This was my second visit to this site, booked by Goose for the North West meets.
I enjoyed the Spring meet at this site so I was very interested in how the site would look in Autumn. I also had one of Wanderingstar's new underblankets to try out for the first time.
I arrived just before sunset on Friday evening to find the site car park empty. Whilst not unwelcome, this was a surprise as I knew Goose at least should already be there.
I left my van and took a stroll through the woods to where we were camped last Spring.
Forest Camp is a good sized Scout camp and on our last visit the site was busy with many organised camps but still leaving plenty of space for us. Having some memory of Scout sites from my youth I was pleasantly surprised by the site and the quality of the facilities.
On this first Autumn exploration the site was deserted.
The site is a pleasant mix of coniferous and birch woodland with some clear, grassy areas for tentage. There are also some discreet toilet blocks throughout the site so pretty ideal for a bushcraft meet really. A great find by Goose.
Without leaving the path on my way to the Spring site I noticed a lot of fungi this time I could see plenty of Boletus (Bay I think), Sulfur Tuft and more Birch Polypore than I could shake a stick at. As I passed the pool usually used for canoeing, some kind of diving duck disappeared from sight. I waited to see what it was but it must have risen amongst the reeds somewhere. There were some bullrushes about which I noted for tinder as I walked on.
The Spring site was empty but my walk had reminded me how big the site is. It would seem I had lost a bunch of blokes in green and camouflaged kit it the woods Hmm.
I returned to the car park and resorted to the site map, Im a bloke so of course I blunder around a bit before checking directions. From the map I noticed that there was a second car park that I didnt know about and at about that moment, the distinctive aroma of wood smoke drifted in my direction. I followed my nose and spotted a couple of people in green wrestling with a large green tarp over a campfire. Something told me I was in the right place...
Now I must back up a little here. In the Spring I arrived with not just my bivvi kit but a second set for a friend who was arriving later, loads of stuff for demonstrations and a van load of stuff just in case. Of course it stands to reason therefore that we would be in the part of the camp furthest away from the car park, thats just how life works.
This time I was on my own and I was here to chill out. My kit consisted of a rucksack lightly loaded, a kit bag with the bivvi kit in it and some food. I was ready to pack it from one end of the World to the other if necessary.
Of course, this time we were camped right next to the car park ..
The area we were in included some grass, which Emberglow used for a Laavu she had borrowed from Andrew (ODC), and a good number of mature birch trees which were ideal for the hammocks most of us were using.
By now the sun was down and although it was still mild, the light was fading. After a quick welcome from Goose and the others already here I set off to put up my tarp and hammock.
Its not often you are spoilt for choice but it seemed like most of the trees had been planted at the perfect spacing for a tarp.
I use a Tatonka 3x3 cotton tarp pitched diagonally to cover the length of the hammock and here I clipped the corners of the tarp directly to the top line where it wrapped around the tree. Good start I thought.
Next up is my string mini hammock. I used to sleep in this but now it is slung just under the tarp to act as a dry shelf for storage. So far so good. Next the Magikelly hammock. I can put this up with my eyes closed, which is a good job because by now its just about dark.
So you know all those threads that say Try your kit out at home so you know what you are doing when you get out on location. Guess who didnt have the first idea of how to put up an underblanket?
I had intended to work it out before it got dark but with the first exploration and a bit of a chat when I found the right site my careful plan was just about to dissolve into farce.
I had one underblanket, eight elastic strings, six sewn in loops, a couple of tensioners and not one clue.
Now as previously mentioned, Im a bloke, so do I ask for directions from one of the other people with underblankets already up? What do you think?
My first attempt is to use the sewn in loops. Little do I know at the time, that these are positioned so it can be used with an asymmetrical hammock system. The results are some what different from what I was imagining so I try again. It must be the elastic bits then. I tie all these to the support tape of the hammock and it starts to look OK if a bit saggy. The next thing to do is tighten up the elastics a bit and things improve. Then I think about the tensioners halfway down the blanket on each side, Aha thats what they are for. A quick tighten up here and it looks pretty serviceable.
Who needs directions?
I finish stowing my gear in the storage hammock and put my sleeping bag into the Magikelly hammock to save me doing it later in the dark .erm. hang on, its already dark, so maybe theres another good reason to do it before a night round the campfire
By now a few more people have arrived so the next round of introductions, catch up and gossiping is going on around the campfire. Being a scout site there is a mixture of wood for burning. Some is damp, some is flash wood but most of it is OK.
Not as many turned up in the end as were expected. An early delivery explained one absentee. Congratulations Mr and Mrs reddaveon the safe arrival of mini reddave (Alisdair 5lb 14oz).
I guess the weather forecast which was for a wet weekend accounted for the rest. Personally I tend to subscribe to the old adage theres no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment. I enjoy mixed seasons in the outdoors as you really get your gear sorted out properly.
Which brings us neatly back to the underblanket.
For a start it was inside out. I didnt see much difference but when corrected in the morning it did seem to fit better the right way round. In the light I could also see what a pigs ear I had made of the tensions, they were all over the place.
Having said that it worked like a dream, even when set up badly I was snug as a proverbial bug in a rug.
If you have never used a hammock, or are new to it. Let me outline the problem. As you probably know sleeping bags require need some loft to provide insulation. When on the floor we use some added insulation between us and the deck, to replace the insulation lost by the bag where the filling is compressed.
The problem in a hammock is that the filling gets compressed around your sides as well as underneath you.
This has led to many interesting solutions in the past.
When I used to use the string hammock I pulled my trusty Buffalo bag around the outside of me and the hammock. The problem then was that I was cocooned in the hammock and unable to move much in the night.
In the Magikelly hammock I tried various methods of putting insulation inside and outside of the bag to compensate for the problem and I had achieved a workable solution which worked to a few degrees below freezing.
The underblanket is however the lightest and easiest of all the methods I have tried and it also works better. Theres just no argument for me now.
I have now rigged it so it can be fitted to my set up with some mini caribina clips and another clip fastens the bits with the tensioners together when Im in the hammock to really keep you snug. Way to go.
Well looking at the time I need to get on so Ill type a bit more later
TTFN
I enjoyed the Spring meet at this site so I was very interested in how the site would look in Autumn. I also had one of Wanderingstar's new underblankets to try out for the first time.
I arrived just before sunset on Friday evening to find the site car park empty. Whilst not unwelcome, this was a surprise as I knew Goose at least should already be there.
I left my van and took a stroll through the woods to where we were camped last Spring.
Forest Camp is a good sized Scout camp and on our last visit the site was busy with many organised camps but still leaving plenty of space for us. Having some memory of Scout sites from my youth I was pleasantly surprised by the site and the quality of the facilities.
On this first Autumn exploration the site was deserted.
The site is a pleasant mix of coniferous and birch woodland with some clear, grassy areas for tentage. There are also some discreet toilet blocks throughout the site so pretty ideal for a bushcraft meet really. A great find by Goose.
Without leaving the path on my way to the Spring site I noticed a lot of fungi this time I could see plenty of Boletus (Bay I think), Sulfur Tuft and more Birch Polypore than I could shake a stick at. As I passed the pool usually used for canoeing, some kind of diving duck disappeared from sight. I waited to see what it was but it must have risen amongst the reeds somewhere. There were some bullrushes about which I noted for tinder as I walked on.
The Spring site was empty but my walk had reminded me how big the site is. It would seem I had lost a bunch of blokes in green and camouflaged kit it the woods Hmm.
I returned to the car park and resorted to the site map, Im a bloke so of course I blunder around a bit before checking directions. From the map I noticed that there was a second car park that I didnt know about and at about that moment, the distinctive aroma of wood smoke drifted in my direction. I followed my nose and spotted a couple of people in green wrestling with a large green tarp over a campfire. Something told me I was in the right place...
Now I must back up a little here. In the Spring I arrived with not just my bivvi kit but a second set for a friend who was arriving later, loads of stuff for demonstrations and a van load of stuff just in case. Of course it stands to reason therefore that we would be in the part of the camp furthest away from the car park, thats just how life works.
This time I was on my own and I was here to chill out. My kit consisted of a rucksack lightly loaded, a kit bag with the bivvi kit in it and some food. I was ready to pack it from one end of the World to the other if necessary.
Of course, this time we were camped right next to the car park ..
The area we were in included some grass, which Emberglow used for a Laavu she had borrowed from Andrew (ODC), and a good number of mature birch trees which were ideal for the hammocks most of us were using.
By now the sun was down and although it was still mild, the light was fading. After a quick welcome from Goose and the others already here I set off to put up my tarp and hammock.
Its not often you are spoilt for choice but it seemed like most of the trees had been planted at the perfect spacing for a tarp.
I use a Tatonka 3x3 cotton tarp pitched diagonally to cover the length of the hammock and here I clipped the corners of the tarp directly to the top line where it wrapped around the tree. Good start I thought.
Next up is my string mini hammock. I used to sleep in this but now it is slung just under the tarp to act as a dry shelf for storage. So far so good. Next the Magikelly hammock. I can put this up with my eyes closed, which is a good job because by now its just about dark.
So you know all those threads that say Try your kit out at home so you know what you are doing when you get out on location. Guess who didnt have the first idea of how to put up an underblanket?
I had intended to work it out before it got dark but with the first exploration and a bit of a chat when I found the right site my careful plan was just about to dissolve into farce.
I had one underblanket, eight elastic strings, six sewn in loops, a couple of tensioners and not one clue.
Now as previously mentioned, Im a bloke, so do I ask for directions from one of the other people with underblankets already up? What do you think?
My first attempt is to use the sewn in loops. Little do I know at the time, that these are positioned so it can be used with an asymmetrical hammock system. The results are some what different from what I was imagining so I try again. It must be the elastic bits then. I tie all these to the support tape of the hammock and it starts to look OK if a bit saggy. The next thing to do is tighten up the elastics a bit and things improve. Then I think about the tensioners halfway down the blanket on each side, Aha thats what they are for. A quick tighten up here and it looks pretty serviceable.
Who needs directions?
I finish stowing my gear in the storage hammock and put my sleeping bag into the Magikelly hammock to save me doing it later in the dark .erm. hang on, its already dark, so maybe theres another good reason to do it before a night round the campfire
By now a few more people have arrived so the next round of introductions, catch up and gossiping is going on around the campfire. Being a scout site there is a mixture of wood for burning. Some is damp, some is flash wood but most of it is OK.
Not as many turned up in the end as were expected. An early delivery explained one absentee. Congratulations Mr and Mrs reddaveon the safe arrival of mini reddave (Alisdair 5lb 14oz).
I guess the weather forecast which was for a wet weekend accounted for the rest. Personally I tend to subscribe to the old adage theres no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment. I enjoy mixed seasons in the outdoors as you really get your gear sorted out properly.
Which brings us neatly back to the underblanket.
For a start it was inside out. I didnt see much difference but when corrected in the morning it did seem to fit better the right way round. In the light I could also see what a pigs ear I had made of the tensions, they were all over the place.
Having said that it worked like a dream, even when set up badly I was snug as a proverbial bug in a rug.
If you have never used a hammock, or are new to it. Let me outline the problem. As you probably know sleeping bags require need some loft to provide insulation. When on the floor we use some added insulation between us and the deck, to replace the insulation lost by the bag where the filling is compressed.
The problem in a hammock is that the filling gets compressed around your sides as well as underneath you.
This has led to many interesting solutions in the past.
When I used to use the string hammock I pulled my trusty Buffalo bag around the outside of me and the hammock. The problem then was that I was cocooned in the hammock and unable to move much in the night.
In the Magikelly hammock I tried various methods of putting insulation inside and outside of the bag to compensate for the problem and I had achieved a workable solution which worked to a few degrees below freezing.
The underblanket is however the lightest and easiest of all the methods I have tried and it also works better. Theres just no argument for me now.
I have now rigged it so it can be fitted to my set up with some mini caribina clips and another clip fastens the bits with the tensioners together when Im in the hammock to really keep you snug. Way to go.
Well looking at the time I need to get on so Ill type a bit more later
TTFN
