Outdoor Adventure USA

Favorite Destinations

It's time once again for the OAUSA version of the outdoor travel advisor. The net will be a great opportunity to get some ideas for future outdoor adventures. The "5 Minute" idea is our way of getting as many participants as possible, as they each have 5 minutes for their adventure. Each will post information and pictures.

Don't be shy - if you have a favorite camping spot, hiking adventure, hunting trip, river rafting trip, 4 wheel drive adventure, or sky diving trip, post up with a description and pictures. As long as it's an outdoor adventure, it's fair game!!! So, join us on the net.

WINTER CAMPING IN THE EASTERN MOJAVE DESERT

The East Mojave Desert is one of my favorite destinations. This area is immensely historic and incredibly scenic, and each season has a great deal to offer. Few areas in the American Southwest offer such extremes in climate, with high heat in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. And, speaking of which, the reason for this trip was, in part, so that we could enjoy the great winter weather of the desert for four days.

While appreciating the winter weather, several of us needed this trip to test gear and camping appliances that we had purchased, or developed. To that end, the desert provided a prefect testing ground for all of these reasons. It would be unfair to not mention that it was also a great opportunity to get away, free of phones, internet, crowded city life, and all of the other stress producing things of daily life.

National Weather Service

Apparently, a small storm system was heading our way and was expected to bring snow, rain, wind, and cold temps, which was great as we were really hoping for some snow and rain. For Sunday, the last day of the trip, they predicted clear skies and sunshine. It should be noted that the measure of the accuracy of NWS predictions, as defined by them, means that a single drop of rain fulfills their prediction. Stay classy, NWS!

The storm did pass through our area, but the amount of snow could not be measured by ground accumulation, but by the number of snow flakes we observed - perhaps 50, and it lasted for mere minutes (same for the rain.) The prediction for wind, cold temps and sunny conditions on Sunday, all came true. On two of the three nights, daytime temps were in the mid to high 40s and night time temps were in the mid 30s. Saturday was a little different! Daytime temps were in the high 30s and low 40s, and at night it reached 25. Not the best test of our clothing and sleeping bags, but not bad.

This was a pic of the outside temperature as we finished dinner on Saturday evening.



Notice The Tents

All of our campers were using Springbar tents.


Kitchens

When the weather permitted, the camp kitchen was outdoors, and was pleasant. When the wind whipped up and the mercury dropped, the camp kitchen was indoors (so to speak.)

Outdoor Kitchen


Makin' Coffee


I included this photo for one reason - Coleman. On the two nights when conditions allowed use of the outdoor kitchen (and Campfire), the only means of camp light was a Coleman dual mantle, white gas lantern, which lasted for two nights on a single tank of gas. Coleman still rocks!!!!!


Indoor Kitchen

From past experience in the Desert (storm or not), coupled with the added input from the NWS, we knew that windy conditions were highly likely, given the approaching storm. During the first two days, the wind was tolerable, except at night, when it rocked the tents. On the third day, breezy turned into very windy, and the temps dropped during the day, but especially at night. It was evident, early on, that cooking outdoors would not be a good option. We were prepared however, as we had a fully enclosed canopy where we cooked and ate dinner, and were shielded from the wind. We even had a heater to keep us very comfortable.

We were treated to a fantastic Dutch Oven Lasagna dinner, prepared in a new device (explained on the net.)


The Tent Heater


Area Views

Scenic area views were everywhere, both at camp and from tall peaks. The views below are from both, and you can see the approaching storm in some views.

From Camp


From The Nearest Peak



Campfires

Despite the "sunny weather", a fire sure made for a comfortable camp, both during the day and especially at night. Before the wind kicked up we had two nights of great outdoor fires.



Cold Temps and And Cold Weather Clothing

Yep, it was cold outside, even during the day, with sunshine. Much of this discussion will be reserved for the net!!!


Cooking

This discussion will be reserved for the net, but it will deal with the Winnerwell Oven.

Low Voltage (Auto) Electric Blanket

One cold weather “experiment” was to test out an electric blanket during the night. These blankets, which are intended for use inside an automobile while plugged into a cigarette lighter outlet, do not seem to get very warm … nothing like a home electric blanket.

They take 48 watts of power, and run either (selectable) 30 or 45 minutes before turning off. I found that it warmed up nicely in 5 minutes and I didn’t need even 30 minutes to get myself or the sleeping bag warm. A full 30 minutes would require only 24 Watt-hours of energy, quickly replenished recharging a battery with a 100-Watt solar panel and controller on a fair day.

The blanket supposedly can be used for two people; maybe small children.

The battery that I used was the subject of a post by Jim AG6IF. This 20 amp-hour battery will provide around 480 Watt-hours of energy, able to run the blanket 20 times at 30 minutes for each run. Note that I also use this battery with USB converter outlets to charge USB devices during the night (below).
The blanket must be connected to the battery. I usually cut off cigarette lighter power plugs and replace them with Anderson Powerpoles, but for now kept the plug to preserve use in a vehicle. A cigarette lighter socket such as this could be used to connect to the battery.
A power distribution and USB charging “system” made from relatively inexpensive USB sockets available on Amazon. Note: Dutch oven lid lifter not required; only there to hold covers back for photo.

Tent “Furnace”

This was a good test of a heater (furnace) that I acquired a year ago. This is a Propex 2211 intended to heat vehicles such as camper vans, converted for use as a tent heater. This is a forced air heater. There are no combustion products in the heated air nor is there water water such as with a regular propane heater (e.g., Mr Heater Buddy heaters). It did require fabrication of ducting and tubing to accommodate tent use.

Product link: https://vancafe.com/propex-hs2211-6500- ... ir-heater/

With the outside temperature around 25°F, it took about 15 minutes to heat the tent to 60°, which in comparison felt very comfortable. We left the thermostat at 60° since: 1) it was comfortable and 2) we wanted to preserve propane. (The previous warmer night we set the thermostat to 65°.) The thermostat starts heating at 59° and stops heating at 61°. It used about 3 pounds of propane during the night, running maybe 50% of the time.

After “stepping outside” the tent during the night, it felt great to have the hot air blowing directly on your body to warm up again before jumping in the sleeping bag.


Propex 2211 conversion for tent heating.
Rain / snow protection using a repurposed pet shelter.
Thermostat (digital) … just starting to heat!

Feeding the Fire

Assuming your wood is already chopped or sawn into manageable logs.

Estwing Fireside Friend

A decent splitter in its own right for smaller, dry wood, but heavy enough to be used to drive a splitting grenade / bomb or wood through a Kindling Cracker.
Splitting Grenade / Bomb

Dave K6DTK talked about this wonderful splitting tool during our February 24, 2022 net. I can’t recall any wood I haven’t been able to split with one of these, though a sledge hammer might be required for the bigger logs. Pairs well with the hammer end of the Estwing Fireside Friend.
Kindling Cracker

The Kindling Cracker works by driving the wood (must fit through the ring on top) into the splitting blade below. I believe this is quicker and safer than using a splitting maul as it’s impossible to strike glancing blows with the sharp maul. Two sizes: 6½” inside ring and XL 9” inside ring.

Heated Clothing

I’ve tried various heated clothing, and have come to believe that the most effective is that worn closest to your skin, such as a heated base layer or shirt. Heated vests and jackets keep the heat too far from your body. A tight, heated shirt over a merino wool base layer, but underneath a jacket (or two) seems to work best for me.

I’ve standardized on Gerbing (and Cabela’s) 7V clothing from motorcycle days, but there are other options.

https://www.thewarmingstore.com/gerbing ... shirt.html

Hub Screen Tent / Shelter

Threw a Clam “Escape” in the vehicle at the last second thinking that it might be useful due to expected wind, cold, rain, and/or snow. We “popped” it open and staked it down when the afternoon temperature got into the low 30s and the wind kicked up. Optional screen covers kept the wind out, but we had to guy one side out as the wind would pop it in. It allowed us to have our afternoon “social event”, late afternoon cooking spot, and evening dining room which would have been uncomfortable to impossible otherwise.
A “tiny planet” 360 picture of us sitting inside in relative warmth enjoying socializing, snacks, and wine.
Link to 360 view inside tent.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rs9RMaXyafDjsdp46


Product link, currently out of stock.
https://shop.clamoutdoors.com/escape-screen-tent.html

Similar (identical?) product, in stock.
https://gazelletents.com/collections/po ... esert-sand

Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit Dutch Oven
https://fireside-outdoor.com/products/pop-up-pit
https://firesideoutdoor.com/collection ... less-steel
https://firesideoutdoor.com/collections ... ing-grates

Robert KM6ZDH mentioned this during the February 24, 2022 net, and I later described the Frontier Grates Dutch Oven Accessory. I can now provide a report.

I got this to replace a very heavy, very bulky Camp Chef Dutch oven cooking table. While this table is great for Dutch oven cooking, its weight and bulk make it a real pain to take along.

The Pop-Up Fire Pit with Frontier Grates worked very well. Took a few minutes to remember how to assemble it, but once assembled it provided solid support for the Dutch oven while assembling lasagna layers then cooking. Great height for cooking from a seated position. The accessory Tri-Fold Grilling Grates provided a resting spot for tools (e.g., spoon, spatula) while cooking … or might have been used for simultaneously grilling something.

One problem was that the lateral Dutch oven supports were not deep enough (only 1”) for a Camp Chef 10” Dutch oven which has 1½” long legs so we had to use the usual steel pizza pan to hold coals under the oven, but this worked fine.

Final result. The recipe is called “World’s Best Lasagna”. Did it hit the spot?

Dessert

Scott made a terrific dessert which was just the thing for loading up on some calories before bedtime.

Due to the cold, the caramel was a solid mass, so we used the butane heater (Kovea Cupid, which was under the table) to heat up the caramel and make it flow.
No Rona here! We dipped our apple slices into the shared caramel, cream cheese, and toffee bits mixture. Awesome taste!

East Mojave

Dave already covered the area well, but here’s a few of my pics.

Road into parking area.
Parking area.
Tent with solar panel.
Junipers.
Relaxing.
Walk through camp (YouTube video, diminished quality)