Blog on a Log
Friday, June 17, 2011
Summer Hazards: Midnight Tent Confusion
Can you feel it? Summer is finally here, and it's time to pull out everyone's #1 camping item: the tent.
During the long, cold winter months, we dream of warm summer nights under the canvas (or polyester). Tenting is a well-loved joy; the evening campfires, the sound of gentle rain on the fly as your warm and snug inside, waking up with the sun-there's no shortage of great reasons to go camping. But for all the wonder of a tent, camping in the great outdoors does hold dangers and troubles - and none are to be feared more than midnight tent confusion.
We've all been there - it's late, it's dark, you wake up in your tent, and you have no idea where the door is. Maybe you've misplaced your headlamp. Maybe your tent buddy is a fitful sleeper, and you're trying not to wake them. Maybe you shouldn't have drank that last beer around the campfire, and need to find a conveniently placed bush ASAP. Whatever the details, the great outdoors are calling from just beyond an elusive zipper - if only you knew where to zip.
Don't let the darkness oppress you - freedom is waiting! Just follow one of these sure-fire methods and you'll be out before you can say "mummy bag":
- The Glowing Zip - for those well-prepared, a glowstick tied to the tent zipper ensures no need for night time fumbles (or only the good kind). Crack the stick before settling in, and you're good to go! Just be sure to get a long-lasting one; that 3-year old freebie from the bottom of some gift bag is pretty much guaranteed to run out long before you actually wake up and need it.
- The Goggle - for the technophile, darkness poses little challenge. It may cost you dear, but for full dark tent visibility without waking others, there's no beating a set of night vision goggles. Find your way out without causing any fuss - just be sure a helpful tent buddy doesn't hear your moving around and decide to guide your way by flicking on a flashlight.
- The Toe-Tie - Like Perseus, the tent is your labyrinth, and the only way to be sure of knowing the way out is to use a guide. Before bed, take a moment to tie a string from your toe to the tent zipper. Length is recommended if you're a fitful sleeper, but you can always be sure to locate the way out, even in the darkest night. Combines especially well with those fond of venting their feet out the bottom of the bag.
- The Blind Grope - when all else fails, there's nothing for it but to start at one tent wall and follow the side around until you hit a zipper. This pretty much always works, but use with care - it's not popular amongst sleeping tent buddies, and is pretty much guaranteed to leave the inside of your tent awash with the ravaged remains of the gear you've tossed out of the way. Should only be attempted when all other methods have failed.
Midnight tent confusion is an oft-neglected danger facing even the most confident campers. Do not be taken unawares - preparation is everything. With one of our sure-fire methods, the ever-present fear of lost zippers and full bladders can be a thing of the past. Asses your risk - know your enemy. Only you can prevent midnight tent confusion.
Of course, you will never know the pleasure of a successful zipper-location without a tent to camp in. If your backcountry home is in need of a replacement, why not join us at our Tent Expo in Winnipeg this weekend (June 17-19). Over 50 tents have been set up for your browsing convenience - it's the perfect place to find your new favourite home-away-from-home!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Manitoba Whitewater Club Shindiggg
Join Wilderness Supply, WavPaddling, and other paddle enthusiasts from Manitoba and beyond at the Manitoba Whitewater Club's annual Shindiggg, June 3-5 at Cooks Falls in Elma, Manitoba. Get ready for a weekend of paddling, games, fireworks, and more!
This year's schedule features:
• Clinics by WavPaddling instructors Saturday morning
• Saturday afternoon river run
• Sunday play spots: Sturgeon Falls, Whitemud
• White water prizes
• Catered dinner by Lee River B & B Saturday night
• Vegetarian meal available
• Tunes by B Mac, Shenannigans, Fireworks, Sat Night
• Sunday morning breakfast courtesy of WavPaddling
• Camping included on Saturday night.
Cost is $60 (plus $12 camping for Friday night) for MWC members who register before May 15th, and $75 (plus $12 camping) after May 15th. Non-members add $15 for Manitoba Whtiewater Club membership.
To register for this year's Shindiggg, fill out a registration form and return to:
Bradley Swartz
1136 McMillan Ave
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3M 0W1
bradleyswartz@shaw.ca
See you there!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Woodland Caribou Provincial Park Maps
Paddle season is upon us! As you plan out this year's adventures, consider a visit to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, located in Ontario on the Manitoba border - just a car ride away from either Wilderness Supply store. Woodland Caribou is a wilderness park, offering great backcountry paddling opportunities. Check out the following access maps, paddle route maps and portage route maps to get your plans in motion!
Portage route maps - map 1 map 2
Friday, March 18, 2011
Wild Adventures: Overnighter On Lake Winnipeg
Here at Wilderness Supply we love outfitting people with the gear to tackle their adventures--and we love hearing about those adventures afterward! Ken Stojak recently sent us a great email about an overnight trip on Lake Winnipeg in his new The North Face Mountain 35 tent, complete with photos! Reprinted here with permission.
Our original plan was to ski across the lake from Gimli to Grand Beach but we were unsuccessful in locating a shuttle to pick us up so we decided to ski out half way, camp and ski back the next day to where we left the car.
The weather was quite bad leaving Gimli at 14:00 Saturday. Strong winds from the NNW. We set out and at approx 6 km from shore we came along a huge ice ridge which we thought would provide ideal coverage against the elements. We decided to look for an ideal spot to set up the North Face Mountain 35 tent I recently purchased from you.
While I pitched the tent, Tony began carving out sections of hard packed snow to build more of a wind break. The tent set up easily - even in the strong winds (30km). We cooked/made tea in the front vestibule and vented thru the front and roof to ensure the condensation would leave. We got to bed early and would occasionally be woken with the ice shifting/cracking which actually sounded like thunder. Little did I know that Tony came across slush on the opposite side of the ice ridge!!!
The wind eventually died down somewhere around 22:00 and stayed that way until 08:00. We slept about 14 hours comfortably in the -31c wind chilled temperature. WHAT A GREAT TENT!!!!!!!
Have a story about your wild adventures? We'd love to hear it! Drop us a line at info@wildernesssupply.ca or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Solving the Packer's Problem: how to compress your clothes and organize them too
Clothes are the bane of most packers' existence. Next to perhaps shoes, nothing seems to take up more dead space in your bag. You’re eyeing your small pile of clothes, thinking you’ve done a good job paring down the necessities, but when it comes time to pack up your bag before you know it you’re out of room. Not only that, but your bag is full of a mish-mash of random clothing with no rhyme nor reason – finding what you want is a frustrating process, and there’s no room for that first aid kit or travel towel.
We've done a video on packing here at Wilderness Supply, and I stand by what I said within it: when packing clothes, stuff sacks are the way to go for organization, and compression sacks are the way to go to save space. But what if you want the best of both worlds? For those who want to have their cake and wear it too, a combination of both methods is the sure-fire way to pack the most in the least amount of space without skimping on organization.
The trick to this method is to find lightweight stuff sacks - the less bulk they add the better. If you're crafty you can even make them yourself. A bit of light fabric and a drawstring, and you've got yourself a passable bag.
Make one bag for each type of clothing item. For example, your trip might include:
- 1 bag for tops
- 1 bag for bottoms
- 1 bag for underwear and socks
- 1 bag for a sleep sheet
- 1 bag to store dirty clothes waiting for a wash
Buy or make bags of different colours, if possible, to make the contents easy to identify without opening. There’s no need for extra bulk, but don't stress about making the bags too tight a fit; the space saving will not come from the stuff sacks themselves, but from a compression sack.
So your clothes are all stuffed up, and probably still taking up way more space than you'd like. The next step is to buy a compression sack large enough to fit all your stuff bags. A 16L does for me, but you'll have to test it out yourself for your own gear. Place your stuff sacks inside and TIGHTEN things down until you've compressed your clothing as much as possible.
Success! You have just managed to get the best of both worlds. Your clothes are compressed for maximum packing space, but there's no need to root through every piece of clothing you own when you want something. Simply open your compression sack, pull out your stuff sacks, and open the sack holding the particular item you want. Re-packing is a breeze, and everything stays organized.
I can vouch for the method - I'm currently writing from New Zealand, where I've been carting around 6 months worth of clothing organized into a 16L stuff sack. The whole collection fits in to the small bottom section of my pack, leaving the entire top section open for other trip essentials. If that’s not practicing what I preach, I don’t know what is.
My stuff sack, compression sack combination