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Winter Bike-Packing with a Hot-Tent

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Winter Bike-Packing with a Hot-Tent

Old 02-15-20, 06:49 PM
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Mark Hoaglund
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Winter Bike-Packing with a Hot-Tent

Was watching this YT video anyone else?
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Old 02-15-20, 07:50 PM
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Took note since I also want to check the diy silicone bake sheet stove jack temperatures in this YT video: Hot Tent Breakfast in the Woods. Black Orca 'Smokey Hut' Chimney Tent by OneTigris
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Old 02-15-20, 09:52 PM
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Didn't know what to think what this would be, but that was a well made video, and the fellow seems like a normal nice chap.
neat set up with that tent and stove, although no floor tents like that would sure be a big mess inside if dealing with proper rain, and dont even mention Canadian bugs!
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Old 02-15-20, 10:22 PM
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Its ok for bug season since a inner mesh is also available.
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Old 02-15-20, 11:40 PM
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I’m not seeing a link to the video.
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Old 02-16-20, 12:13 AM
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Its my understanding as a newbie I can't post links but a YT search should help.
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Old 02-16-20, 01:37 AM
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I watched it and it's a great gadget, but in the end, an un-insulated tent will only keep warm as along as the stove is going. Once the fire goes; out ambient temperature. I certainly would not want to wake up every half hour to add wood.
I call it a novelty. Like DJB, a floorless tent is a recipe for mud pies
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Old 02-16-20, 08:12 AM
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Years ago as kids we'd camp on grass with plastic and a air mattress underneath covered with a blanket or sleeping bag in our floorless pup tents.
YouTube - Far North Bushcraft And Survival is a interesting learning DIY site for many things including tarp tents and wood stoves in Alaska but don't know what the annual rainfall map says.
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Old 02-16-20, 12:43 PM
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Like the others, I would not want a floorless tent in my region when it's bug season. I use a bivi sac sometimes but even that has a mozzie mesh. There is a difference between doing the same thing over and over on a bike tour and a one night outing. Not that one is better than the other but the suffer factor goes up when there is not the promise of imminent relief.

Other than that, the stove looks great. I am tinkering with a twig can stove right now and like the compact design of that thing. I was in Utah in the fall and a floorless tent and hot box would be fine there I think but... If you are considering using one you need to think about fire rules where you tour. Pretty sure National Parks have rules about fires as well as collecting firewood. No saws cutting branches there.

Try an experiment. put a tea candle in a perforated can that has the top still attached so it captures the radiant heat. Mini heater with a manageable flame that won't burn the tent.

Last edited by Happy Feet; 02-16-20 at 12:47 PM.
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Old 02-16-20, 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Like the others, I would not want a floorless tent in my region when it's bug season. I use a bivi sac sometimes but even that has a mozzie mesh. There is a difference between doing the same thing over and over on a bike tour and a one night outing. Not that one is better than the other but the suffer factor goes up when there is not the promise of imminent relief.

Other than that, the stove looks great. I am tinkering with a twig can stove right now and like the compact design of that thing. I was in Utah in the fall and a floorless tent and hot box would be fine there I think but... If you are considering using one you need to think about fire rules where you tour. Pretty sure National Parks have rules about fires as well as collecting firewood. No saws cutting branches there.

Try an experiment. put a tea candle in a perforated can that has the top still attached so it captures the radiant heat. Mini heater with a manageable flame that won't burn the tent.
Interesting.... What is the burn time for a tea candle?
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Old 02-16-20, 05:29 PM
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Was watching this YT video anyone else?
Here's the link
I was thinking eBay hot water bottles for the back and feet using the woodgas stove will help cozy things up next month under the covers.
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Old 02-16-20, 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Digger Goreman
Interesting.... What is the burn time for a tea candle?
Don't know exactly. When we use them for parties we get 3-4 hours out of them at least.

I am currently trying to boil water with one. I'll let you know how that went.

Last edited by Happy Feet; 02-16-20 at 06:59 PM.
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Old 02-16-20, 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Don't know exactly. When we use them for parties we get 3-4 hours out of them at least.

I am currently trying to boil water with one. I'll let you know how that went.
good old candle lanterns are great for warming up a damp tent.
reflector option gives reasonable light, and I hang mine off a string on ceiling of tent, using a piece of simple wire from string to lantern handle.
same candle lanterns in stores for decades., the collapseable ones.
spring loaded, burn time is a good 6 hours I think
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Old 02-16-20, 07:24 PM
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Originally Posted by djb
good old candle lanterns are great for warming up a damp tent.
reflector option gives reasonable light, and I hang mine off a string on ceiling of tent, using a piece of simple wire from string to lantern handle.
same candle lanterns in stores for decades., the collapseable ones.
spring loaded, burn time is a good 6 hours I think
Yep. I have one I bought over 30 years ago and it still works perfectly.

Here's my candle cooker - so far it's only warming the water but it looks nice

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Old 02-16-20, 08:13 PM
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I backpack in winter with the same tent (cheaper no-name from Aliexpress) with a Lite Outdoors ti stove and I love it. I spend the evening wearing a t-shirt, dry my clothes, cook slow food and melt snow without fuel concern. I don't feed the stove at night, too busy sleeping. I keep birch bark and kindling to start a fire in the morning. Bring a CO detector. I doubt I'll ever use it outside winter though. I don't wanna cook in my tent during bear season.





Baking a quiche on the wood stove.
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Old 02-16-20, 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Not that one is better than the other but the suffer factor goes up when there is not the promise of imminent relief.
Well, floorless tents are great for relieving yourself.

There are bathtub floors and mesh inners for those concerned with rain and bugs.
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Old 02-16-20, 09:02 PM
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Cooked with a Sterno can on my last trip, as I forgot isobutane, and could not find any in the Keys. Worked well enough to heat water and precooked pasta dishes, but not to boil water.


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Old 02-17-20, 07:02 AM
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I have a hard time packing my winter soeeping bag , foam mattress and inflatable mattress and my small winter tent when going bikepacking. Hot tenting intrigues me although so far with my type of trips I arrive, set up the tent and stuff, cook, make a hot water bottle to warm up my sleeping bag and it is time to sleep.

with hot tenting I think I would have to tow a sled (i do have a rig for it) , choose trails without much elevation (Petit Témis comes to mind) and stop to camp a little earlier to have enough time to gather wood. I do like the luxury of melting snow without the penalty of wasting fuel and the opportunity to better dry my layers if necessary.
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Old 02-17-20, 12:40 PM
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Can't find the particular youtube vid, but a guy used a dakota fire hole to boil water in five minutes, then moved his tarp tent over the extinguished pit to capture the heat from the warmed earth.
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Old 02-17-20, 01:40 PM
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Any of these look familiar? https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...fire+tarp+tent
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Old 02-18-20, 06:07 AM
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Its been 10 years since I've done this kind of stuff, but I've camped with a Kifaru Para Tarp and a little Ti Goat cylinder stove. Its a tight set up and with the stove its a little too tight for sitting up right. Its a glorious thing to start a little fire and make coffee from your sleeping bag when it 10 bellow zero. As far bike packing with a hot tent, you have to allow extra time for set up and and fuel gathering, as well as mess with fiddly metal parts that may want to freeze to your hands. late night hypothermia does not make you more clever or handsome. For trivia I will mention that those little cartridge stoves do not really burn when it gets properly cold, but setting the stove in a pot of luke warm piss will add enough thermal enertia to get the tea hot enough to keep you alive....
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Old 02-18-20, 07:32 AM
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:-) before I resort to pissing on my cartridge I resort to just stuffing it in my jacket while I am setting up camp. The body heat warms it up and all is good after all ;-)




Originally Posted by bark_eater
Its been 10 years since I've done this kind of stuff, but I've camped with a Kifaru Para Tarp and a little Ti Goat cylinder stove. Its a tight set up and with the stove its a little too tight for sitting up right. Its a glorious thing to start a little fire and make coffee from your sleeping bag when it 10 bellow zero. As far bike packing with a hot tent, you have to allow extra time for set up and and fuel gathering, as well as mess with fiddly metal parts that may want to freeze to your hands. late night hypothermia does not make you more clever or handsome. For trivia I will mention that those little cartridge stoves do not really burn when it gets properly cold, but setting the stove in a pot of luke warm piss will add enough thermal enertia to get the tea hot enough to keep you alive....
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Old 02-18-20, 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by PedalingWalrus
:-) before I resort to pissing on my cartridge I resort to just stuffing it in my jacket while I am setting up camp. The body heat warms it up and all is good after all ;-)
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Old 02-18-20, 07:58 AM
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Chuckle, better yet, you could pee on it, then put it inside your jacket and it would even be warmer.

you'd smell a little incontinent, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do to get your morning cup of Joe (which coincidentally will lead to more peeing, creating a nice loop of activity....)

look honey, there's a poor smelly, jittery looking homeless person on a bike, pass him some change, but use your gloves and don't roll the window down all the way.
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Old 02-18-20, 09:12 AM
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." late night hypothermia does not make you more clever or handsome"..........
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