After the fall.... of snow that is...

So as you no doubt know from Mungo, we had a nice little snow storm that turned Sunday's beautiful day of working on the woodshed in a tee-shirt into... "Winter has come again!". Truth be told it made me a little sad. I was really starting to get into the swing of spring there for a couple of days. It did not help that I had to put the blade on the front of the ATV and plow the bloody driveway again... Did not find much enjoyment in it this time.

Anyways.

This last storm actually got me to thinking. Clothing. I am sure you have heard enough times in the past that you should always take enough clothing with you on a trip. But the last week has really got me re-thinking my setup for clothing.

Mors asks a question as to your choice of clothing. "Will the clothes you wear keep you warm for four days without a fire?"

You might answer yes to this. Had I been wearing a fleece over my tee-shirt on Sunday and went for a wander in the bush, my answer would have been a definite NO! Perhaps living here surrounded by nature tends to make me less concerned.

You are probably thinking to yourself: "Yeah but if I go for a hike in June I don't need to wear 4 layers of clothing!" No. Maybe not. But I have been out on a camping trip in the middle of June and the temperature dropped to below 0 Celsius for 3 days and it snowed. Seriously. Weather around here can change quickly and if you are a day or three from the car on a week long trip you could be in for trouble.

One of my earlier post lists off Mors five layer system. Nessmuk considers the following list to be sufficient for most trips into the bush: (most of the listed clothing is considered made of fine woolen cassimere)

• Medium thickness wool coat
• vest
• sturdy but comfortable pants
• 2 thick woolen shirts
• 2 fine but substantial pair of drawers
• 2 pair of socks
• hat and boots.

Whether you try either of these systems or your very own is up to individual needs. No one can tell you how to dress or what will work for you. Not a friend, spouse, or clothing manufacturer. Only through trial and error will you know for sure. When you think you have it, ask yourself this. Will putting every article of clothing on that you are carrying allow you to stay warm if the temperature drops by 20 degrees (celsius) overnite? Will you be warm for 4 days without a fire or sleeping bag?

Will post my Autumn/Spring clothing in a future post.

Thanks for being here...

Decado.

Cold weather? Time to make a new shirt!

As the title of this post states: The weather is turning cold.

The leaves are changing and the fire in the antique stove in the kitchen is helping to take the chill off the evenings. But there are things that need to be done outside and shelters to build as well. So what better time is there to make a new shirt than now

Thought I would post a picture of the new wool blanket shirt I made with a little help from a good friend (Thanks Dori!)

Note that the cuffs are quite large so that I can unfold them and use them to cover my hands when needed.

Also I made it quite large for me as I intend to wear it with many other layers.

Am in the process of making a vest of wool as well that is a bit thicker and more durable to go over everything else.

Well. Until the next chance I get to post more pictures of the next shelter and such...

Thanks,

Decado

Clothes, Clothes, and more ...getting ready...

I have been doing a lot of work lately on clothing. Testing out different systems and layers, and materials. I tend to like fleece because it has some of the same characteristics as wool without the need to scratch constantly in public.

The last week or so I have been going to the local second hand clothing stores and looking for wool pants and sweaters. And anything else that looks like a good deal for that matter. The idea is to work on Mors' system of up to but not exceeding 5 layers.

1. - Wicking layer
2. - Thin layer of wool
3. - Medium layer of wool
4. - Heavy layer of wool
5. - Windproof/Waterproof Breathable layer

There is more information to this system but I will go into more detail after I have done more testing. I have worn a lot of fleece in the past and not had too many problems but I wanted to give wool another try. Did you know that some of the characteristics of wool help to keep you from smelling as bad after a couple days as you would if you were wearing fleece? Just found that out.

Henry the puppy is doing well and apparently LOVES running around in the snow. No wonder he and the kids get along!

I am also getting things and ideas ready for a Over Night Test camp the first weekend in December. A friend and I will be working on a couple of the Basic Survival topics that I will be putting together in some of the Bushcraft and Wilderness Survival training courses I am working on. (Thanks again for the advice Mors!)

We will be working on different variations of Mors Kochanski's "Super Shelter" and working out our clothing systems. The idea with the clothing is that one of the most important pieces of survival kit should be your clothes. Can you live comfortably in the wilderness for 4 days without a fire? The only thing we plan to use the fire for is for boiling water as that is all we will be ingesting for the 24 hours that we are out there. Sound a bit rough? Not really. Safe conditions, and extra supplies and equipment in the car that is only 15 minute walk away. The way I see it, there are the things you know, you know. The things you know, you don't know. And there are the things you don't know, you don't know. The only way to change the things you don't know, you don't know is to get out there and try it! You follow?

Been missing the woods ever since the trip to New Hampshire. Looking forward to getting out there again.

Will post more stuff soon.

Thanks for reading,

Decado.