Test yourself & equipment in all weather conditions

[RobertJ]

I try and "Train" and do dry runs in real world conditions. It's nice to learn in the "GOOD" weather but... get out there in the downpours,winds,cold,etc.(no snow here in florida). I do this for my mind set and equipment checks. I do this in fairly controlled (read as safely) conditions. I can pack up and leave if something or several things go wrong verses being in the field for "real" miles from anything, or a SHTF situation occurs and your equipment dose not work as advertised/ planned.
I have several modes of bug out shelter, and have really now found the benefits of hammock camping and light weight hiking. Yup Im counting ounces, never thought i'd be turned to the dark side LOL:).

This not so dry run This past Saturday showed me the quality of my equipment and what I lacked. I have several different hammocks as well as my compadres. Well the weather report for the weekend was what we were looking for in central florida. Several days of heavy rain and winds up to 40mph. My friend also came up with a new to me food prep for back packing. Its basically a bread or dough mix with self rising flowers all dry in baggies and you mix with water when ready to cook. its lighter weight and you have some hot breads/cakes to enjoy outdoors, comfort foods.
What worked and what didnt.
Shelter:
Warbonnet hammocks with a superfly and mambajamba Tarps
Pawley island and grand trunk Tarp
These were set up with snakeskins, woopie slings, and tree straps with toggles. We had all three tarps up and set in less then 5 minutes.
We cooked lunch before we set up hammocks under the tarps. Lunch consisted of some bannanna walnut bread mix and ham n cheese wraps.
Set up the hammocks (less then 5 minutes) and started the fire in pouring rain. Fire started right up (another thread later on this)
No problems what so ever in the shelter area.

Food/cooking:
I used my Jetboil and a butterfly burner stove. jet boil heated cocoa and coffee. bread was kooked in a mini Ti. 4" fry pan, all worked flawlessly.

What went wrong? not to much, got rid of the stock tie outs and stakes on the grand trunk tarp and replaced them with "Zing it" and Ti. 6" stakes... much better now. MY Granite Gear Meridian needs a rain cover but I had everything inside it dry due to packing everything in ziplocks and dry bags. Must pick up a rain cover for it.
Hammock camping is the way to go. The rain was blowing sideways at times as well as straight down downpours. Never got wet nor the hammocks. Tarps more then did their jobs.
I do need an underquilt it got down in the low 60s and I started getting a chill when the sun went down, never leave it at home (lesson learned)

8am untill I called it a night, breakdown of camp and policing area was less then 4 minutes in the worse downpour this year. A headlamp is your friend here, love my streamlight! I also have to buy a better pair of hiking boots mine leak a bit,wet feet = no fun. My frogg toggs worked wonders as well never sweated or soaked through.

Another casulity was my long arm, thought I wiped it down with oil good enough when Igot home. Found some surface rusting in the AM when I woke, glad I checked. The pistol and knives had no problems.





sorry for crappy cell phone pics, did not want to bring camera in the bad weather.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Awesome, that looks like a good time! Never done this, might be worthy of trying

[Bill Foster]

Thank you for the ideas. I will plan a wet weather camp myself if it ever rains in GA again. I like the hammock with cover. As much as I have camped, I've never seen that. I would have been on the cold, wet ground. I have been caught in a hard rain before. One has to be careful not to slip in leaves or muddy trail. One's clothes weigh more, and rub more when hiking. After a while, you get used to the noise and wet. I didn't say you would like it, but you do get used to it.

[WiseOwl]

Oh yeah, the hammock is my best friend. Mine weighs 14 oz and has the mosquito cover. I cant think of the life of me of the brand but they are made in Maine. It is pretty durable too. I also put the tarp over it to create the A Frame. But I will share one of my secrets with you. I bought a cheap blow up pool float, you know the lounge ones that are long and skinny? It packs down very light and flat and when you blow it up, put it in the hammock for stability and comfort. My buddies take the pool floats for their tents but when I tried it in the hammock, it was wonderful. But the one downfall of the hammock is all of the cold air underneath that WILL get you. I found a tent online for $20 that weighs 3.5 oz and packs down small. It is a 1.5 person A frame and works good too, just not with the wife inside.
I will get the brand names of these two and repost em.....but try that pool float idea. I know in FL yall can get em 365 a year, but here they disappear in Sept. I wait until Dollar General has em at 90% off and get em for less than a dollar. I prefer the neon green over the pink...:)

[WiseOwl]

Also, I go camping ever year in January to prepare for the Anti Al Gore Ice Age.....2 years ago it was negative degrees all day and was....fun. This year there was snow on the north face of every mountain and we hiked some AT...but in this weather we base camp and then day hike.


The pic with the fur collar hood is at 3600 feet elevation and -20 degrees with the wind...and yes I had gloves but they were in my pocket at that moment...Negative anything degrees is freakin COLD! But we camp through it like some Redneck Eskimos