Staying in a portable overnight

[Akhardwater]

What kind of tarp do you folks use to put over the hubs?  The cheap blue tarps? or something a that is not plastic--more like a canvas etc?
MD

I use just a normal 8x10 tarp.  I have thought about using some sort of insulated tarp but I am concerned that the weight will callapse the shack.  Truthfully you really don't need any kind of insulation.  If you use good heaters the tarp provides sufficient insulation to keep the roof from dripping.  If you are staying for multiple days you will need to take the tarp off and knock the ice off every couple days depending how cold it is, if it is warm out the condensation will not freeze.  However if you are out in 20 below and colder ice will form on the tarp.  The ice really isn't that big of a deal the tarps benefits far out weigh any of its downsides.  Now for the single hub shacks you will probably have to customize the tarp to fit the top of the shack without covering up the vents.  Hope this helps. 

[dml78]

Great tips here guys. A few questions for the experts. I want to do a weekend trip with my new Eskimo fatfish 949i which is insulated. Will the insulated fabric cut down on the condensation issue? Also I bought the 4x6 golds gym mats which I plan to use as a floor. Anyone use these and have a problem with them freezing into the ice after a few days. I have a buddy heater and a sunflower heater which I plan to run off a 20 lb tank. I will use either or depending on the temperature and should be good on propane for a weekend trip especially if I only have to run the buddy heater. Now at night I planned on running a small electric space heater off a generator to cut down on the possibility of CO poisoning. Is this necessary or can I get away with venting well and running the propane while I sleep and maybe getting a battery operated CO detector for safety. Thanks for the help

[bobbyz04]

I have the Mr. Buddy Heater, a little bigger than yours, and have slept in a tent all night with it going, with no issues from fumes or carbon monoxide. The heater is supposed to be safe for indoor use. We have also used it in our Clam shelter for full days and still no issues. I think you would be fine!

I just bought the same shelter this year. I am also planning a couple of over night trips. I have outfitted it with a small woodstove I bought at princess auto. I used one of the windows to vent the stove. I bolted a steel thimble/plate to a fire blanket. Cut a hoe for the stove pipe. Glued Velcro on the blanket in the same pattern as the shelter has to secure the window. I tried it in the yard last week it works great. I also put some fire resitant shields, its like cardboard with silver tinfoil type material glued to it, above the stove sliding it behind the tent poles. I put a heat sheild bolted to the base I made for the stove as well. I will try to post some pics.

[bigbigfish]

I just bought the same shelter this year. I am also planning a couple of over night trips. I have outfitted it with a small woodstove I bought at princess auto. I used one of the windows to vent the stove. I bolted a steel thimble/plate to a fire blanket. Cut a hoe for the stove pipe. Glued Velcro on the blanket in the same pattern as the shelter has to secure the window. I tried it in the yard last week it works great. I also put some fire resitant shields, its like cardboard with silver tinfoil type material glued to it, above the stove sliding it behind the tent poles. I put a heat sheild bolted to the base I made for the stove as well. I will try to post some pics.

Im definitly interested in seeing some pics, I have been trying to igure out a way to set up a stove!

[Akhardwater]

Great tips here guys. A few questions for the experts. I want to do a weekend trip with my new Eskimo fatfish 949i which is insulated. Will the insulated fabric cut down on the condensation issue? Also I bought the 4x6 golds gym mats which I plan to use as a floor. Anyone use these and have a problem with them freezing into the ice after a few days. I have a buddy heater and a sunflower heater which I plan to run off a 20 lb tank. I will use either or depending on the temperature and should be good on propane for a weekend trip especially if I only have to run the buddy heater. Now at night I planned on running a small electric space heater off a generator to cut down on the possibility of CO poisoning. Is this necessary or can I get away with venting well and running the propane while I sleep and maybe getting a battery operated CO detector for safety. Thanks for the help

My buddy has the insulated shack and he said he had no issues with condensation.  He wasn't out in super cold I think it only got down to 15 below.  The buddy heater will be more than sufficient to heat the shack and it has the CO sensor on it.  I would not be to concerned with dangerous CO levels just make sure your vents are open and just crack a window if you are really concerned.  Like I said in my earlier post I will run 2 sunflowers all night in my Q6 with just one window and both vents open.  I'm still here so I know it works but I do see your concerns.  The first time I ever camped out in my Q6 years ago I sealed up the tent and turned the heater on.  Needless to say I ended up in a bad way and am lucky to have realized my mistake and slept the rest of the night with no heat.  Don't forget the lighter trick, the air in the top of the shack will go bad first and it will give you time to open the door or a window.  Just use common sense and you will be just fine.

[bobbyz04]

 Sorry for the delay in getting some pics posted. Since these pics were taken i have made some mods. I found a good way to hold up the corners of the fire blanket. I bolted a 3 by 3 inch piece of sheet metal to all 4 corners of the blanket. I got some heavy duty magnets from work(3" round) I put the fire blanket/ pipe sleeve up by the velcro already on the tent for the windows. I glued velcro on the fire blanket in the same pattern it sticks great. Then I hold up the 4 corners by sticking my arm through the other window and snapping a magnet
where the sheet metal squares are, it holds great. As you can see I also added a heat shield to the base the stove sits on. I also put one directly above the stove by sliding it behind the tent poles. I have also added a damper to the first stove pipe.

[george33]

We have done it plenty of times in a clam summit with no floor and a mr heater. And it workout good.

[Wyoming_Ice]

 I sleep in my Otter Village almost every weekend that I can get it on the ice.
 I put some 2 x 2 anti fatigue mats (the interlocking type) on the ice (you can put a blue tarp under them too). This helps a whole bunch with the ice metling and also keeps the stuff that does melt away from your feet. Works Great !!!
I use a double Mr Heater for my heat source and this also works out good for me. I also hang a large Clam Fan/Light from one of the overhead bars to circulate the heat. Side vents are open.
 I put a self inflating air mat in the bottom of my sled, then a good quality sleeping bag. Then sleep like a baby.
 I have spent as many as 5 nights at a time with this setup and it has worked great for me.
 I have also used this same setup in a QF6 (6 x 12) with the same results. 
 
P.S. I would read and pay attention to the post that AKhardwater posted. I concure with everything he put up there.


 Wyo Ice

[skidooguy]

Wow, there is some great tips in here guys. Im almost tempted to give it a shot sometime.

[fishinnut]

Wow were to start.  I probably spend more time camping and fishing in my Q6 than anyone alive.  I will often spend a week at a time camping and fishing in some pretty harsh conditions.  I use my shack as moose camp in the summer and useally end up living in it for a month.  In the winter I useally average about one week a month on the ice, just to give you guys a little background.  Lets start with the floor.   I built a custom plywood astro turf floor for my shack which is great now that I have a custom sled to pull it around.  Before I could only use the floor if I drove on the lake.  The floor is absolute luxury, it gets you up off the ice and you don't have to worry about the puddle.  If I am not using the floor I just use a good size indoor outdoor carpet to give a little traction once the puddle forms.  I always use a cot so the puddle is just more of an annoyance than anything.  I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about when I say puddle.  The puddle is created from your heaters and for the most part it can't be helped, but I do have some tips to delay the puddle.  The first and biggest is to get the heaters up off the ice.  I carry several milk crates and 2 small pieces of plywood that I use to make tables, put your heaters on those.  For the record I am mainly talking about the sunflower heaters and the little buddy heater.  Second is to place something like a stool or aluminum foil underneath the heater to block the heat from going down to the ice.  Like I said this will not stop the puddle but it will delay it.  I am seeing allot of concern over air quality.  Two weeks ago I was camping out at like 30-40 below and I was running 2 sunflowers on high the whole time.  I had one window open and both vents with no air quality issues.  I had to open another window while the lanterns were on.  I learned this little trick on checking the air quality by taking a lighter and holding it up in the top of the shack.  If the flame looked normal the air was good, if the flame was dancing around erratically its time to open the door.  Trust me you will know what I mean if you do it.  Lets talk condensation.  Propane heat gives off allot of moisture as well as your breath.  To control the drips I simply place an 8x10 tarp over the top of the shack making sure not to block off any vents.  What this does is it creates a dead air space allowing the ceiling to breath.  With out the tarp moisture will freeze to the outside off the ceiling causing the moisture to condense and rain all over you and your gear.  This is probably the greatest tip I can give anyone.  Having a dry ceiling is huge when your camping out for multiple days.  Another big tip is how you pack the snow around your shack.  Don't just throw snow over the skirt and call it good, you need to lift the skirt up and place snow underneath before you pack it on top.  If you don't do this I guarantee your skirt will freeze to the ice.  I have some pretty gnarly holes in my skirt from were I had to chip it out with a hatchet.  Also you need to block up the corners and anchors to keep them from freezing in.  Trust me it only takes one night for everything to freeze in, when in doubt block it up.  Always guy off your shack 100%.  The wind can come out of nowhere and theres nothing worse than being woken up at 2am to your shack callapsing around you.  I know from experience.  Always zip your zippers up.  If you leave your zippers down there is a good possibility of waking up in the morning and finding yourself trapped inside your shack cause your zippers are froze.  Not a good thing when you really have to pee.  These are just a few of the major tips I've learned over the years.  I have a whole bunch of other little tips but I'm getting a little long.  Just to be clear I'm useally out in conditions far worse than anything you will find in the lower 48.  I rely on my gear to keep my alive so I know it works.  I always carry a spare everything because when your 20 miles from the truck and a 3 hour drive from civilization and its 40 below a broken heater could be life threatening.  I hope this helps you guys maximise the potential of your popups. O one more thing DO NOT EAT THE SHANTY ICE it will make you sick.

Pee in the hole!

[Kevin in maine]

Wow, there is some great tips in here guys. Im almost tempted to give it a shot sometime.

Me Too!

[Akhardwater]

We need to revive this thread for the new guys.  Maybe the mods will make it sticky.

[iced]

wait a minute. your still alive AKhardwater? you should have died years ago from cardon monoxide. lol. I just spent the weekend in the popup on the lake. Caught another 15 lbs but no hog yet for the year. This one was the fattest of the year but only about 30 inches.  great weather out there in the 20s.

[Akhardwater]

I wear flip flops while I'm in my popup that's the secret to not getting CO poisoning.  O and shorts to.

[iced]

Lows where a toasty 9 I had to sleep with the sleeping bag open. I am going to hit it for  a day trip this weekend. poor people like me have to hit it while we can drive on the lake. 

[Akhardwater]

Bump

[smoke_eater]

screw running the heater while you sleep, just bring a whole bunch of blankets and warm your boots up in the morning with the heater?

Army extreme cold weather sleeping bags work awesome from the surplus store...I have slept outside near 0 degrees and woke up sweating!

[Eye.Deprived]

I have the Eskimo 9416 8 man I made an ammo can Wood stove and made a metal insert with Velcro around the edge so I can take out one of the windows and run my stove pipe out I also made a floor out of 1" foam glued to 1/4" plywood then I glued outdoor carpet to the top of that then I cut the pieces into 2' x 4'  and cut a 12" circle on one end of piece in the 9416 I have 12 pieces I should also mention that each corner of my floor I have a piece of Velcro this allows me change my hole setup and hold my floor together anyways I stay overnight in Montana often and the Wood stove actually fixes the moisture problem it's also nice that I don't have the itchy eye problem as with propane anyway really works for me

[Akhardwater]

Let's get this thread going again to help out the new guys with camping questions.

[zuren]

I've never slept in a shack on the ice but have considered it:

Enabling a woodstove
They do sell stove jacks that you glue or sew into the fabric of a tent.  Do a Google search for "sew in stove jack".

Foam tiles
I've always seen those foam floor tiles in the big home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.), usually around the flooring and storage sections.  I'm wondering if a double layered floor would provide that much more protection from the "puddle".  They are also called "gym floor tiles" - http://www.homedepot.com/p/Groovy-Mats-Black-24-in-x-24-in-Comfortable-Mat-100-sq-ft-Case-GYCMBK/204714324?cm_mmc=SEM|THD|google|D23+Area+Rugs&mid=siNw51b4T|dc_mtid_8903pdd25182_pcrid_63577964848_pkw__pmt__product_204714324&gclid=CLCWu_2LyMoCFYcWHwodnXEDmQ

Guying out the shelter
I was reading another thread where small ratchet straps (the kind you buy in a pack of 4+ at Home Depot) are a good method to guying your shelter quickly and substantially.  They adjust quickly and are solid.  The chances of one failing in the night is minimal.  I would probably attach some type of reflective flagging to those.

Reflectors
Some shanties seem to do okay on their reflective patches, some have almost none.  More never hurts.  I would also put some on your sled and anything else that will sit outside.  Many of these snowmobiles will hit highway speeds on open ice; the more warning the better.

Sleeping bags
The military ECWS sleeping bag systems are pretty sweet.  They consist of an inner bag, an outer bag, and a Gore-tex bivy sack.  The $150 you'll spend is much cheaper than the cost of a similar name brand setup.

Bathroom facilities
If you are just worried about #1 and don't want to pee in the hole or step outside, use a laundry detergent bottle with a handle (e.g. Tide).  Keep the cap but pull out the pour spout insert.  The opening is of sufficient size to conduct business easily.  I use this in my campervan and while fishing.  For #2, there is always a porta-potty.  You could also make a "poop tube" used by rock climbers.  Take a section of PVC pipe (4in. dia.) of any length you want, cap one end and put a threaded clean-out on the other.  Quote taken from another site:

"You make a deposit in a brown paper bag (or plastic grocery bags work better because they have handles) then take that bag and place it in a ziplock bag along with some kitty litter. Then you wrap it up like a burrito and slide it into the poop tube."

[Akhardwater]

Starting to see some questions about camping on ice so lets get this thread going again. The

[perchnut]

Lots of great info in this post.  Cant wait to try out some of the suggestions.  I can see having an
'Overnight' sled to pull behind the yukon with sleeping bag, pad, cooking stuff, etc etc...I would think a good hardy meal or two would also help the task of staying on the ice like this. 

[3300]

newer info
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=334207.0

[Akhardwater]

Let’s bring this back to life.

[chaumontriverguy]

Love reading all the experiences might try it someday

[jethro]

Let’s bring this back to life.

Still spending as much time in your portable these days AK?

I have my Clam X200 converted to a sleeper with a bunk built into the back of it. I do not use a floor, the floor of my sled has marine carpet in it, so I just step inside that to take my boots off and get ready for bed. If it's above 15F I really don't need to use heat at all, I just crank it immediately prior to crawling into the wrapper. I have a big, thick Thermarest type closed cell air mattress and a 0F synthetic mummy bag with a liner that keeps me warm. If it is below 15F I do use the Portable Buddy no problem all night long. I leave the vents open, even crack a door on the downwind side of the shanty and I've never been concerned. The lighter trick is new to me and that is a GREAT tip! In my youth I took a month long National Outdoor Leadership School course where I thought I knew pretty much everything there is to know about winter camping but that is a new one by me. Of course the NOLS course was really backpacking winter camping where we slept outdoors at elevation in Colorado in the winter with no heat whatsoever. Done correctly you can stay warm.

In regards to the heat and condensation... I may not need to say this but I only use a bulk tank for the propane. Not only does it cost less but it's more efficient and does not freeze up like the 1lb tanks. I have found that my highly insulated Clam tent doesn't condense a whole bunch, and even that is reduced by using a small battery operated fan. I do carry an O2 detector but it has never once gone off. I even tried to get it to trigger by cranking the buddy heater with all the doors and vents closed and leaving it for hours. No dice. I did confirm that the detector was operating correctly. I think it is a real challenge to get a portable, cloth tent shanty sealed enough for it to be a problem. And the infrared heaters are actually some of the most efficient burning heaters out there.

This weekend may be my first camp of the season and it's supposed to be 30 below with the wind chill. Super looking forward to it. I don't know if that makes me a sick puppy but my friends and family all think so.

[Akhardwater]

I still camp in my popup from time to time but it’s usually only for 2-3 nights if I have a friend staying in my hardside.  I had a trip 3 years ago and the high temps never got above -35 and the lows went lower then -45.  I had a friend staying in my hardside while I stayed in the popup.  I had to bring my propane inside to warm up so I could get my heater to work.  Once the heater was running I slept with it on medium all night at sub -40 temps and didn’t have a problem.  I haven’t done a two week trip in my popup in over 6 years thanks to my hardside but I have all the gear and knowledge to do some pretty remote trips if I ever want to.