Had a wierd dream last night. I was in some sort of Katrina-esque aftermath and my nextdoor neighbor at work had two .38 pistols but only 13 rounds of ammo. Since , in the dream, he ran a bar I figured I’d trade ammo for food. As Im rummaging through the shop for .38 FMJ ammo I’m debating whether to go with the AR or the FAL for my own defensive use. I decide on the FAL, mostly for its visual impact. So far so good, right? The really wierd part is that while Im doing this me and the guy nextdoor are wearing bunny rabbit costumes.
Yeah, makes no sense to me either. Well, the rabbit suit part, I mean…the rest makes perfect sense.
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One of the LMI is bidding on eBay for the military four-piece ‘sleep system’. Thats the inner bag, outer bag, Goretex bivvy cover and compression sack. I’ve been meaning to get one and see what its like but I just havent had the money. When his arrives I’ll be very interested in checking it out. Theyre on eBay now for $150~ which is a pretty good deal IF they are any good. I’ve got some good commercial bags for me and the bunkerbabe but this is Montana and it can get beyond cold if all the conditions are right. If Im going to be stuck snowbound in a ditch waiting for a wrecker I’d like to not freeze to death.
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I’ve been a fan of the Alladin kerosene lamps for a while. They produce far more light than a decorative cheapo kerosene lantern, they look good, burn pretty cleanly and give off some warmth as well as illumination. Threw together a search on eBay and bookmarked it since I need to get a couple more mantles, wicks and a spare chimney or two. Nice thing is, they run on kerosene…just like my room heater. And camp stoves. Handy, that. And kerosene keeps far, far better than gasoline and without the addociated risks in storage and transferring.
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Well, these look nice…..
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but a great addition to your truck box stash would be several black plastic garbage bags. With some slits for head and arms, and worn next to the skin under your clothes, it provides emergency warmth by eliminating a lot of heat loss through sensible evaporation. The sleep system I used in Big Sur was based on the same principle plus radiant heat reflection.
The really wierd part is that while Im doing this me and the guy nextdoor are wearing bunny rabbit costumes.
Obviously, the result of a lost bet with the bunker babe.
Or perhaps you were under biological attack:
Im gonna take a guess that you and the bunkerbabe watched Boston Legal on Tuesday night …
I’ve used a sheet of open cell foam about 3″ thick, 6′ by 6′ and 550 cord to make emergency mummy bags. Add a few large trash bags and never need to worry about a emergency sleep system again.
That should work. Did you sleep for a night using that, and if so, how cold was it?
Twice in KY, I got too tired to drive and slept in a pick-ups bed… temps IIRC cold enough to leave ice and frost. Many times in open waters south of Grand Isle and Houma while scuba diving or fishing. Open 22′ Boston Whaler and mid 30s and 40s. Of the two places the open water seemed colder. I always kept cheap aluminized glove liners and HD cotton work gloves on the boat along w/ a wool jeep cap or two. That really helped since my head was where the largest heat loss was happening. BTW I got this idea from the Whole Earth Catalog, way back in the 60’s and passed it to my AF SERE instructors.
Yeah – I keep a watch cap for the same reason and used it in Big Sur. I learned how important a hat is in cold weather growing up in Minnesota. And my head no longer has much natural insulation 😉
I haven’t watched tonight’s yet, but it’s worth seeing just for James Spader and William Shatner. Together. Being them.
I don’t know if you remember me ranting about it, but Wiggy’s bags are the best. Not the very lightest, but close, and far more durable and warmer. Conservatively rated, big zippers, and fully washable. If I were living in Montana, I’d have an Ultima Thule in my kit. As it is, an Ultralight 20° bag is plenty, and if I ever need more, the overbag will take me to -20.
They make an interesting product, but their explanations are flat wrong on several counts. I’d try one of their sweaters if the price weren’t so high.
You know I live in NOLaNorth (Mineapolis) now. Re, natural insulation. I’ve been wondering why all my headgear isn’t fitting right, well after a “Eurika!” moment I guessed that the big …bald… taxiway on top I leased to MAC for longterm storage of NW aircraft was the prob. Much more thought is needed for a solution I fear.
well, the long and the short of the source of my comment is that Tuesday night was the “halloween episode” of sorts of Boston Legal.
The end of the show showed Shatner and Spader (Denny Crane and Alan Shore) sitting out on their balcony in pink flamingo suits.
It was funny. You had to be there.
It was pretty choice. I enjoyed it alot!
I grew up at Minnetonka – best place in the world to grow up back then 😉
sleeping comfort
had gotten along with stuffing one sleeping bag into another. in very cold weather used a net hamock to stay off the ground. also used those chemical heat bags for additional warmth.
as for the dream, maybe should look into a warm burrow shelter, or at least stock up on freeze dried carrots.
for indoor heating,smoke detectors and co detectors are a good investment.
The current issue of military sleeping system (bivy sack, black bag, green bag) is good gear!!! Yes, it’s expensive, but damn, let me tell you… I’ve woken up many nights in the field with frost/ice all over my gear, but I was warm and toasty inside the bag. Get a foam mat (we call them ISO mats, not sure if that’s an acronym or what for… they are officially listed as ‘mat, sleeping, foam’) to put on the ground, they make a big difference in how much heat you are losing. Also, what they told us to do in training, and what seems to work well is, if it’s cold, strip down to your skivies (or even naked if it’s really cold – your body heat will radiate from your skin and reflect back from the bag), and stuff your boots into the bivy sack so they don’t freeze/end up with snakes and spiders in them, and stuff your cammies down into the main bag by your feet or use as a pillow, and of course your rifle goes in the bag with you too 😉