What do you wish you had known?

SGL70

Full Member
Dec 1, 2014
613
124
Luleå, Sweden
I like to leave as few traces of my activities in the outdoors as I can, but during winter, speed is at the top of my mind....

For the OP: Bring more Vodka :)
 

Mike313

Nomad
Apr 6, 2014
276
31
South East
On walks and on solo camps even to camp-sites one thing that helps a lot is having somewhere comfortable to sit. A fallen tree or stout log is great if you can find them but in my experience, I seldom do! So I bring one of those three-legged folding chairs.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,297
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
SGL, you understand what I mean.
Do you dig down 6 inches into the frozen ground?
As a rule, I do not leave any traces. No broken branches, cover the extinguished ashes.
Do you Brits wee in a bottle and take home or wee against a tree like us Scandihooligans?
 

sunndog

Full Member
May 23, 2014
3,561
479
derbyshire
On walks and on solo camps even to camp-sites one thing that helps a lot is having somewhere comfortable to sit. A fallen tree or stout log is great if you can find them but in my experience, I seldom do! So I bring one of those three-legged folding chairs.

Yeah, if i'm camping with others a chair is almost a must have....on my own i have either the hammock or just a sit pad

If car camping bring at least a gallon water container. back and forth to the shower block with a 1-2ltr bottle soon gets old
 

dewi

Full Member
May 26, 2015
2,647
13
Cheshire
I'll be finding out in January how difficult the frozen ground is in Sweden... I presume I'm going to be hitting the ground with an axe for 20 minutes? :(

Sarge never mentioned urinating... but saying that I used to pee in a particular spot in the garden... and you could tell. When out and about, I try to pee well away, but must admit when we were in minus conditions I did dive out of my hammock and across to a nearby tree. In my defence I was bursting.

I think there are some who bottle it, but that tends to be over zealous TV presenters who force celebrities to drink it the day after. Not pleasant.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,297
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Where in Sweden are you going? It depends on how quickly the snow covered the ground, and how cold it is ( and where in Sweden you are!)

But it is pretty hard. Think reinforced ice.
It is enough if you dig a hole in the snow. Trust me.


Wee turns quickly to a fertilizer, and I must admit that I have a habit of urinating around my mango trees. Not in the same spot as the salt can not be good for the roots.

I'll be finding out in January how difficult the frozen ground is in Sweden... I presume I'm going to be hitting the ground with an axe for 20 minutes? :(

Sarge never mentioned urinating... but saying that I used to pee in a particular spot in the garden... and you could tell. When out and about, I try to pee well away, but must admit when we were in minus conditions I did dive out of my hammock and across to a nearby tree. In my defence I was bursting.

I think there are some who bottle it, but that tends to be over zealous TV presenters who force celebrities to drink it the day after. Not pleasant.
 

dewi

Full Member
May 26, 2015
2,647
13
Cheshire
We're going to Porjus on the bus from Lulea, then walking from there... I'm busily trying to learn Swedish (although embarrassingly I'm still on numbers and pronunciation) and trying to get fit enough. Admittedly its my first time in extreme cold, but I'm trying to learn what I can and I'll learn more when I meet up with Dave. He's been before and knows what he's up to.

Looking forward to it... its a challenge I've wanted to do, and from what I've learned so far, I'm looking forward to meeting the Swedes. They seem to have a cracking sense of humour and good outlook on life generally.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,120
68
Florida
......When I dig, I dig deep. But I never dig in nature!
You talk scraping a bit of top soil on top, which is different!......

SOme 45 years ago when I was a teenager the conventional wisdom and teaching was to dig deep to lessen the chance of somebody else accidentally uncovering it. Now-a-days the thought is that if buried deep, it'll be there for decades if not a century; all of the bacteria needed for it to biodegrade is in the first 6 to 8 inches of soil.
 

Ape_Ogre

Tenderfoot
Apr 26, 2010
89
0
Southport, UK
Well the camping was great fun, the weather was great (though surprisingly cold at night). The one thing we learnt was to take account of where the nearest septic tank is...
 

Klenchblaize

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 25, 2005
2,610
135
66
Greensand Ridge
Good question - top 5:

1. Insulation from the ground is as important as your sleeping bag.
2. Long sleeves and long trousers are your friends in the war against mozzies (along with a good repellent).
3. Test your kit out first - its not fun learning how to put up a tent for the first time in the wet.
4. If you end up having to sleep on a slope make sure your head is uphill.
5. Marshmallows cooked over a fire and a mug of hot chocolate make everything seem more idyllic.
Have fun
Jim

Top Tip

K
 

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