Coffee & Caviar - a summer overnight belt

I really wanted to change up a gear and make a load out for summer that fits on a belt.

But all the belts I found were either too chunky and uncomfortable to carry or they would flop over under the load.

Then I came across Alpenlore's Guide Belt and realised it was the very thing.

It is a webbing belt that has a large amount of high tension cord wrapped around it like a paracord bracelet.

This means that you can use it to hang any number of things on it.

The belt can also be dismantled and used as a ultra-lightweight harness.

In this video I show the whole load out.

If you are going to carry weight, make it yummy food or toys, right?

(I hope this is ok with the rules of this forum, if not please let me know and I will instantly adjust...)

That's too hardcore for me! Nice load out.

Man come on....you saw how cozy that was... you would rock this setup...

Susanne, are you sleeping on roots with no pad?

For me , sleeping with no pad would be good in a set up like that. The pain and discomfort would take my mind off the mosquitos eating me alive. My days of roughing it are over. Thanks for the video, it was entertaining, if not enlightening.

Oh no indeed. The ground in this location is deeep moss. Everywhere.

Better than my matress at home.

Just need a damp barrier...

Awesome place.

Nope. No suffering here at all. None.

Just saying it wouldn't work for me in the majority of places I backpack. I'm sure it works for you, otherwise you wouldn't have videoed it.

Indeed so.

In fact if I was not sure of the ground then I would sling my little Ticket to the Moon hammock. I would lose the plash palatka in favour of a bit of DWR to help keep the chill/wind off, and that with the loden is a very light bedroll.

The other thing I do is to use a DWR Nylon Bedsack.

Imagine a Bag of DWR... you could potentially get inside but the much more useful method is to stuff it in order to get a lovely matress.

Elsewise - Grab some string and some logs and made a quick raised string bed...very comfy. I use that in the winter a lot...



or

You might like the campfire tent I made from "emergency blankets". It's a UL backpacking tent based on the bushcraft "Super Shelter" and an old fashion "Baker's Tent".

It's a lot easier and faster to set up than a "Super Shelter", more efficient at trapping heat, and very roomy inside. It's also very easy to make. There's no sewing required, it's taped together, and it cost less than $35 for all the materials.

It's also pretty durable. I've tested this one pretty extensively over two years and made a few repairs with duct tape but it's still holding up and will be used again this coming season.

Here's a link to the discussion we had when I decided to make it, here are some more photos, and here's a very short video of it in use:

Oh THIS IS COOL..

I am building one for SURE.

WOW.
Just
W.O.W...

Brilliant.

What thickness of visqueen did you use?

awesomeawesomeawesome...

Thank you!

After testing a few different thicknesses I used 2 mil visqueen for the front panel. It's plenty strong enough and doesn't get too stiff when cold.

One downside is it will build up condensation overnight when it's wet out and you have the front panel closed. I imagine some vents near the top would help reduce that a lot, but I've not put any in mine yet. It dries quick if you get a fire going. You can even dry wet clothes in it pretty quickly, so it's not been a issue that's bothered me.

I think this tent matches your style of camping perfectly and you'd probably love it as much as I do. If you make one, you'll be the only other person I know that has one, and from what I've seen in your videos that won't bother you a bit.

I'd be glad to share what I've learned in more detail. There's certainly room for improvement and innovation in the concept, which is still pretty new. I've seen a few other tents made with the SOL emergency blankets, but they weren't designed to be used with a campfire. And I've seen a lot of variations on the "Super Shelter", which is truly ingenious, but they've all focused on the bush crafting method of building one.

I see this as the inevitable direction for these too approaches and after giving it a lot of thought the simplicity of the Bakers Tent design is hard to improve upon, but you really have to use one to truly appreciate it. It'd be hard for me to use anything else now.

Awesome. I am building it.

That is all there is to it...

Bill, were you burning hardwood? Most of the places I go in the winter are in pine and hemlock, which throw lots of sparks and burns quickly. I'm thinking more in lines of something like the SOL tarp shelter (I've slept under one twice this summer) with Suzanne's fire blanket fireplace. Suzanne, what brand of blanket is that?- some won't last a continuous fire. Or if you know the specific material? Thanks.

Yes, the Ozarks are filled with hardwoods. There are still some stands of pine, but it's mostly hardwood.

The fireplace blanket can be made with fiberglass cloth. You can buy it at auto parts stores or auto body supply stores. In the olden days when I welded steel we had an asbestos blanket, and they'd work great too but I doubt you can still buy them.