I think I will regret this question??

[BushTucker]

Hi all

I probably will regret this question but, I need to ask.

It concernes Mr Mears, and a prog of his I watched the other night. He built a shelter, nice one too, the usual slope at the back and small lean too at the front, he lit a fire the full length of the shelter to keep his entire body warm, fair play. But, I had to ask myself, what if the rain fell towards the front of the shelter and not towards the back?
This in my mind would leave mr mears drenched and vulnerable to hypothermia as the rain would also put out the fire.

I see this as being a real cenario but is my opinion correct and if this happened how could you correct it besides rebuilding one side?

And dont take the **** with your valued replies......

Cheers

Don

 

[John Fenna]

A viable shelter only if the wind/rain is set in one pattern ie in a sustained dry spell with little wind.
The shelter would keep off any dew and any breeze and also hold the air warmed by the fire.
It would also allow the camera to film him in the shelter.....

 

[Cairodel]

From what I remember, Chubby was in a Rainforest in South America somewhere, using a "long log" fire.
So... no1.. it wouldn't be THAT cold (demonstration porpoises only),
and no2... any precipitation (rain, to the unedificated) would be coming straight down...

Please correct me if I'm wrong...

 

[deepcmonkey]

From what I remember, Chubby was in a Rainforest in South America somewhere, using a "long log" fire.
So... no1.. it wouldn't be THAT cold (demonstration porpoises only),
and no2... any precipitation (rain, to the unedificated) would be coming straight down...

Please correct me if I'm wrong...

lean to's are great in woods as you dont get side ways rain, so there should be no prob with getting wet, they are best avoided in the open though me thinks.

 

[Mirius]

Please correct me if I'm wrong...

Yes... "Chubby" is an unnecessary comment

 

[Barn Owl]

I think that shelter was made in N. Sweden or thereabouts,no,Canada more likely. I would locate a shelter to take account of the prevailing wind and expected conditions.
Keep mind though that long fires in front of this type of shelter are supposed to have the wind blowing through parallel between you and the fire.
I guess some sort of waterproof ,even a plastic bin bag should be kept handy in case of downpour.

 

[rik_uk3]

"Chubby" (what a nasty word to use) is the reason many people in the UK have turned to bushcraft camping, and long may Ray carry on, he is a nice guy by all accounts and at the end of the day, he does know his stuff.

 

[Cairodel]

Yes... "Chubby" is an unnecessary comment

Everyone to his own opinion...

 

[British Red]

I've slept many a night ina shelter. There is a trick to it. I used to think that you should turn the "back" of he shelter into the prevailing wind. However if you are using a long fire for warmth, the wind eddies get to be a real pain and "swirl" the smoke at you. If you pitch 45 degrees to the prevailing wind though, I find the wind pushes smoke away rather than pushing around and into your shelter (I don't know if anyone ese finds this - it works for me though)

Red

 

[Fin]

Rays tutorial (well the one I saw anyway) was filmed in North West Canada (paradise to you and me!). I agree that the angle of the lean to in the film seemed rather steep but he was emphasising a water run off in the event of rain.
Red has met this half way when he touches on the effect of the lean to angle on your fire.
You could summarise it thus: The back of the lean to should face the prevailing wind - ish (more on that later). If no or light precipitation is forecast, then make the angle shallow to maximise the benefits of the body length fire and offset the back of the shelter 10∘ or so out of wind to blow smoke/ debris away from the shelter.
If heavy rain is forecast then make the lean to angle steep to allow water to run off the thatch and not drip through to you.
The backdrop to the fire is important also - you want it tall enough to reflect heat but not too tall that prevailing wind (plus smoke and debris) is blown back to your shelter (build it high and remove a log at a time).
There are many variables with this sort of shelter - a good weather forecast is invaluable and will enable you to experiment with your man made variables (lean to angle, wind offset and fire backdrop etc). Hope this helps!

 

[John Fenna]

I wish someone would call ME chubby - instead of "fat bast*rd".
Chubby is a term of friendly endearment........

 

[Karl5]

I wish someone would call ME chubby - instead of "fat bast*rd".
Chubby is a term of friendly endearment........

Chubby...

 

[jojo]

Chubby...

Darn... Beat me to it

 

[John Fenna]

I quite litterally asked for that, didn't I?
doh!

 

[Matt Weir]

I quite litterally asked for that, didn't I?
doh!

Aiye Chubby - you did.



This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black John

 

[chuckle]

In dense boreal forests wind is not that much of a factor the density of the forest breaking up the wind (just as theres little wind in dense jungle) this shelter became the boreal forest shelter of choice to take into account little wind (or to be able to position it away from wind) heavy rain and a long log fire to combat the freezing temps.That said if you atempt to use the same shelter in this country in sparse broad leaf forests in a clearing problems will arise.We need to choose the right shelter for the woods we find ourselves in.

 

[British Red]

I rather think it depends on thatch material too. Bracken works well for me (beware ticks of course) - it packs into a dense flat layer and sheds water well and is pretty windproof in a thick bundle. Birch bark used well as "tiles" would be too but I have never had enough bark to hand to practice. I do find a couple of extra withies over the bracken does help in higher wind though

like this

Red

 

[deepcmonkey]

I rather think it depends on thatch material too. Bracken works well for me (beware ticks of course) - it packs into a dense flat layer and sheds water well and is pretty windproof in a thick bundle. Birch bark used well as "tiles" would be too but I have never had enough bark to hand to practice. I do find a couple of extra withies over the bracken does help in higher wind though

like this

Red

Nice work Red

 

[British Red]

Nothing special but an interesting thing to try. I tend to find that you have to adapt to whatever material is available locally. Many of the places I go there is plenty of coppiced hazel and willow and lots of bracken so thats what I use. Its also never a problem cutting bracken - it grows quick and farmers are glad to see the back of it. a few poles from a stool of coppice is not doing any harm either.

I find the bed surprisingly comfy - a good thick layer of spring branches and a massive amount of browse (18" or so of leaves - it soon packs down) and you have a bed far warmer and more comfortable than any air bed. I've found a good small fire with a reflector means, in the UK at least, that you are very cosy indeed

Red

 

[gregorach]

It concernes Mr Mears, and a prog of his I watched the other night. He built a shelter, nice one too, the usual slope at the back and small lean too at the front, he lit a fire the full length of the shelter to keep his entire body warm, fair play. But, I had to ask myself, what if the rain fell towards the front of the shelter and not towards the back?

With any kind of open camp, including tarp and hammock or tarp and bivy, you really want to give very careful consideration to orientation and placement. Look at the land and vegetation around you and figure out which way the prevailing wind blows. Look at the weather and see which direction it's moving. Look for a spot that is as sheltered as possible. Watch out for "cold sinks" (areas which will trap cold air moving down-slope), etc, etc. Lots of things to think about.

In fact, these things are all important when camping in a tent too... I once saw a tunnel tent completely flattened because it was pitched broadside to the the wind - if it had been pitched end-on, it probably would have survived. And I've had a tent nearly blow away after pitching it in an exposed position... (Funny story that one - it's amazing how quickly you can pack up when your bodyweight is the only thing holding your tent down... )