Staying Warm

 

Many different things affect our mindset as we prepare for our Overlanding journeys.  How long will we be gone?  What food do we plan to prepare and will we need to eat out or replenish at some point?  How far are we going?  Can we bring firewood and have a campfire?  Is charcoal allowed or will it be propane only?  Many questions must be answered as we prepare for the setout of our adventure.  Another critical situation to consider would be weather…

Camping and Overlanding involves all kinds of weather. If you have ever camped then you completely understand that you must be prepared for all of the elements that Mother Nature can throw at you.  People are paid to give a generalized prediction that may or may not come true so it is almost impossible to be completely prepared, but you can get close.  You know if it is November to February, it will be cold.  You know that if you are in the Midwest in June to August it will be unbearable hot.  You do not have to be a weatherman to know that.  It is just common sense.

Staying warm is something to consider.  I do not know of many that are comfortable and happy when they are cold.  My wife being the President of that club.  Therefore, I must research and figure out how to keep her, myself and our six-year-old bulldog warm when camping in cooler weather.  I have done that research.  I have looked at all options.  I have tested out what I thought would work and they did not.  We have frozen at night and have looked at each other and said, "If we are going to continue to do this, we are upgrading and not going through this ever again!"

That is exactly what we have done.  We have upgraded.  We have once again improvised, overcome and adapted our ways to whatever the weather wants to throw at us.  Through all of this, we have learned and become educated on how to deal with dropping temperatures.

We have figured out that the Mr. Buddy Heater needs ventilation to work.  We have figured out that our Kovea heater will NOT go off when turned over.  We have tested and seen with our own eyes that it is amazing when you zip sidewalls together on an awning and set inside a propane fired fire pit.  That is heaven.  We have seen the advantages of an annex on our tent and having that extra room to change in or hang out in when the temperatures drop way down.  Friends have shown us how they use a gazebo with walls to their advantage to have hang out areas during the day.  Another great use of the propane fire pit.  The tri-layer FreeSpirit tent was excellent in how it held heat in compared to our thinly sewn non-canvas options.  We have learned the hard way that if you travel out west, there is more than likely a burn ban and sitting around the beautiful fire at night is not an option, neither is cooking with charcoal.  Now, the propane fire pit goes everywhere with us.

We have been through a lot.  Heat has tormented us.  Cold has chilled us to the point of uncontrollable shivers.  Yet we learn.  We find ways to improvise and overcome whatever is thrown at us.  We have tested and proven and tested and disproved what we have been told or shown.  It took us getting out there, no matter what the prediction was, and testing it for ourselves.  That is the only way.  Each one of us are different.  We all set out thermostats on different temperatures.  We all have different comfort levels.  Some of us may be "fair weather" and that is ok, but we have decided that the weather may throw us a curveball, but we will not miss any valuable time, staying home, believing we will not enjoy ourselves.  We have disproved that theory.  We will overcome, stay warm, and make memories.