The wool blanket and sleeping kits

I wanted to add to other posts about camp clothing, bedding, and related items (with an eye on how that applies to GOOD or 72 hour kits).

As luck would have it I am not allergic to wool,  here in the mountains I have learned long ago that no matter how good (or expensive) some yuppie products, I always return to wool.

I have tried five very expensive outer wear sets in the past, in one excessively expensive Gore-tex camouflage jacket and bib set I just about killed myself trusting to the garment to work like I needed. That experience caused me to swear off the yuppie crap and go for the traditional products, or at least products I could trust. I can always trust wool, you pay for this with weight because wool is heavy but by golly it works (even somewhat well when wet), lasts forever (care to keep the insects away) and is tough under heavy use.

I was trying to find alternatives to synthetics and down (waterfowl products) for sleeping kits as I refuse to use down after several questionable products and several unfortunate events involving water.

One underlying problem with backpacking is weight and water, you have never seen miserable until you drench your down bag with water.

Three days into rain and snow mix on an elk hunting trip and a trail of water formed into my sleeping kit from a large canvas long-term-use tent (the big horse packing style tents).

Once it is drenched down is worthless.

Now of course some would say I may lack the skills needed to keep a sleeping bag dry, and that may well be true, in the end I am a beast, hard on some equipment and take trips in the worst of weather.

I have tried down several times after my first drenching only to have similar problems, wear issues (typically down bags are inside flimsy easy to rip covers) and even one fire. So in my quest to find a sleeping kit and explore other options I started looking over the "old-west-cowboy" bed-rolls and wool sleeping kits. I have found the following you may also be interested in watching.

Several thoughts about a kit - warm, resistance to weather, long wear, then weight, I am of course thinking about hunting and prepping instances, if you are forced to grab your GOOD bag a tough option that works under crap circumstances may be the ticket. (I don't think they will give you the choice of good weather under a forced bug out.)

The 72 hour kit (Bug-out-bag)

From San Fran the 72hours.org site.

72hours.org

The Best Preparedness magazine out there. (Just ignore Mas, the token collectivist)

www.backwoodshome.com

Disaster preparation!


More on this later.

The BOB/GOOD tarp-tent and hammock DIY project

After years of searching or a backpacking tent that worked well, the hammock tent is comfortable, easy to make, lightweight, great for foul weather, and can even be used on the ground as a regular tent if needed. Bug and snake proof and more comfortable than the ground, works well in cold weather also when set up correctly with an under-sling bag.

See project here...

Hammock tent project

Down and dirty, get ready now!

The small quick cabin with Stromberg’s Starplate

The quick cabin - most likely the most economical shelter building kit available - with simple pipe or 2x4 or 2x6 lumber you can build a small cabin that will sleep about 6 people, close quarters but with insulation and a small inexpensive wood stove.



The system is quite easy to use and several cabins can be built for the cost of a single pre-built.

The Eco-Cabin blog

Lodge-Tech has even turned it into a geodesic/yurt kit.

Check out the wooded seclusion yurt.

Stromberg’s Starplate systems