Hi Guys, just thought id share a one nighter i did last week with a bushy buddy. The aim was to time the weather right and get a winter camp set up for the snow that was MEANT to hit the Derby that night and wake up in a winter wonderland! Alas the weather had other plans, BUT it did get nice and cold for us and that was the main main thing as i wanted to try a few new things!
This was the camp once set up! I decided to take an old canvas bivvi tent and use it as a tarp as the plan was to build a long log fire and circulate the heat wile having the piece of mind that if a spark landed on the tarp it wouldn't be a big issue.
We built the long log fire in advance and got 3 times the timber we needed to keep it going all night. After that i started a small additional fire to cook some snap on leaving us with an hour and half to chill out before nightfall.
Gammon baguettes with a nice cuppa tea..
As i said it was the first time building a long log fire and i was quite aware of how tricky they can be if not built correctly. We started by putting four stakes of greenwood in the ground to stop any longer logs rolling off the fire and to make it easier to add more but still keep the ventilation!
Then it was a case of building it up with the rite mix of timber.
We started it up as soon as the woods dropped dark and lit it in three placers using birch nests and a fire steel.
This was the make or break moment.. If it didnt work correctly it was going to be a very cold night.
The fire gained its strength and burnt evenly at a very consistent rate and i actually spent a wile trying to back away from it as it was kicking out so much heat!
After some more food and lots of brews we both hit the sack at 9pm, stocking the fire one last time for the night!
Now this is the bit im really pleased with... Not only did i sleep like a baby fro 9pm to 8am!!! I was toasty all night and didnt feel the cold once. (It got down to -3)
The LONG LOG FIRE had done it job!!! and amazingly it still had embers burning in the morning. So with a quick blow and a few smallers bits it was up and going again for breakfast.
I couldn't ask for any more! (Apart from some snow)
This was the camp once set up! I decided to take an old canvas bivvi tent and use it as a tarp as the plan was to build a long log fire and circulate the heat wile having the piece of mind that if a spark landed on the tarp it wouldn't be a big issue.
We built the long log fire in advance and got 3 times the timber we needed to keep it going all night. After that i started a small additional fire to cook some snap on leaving us with an hour and half to chill out before nightfall.
Gammon baguettes with a nice cuppa tea..
As i said it was the first time building a long log fire and i was quite aware of how tricky they can be if not built correctly. We started by putting four stakes of greenwood in the ground to stop any longer logs rolling off the fire and to make it easier to add more but still keep the ventilation!
Then it was a case of building it up with the rite mix of timber.
We started it up as soon as the woods dropped dark and lit it in three placers using birch nests and a fire steel.
This was the make or break moment.. If it didnt work correctly it was going to be a very cold night.
The fire gained its strength and burnt evenly at a very consistent rate and i actually spent a wile trying to back away from it as it was kicking out so much heat!
After some more food and lots of brews we both hit the sack at 9pm, stocking the fire one last time for the night!
Now this is the bit im really pleased with... Not only did i sleep like a baby fro 9pm to 8am!!! I was toasty all night and didnt feel the cold once. (It got down to -3)
The LONG LOG FIRE had done it job!!!
and amazingly it still had embers burning in the morning. So with a quick blow and a few smallers bits it was up and going again for breakfast. I couldn't ask for any more!
(Apart from some snow)
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