January is the most challenging Winter month in Virginia. Overnight temperatures can dip down into single-digits, and Winter storms bring in steady winds. That's a rough combination for a tent, where air infiltration is a big problem. Even though I've gone to great lengths to seal the gaps in my canvas, the material itself is so porous that the wind comes right through, causing my candles to flicker as they dance in the cold air. On nights like that I burn a hot stove, so wood consumption doubles and burn time is cut in half. And I have to wake up every few hours to stoke the fire.
As I snooze through such nights, I let the temperature on my face act as an alarm clock, the rest of me being cozy and warm beneath my blankets. I've found that when my face gets cold enough, say at around 30 degrees or so, I usually wake up. And just in time to add fuel to the stove, there being a nice, hot bed of coals still glowing. Of course, there have been times when I've slept through and have woken up to temperatures in the teens, and dying coals that needed kindling and care. I always knew when that had happened as soon as I awoke, and frowned and grumbled to myself for having slept through, knowing that I would be up a bit longer tending to the stove.
January's cold has also worked to acclimate my body. Forty degrees is now quite comfortable, so some evenings I'll heat with just propane, satisfied to wake up to a 30 degree morning.
I'm enjoying Winter now, having passed through the December doldrums. February is just weeks away, then Spring, then the heat of Summer when I'll wish for January.
David, love your site although I just found it today. You are living how I only can dream of right now. I do have my land though but want to try and pay off as much of it as I can before I move down there. I have 5 acres in the Missouri Ozarks, it is mostly wooded and quite remote yet only 12 miles to town. I plan to live in a canvas tent as well. Please keep with the blog and I'll follow along.
ReplyDeleteHi JT! Glad you're enjoying the blog, and I'm excited to here about your upcoming journey in tent living. Please keep us all posted on your adventure, and good luck!
DeleteDave - what about using this product on the outside of you frame but inside your canvas? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d171IlgmfKQ
ReplyDeleteContact me at James92802@gmail if you want to talk about a solution
Hi James,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link! (Btw, is that you in the video?) Looks like a great product, and it would indeed be perfect for my tent. But I'm really apprehensive about wrapping my tent. Although I miss the comforts of insulation, I also love being close to nature. The way the sun shines through the canvas in the morning, casting shadows of the outside world onto my canvas walls. The way I hear all the outside noises. The morning birds. The wind in the treetops. Even snow flakes landing on my rain fly. So for now I think I'll keep just canvas between me and the outside world. But thanks for the idea!
Dave