Question:
As I was saying, one can drag along a big tent and a woodstove, and sit around in shirtsleeves all evening. However, it’s a _lot_ of gear. The four of us each had a sled or toboggan, and it was hard work getting them up any slopes. While we were sitting around in our shirtsleeves, we discussed improvements. Yes, I’ve read Rutstrum’s Paradise Below Zero, and, BTW, highly recommend it. Also, I know, from Rutstrum and elsewhere, that trappers travelled this way, alone or in pairs, and covered lots of ground. We decided that the warm tent need be only big enough to sit in, if there’s a group. Sleeping in a cold tent is no big deal. So a little 2-man cotton floorless tent, perhaps like Bill Mason’s favourite baker tent, should be appropriate. Then the stove can be small. How small? Do we have to make one, or can we buy one for a reaasonable price? Someone suggested a yacht stove for solid fuel. We haven’t properly checked that out yet. How small a stovepipe can we get away with? Bob’s stove had 4" (I think). 3" should be fine; what about2"? Any suggestions? Larry, I expect to hear from you. Anyone else? Oh yes. We use this as a base camp, and do day trips from it. — Bruce Winterbon, Deep River, Ont.
Response:
Any suggestions? Larry, I expect to hear from you. Anyone else? Oh yes. We use this as a base camp, and do day trips from it. — Bruce Winterbon, Deep River, Ont.
Bruce, I would recommend speaking to a gentleman named Craig MacDonald regarding this style of "warm" winter camping. He has published a guide to using cotton prospector tents and wood stoves. He methods are the most safe that I have seen. He also has a set of notes that describe transporting your gear by self pulled methods like toboggans and sleds. Again his methods are the best that I have seen in this subject. This guy knows his stuff. He works for the Ontario Mininstry of Natural Resources in Algonquin Park. He also has a side business of making Eqyptian cotton tents for winter camping, wood stoves, and assorted other gear and clothing. His sled and toboggan designs are excellent. Bill Mason refers to this guy in his book "Song of the Paddle". He has spent many years with Indian in northern Ontario learning and developing his winter camping practices. His methods are similar to those of Calvin Rutstrum, but have been updated and improved considerably. Regarding Bill, his use of Baker tents heated with stoves for winter is OK (I have done this myself) although the Craig MacDonald approach is much better suited for winter conditions. The Baker tent approach suffers from snow loading on the flat roof, doesn’t really support the stove pipe well (a safety concern) and doesn’t accomodate a tent fly very well (the fly is used to reduce heat loss and minimize sparks landing on the tent roof). If you want a copy of his tenting and transportation notes, he sells them privately. They are money well spent. I don’t have his phone number here but I can forward it by email. His address is: Craig MacDonald RR1 Dwight, Ontario P0A 1H0
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