this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2024
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Sharing just to give this community a little bit of content. This December has been temperamental with snow – we've gone from tons to nothing and back several times. I do prefer it like this, last winter was just tons and that sucked XD

Three of us took to the sticks to make some good food, enjoy some homebrew beer, sleep soundly in the fresh -5 °C conditions and perhaps get up before sunrise to take the shotgun for a walk. Did all that save for the early walk, everyone chose sleep instead :)

Tried cooking with a 'jätkänkynttilä' / log torch for the first time. It was a revelation. A single log that would make four pieces of firewood lasts long enough to cook a whole meal if not two. This was cut from fresh pine that had been felled by wind two weeks earlier. The log torch is going to see a lot more use in our future adventures, for the winter it's perfect!

My sleeping arrangements consist of a self-made monofil / silnylon double layer hammock, an Enlightened Equipment short down underquilt rated for 20 °F ( -6 °C ) and a Carinthia Defence 4 synthetic sleeping bag, I think that promises comforts down to -10 °C. Forgot to pack a tarp, so I had to use my ground cloth in it's place :o) I did also put a string up across some trees and put some pine branches on it to make a windbreak towards the lake.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I always wondered on alone why the hammock was not a more popular item to take along. I feel like it allows for a pretty quick initial shelter allowing them to get to other things quicker like resource aquisition and building the long term shelter.

[–] beastlykings 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I've never watched it. Are they allowed a tent?

Just a hammock by itself is actually really terrible for sleep, unless it's quite warm out. You lose a lot of heat from underneath you unless you have an underquilt, which is basically a hammock shaped puffy blanket that snugs up underneath of you, but doesn't hold any of your weight, so it can stay puffy and insulating.

Would they be allowed to take a hammock and an underquilt? Then yeah, it's a great option.

I glamp with a big tent with my wife, but when is just me and the guys I use a hammock. Takes about the same amount of time to set up as a small tent, maybe less if you've got it dialed in(but I keep changing stuff). But the real benefit IMHO is that buying ever touches the dirt and condensation doesn't build up inside. So I never have to do any maintenance or cleaning at home 🤷‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

so they can take 10 items from a list that has varied but I think it intentionally never included a tent (sometimes the list changes because of restrictions in where its taking place like a know a few seasons fishing net things were not allowed). They also get to take some items in a list that is the same for everyone. Much of that is allowed clothing. I think the sleeping bag is either in the general list or everyone selects it as a matter of course. After season one folks knew a bit more and there are certain items they rarely choose now like tarps because they give you some to cover the camera equipment and contestants tend to use it in shelter creation and have the camera equipment in there. One of the biggest complaints from contestants is they could do much better if they did not have to drag the camera equipment around. Its the most realistic survival show in my opinion and its free on one of the streaming services. im thinking roku. I often joke its a starvation competition. They get medically checked out on some regular basis and they can be booted for not being healthy enough which includes to low a percentage fat.

[–] beastlykings 1 points 3 days ago

That's really cool thanks!

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