Wow fun topic!!!!
I'm going to jump in on this and throw in my 0.02 $...
Ok re long log fire... I did a camp once where me and a buddy of mine made 2 lean to's facing each other with a long log fire. I was fine with a -10 sleeping bag and a bivi. (it was -40 C, more with the windchill)
A couple of things to note: You need A LOT of wood!!!!
I don't think one can really embrace it before having to collect it. When your'e talking sustaining a long log fire you're cutting down multiple trees. It's true that you don't have to tend the fire as often if it's a big one, but the labor involved in getting the wood pile is huge. AND if there's an issue with the gross amount of wood in the area then... that's an issue.
The technique described by Ray mears and Mors Kochanski is a valid one.. but not one that i've ever seen an aboriginal culture practice - opting for the shelter and enclosed fire instead as it's much more economical.
They are also hard to set up, because you have to be very savy when orienting them. You need your lean to to be parallel to the wind (ideally) or you face wind/smoke interface issues.
Now it's an issue to find trees in that orientation, or making tripods to support your cross bar, which is even more wood.
Re melting snow... the main turnoff I have always faced when melting snow is that you can filter crap ouf ot clear water by running the water through a tissue or fibers of some sort.
When you melt snow, you end up with bits of bark, grass, fluff... and of course the dreaded yellow snow!!!
What has worked for me in the past when melting snow is that if you melt it in a pot, make some tea out of it right away. You've got the hot water!
The snow in a bag thing has never worked for me... always been too windy to get a constant stream of heat on the snow, and just tons of practial problems.
When i'm melting snow in a pot you throw it on and forget it.
Most common issue with me is your water bottle freezing... There's the old "turn your water bottle upside down" trick which works.. but since I bought the Guyot Designs Stainless Steel bottle (that you can use in the fire) i've never been affraid of my bottle freezing.
Ok Stuff to do... not sure if it's the same for you but you're really restricted with your daylight. I would investigate some torch making techniques.
One of the best investments for me is a gas lantern. Wether you go old fashionned railway style, miner, or a modern naphta Colman lantern (dual burner in my case) the light they throw off is definitely worth the fact that they aren't technically primitive tools. so -1 on the macho scale but + 100 on the practicality / ability to do other macho things.
Do you guys have Pine in the UK? Ray mears talks about some cool light creating tricks, like splitting a branch and putting in some resin for a torch, pine knots, the old "split a pine log and make a stove" trick.
Winter is of course ideal for tracking, I know it's illegal in the UK to lay traps, but perhaps because it's prohibited you can make some practise ones...
Perhaps explore the concept of ice-fishing in some sufficiently small brook that would freeze over...
that's what comes to mind right now.
Cheers!!!
I'm going to jump in on this and throw in my 0.02 $...
Ok re long log fire... I did a camp once where me and a buddy of mine made 2 lean to's facing each other with a long log fire. I was fine with a -10 sleeping bag and a bivi. (it was -40 C, more with the windchill)
A couple of things to note: You need A LOT of wood!!!!
I don't think one can really embrace it before having to collect it. When your'e talking sustaining a long log fire you're cutting down multiple trees. It's true that you don't have to tend the fire as often if it's a big one, but the labor involved in getting the wood pile is huge. AND if there's an issue with the gross amount of wood in the area then... that's an issue.
The technique described by Ray mears and Mors Kochanski is a valid one.. but not one that i've ever seen an aboriginal culture practice - opting for the shelter and enclosed fire instead as it's much more economical.
They are also hard to set up, because you have to be very savy when orienting them. You need your lean to to be parallel to the wind (ideally) or you face wind/smoke interface issues.
Now it's an issue to find trees in that orientation, or making tripods to support your cross bar, which is even more wood.
Re melting snow... the main turnoff I have always faced when melting snow is that you can filter crap ouf ot clear water by running the water through a tissue or fibers of some sort.
When you melt snow, you end up with bits of bark, grass, fluff... and of course the dreaded yellow snow!!!
What has worked for me in the past when melting snow is that if you melt it in a pot, make some tea out of it right away. You've got the hot water!
The snow in a bag thing has never worked for me... always been too windy to get a constant stream of heat on the snow, and just tons of practial problems.
When i'm melting snow in a pot you throw it on and forget it.
Most common issue with me is your water bottle freezing... There's the old "turn your water bottle upside down" trick which works.. but since I bought the Guyot Designs Stainless Steel bottle (that you can use in the fire) i've never been affraid of my bottle freezing.
Ok Stuff to do... not sure if it's the same for you but you're really restricted with your daylight. I would investigate some torch making techniques.
One of the best investments for me is a gas lantern. Wether you go old fashionned railway style, miner, or a modern naphta Colman lantern (dual burner in my case) the light they throw off is definitely worth the fact that they aren't technically primitive tools. so -1 on the macho scale but + 100 on the practicality / ability to do other macho things.
Do you guys have Pine in the UK? Ray mears talks about some cool light creating tricks, like splitting a branch and putting in some resin for a torch, pine knots, the old "split a pine log and make a stove" trick.
Winter is of course ideal for tracking, I know it's illegal in the UK to lay traps, but perhaps because it's prohibited you can make some practise ones...
Perhaps explore the concept of ice-fishing in some sufficiently small brook that would freeze over...
that's what comes to mind right now.
Cheers!!!
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