Your odd habits in making camp?

[Guest]

I have a number of ingrained and habitual practices in camp, from checking for window makers above the tent or tarp to preferred set up order of sequence.

I want my canoe hauled well above the highwater line, tied down with painters spring lined pulling in oppositional directions, so I know it will be there no matter hell or high water in the morning, and not at the taut windblown end of a single painter line, or flipped upright in a gale and filled with rainwater.

I want the tarp or tent set up ASAP, which one depending on the immediately anticipated weather. Once the tent goes up I want it fully prepped for a night’s sleep; pad inflated, sleeping bag, clothes bag, flashlight & book, vestibule water bottle & piss bottle and etc all at the ready. If the crap hits the fan unexpectedly fast and I make a quick retreat for the night I don’t want to have to scamper back out looking for some still packed or distant comfort item.

On pack-in potable water trips I keep my SS canteens filled, or at least fill them after every meal and before retiring. I trust the SS canteens for than the dromedary bags, and it is more convenient to start “cooking” (boiling water) breakfast the next bleery-eyed morning if those water vessels are already full. And refilled again after beakfast for the coming day’s activities.

But one of the first things I do in camp, before considering tent or tarp orientation or anything else, is to grab the compass and heel-dig or otherwise mark an arrow pointing north for future reference. And then consider the prevailing wind and weather for tent and tarp orientation.

Maybe I am just old or forgetful, but I like having that simplistic compass rose visible for immediate reference. Even when truck camping, laying over with friends or campground over nighting along the way, I make and mark my bearings North à.

I know that direction at home without need of orientation, but in less familiar places a quick reference arrow is comforting in camp. Hummm, the wind is swinging around to the east now . . . .

 

[yellowcanoe]

I wait for the sleeping bag to fluff itself the air mattress to puff itself and the tent to self install while I read
Two hours later I realize none of that is going to happen
The first thing assembled is the Helinox chair I don't wait for its dawdling habits.
Direction. Normally no matter where I am I have a good sense of direction but for some reason night one on the Bowron chain had the sun sinking in the East. That was really unsettling sending me scurrying for the map

 

[Marten]

If the weather is not threatening and enough time is left for my clothes to dry I get in the water fully clothed and get rid of the day's salt and grime accumulation. Then my Crazy Creek chair is positioned against a properly slanted rock slab so I can sit back and enjoy the view while resting. If there is coffee left in the thermos and the daily Snickers bar still in the wrapper it makes it even better. Then refreshed I have the energy to make a proper camp and not just settle for what comes the easiest. I need to add that north reference marker Mike mentioned. I usually have a good idea because evening shade is a priority in picking a Boreal campsite with the sun not setting until after 9:00 but it always comes up sooner or later. Where's north?

 

[memaquay]

from checking for window makers above the tent

I'm with you there, especially those dang Dutch window makers, with their big filthy beards, hanging out of trees like dirty monkeys in overalls. You gotta be careful cutting them down though, as the glass will often shatter all over your tent site, and if you don't fall the tree the right way, you''ll have to dispatch the window makers, and some of those buggers are pretty tough!

 

[Guest]

I'm with you there, especially those dang Dutch window makers, with their big filthy beards, hanging out of trees like dirty monkeys in overalls. You gotta be careful cutting them down though, as the glass will often shatter all over your tent site, and if you don't fall the tree the right way, you''ll have to dispatch the window makers, and some of those buggers are pretty tough!

Once you get them on the ground you can usually tame them with a bottle of bourbon. If properly bourbonized they will fall over peacefully of their own accord and present only a flabby tripping hazard in the dark.

I have set up my palatial glamping site, tent on the perfect drainage hillock and stocked with pad and bag and nighttime essentials before looking up to discover half a loblolly pine dangling like the sword of Damocles directly about the tent 50 feet in the air.

And empty the tent and move it and restock it. I was quite at ease while setting the tent up, and anxious at every creaking limb while emptying it to relocate. All for lack of a glance overhead before setting up

I wait for the sleeping bag to fluff itself the air mattress to puff itself and the tent to self install while I read
Two hours later I realize none of that is going to happen
The first thing assembled is the Helinox chair I don't wait for its dawdling habits.

OK, the first thing I do is pull out my chair, sit amidst the pile of dry bags and pull off my paddling shoes so my tootsies and breathe and dry. I am not yet the Imelda Marcos of camp footwear, but I usually have paddling shoes or Mukluks, hiking boots or Goretex trail runners, and moccasins or sandels/crocs/flip flops for putzing around camp while my feet get some air.

 

[sweeper]

I don't think we have too many odd habits, on landing everyone fans out and picks a sleeping site designated by the PFD, all the gear unloaded and hauled up, tarp put up, even on night with no foul weather predicted, it promotes teamwork. set up of individual shelters, wood gathering...
The one thing we do in the morning is a good sweep of the campsite after everything is loaded in the canoes. Nothing should be left in the campsite, unless you are in Algonquin and then there will be 6 fire deformed grills that we have attempted to do something artist with.

 

[clemency]

OK, the first thing I do is pull out my chair, sit amidst the pile of dry bags and pull off my paddling shoes so my tootsies and breathe and dry. I am not yet the Imelda Marcos of camp footwear, but I usually have paddling shoes or Mukluks, hiking boots or Goretex trail runners, and moccasins or sandels/crocs/flip flops for putzing around camp while my feet get some air.

There you go. Shoes off, toes wiggled. Those goofy barefoot runners are good camp shoes, but the toe ones can be cold. I like Merrells.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

As an oddball I have no odd habits. Everything I do is perfectly normal (in my opinion); so I have nothing to add.
As far as the north arrow, the course of the sun and placement of shade trees is important to me. I want make sure my tent isn't a sauna at bedtime.

 

[yellowcanoe]

So your oddity starts before you disembark the canoe.
Campsite orientation
Me too I value a site that receives the early morning sun soonest a

 

[Guest]

As far as the north arrow, the course of the sun and placement of shade trees is important to me. I want make sure my tent isn't a sauna at bedtime.

That too is part of the reason for the arrow. I have a decent sense for the seasonal sun, but need the directional arrow to keep me oriented at first when setting up camp. Ideally evening shade, and morning sun on the tent. Breeze or wind driven rain orientation for the tarp, even more so with a weather forecast and changing wind direction. I’ll settle for 3 out or four, sometimes less.

In reality I expect most trippers have the same habitual first practice; start evaluating the site for new living quarters, tent and tarp, kitchen and hammock. I’m not actively thinking about thinking about it as I first walk into camp, but subconsciously I already have a pretty good idea of the terrain and tree spacing and what probably goes where.

 

[riverstrider]

On most of my trips, the first thing I do, particularly if we have time and enough other choices to not commit to a particular site at the time, is to perform what firefighters call a walk-around just to quickly assess the merits and demerits of any particular site. Promising wood supply? Decent tent site in sufficient quantity? Usable outhouse? If it is late in the day, I may not even do that...we may move on to step two: take off the pfd and use it to mark your preferred tent site. This often occurs in the first minute or less of arrival (competition can be fierce, and a pfd can always be picked up and put back on if later reconnaissance or group discussion results in the group moving on).

What happens after that may depend on the time of day and the weather. Is it raining but ready to stop? Is it sunny but with a storm whipping in? Is it dinner time soon? Such circumstances may dictate an earlier camp set up than I prefer. Get the tarp up, get the tent up, get the food container out and at the ready, that sort of thing.

But, if there is time, and the weather situation is stable, my preferred routine is to unpack my chair and set it up with a nice view of whatever waterbody we happen to be paddling, crack open a beer, and just sit and contemplate the day. and contemplate my next steps. This is when I normally note directions, where the sun is going to be, where the wind may be coming from, what stuff may be allowed to stay with the canoe so I don't have to hump it up the dang cliff we're camping on top of, that sort of thing. Maybe enjoy a smoke while I am contemplating. Take the time to note the days mileage as recorded by my GPS, if I have it with me. Change out of wet shoes to camp shoes. Only after all that, and only after the beer is finished, will I get up and start acting on my planned moves, and I find things go a lot smoothly then, usually. Someone told me that is being "mindful", whatever that is.

After that: Rules? What Rules? I live in the moment.

Oh, except no one goes to bed before 9:00 lest they be accused of being a wussbag. Or worse.

-rs

 

[Guest]

Oh, except no one goes to bed before 9:00 lest they be accused of being a wussbag. Or worse.

Even when winter tripping?

When the sun goes down early and the temperature drops my thoughts soon turn to the warm and comfy bed I have made in my fully stocked bedroom. The one with the book and reading light, zero degree bag and pillow, canteen and piss bottle and warm dry socks

An odd evening habit. If I plan to stay up into the dark I put on, or at least make easily accessible, the night’s warm clothes ensemble long before the sun sets and I get cold. I know that if I wait until after dark and have to de-shoe and scootch into the tent with a flashlight to pull clothes out of a stuff sack I am doomed not to emerge ‘til morning.

Shoes off and into the tent to change clothes by flashlight. Oh my, this thick sleeping pad feels so good, I’m gonna lie here for just a minute. Maybe fluff the sleeping bag out over me and warm up while I change clothes. Ahhh, that sleeping bag on top feels really good.with the day layer clothing shed. I could read for a little bit and warm up before I get dressed again. Or just close my eyes for a minute. . . . .until I hear birds chirping.

I will try to stay up with a group, or even a single late dawdling fireside companion, but the fire is out (in more ways than one) and I’m early to bed when solo.

Sitting around a campfire late into the night without companions does little to stir my deep tribal subconscious.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

The topic is "odd" camp habits. I don't think I do anything oddly different from anyone else. I might, however, do less.

I go on canoe camping trips for the canoe part not the camping part. I can sit on my own property in the woods and build campfires and sleep in tents any time I want -- and have. And I can set up long term camps when car or base camping.

But when I'm camping out of my canoe, I want as much canoe time as possible and as little camp time as possible. Basically, I love everything about the act of paddling and detest most things about camp set-up and break-down.

Hence, I guess my oddity is that, weather permitting: I canoe as long every day as possible, set up camp as late as possible with as little effort as possible, eat my JetBoiled commercial meal as quickly as possible, almost always skip making a fire, never drink any booze, go to bed early, get up early, drink no caffeine, eat JetBioiled Mountain House eggs, break down camp as quickly as possible, and then get the heck out of there and back into the canoe as soon as possible.

Another thing related to food: Since I've had trouble controlling my weight since hitting about 55, I use canoe trips as an opportunity for forced low calorie + exercise dieting opportunities.

I used to never take a chair. But now I do take a comfortable one, so my minimalist camp routine allows me time to just sit in the chair and engage in daydreaming, sky staring, omphaloskepsis, or some light mystery reading.

Oh, since I only paddle in warm weather these days, I usually jump into the water for a quick bath after camp is set up -- unless, of course, I'm paddling in AmSouth reptile swamps. Then, I use the Seminole method.

 

[DuctTape]

Probably the only "odd" habit of mine when making camp is while collecting firewood. The secondary purpose of my wandering around far from camp to secure wood is to also locate the perfect location for my morning "contemplation".

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

While some may find my set up routines odd, to me, there are perfectly normal habits and routines/

 

[Pringles]

I get to camp, and I look for a flattish spot to put my tent where I'll be able to look out and see something. It may be the lake or stream or a mountain or a meadow, but of all the directions available, I want to be able to look out and see something. It's good to be able to look up and see the Milky Way. Once I've identified a spot or two, then I look up for widow makers. I'll be looking for window makers, too, from now on. Honestly, the woods is full of never ending fascinating beings. Once I've picked a spot, I'll go hang my food bag. I just realized it's been decades since I've paddled or hiked in an area that doesn't have bears. I can't even remember what I did when I didn't have to worry about bears... hmm. So long ago.

Then I go set up my tent. Once I set up, I blow up my mattress, and dump my sleeping bag in the tent, and get out my Helinox chair and try to find a place that's glorious (cool/warm/sunny/shady, looking at the water or sky or mountains or...) and in the chair I plop. I dig around in my stuff and pull out an MP3 player with a good book, and put one ear phone in one ear, and leave the other for hearing the sounds about me, be it rustling leaves or waves lapping a beach or birds. There I sit, until I get hungry, or it's nap time, or it's time to go to bed.

 

[Odyssey]

I tidy. That might be odd, I dunno, but I think I'm just being practical. And I start with the rocks first. Almost every fire pit I come across is a complete disaster. They either look like a rock sacrificial site or a rock walled well filled with ashes. Why big piles of rocks for a little fire? I put on my gloves and rebuild the fire ring into a small hearth. Flat stones are laid as shelves for our pots etc. If there's an old grill that'll be fitted to be level and removable. I have had to relocate the fire rings back to their original locations away from combustibles. I always wind up with extra rocks. Those are tossed aside neatly so they'll not be under foot after dark. Then comes the wood. I'll process enough for a couple nights or so; for us and the next traveller. Whoever the idiot is who cuts huge piles of green saplings and branches I wish they'd stop the clearcutting. I'm getting tired of dragging them off into smaller piles where they can be collected and burned next year. One of them I might use as a broom. Yes. A broom; to sweep away mountains of wood chips or detritus around the site. Okay, that's rocks and wood tidied up, what's next? Well if all the trash hasn't been picked up there's that to do. It annoys me to see itty bitty bits of litter around the place. Only takes about 4 minutes for that obsessive compulsive operation. It can usually be burned. Bigger trash will be bagged and packed out if we have room. Or not. All the while my Mrs has been setting up the tent and unpacking the s-pads, s-bags, clothes etc. I set up the kitchen, and then bow to her cooking wizardry and try to make myself useful elsewhere. Such as the tarp(s). If the weather is threatening that comes first of course, but in fine weather it may not happen till last or not at all. Oh, one more tidy. If the take-out /put-in is a rocky mess I may rearrange the shallow hull scratchers to permit easier comings and goings, just a bit. Home sweet home. I like what I've done with the place.

 

[Iskweo]

That depends. When out with karin, I set up the kitchen and water point while she sets up the tent and lays out the sleeping bags. Thus supper is ready sooner and there is time for a lay down afterwards. AND then fishing.
If solo, the tent gets done first. Shelter first always. Then the myriad of tasks such as supper,firewood etc. AND then fishing.

Christy

 

[Guest]

I tidy. That might be odd, I dunno, but I think I'm just being practical. And I start with the rocks first. Almost every fire pit I come across is a complete disaster. They either look like a rock sacrificial site or a rock walled well filled with ashes. Why big piles of rocks for a little fire? I put on my gloves and rebuild the fire ring into a small hearth. Flat stones are laid as shelves for our pots etc. If there's an old grill that'll be fitted to be level and removable. I have had to relocate the fire rings back to their original locations away from combustibles. I always wind up with extra rocks. Those are tossed aside neatly so they'll not be under foot after dark.

That is me too.

I don’t mind an oversized fire pit if it is a good location, I’ll just take a couple of the rocks and form a smaller space within that fire pit for my typical non-inferno use.

I do mind finding a heavily used non-regulated site festooned with 5 fire pits, including 3 in horribly chosen locations and inevitably one with a wet sock on it. If the ash and char depth isn’t too deep I’ll “relocate“ the rocks and bury a wash bucket of char off site. I do distribute those excess rocks away from camp, black side down, not crushing the ferns, but I’m not carrying a pile of rocks very far. I expect the next person who wants to demonstrate their prowess at building a new fire pit may haul them right back.

Then comes the wood. I'll process enough for a couple nights or so; for us and the next traveller. Whoever the idiot is who cuts huge piles of green saplings and branches I wish they'd stop the clearcutting. I'm getting tired of dragging them off into smaller piles where they can be collected and burned next year.

Gawd I agree about the green saplings and branches. And decaying rotted pine that I can wring water out of like a sponge. WTF, just drag everydamn thing back to camp? Jeeze thanks, burn the good stuff and leave a pile of crap behind. That happens so often on established sites.

If the green stuff isn’t yesterday green I’ll chop it up and burn it if a have a big enough fire, rather than toss it in the woods for some idiot to drag back to camp tomorrow.

The saturated sponge wood gets tossed away from camp. When I depart there will be a small air-space stacked pile of processed wood near the fire pit, enough for the next person to get a decent fire started.

Which brings up another topic.