View Full Version : Using a candle lantern for heat.
doggiebag
12-01-2007, 11:09
I've used my candle lantern to add some extra heat to my hammock in cold conditions (being very careful of course). My question (outside of the obvious care needed in making sure the thing does not burn my shelter down) - Is there a possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning of continued use in a enclosed environment such as a 4 season tent when I have all the zippers zipped and all possible vents tight? Or is the flame small enough to be of no significant concern? Thanks.
Footslogger
12-01-2007, 12:17
Until you just mentioned that I had forgotten about using a candle lantern for that purpose.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ....I did actually use my old trusty candle lantern inside my tent when winter hiking and yes, it did add a lot of warmth. These were the days when I used larger nylon tafetta tents with a rain fly. I used to hand it from the loop at the center top of the tent and I experimented with different lengths of 1/8" cord until I got the lantern far enough away that the rising heat wouldn't damage the fabric. I remember well the feeling of warm air circulating along the walls of the tent.
That said ...once I switched over to the lighter weight silnylon style tents/tarps I abandoned the candle lantern. Oh yeah, and I never did try it in my Hennessey Hammock either.
'Slogger
Toolshed
12-01-2007, 12:36
Ditto....
I always carried one of those smally mini-bungees on my lantern and hung it from my tents anytime from Fall to Spring (Never really carried one in the summer). Sometimes we would hang 2-3 lanterns in our tents when winter camping (We usually winter backpacked in the adirondacks in groups of 3 for safety concerns.) the warmth generated was appreciable.
you have more courage than me....I wouldn't want to hang one in my hammock - I wouldn't feel comfortable - not enough space and if I move around, too much of a possibility of hot wax dripping on me. plus forgetting about it and drifting off to sleep doesn't seem safe.
4eyedbuzzard
12-01-2007, 12:38
One candle is fine, the amount of CO it produces is small, and from an oxygen depletion/CO2 standpoint it would self extinguish before O2 levels would prove fatal to a human. Also note that any enclosure airtight enough to cause a candle to become a hazard would be hazardous on its own without the candle due to O2 depletion from the human occupant's respiration. Tents just aren't that airtight.
Of greater concern would be the general fire hazard in the tent if the candle tipped and started the molten wax on fire, and candle soot, which might well aggravate breathing and cause sooty condensation deposits on the inner walls of the tent.
doggiebag
12-01-2007, 12:45
I'm planning on using two in a 4 season tent at this time of the year. I used it in a hammock early in the year - however this late in the season, I'm switching to a tent so that I could use the dogs body heat to also assist in warming the tent (I'm not kidding). I'll take a couple of thermometers with me on this upcoming hike and monitor how much warmer I can get the interior of the tent compared with the outside temperature. I'm guessing with 2 candle lanterns in a 2 man all season tent - I should be able to raise the interior temp by at least 20 degrees. That can make for a comfortable little hooch and yes I agree using a candle lantern in a hammock is a little nuts.
max patch
12-01-2007, 12:50
An open flame in a tent is just plain stupid.
Footslogger
12-01-2007, 12:51
An open flame in a tent is just plain stupid.
==================================
Now and then we all do things that someone else might call stupid ...
'Slogger
doggiebag
12-01-2007, 12:53
I don't consider a candle lantern an open flame.
CoyoteWhips
12-01-2007, 12:55
I recall the old Air Force training films they ran in my elementary class, when the teachers wanted an hour off. They used a candle in a snow cave for warmth. It recommended punching a small hole in the top for ventilation.
One winter, working in a chilly office, I burned a few novena candles. Raised the temperature ten degrees.
I wouldn't have the guts to light a candle in my hammock.
Always put a hole in the top of snow cave
Doughnut
12-01-2007, 15:09
I went through Air Force Arctic Survival School, and we used candles in the snow caves, No nooed to punch a hole, they'll be leaks around the door,
And the candle would raise the inside temp 10-15 degrees, then you blew it out, did not leave them burning all night, no need once you are in your sack
from an oxygen depletion/CO2 standpoint it would self extinguish before O2 levels would prove fatal to a human. Do you know this for a fact?
I believe combustion needs a lot less oxygen than does breathing.
Automobile engines use huge quantities of oxygen and I never heard that a car engine would self extinguish before CO/CO2 levels became dangerous.
take-a-knee
12-01-2007, 16:01
Do you know this for a fact?
I believe combustion needs a lot less oxygen than does breathing.
Automobile engines use huge quantities of oxygen and I never heard that a car engine would self extinguish before CO/CO2 levels became dangerous.
The problem isn't a lack of 02, it is a buildup of CO in the environment and then in your bloodstream.
Tipi Walter
12-01-2007, 16:07
An open flame in a tent is just plain stupid.
Say what? People who have done a lot of cold weather camping know to pack a few candles. They're a great way to keep the fingers warm when reading, writing in a journal, and killing the long hours of a winter night. Plus they make great firestarters on gathered kindling or when burning trash.
Toolshed
12-01-2007, 16:12
An open flame in a tent is just plain stupid.
not talking about open flames GWTP!!
cavedive2
12-01-2007, 16:38
I'm switching to a tent so that I could use the dogs body heat to also assist in warming the tent (I'm not kidding)..
that is where the band three dog night got there name was the amount of dogs it would take to keep them warm up north.
Say what? People who have done a lot of cold weather camping know to pack a few candles. They're a great way to keep the fingers warm when reading, writing in a journal, and killing the long hours of a winter night. Plus they make great firestarters on gathered kindling or when burning trash.Good winter tip, Tipi, and who can't manage a candle? I never leave one outsde a candle lantern unattended. If someone has doubts, best to avoid this advice.:cool:
Tipi Walter
12-01-2007, 19:35
Good winter tip, Tipi, and who can't manage a candle? I never leave one outsde a candle lantern unattended. If someone has doubts, best to avoid this advice.:cool:
Yes, ed, when I'm dealing with a thermarest and a down bag by my candle, I keep a vigilant eye . . .
Yes, ed, when I'm dealing with a thermarest and a down bag by my candle, I keep a vigilant eye . . .And I'll wait for the story of the camper who let the candle ruin their gear/self while being attentive to the small flame. I'll check back soon to read the horrofic stories.:rolleyes:
budforester
12-01-2007, 20:11
My current tea- light lantern has some new designs so it doesn't easily spill wax like the old ones did... I'd still be hesitant about using it in my hammock. It warms my solo tent a bit, but condensation seems slightly increased. When the eyes were younger, I often read by one of these.
I like this thread topic. If you are only interested in light, you can't beat batteries and LEDs.
However, if you are interest in heat and light at the same time, and perhaps simmering a cup of tea also, the a candle lantern is the way to go. Plus they just seem so much... warmer.
sasquatch2014
12-01-2007, 22:54
I really think that you should really heat up the tent if you get a small bucket put some dirt in the bottom you could stick a road flare in it and fire that up. I am sure Aldo would love it. I can not say how safe this may be but it will be funny as all hell to watch you trying to get out of a flaming tent while blinded by the flare. I would be there to help put out any fires if I could stop laughing long enough.:D
budforester
12-01-2007, 23:06
I really think that you should really heat up the tent if you get a small bucket put some dirt in the bottom you could stick a road flare in it and fire that up. I am sure Aldo would love it. I can not say how safe this may be but it will be funny as all hell to watch you trying to get out of a flaming tent while blinded by the flare. I would be there to help put out any fires if I could stop laughing long enough.:D
Boys and girls, please do not try this without adult supervision. Those fumes are toxic, even if it doesn't burn down the tent... or the forest.
doggiebag
12-01-2007, 23:07
Just as easy to set a little fire under your hammock to turn your ass into a hanging burrito for Aldo to chew on. The only way they'll find you is when they see the dog running around playing fetch with your femur. All in good fun though.
CoyoteWhips
12-01-2007, 23:07
I don't tent anymore, so not likely to try it, but I can imagine rolling out a silicone baking mat in my old tent and setting up Esbit stove with three tea candles for heating my tea. Takes 45 minutes to boil water, but if I'm in the tent, I'm likely not in much of a hurry.
doggiebag
12-01-2007, 23:11
Now that I pretty much shocked everyone (sorry) - good bait saskwatch ;)
And if you rig it up just right, with a reflector maybe, you can read by the light while heating your tea. I haven't yet made the optimal candle lantern stove I want though. Three tealight seem about right for the light and heat, and you can get a small replacement globe and a way to keep from breaking it. The rest is pretty easy, except getting the elevation and reflection for reading just right, while keeping it light, and still being able to put a 8oz or so pot on their for heating. It can be done. It just needs a little more R&D, which I think is best done in actual field conditions. It's fun sometimes to just take a bunch of parts and wait until you are out there to start fiddling.
Survivor Dave
12-01-2007, 23:20
D Bag, A hanging burrito for Aldo to chew on? Now that's funny!
Would that be considered Trail Magic for him? Pass the Grey Poupon!:D
SD
Just as easy to set a little fire under your hammock to turn your ass into a hanging burrito for Aldo to chew on. The only way they'll find you is when they see the dog running around playing fetch with your femur. All in good fun though.
And if you rig it up just right... The tealights I mean, not the flaregun. :D
doggiebag
12-01-2007, 23:26
And if you rig it up just right, with a reflector maybe, you can read by the light while heating your tea. I haven't yet made the optimal candle lantern stove I want though. Three tealight seem about right for the light and heat, and you can get a small replacement globe and a way to keep from breaking it. The rest is pretty easy, except getting the elevation and reflection for reading just right, while keeping it light, and still being able to put a 8oz or so pot on their for heating. It can be done. It just needs a little more R&D, which I think is best done in actual field conditions. It's fun sometimes to just take a bunch of parts and wait until you are out there to start fiddling.
It's not like you don't have the time once the sun goes down. Not too many Mcgyver moments for me in the trail outside of field expedient TP substitues.
budforester
12-01-2007, 23:50
And if you rig it up just right, with a reflector maybe, you can read by the light while heating your tea. I haven't yet made the optimal candle lantern stove I want though. Three tealight seem about right for the light and heat, and you can get a small replacement globe and a way to keep from breaking it. The rest is pretty easy, except getting the elevation and reflection for reading just right, while keeping it light, and still being able to put a 8oz or so pot on their for heating. It can be done. It just needs a little more R&D, which I think is best done in actual field conditions. It's fun sometimes to just take a bunch of parts and wait until you are out there to start fiddling.
I've had some of these "bright" ideas, too. I always got too much smoke and soot from candle stoves; need too tall chimneys to "draw". Maybe a forced air supply like a zip stove? Good luck, enjoy your tinkering.
budforester
12-02-2007, 00:11
And if you rig it up just right, with a reflector maybe, you can read by the light while heating your tea. I haven't yet made the optimal candle lantern stove I want though. Three tealight seem about right for the light and heat, and you can get a small replacement globe and a way to keep from breaking it. The rest is pretty easy, except getting the elevation and reflection for reading just right, while keeping it light, and still being able to put a 8oz or so pot on their for heating. It can be done. It just needs a little more R&D, which I think is best done in actual field conditions. It's fun sometimes to just take a bunch of parts and wait until you are out there to start fiddling.
I may have seen (or dreamed) something, once: hang your pot by its wire bail, attach chimney/windscreen directly to pot and extending down, mount candle at base of windscreen with aperture for light out and air in. Happy fiddling.
I think hanging is the way to go also. Also, either small batches of hot water at a time, perhaps as little as 4oz, or heat up the water and make the tea with something like a Kelly Kettle first, and then just use the candle lantern/stove to keep the 32oz or so of tea simmering as you read and sip, (and make regular nature calls).
sasquatch2014
12-02-2007, 07:12
Thats how I got into this whole things was by doing trail magic it just seems so cosmicly fitting that I got out as trail magic.:rolleyes:
Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-02-2007, 07:21
I was going to stay out of this, but..... many years ago when young dinos frolicked on the earth, a popular practice while winter camping was to take a pie tin (the aluminum thing pies come in), fill it with dirt and put a tea candle in the center for use inside a tent. Tents were much bigger back then.... I'm thinking the same sort of idea could be used with a piece of aluminum foil folded to make a container.
As for the CO and oxygen question - I've never known of this being a problem in a tent.
I love improvizing stuff like that also, and oil lamps also. I worked out once that CO and CO2 is not an issue, even in a car stuck in snowbank scenario, as long as you are dealing with 1-3 wicks or so, and nothing is smoking too much. I think 1 wick is roughly the same as another person, and 1 smoking wick would be like a smoking person. With a well behaved candle lantern or small oil lamp you don't even need to crack a window as long as someone gets out to pee at least once every 6 hours or so. Of course starting up the car even for a minute is a definite no no, and a larger oil lamp or stove or that TP and oil trick I would be very weary.
CoyoteWhips
12-02-2007, 09:24
I love improvizing stuff like that also, and oil lamps also. I worked out once that CO and CO2 is not an issue, even in a car stuck in snowbank scenario, as long as you are dealing with 1-3 wicks or so, and nothing is smoking too much.
There was one winter I would often put a five-day candle in the cup holder of my Subaru wagon. That tiny flame kept my windshield from frosting up overnight.
Looking out the window and seeing the flickering light in the car amused me, but my wife complained she always expected see the whole thing in a bonfire.
sasquatch2014
12-02-2007, 20:53
I know what you mean a few years back for some reason we had all these wasps that were all over this one tree in my back yard. Not in a nest mind you just all over the thing. They were crawling on the trunk and hanging on the branches further down. We had company over a college buddy and his family and he and i decided to smike them out so we set a small fire at the base of the tree. This did not work so we added more stuff to make smoke. Mind you at the time i was living in Suburban Sprawl .19 of an acre. In the end we burnt up about a 10 ft section of grass and most of the leaves on the lower 6 ft of tree. the wasps left.:banana
Lets hear it for mans technology and fire!!!!:D
Hikerhead
12-02-2007, 20:58
There was one winter I would often put a five-day candle in the cup holder of my Subaru wagon. That tiny flame kept my windshield from frosting up overnight.
Looking out the window and seeing the flickering light in the car amused me, but my wife complained she always expected see the whole thing in a bonfire.
I expect your wife to be a pretty smart lady. :)
Re candles: The Chukchi (sp) nomads of arctic siberia sleep at -50 d F in an unheated yurt, in light underwear. The secret is a boxlike frame structure inside the yurt, just large enough to contain one or two sleepers and two candles. The frame is covered with highly insulating Caribou/reindeer hides. The candles and the people provide all the heat necessary, the yurt is just a windbreak.
Walt
Jack Tarlin
12-06-2007, 16:06
The ammount of heat generated by a candle lantern is probably insufficient to justify the risk, and there absolutely is a fire risk. Lanterns fall over, they spill, they break. It's very easy for a candle lantern to become an open flame.
There are wiser ways to generate extra heat than a candle lantern: More or better clothes; sleeping in a hat and gloves; a liner for your your sleeping bag; a better sleeping bag altogether; a thicker mattress all come to mind. And a tent will always be warmer than a tarp or hammock.
There isn't as much of a fire risk if most of your gear is a lot of wool and no ground sheet and your are not so dependant on you nylon shelters and stuff. Also the point of the tealight candle lantern/stove would be to allow you to keep your tea warm while reading, or to maybe thaw out and dry out a pair of socks or mittens rather than having to fire up the stove. There would be less risk than firing up the stove all the time. Tealights are very cozy, and are very manageable, but if all your stuff is flamable then you have bigger issues.
A tent is not always warmer. If you are in cold wet conditions where the temperature is dropping and squeezing all the moisture out of the air and into your clothes and sleeping bag a tent is no better than bivy and ponchotarp, and you can crash a blue foam pad and bivy and ponchotarp into smaller places out of the wind. A tent is better when you are forced to shelter in exposed places though. I think a tealight lantern/stove is still manageable though, as long as all your stuff isn't flamable. Yet another case for more wool and less down and shell layers.
Dakota Dan
12-06-2007, 19:29
If you hang the candle lantern you'll have no problem, If you have doubts then just try to catch something on fire. Candle lanterns should not be left to stand on there on. The best type to use are the ones thats spring loaded, you can save bucks by buying a long candle, cut into pieces. May have to trim to fit. Nothing to it.
I use a leather shoe lace to hang mine. I still would like a rig for keeping tea warm though, even just a 4oz minican/pot. One serious caution about wax and oil though is if the wax does completely melt it can get just as hot as oil, which is like surface of the freakin sun hot. Watch for that.
Dakota Dan
12-06-2007, 21:03
...and when I say "lantern" I mean one with a glass globe with a ventilating metal top. An open flame candle would be dangerous, especially to sleep around. Remember, you need to hang the lantern without touching anything, for max safety.
When I speak of safety with candles and lanterns, I'm speaking of a small tent or hammock. The bigger the shelter the more useless a candle is for any heating anyway. It's also harder to "stealth" camp with a light burning in the night:-?
There is actually a pretty good assortment of globes out there, with some not too big so as to be too heavy, but big enough for say three tealights and a small pot of tea on top, with something for ventilation holes. I usually tarp tent with a small ponchotarp and bivy but still find it possible to hunker down enough to get some heat out of a small candle, or at least keep my tea warm, while still being stealthy. I think it also helps keep critters away, though I am probably wrong on that. On configuration I have done in a snowstorm, backyard, was large 72"x28" blue foam pad and CF gortex bivy on that, with my poncho tarp pitched like a small pup tent up at the head end, under a small pine tree. Cozy. Its paricularly nice when the tree has a branch to hand the lantern from, and nook and crannys for stuff like glasses and watch. I don't yet have a lantern I can heat up tea while hanging it though. Working on that. Haven't burned a tree down yet while sleeping under it, though I'm sure its been done. I heard in the old days birch tree were sometimes used as emergency flares. Forests must have been a wee bit more damp back then.
Just a hunch, but I'll bet that 6 oz. of down will go farther towards keeping you warm than a 6 oz. candle. I don't trust them (or myself) I have mishandled candle lanterns, burned myself, and broke them on shelter floors, and I wouldn't mess around with anything that produced CO in an enclosed space. When I was a kid, I used to get headaches while camping in cold weather in the family's tent trailer with a propane heater in the floor. Now I know why.
saimyoji
12-07-2007, 00:13
The ammount of heat generated by a candle lantern is probably insufficient to justify the risk, and there absolutely is a fire risk. Lanterns fall over, they spill, they break. It's very easy for a candle lantern to become an open flame.
There are wiser ways to generate extra heat than a candle lantern: More or better clothes; sleeping in a hat and gloves; a liner for your your sleeping bag; a better sleeping bag altogether; a thicker mattress all come to mind. And a tent will always be warmer than a tarp or hammock.
Sure you know this, but none of the things you mention actually generate heat. ;)
Just a hunch, but I'll bet that 6 oz. of down will go farther towards keeping you warm than a 6 oz. candle.
Oh, yes. Make mine 800 fill please. :)
A small candle can provide nice ambiance though, and as I said it can be safer than alternatives for heating up a small amount of tea while reading a book. I wouldn't sleep with one on, but I would want it to be safe enough to do so. I think more important than worrying about a small tealight lantern is having gear and clothing that is not so vulnerable to fire, unless you don't use any stoves whatsoever in winter. Can't see that. The best way to get heat from fuel when hiking is by drinking hot liquids. After dark if you just want a small tea I think a small efficient candle stove can be a fun way to do that. Three candles will produce much less CO than a larger stove, though I would try and keep the smoke down from the other volatiles that can come from incomplete combustion, mostly when extinguishing the flame. Anyhow, I think there is more reason to have reasonably flame proof gear in winter, meaning mostly wool, then worrying too much about candles. You need to be careful of course, but I would be more worried around my Kelly Kettle or Hobbo Stove, or warming and drying fires when I need those. Wool makes more and more sense to me, with just enough nylon for a wind layer and rain gear / ponchotarp, and of course the sleeping bag.
gold bond
12-07-2007, 10:23
When I was in the Corp and was stationed in Norway we were issued candles to heat our tents. When we ran out of those we burned the peanut butter out of our C-rats!
With that being said I would never advise anyone to use a open flame in a tent. I agree with Tinker on this one.
doggiebag
12-11-2007, 17:37
In summarizing the result of the "heating up a tent with 2 candle lanterns" - I have the following conclusions: 1) There was a significant difference in the temperature inside a 4 season tent with a dog and 2 candle lanterns. 2) I did not burn the tent down. 3) I did not die of C02 poisoning. Unfortunately by the time I had everything setup ... I was too tired to get actual readings from the interior using a thermometer (no excuse ... I plain forgot). The outside temps was 8 degrees as per Sasquatch2014. It was still freakin cold - specially outside the tent. Next time I try this ... I'll be a little more scientific in the observations.
PS. - I did hang both lanterns from a loop on the tent's ceiling with no damage to the material.
sasquatch2014
12-12-2007, 11:02
I still think you should have used the road flare. Where is your spirit of adventure?
Doggiebag, if you want to add warmth to your hammock, try making a hammock sock (http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearHammockSock.html). It cuts the wind very well and adds a fair amount of warmth. Well worth it, IMO.
doggiebag
12-12-2007, 11:11
I still think you should have used the road flare. Where is your spirit of adventure?
Believe me Chris ... I don't have to look for adventure anymore. Even sitting still trying to have a quiet unassuming life; fubar events will find me :eek: ! Time to start getting my civilian life back in track ... which does not mean I'm completely abandoning the "wild side". Maybe that Billville thing in February or March?
Just some quick comparisons:
Person sleeping soundly = 50kcal/hour.
Tealight Candle Lantern = 60 kcal/hour.
Person sleeping restless=100kcal/hour.
2 Litre Bottle 800BTUs ~ 100kcal/hour if reheated every 2 hours???
2 Litre Bottle 800BTUs ~ 200kcal/hour if reheated every hour???
Of course you might easily lose 100kcal going outside to boil more water with the Kelly Kettle, but it seems to me that the hot water bottle might be the way to go, or at least the best way to start the night. I would also use a tealight candle lantern and make tea while reading a book, at least until I could sleep soundly, perhaps changing my water bottles if needed. What are we talking though, 30F outside, 25F and freezing rain, or -30F and howling snow? It might be very difficult to make tea and hot water bottles when you need them the most. Best not to depend too much on them, but good to have the capability.
I think that a disposable hand warmer placed in your sleeping bag would be the best way to add extra heat on a cold winter night. I have used these with great success on cold nights. I think this would add much more "usable heat" than a candle. Although I do use candle lanterns too.
Panzer
Also as far as using candles is concerned I think that the size and shape of the tent matters as far as safety is concerned. A candle is less likely to get into trouble in a large tent as opposed to a small one man pup tent. That is to say that the more open space the tent has the better as far as safety is concerned.
Panzer
budforester
12-12-2007, 14:32
In summarizing the result of the "heating up a tent with 2 candle lanterns" - I have the following conclusions: 1) There was a significant difference in the temperature inside a 4 season tent with a dog and 2 candle lanterns. 2) I did not burn the tent down. 3) I did not die of C02 poisoning. Unfortunately by the time I had everything setup ... I was too tired to get actual readings from the interior using a thermometer (no excuse ... I plain forgot). The outside temps was 8 degrees as per Sasquatch2014. It was still freakin cold - specially outside the tent. Next time I try this ... I'll be a little more scientific in the observations.
PS. - I did hang both lanterns from a loop on the tent's ceiling with no damage to the material.
I suggest that 8 degrees would be at least a 3- dog night.
4eyedbuzzard
12-12-2007, 15:27
No wonder Mama Told Me Not To Come
doggiebag
12-12-2007, 15:34
Mr. Petty did say "Don't come around here no more." because it could be "The End" as per Mr. Morrison
I think the presence of a candle in your tent might have more of a psychological effect than a physical effect as far as making your feel warm. Just looking at a flame will make you feel warmer.
Panzer
sasquatch2014
12-12-2007, 16:41
Yeah the use of the end at the last part of yor video is just a bit too fitting given your magnatisim for FUBAR's
doggiebag
12-12-2007, 16:44
I think the presence of a candle in your tent might have more of a psychological effect than a physical effect as far as making your feel warm. Just looking at a flame will make you feel warmer.
Panzer
Possible ... but I'm wiling to bet that it's not just there for looks. I did have two of them burning. The next time we get a good cold snap here in MD. I'll set the tent up in the yard and do a more detailed test ... as long as the dog quits pooping in the area where I'm planning on doing this test. It's not that I'm getting obcessed by this "candle lantern thing" - but the more I can get comfy out there in winter conditions ... the better I can keep up with the folks from up North. At least I could stay out longer to make up for my slower pace.
doggiebag
12-14-2007, 21:57
Doggiebag, if you want to add warmth to your hammock, try making a hammock sock (http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearHammockSock.html). It cuts the wind very well and adds a fair amount of warmth. Well worth it, IMO.
I do have the 4 season option for my Hennesey Hammock to include a windproof barrier and foam pad insulation. It does the job of keeping me warm when I'm out by myself. My reason for finding options to add extra heat to a shelter was geared towards heating a four season tent in extreme cold conditions. I can stay warm in a hammock but in the single digit to negative degree range - I like the reassurance of a enclosed space where I can guarantee my dog and myself a reasonably safe and somewhat comfortable shelter. It's an ongoing process of trying different things to keep improving the cold weather skills to allow extended outings in winter weather. That hammock sock sure looks well made.
doggiebag
12-14-2007, 22:29
Re candles: The Chukchi (sp) nomads of arctic siberia sleep at -50 d F in an unheated yurt, in light underwear. The secret is a boxlike frame structure inside the yurt, just large enough to contain one or two sleepers and two candles. The frame is covered with highly insulating Caribou/reindeer hides. The candles and the people provide all the heat necessary, the yurt is just a windbreak.
Walt
Thanks for this little bit of information. I'll do a little research on indigenous peoples in that area. I knew that candles could provide the necessary heat in sub zero conditions for extended outings and knowing that these folks do it on a regular basis is a good motivator to continue playing with the concept.
When I use a candle lantern in my tent I hang it from the ceiling with a thin wire. That way it can't be knocked over, and the wire can't burn.
Panzer
I used candle lanterns before but more for light than heat. There is no way I could get any sleep worrying about me and my tent going up in flames! :eek: And now that we have LED headlamps/flashlights, who needs a candle for light? Now for romantic purposes, I can see there value and usefulness! :D
BackTrack1
12-16-2007, 21:04
does anyone know how to clean the glass on a candle lantern, i have wax and black stuff on the inside and dont know what to use to clean it with.
budforester
12-16-2007, 22:45
does anyone know how to clean the glass on a candle lantern, i have wax and black stuff on the inside and dont know what to use to clean it with.
Try a damp rag or paper towel to polish the stuff off. Caution: if there are any sharp edges, hold it with a glove and push the rag around with a stick. Wax and soot don't usually adhere strongly to the glass but if you can't rub it off, an organic solvent will be needed. Caution: you don't want toxic or flammible vapors. Take it outside and wipe or soak with kerosene or paint thinner.
Wanderingson
12-17-2007, 00:26
OK so let me weigh in on this one.
Please check out other threads I have replied to concerning winter hiking/camping. There are a few threads here as well as volumes of information available on winter camping.
For anyone who desires to do some serious winter hiking/camping I would highly recommend checking out Hal Weiss' book "Secrets of Warmth: For comfort or survival". This simple paperback changed my perspective completely on winter camping.
Years ago, I used a candle lantern for many reasons already mentioned in this thread. I have since retired my candle lantern for backpacking and have gone the way of LED and maximizing the secrets of warmth.
It's funny how the older I get, the wiser I become. Whether tenting, hammocking or sleeping in a snow cave, I can't see the tangibles of a candle lantern today. There are so many options to keep warm or retain vital body heat through managing heat loss.
doggiebag
12-17-2007, 00:34
OK so let me weigh in on this one.
Please check out other threads I have replied to concerning winter hiking/camping. There are a few threads here as well as volumes of information available on winter camping.
For anyone who desires to do some serious winter hiking/camping I would highly recommend checking out Hal Weiss' book "Secrets of Warmth: For comfort or survival". This simple paperback changed my perspective completely on winter camping.
Years ago, I used a candle lantern for many reasons already mentioned in this thread. I have since retired my candle lantern for backpacking and have gone the way of LED and maximizing the secrets of warmth.
It's funny how the older I get, the wiser I become. Whether tenting, hammocking or sleeping in a snow cave, I can't see the tangibles of a candle lantern today. There are so many options to keep warm or retain vital body heat through managing heat loss.
Man you're in freakin Kuwait. I'll still check out your articles.
Wanderingson
12-17-2007, 03:58
Man you're in freakin Kuwait. I'll still check out your articles.
DoggieBag,
Yep, Hanging out in Kuwait doing the coolest job I have had in my life. Retired after 26+ years military service and finally able to bank everything I make. Working on a gig to get back to the mountains of Northern Japan to enjoy some real winter hiking.
The Mechanical Man
12-17-2007, 04:16
Without tying to sound like an old man, I also used a candle lantern many years ago.
I now carry the short stubble end of a candle, minus the lantern................sometimes for hundreds of miles before lighting again.
Back when I first began hiking I purchased a candle lantern and by the time I had reached Atkins I gave the thing away.
Before I go any further here, you need to have a tent as big as the one I had to feel the effect of the warmth technique that I discovered. I had at the time a Mountain Hardware Kiva Mid-pole and I now have a second one.
From time to time if I wanted to go to the trouble I would retrieve hot rocks from the fire I had built and placed them inside of my floorless tent. My pack and I were on one side of the pole and the rocks were placed close to the center on the other side.
I ususally did this occasionally if I wanted a little added warmth so that I could have my arms and shoulders out of the bag while I read a book or looked at a magazine before I went to sleep.
For my ground cover under my therma-rest I used a heavy duty emergency blanket and I still do.
MaineSurveyor
12-17-2007, 11:13
does anyone know how to clean the glass on a candle lantern, i have wax and black stuff on the inside and dont know what to use to clean it with.
I clean the baked-on glaze (on the glass) on my home heating stove with a damp paper towel dipped in wood ashes (per stove's instruction manual).
--Mike.
sasquatch2014
12-17-2007, 11:22
Hot stones! We were laughing about the scene in Jeheramia (sp) Johnson where the old mt man has him bury coals under his bed roll and when he catches his blanks on fire in the night the old guy just lays there and says didn't think you buried it deep enough. Good stuff.
It's funny how the older I get, the wiser I become. Yeah, at 45 I felt the same way. But you've pretty much peaked buddy . . . now you can look forward to the down-hill! :eek: :D :p
I think the presence of a candle in your tent might have more of a psychological effect than a physical effect as far as making your feel warm. Just looking at a flame will make you feel warmer.
Panzer
iPod with video:
forest fire for maximum warmth
campfire for medium warmth
tea light for 'just a bit'
safe, secure, no CO2 problems.
you just need to keep it charged.
sasquatch2014
12-17-2007, 19:46
iPod with video:
forest fire for maximum warmth
campfire for medium warmth
tea light for 'just a bit'
safe, secure, no CO2 problems.
you just need to keep it charged.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Video for really hot.:dance
doggiebag
12-17-2007, 19:58
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Video for really hot.:dance
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=473318#post473318
Finally got over that midget thing huh? :banana
BackTrack1
12-17-2007, 21:50
hey mainesurveyer,
that worked great .
thanks,
Backtrack1
On the trail last spring on a chilly night I heated up some rocks in a campfire, then put them on the ground beside my tent so the heat would rise and go between my mesh tent wall and the rain fly. This worked really well, at least until I got to sleep, and that's all you really need I guess. A handwarmer or two in your bag also does wonders.