Camping in the yard?

[fiveonomo]

Hello all,

i have been purchasing my gear for a little while now and I am itching to try it. I am thinking tomorrow night, no chance of rain and a high of 47 degrees and a low of 32 degrees.

I have a BA Copper Spur UL 2, a BA Encampment 15 degree bag, BA insulated air core pad and pillow. I have some old poly pro bottoms, wool socks, poly pro top, stocking cap, for my base layer. I was thinking a pair of fleece pants and a coat I picked up from REI.

Any suggestions? I thought I would try the yard before I went out somewhere, this way I can go in the house if it gets bad. Looking for advice. Thanks in advance.

Scott

[WingedMonkey]

I thought I would try the yard before I went out somewhere, this way I can go in the house if it gets bad. Looking for advice. Thanks in advance.

Scott

Yes to testing in the yard. No to running in the house first sign of discomfort.

And next time look for even worse weather to test in, including rain.

:sun

[searust]

Be sure to cook supper and then hang food bag

[Mountain Mike]

No better place to test it.

[Astro]

Yes to testing in the yard. No to running in the house first sign of discomfort.

And next time look for even worse weather to test in, including rain.

:sun
+1, it gets cold and rains in the real world on the AT

[Prime Time]

Your setup would be comfortable in the single digits. You'll be hot with all that in the 30's.

[SassyWindsor]

Mail drops will be should work out pretty good.:D

[Mountain Mike]

Neighbors might complain about cat holes though.

[atmilkman]

Your setup would be comfortable in the single digits. You'll be hot with all that in the 30's.
That's what I thought. I'd try it barefoot in your underwear.

[fiveonomo]

Thanks everyone for the responses. As a U.S. Marine I have camped in places that most folks would not dare dream of camping in, very hot climates and very cold climates in some far away lands. As a matter of fact, when i got out I swore I would never carry a backpack (ruck sack) ever again. That was a few years ago.

I got out of the Marines in 1997 and now at 42 I have decided maybe I would like this backpacking thing. The pack I was used to carrying doubled what the norm is for modern backpacking from what I can tell. The gear was bulky and heavy and I do not remember being very warm when we were in cold climates. I have a pretty physical job now and I am finding it harder and harder to keep up with the young guys here but I make do.

So I guess this really is not a test for me as I have been tested in numerous ways and really have nothing to prove to myself. This is a mere test of the gear, frankly I do not think that the bag and the pad will keep me warm. Sure there are things you can do to survive, more than the average individual realizes. But again, I want to test the gear and since I already know who I am and what my personal limits are I do not feel the need to be uncomfortable in my back yard. After you spend some years being uncomfortable I don't really have a desire to do it just so I can say I did, been there done that.

Thanks for the real world comment Astro, that's funny.

Prime Time, I am sure I won't be hot. I hope I am wrong, I will let you know though.

Thanks again for the input.

[kayak karl]

do stay the whole night to check gear. it may be fine for a few hours, but when 4am rolls around and your metabolism changes that is when it will fail, if it does. don't worry if you can't sleep. i can never sleep in the yard. 24 hr refineries, trains and foghorns on the river keep me up.

[fiveonomo]

No neighbors Mountain Mike, I live out in the woods a little bit so nobody to disturb......except of course the family. As long as I head out into the woods for that I will be ok, gotta keep the wife and kid happy. If I started digging holes in the yard I can hear her now...."We have all these woods on our property and you do this in our yard".

[fiveonomo]

I agree Karl, around that time will be the true test. I have farms that back up to my property, it is very peaceful on my land so I am hoping to sleep, we will see.

[Wise Old Owl]

Do a night in a down pour! then you will be ready!

[evyck da fleet]

You can always set it up and leave it out in the rain one day while you're nice and dry inside to check your setup. You might also want to set up the tent on a hardwood floor inside the house and sleeping inside one night if camping in the yard means sleeping on some soft grass instead of the hard ground. Otherwise, there's no harm in starting with all your clothes and taking some off until you find what feels most comfortable at night.

[Double Wide]

I've tested every piece of new gear in my backyard before taking it out in the woods for real. Tent, pack, stove, mattress pad, sleeping bag, headlamp, etc. Might as well try it where there's an easy bail-out in case of catastrophic failure... :D

[Wise Old Owl]

You can always set it up and leave it out in the rain one day while you're nice and dry inside to check your setup. You might also want to set up the tent on a hardwood floor inside the house and sleeping inside one night if camping in the yard means sleeping on some soft grass instead of the hard ground. Otherwise, there's no harm in starting with all your clothes and taking some off until you find what feels most comfortable at night.


serious? what ever happened to suffering out there in the storm? IF you are hiking the trail suck it up! Find a little metal! What go inside and sleep in comfort? Hmm me thinks you are a https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0OSAk7SCDjsmkX2rbeEkVba-e7K_Hx9AIsFWANO3Ep2V-fjhRjQwmKAlB

Ok a little harsh, but are you going to bug out on your first down pour? Are you going to leave because it rained for 5 days? What are your plans - what do you have in place to stick it out? What if you cant get of the trail?

[coach lou]

I bought my WM Puma in January '04', I tested it on the deck, but it just wasn't right. 20 Feb, I had a 130 game at The Berkshire school, that is under the 'Elbow trail' on Mt. everrett, Ma. They were calling for rain on our coast....PERFECT......I packed ALICE. My partner arrived at the same time as I, he walked up to my Jeep, I opened the hatch to grab my hockey bag, my pack was next to it............"Lou, what is that", "Oh man, I got a new sleeping bag, after our game i'm going up there, and spend the nite field testing it"........"lou, you are as crazy as they say, aren't you?"

[Mountain Mike]

Even top brand gear has defects now & then. On one long weekend trip I decided to get a new stove on the way. Brand I was familiar with. Out of the box it failed! Lucky my friend brought his too so not a problem & got a replacement on way home & it's worked since.

How many times have you seen hikers on the trail trying to set up tent for first time?

Test at home, get used to it then do a proper field test.

[Leanthree]

Whenever there is a very windy day, go practice pitching your tent as well. It will save you from learning to pitch in the wind while it is raining too.

[Maddoxsjohnston]

keep in mind when buying a sleeping bag that it's usually a good 10-20 degrees warmer in a tent....you'll be very warm in wool clothes in a 15 degree bag in a tent in above freezing weather

[Astro]

Remember when our Boy Scout Troop got brand new tents and we took them to the Council Camporee. It was dark, pouring down rain, with really strong winds as we worked on putting them up the first time. After getting mine up had to go around helping all of the scouts (4 person tents can really take off when the wind catches them). Was wishing afterwards we had done a "dry run" at a meeting ahead of time.

[G-FOURce]

...

So I guess this really is not a test for me as I have been tested in numerous ways and really have nothing to prove to myself. This is a mere test of the gear, frankly I do not think that the bag and the pad will keep me warm. Sure there are things you can do to survive, more than the average individual realizes. But again, I want to test the gear and since I already know who I am and what my personal limits are I do not feel the need to be uncomfortable in my back yard. After you spend some years being uncomfortable I don't really have a desire to do it just so I can say I did, been there done that.

...

Prime Time, I am sure I won't be hot...


friendly wager? i can't speak for the pad, but i have full confidence in that bag and i'd be shocked if you aren't cozy all night, if not overly warm, at 32*. the assumptions here are:

1. the pad* your using will function as designed and carries the proper R-rating
2. the bag stays dry
3. you're sheltered from wind (not a breeze... wind)

let me know 5-O... :-)

(note: that pad, per the Big Agnes website, is rated to 15*. given my experience with their gear my inclination is to trust that rating so i suspect you're going to be pleasantly surprised by the sleeping gear)

[daddytwosticks]

About 50 feet from my front door is hundreds of acres of US Forest Service land that runs down to Lake Hiawasse. I've tested my setup numerous times by just walking out the front door about 100 yards. If I want to simulate sleeping in the typical AT shelter, I'll sleep on my front porch. I live in a very secluded subdivision with mostly seasonal homes/cabins around...paradise. :)

[Drybones]

I've tested every piece of new gear in my backyard before taking it out in the woods for real. Tent, pack, stove, mattress pad, sleeping bag, headlamp, etc. Might as well try it where there's an easy bail-out in case of catastrophic failure... :D

I dont need new gear to test...I just go sleep in the backyard sometimes...really sleep good with the rain pounding the tent.

[Astro]

About 50 feet from my front door is hundreds of acres of US Forest Service land that runs down to Lake Hiawasse. I've tested my setup numerous times by just walking out the front door about 100 yards. If I want to simulate sleeping in the typical AT shelter, I'll sleep on my front porch. I live in a very secluded subdivision with mostly seasonal homes/cabins around...paradise. :)

You are a lucky man. Or perhaps just have your prioties in the right place when choosing where you live.

[evyck da fleet]

@wiseold owl - First, not offended by your post. What I was trying to say was, in addition to testing out the gear in dry weather, he should also test it in the rain. As another poster mentioned products come with defects and it would suck to find out in the middle of woods that your tent wasn't properly seem sealed or had another defect. Before my thru, I slept in the backyard a couple of times but it never rained. So one afternoon I went out in a rainstorm to set up the tent and went back a couple hours later to make sure there were no leaks.

I did not sleep on the floor inside my house beforehand and wish I had. The first few nights on the trail I kept waking up as my arm would fall asleep(side sleeper) when I set up my tent on a dirt area and that didn't happen when sleeping on grass in my backyard. If I had tested my setup out on a harder surface first I would have know that beforehand and not have had to been sleep deprived the first few days of my hike as I adjusted.

[Wise Old Owl]

I was only trying to get a rise out of you. It was harsh. but all to often over the years the people that make the 2000 mile distance have teflon skin... During the wettest seasons more people don't finish.

On my Canada Trip - there was no choice when the downpours came, we still had to paddle,portage, and cover ground. It wasn't bad, but everything got soaked.

[Drybones]

[QUOTE=evyck da fleet;1387822 What I was trying to say was, in addition to testing out the gear in dry weather, he should also test it in the rain. [/QUOTE]

I agree with testing in rain...I learned I had to replace the 6" stakes with 8" when the ground got soft from rain, had high winds, and the tent blew over.

[G-FOURce]

so... results?

[oceaneire]

Waiting to hear how it things went!

[fiveonomo]

I wrote this big dissertation and lost the whole damn thing, I am so pissed.

[fiveonomo]

Good morning all, I have to say something...... I was wrong and my apologies. Yep, I was wrong. I went out around 10 pm and climbed in my tent, the temp was 29 degrees. I was wearing poly pro bottoms with a pair of fleece pants over them, two pairs of socks (wool and something else), a thin under armor type long sleeve top layer with a regular old sweatshirt on top. A hat and a coat from REI.


I decided to try out the boiling water into the Naglene bottle, that was definitely not needed but works like a charm. The only down side I could see would be if the bottle leaked. I don't recommend putting the boiling water straight in the bottle, I thought that it was probably bad for the bottle as I was doing it but I did it anyway. You ever do something and while you are doing it you think, "this is a bad idea"? The bottle is a little deformed now but hopefully it will reform.


shortly after I climbed into my bag I began to get very hot. I had taken off the coat when I got into the bag but I had everything else on including the bottle in the leg area, man that works. I spoke to G-FOURce for a while via text, about various things including him knowing that I was going to be toasty. I had my doubts, but I was quickly figuring out that all you guys were correct.


A few minutes passed by and the top layer had to come off, I was hot, like I just worked out hot. I then snuggled back in and was actually very comfortable. Maybe 20 minutes or so passed and I was just to hot, a temperature check showed 28 degrees.


Did I mention that I don't really live right on top of people, we all have a little land and I back up to two farms? Anyway I never really realized how far a dogs bark could travel, it sounded like hundreds of dogs and they had been barking since I got in the tent.


I now am warm again. I ended up finding the right combination, a pair of wool socks (not needed)' Hanes boxer briefs and a stocking cap. I took it all off except my underwear, hat and socks and was completely toasty and comfortable. Besides the dogs it was very comfortable and relaxing.


The dogs finally knocked it off around 11 something and I drifted off to sleep. Shortly there after the dogs were back barking from all directions off in the distance. This cycle happened a couple more times and it really sucked, I was coming off of a 24 hour shift earlier that morning and didn't really get much sleep at work, it was a busy night.


At 1 am I packed it up and came inside. I know it was only a few hours out there but I got my answer about staying warm. It is also very important to know that the only reason I came in was because of the crazed barking dogs, all 1000 of them.


Anyway, thanks for all the input, you guys were right. Thanks G-FOURce!

[fiveonomo]

Third time is the charm I guess.

[MyName1sMud]

Be sure to cook supper and then hang food bag

Gotta keep it real right?

haha

[oceaneire]

Waiting to hear how it things went!

"it things" - sigh. just choose one of these...

[G-FOURce]

In my experience, BA bags run pretty true to temp. In the interest of transparency I would have to share that I am a warm sleeper, so perhaps it's partly me. Anyway, glad you had success and ended up getting a little sleep.