements were dry and clear so I set off on the 30 minute drive home, as I started climbing the road started to get a bit worse then every now and then there were simply huge drifts. At 9pm I finally got stuck no way forward or back so had to sit it out for the tractors coming to clear it out in the morning. No drama, it's camper van with half a tank of diesel a gas stove food, sadly no sleeping bag, hey go musty in the cupboards so I don't keep them in there. I scrabbled around and collected up all the insulating material I could find to make a bed and got my head down. I was woken up by a couple of very youthful police who seemed quite sure I was going to die if I stayed in the vehicle. I explained that was unlikely, that there was a house 250 yards away if things did get tough and that if I left the vehicle it would be a right pain for the folk when they came to clear in the morning. They recorded in their books that they had advised me to leave with them and I refused.

sure enough in the morning I was dug out as they were clearing the road.

it was a fair depth for UK in March

I drove round looking ta all the lower routes but all roads leading toward Edale were blocked so II headed back toward Manchester dumped the van and got the train. In Edale the drifts are pretty impressive, this is the main road right outside my house.

What surprises me is first that folk seem to think I was in some sort of danger, I am sure it is possible to come to grief in such circumstances but you would have to be pretty dim. The other thing folk think is that it must have been a horrible experience. I found it exactly the oposite in every way, exciting, memorable interaction with nature I simply can't see how anyone could see that as being unpleasant.

 

[DavidJT]

Very interesting Robin, sounds like an adventure. Hope the van is ok.

Those drifts don't look like the uk!

 

[RonW]

I'd say try that in a normal familycar without any form of preparation, heater, blanket or what ever and you'd get an idea.

It is amazing to see what weather Europe is having! Any idea on the temperatures that night?
Here the snow's all but gone. All we have left is ice, a strong eastern wind the last couple of days, double digit frost at noght, but thaw during the days and sunshine.

 

[Goatboy]

Hi Robin,
To be fair the young coppers were just doing their job, they have a duty of care to protect members of the public. And despite years of warnings probably 80% of the public don't prep their vehicles. They advised you and covered themselves by noting your refusal. Because you can imagine the fuss the papers would make if you were found either frozen or suffocated to death from exhaust fumes in the morning.
I am with you though, I had to sneak around a police road block a couple of years back as they weren't letting anyone north due to the weather, had to take a 60 mile detour for a 10 mile journey on very bad snowed up roads. All because my dog was in the house and nobody could get to him. Like you my vehicle was prepped and unlike most of the dafties up here I can drive in snow.
But hey you had a good we adventure and that's what it's all about.
By the way have you thought about vacuum storage bags for your sleeping bags in the van? you can get either self seal or ones you attatch a vacuum cleaner too. The bag'll take up less space in the van and it stops it going musty as it's an airtight seal. Only downside is that a bag/quilt looses its "loft" ability if stored compressed for extended periods.
Good pics.
TTFN
GB.

 

[Shewie]

Most "normal" folk think we're a bit odd anyway, sleeping out in the woods when we've got a perfectly good bed at home.

Spending a night in a metal box without any form of insulation or heating is a nightmare for a lot of people, it's just us lot who think of it as an adventure.

 

[Andy BB]

Sounded like a fun evening!

 

[Ben98]

That sounds GREAT!
Jealous

Sent from my ARCHOS 80G9 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Tony]

An adventure if you've got some prep to back you up, thanks for the pics.

Here it's just cold, no snow at all

 

[Bumbler]

As you know I am in Norway. But my wife is from SE Asia. She loves the snow, but is somewhatinexperienced with cold weather. And being on the coast it does not get really deep cold more than a few days a year. Most of the time the temps are around -5 celcius.

The first winter she was here, I wanted to show her some real winter mountains...and do some shopping in Sweden. It's a 2 hour drive to Abisko from here, and about 3-4 hours to kirruna. Places familar to some of the Sub Zero Crew here

Anyway that meant crossing the mountains. And we also had two kids with us. So I loaded the car with a sleeping bag each, insisted on extra warm clothes for everyone, 2-3 theros flasks of hot water, and even brought a multifuel burner for cooking. The wife could not understand why I filled the caer with all of this for a short drive...until on top of the mountain pass I stopped the car, and asked her to get out. It had been -2*C when we left home on the island. Up in the mounatins it was -27*C. Something she had never experienced. She actually panicked.

After she got back into the, at some speed I might add, I asked her: "What do you think would happen if the car breaks down, or we have to stop because an avalanche blocks there road, or a storm comes in....

On our next trip she wanted to bring a tent, and all blankets in the house...lol

 

[Wayland]

I have enough kit to live for about a week in my van at all times.

In winter I add warm clothing, another weeks worth of emergency rations, a snow shovel, a tub of road salt and the Autosocks.

Closest I ever came to needing it all was this.

Great fun.

 

[Bumbler]

I have enough kit to live for about a week in my van at all times.

In winter I add warm clothing, another weeks worth of emergence rations, a snow shovel, a tub of road salt and the Autosocks.

Closest I ever came to needing it all was this.

Great fun.

Nice picture.
My winter prepping for the car normally consist of getting the studded winter tyres on it, and tossing a small snow showel in the back.
But I normally just drive in town so no need for anything more. As I will be dressed for the weather, and it's not like I will spend the night in the car.

But when going out of town I toss my get home bag in there too. And if the wife and kids come, then some kit for them gets added to.

The most work is actually to make the kids dress for the weather. They simply can't get into their heads that bad weather in town is one thing....bad weather while stuck in the snow
in the mountains is quite another animal.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I always wonder how homeless people get on when the weather's bad like that.

 

[Wayland]

I always wonder how homeless people get on when the weather's bad like that.

A sobering thought indeed...

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

We were out in my motor yesterday and we met a few cars that were stuck in snow(tractor recovering them) and my wife asked if I had any kit in the car. Two sleeping bags, two stoves(gas and meths) and enough food for two for three days.
Also had a huge wool blanket and 4ltrs of water.
This lives in my car all the time as well as some other bits if I'm going away.

 

[RonW]

As you know I am in Norway. But my wife is from SE Asia. She loves the snow................................................................................................
On our next trip she wanted to bring a tent, and all blankets in the house...lol

That was a bit brutal, but it'll be a lesson she'll never forget.

My winter prepping for the car normally consist of getting the studded winter tyres on it, and tossing a small snow showel in the back.
But I normally just drive in town so no need for anything more. As I will be dressed for the weather, and it's not like I will spend the night in the car.
But when going out of town I toss my get home bag in there too. And if the wife and kids come, then some kit for them gets added to.
The most work is actually to make the kids dress for the weather. They simply can't get into their heads that bad weather in town is one thing....bad weather while stuck in the snow in the mountains is quite another animal.

Had a discussion about this yesterday, after I told some folks I made a stove for the car emergencykit. Getting stuck here might mean several hours befor help arrives and at -20 a stuck car becomes uncomfortable quit quickly. A fleeceblanket doesn't keep you that warm either...

I always wonder how homeless people get on when the weather's bad like that.

From experience I know that they can manage quit well, actually. As long as they have food and stay off the alcohol. I regularly found homeless people out in frost and snow, laying on cardboard, or even inside cardboardboxes, having stuffed their clothes with newspaper and such. They are surprisingly resilient and resourcefull and I met quit a few who actually lived that way by choice. One of them had more money than me, but simply refused to live within the constraints of society....

 

[robin wood]

I have enough kit to live for about a week in my van at all times.

In winter I add warm clothing, another weeks worth of emergency rations, a snow shovel, a tub of road salt and the Autosocks.

Closest I ever came to needing it all was this.

Great fun.

That as always is a truly awesome image, like the snow shoes too. I have snow tyres on the van and it will go places 4wds on summer tyres won't go but once the sump is lifting the wheels you aint going forward.

 

[England Ram]

I was having a conversation about this as well. I have my bag in the car for out of town journeys but always wonder what the best set up would be if stuck.
I know a metal car in the cold doesn't hold heat, but would using it like a cave with an open door and a fire going outside be the best set up?
You have the cover from the snow and wind and the added warmth of a fire(even in a hobo stove) and the ventilation from the smoke. You also don't need to be wasting diesel and risking other fumes. Even thought about rigging a tarp over the car and door for the added protection.
Easy to cook on the hobo (3l size bin hobo) as well.
What would you guys do? Or think?

 

[Andy BB]

Interesting point there! Most cars have varying degrees of insulation already - roof linings, door linings, floor carpet/mats, sound-deadening insulation etc - some Mercs even have double-glazed windows! Panel vans, not so much - bare metal over much of the body, for example. Inside a car you're at the very least protected from the wind and rain - and wind-chill factor is often a real killer. And the occupants' body heat should keep the temps at or above zero I'm guessing, unless you really hit low external temps...

Re having a "long-fire" outside open doors on one side might work, depending on the wind, but conversely unless you have windows open on the other side of the car you risk a build up of smoke or other unpleasant gases - CO, CO2 - inside the car, which wouldn't be very good for you!

 

[johnnytheboy]

Their doing that van in a four-motion version nowadays Robin, I am very tempted to buy one, the g-wagen is murder on fuel!!