Woodland Base Camp - Improvements

 

This is the Base-Camp as it was before the improvements; it took part of a day to get the set-up right using dead wood from the area.

What I have done is to set the milar-backed tarp up using tarp-clips in the centre, bungee-balls at the ends (don't know what these are really called), and tying the back down from the tarp-grommets. This makes it far more taught and a much better set-up. I cut the rotten bits from the ends of the fence-stakes and made the seat to the left better and sturdier, though the logs are rather rotten too and really need replacing. The longer fence-stake is not rotten so I used at on its own as a seat to the right. 

The right-hand side has been filled with large logs, held by two uprights knocked into the ground with a wooden baton. The other side I used smaller logs, and most of this was done with a dead pine-tree which I felled and cut into pieces, using only a Silky Pocket Boy which did the job well. 

Filling in the sides helps to stop some of the cross-winds, and the structure itself will be left there as it is, just the tarp removed and taken home each time. The shelter itself is sound but the logs do need filling in between the cracks at some time in the future, and maybe adding more logs to this at some stage. It is actually wise to leave the sides lower because if the wind blows smoke into the shelter this escapes through the sides. 

To ensure a quick start to a fire to get a brew on I used a bit of cotton-wool and an eco fire-lighter which works very well. I dug a small pit this time with a sharp stick so as to be able to fill it over and quell the fire since it has been dry most of the week. The eco fire-lighters were given to me by Hamasson, and they can be found in some stores; they work very well so carrying a few with you is something to consider. Of course, to make what you have last longer it would be fine to cut one in half and use one half at a time, especially in fine weather conditions. Just thought of that but it would have been an idea doing this fire since everything was really dry. Also goes for the cotton wool, which I have probably used too much of here. This is something to think of for the time when you have only a limited stock of anything. 

A pot filled with water was used to boil water for a cup of coffee, using a stick on a Y-shaped stick, just with a notch cut in the end to hold the pot. I also cleared the area around the camp so as to minimise the chance of fire, since the weather is now getting much dryer and sometimes warmer - though it was quite cold today. One thing to mention here; the cooking-pot gets very sooty in use, so I clean it with washing-up liquid and water using a scourer, but not taking all of the soot of in doing so. This builds up and the black finish helps to heat the contents quicker, according to science anyway. 

This is the back of the shelter which could be pulled tighter on the right side, but the post is in the way at the moment. I have left these higher because it may be wise to add another log or two on the top of these, and thus cutting the tops off is not really needed. I have cleared the area around the Base-Camp, and the aim is now to arrange the fallen wood (which there is loads) around the outside leaving only one entrance to the site. This I intend to do next time, at the same time cutting up more fire-wood from what is around. This will make the Base-Camp quite secure with only one entrance to the site, and anyone trying to get in would make a noise trying to get through the fallen branches. 

NOTE - On the subject of securing a site, one way to do this is to use a length of cordage threaded through a number of food-tins (drill small holes around the top) which hang from the thread. Put about five or six small pebbles in each tin, and if anyone tries to get into the camp at night they will trip the cordage and the tins will rattle as they do so, hopefully waking you up. Not high-tech but this is very effective. A more high-tech way would be to use trip-wire and a blank cartridge, but this (as we found once at Wayland's Smithy) tends to attract the police. Another option, which can be used with the tins & stones, is to use a solar-powered PIR lamp which lights up when any movement takes place. This lights up the whole area so that anyone coming in can be seen. I have done this when camping out on my own, but animals can set this off too. 

As you can see here the inside-perimeter is quite secure, especially in the dark when it will most likely be needed. The front end has a couple of logs thrown down, but this is only for now, until such time as I can build a fire-reflector across, leaving a small gap to get into the base. 

The aim is to get the whole thing set up ready for some one-nighters over the spring-summer months. The area has a great deal of fallen dead pine-wood which, as I said, will be used to create a barrier around the base, and for stocking up fire-wood for future use. There is more to do yet, including trying to fill the gaps in the logs at the back and sides; the aim is to make it as comfortable as possible because I intend to use only a small rucksack and light sleeping equipment to see how this works in the warmer time of the year. This can then be extended into the autumn and winter months. 

The fire is quite a bit away from the tarp because I have a 3m x 2m tarp which would most likely fit this shelter and would thus have a hang-over at the front and go right down the back. I would still use the milar-backed 2m x 2m tarp because it would act as an insulation-layer and reflect the heat from the fire into the shelter. If I remember right this tarp is an old one so it could even be left on the site, especially if I can use some of the fallen wood as camo around the back. We shall see. Using a larger tarp would certainly be a must for the colder time of the year, since a hang-over at the front keeps the rain off far better than this set-up. The usual wind-direction is from the back and right-side anyway, but there may be times when the wind comes in from the front. 

I tried one of these camo-milar emergency blankets whilst the weather was rather chilly and this seemed to be quite warm in the circumstances. I have yet to try this out as an 'emergency shelter' but will do so in time. I do have an emergency bivvy-bag which is a closed version of the blanket, and have put this with an old silk sleeping-bag liner which is small enough to pack into a rucksack or bum-bag, and the silk liner helps to keep it warm (I feel that the milar-blankets would get rather colder in use due to not being breathable against the body, so a liner would solve this - in theory now anyway.) 

The Silky Pocket Boy saw is very small but it is an exceptionally good tool and today cut through some logs over 4" thick. It cuts on the pull-stroke and the design makes it so easy to get through. I have about 4 Bahco Folding-Saws which are slightly larger, and are very good too, but carry the Silky now because it is so small and compact. It has a very good locking system too, which makes it very safe to handle and use, and there are larger versions for cutting larger logs. 

Of course, one improvement that could be made to such a shelter is to double the layers of the logs at the back and sides, filling the gap between layers with dead pine-needles and twigs. This would create a layer of insulation for the back and sides, making the shelter warmer in the winter. 

What I have used as a ground-sheet here is an old Highlander Bivvy-Bag bought years ago; this proved totally useless since it is not breathable and in use you get soaked in sweat. Rather than throw it away I kept it luckily, and it packs small enough to carry in a large day-sack and can be used as a ground-sheet or even for putting clothes in to keep dry - never throw old stuff away! It could even be filled with dead leaves or pine needles and used for insulation under a sleeping-bag. This is also true of large bin-liners which can be filled with leaves and /or pine needles and used as insulation for sleeping on. 

I have still to explore this area fully, and have found only a couple of footprints a bit further up from the base, so it is still not used by many people today. There would be enough dead stuff around to camo behind the shelter later, but it is very hard to see from the area of the footprints anyway. 

The advantage of having a tarp left on such shelters is that the area inside the shelter is kept dry, and thus dry dead wood can be stored under the tarp for use each time you go to the base. This is how Wulfgar and I set up the earlier lean-to shelter in a different part of the woodlands, and this stayed completely dry through the years that the shelter remained there. You can thus also use a couple of bin-bags filled with leaves/pine needles left on the site and kept dry by the tarp left on. These can be use to sit on, rest on, or for use for a one-nighter now and again. 

Sleeping in a lean-to shelter can be very cold in below-freezing temperatures, hence the use of the Long-Fire. Wulfson and I once did this in another area of these woodlands and the temperature went down to well below zero that night - the frost was thick on the ground even inside the canopy of the woodland. We had to get up a couple of times during the night to cut wood since the fire went out - a lesson to make sure that before you get to sleep to stock up enough wood for the whole night, or make a Long-Fire using a couple of very thick logs. We had good sleeping-bags and kit but that night was bloody cold! 

Base-Camp Video

Water-Purification (Boiling) -

Boiling water is the safest and most effective way to purify it; chemicals can be used where boiling is not an option. Firstly, sieve out all dirt etc using a Milbank Bag, then rolling boil the water for at least one minute - I do this for two minutes to be safe, and longer if the water looks 'iffy'. Below is a very short video showing a 'rolling boil' -