Winter Camping! Putting Our Creations to the TEST 

FOR THOSE NOT AWARE: When making a fire ring of stones you may be tempted to get stone that are near rivers or ponds but do not, I repeat DO NOT use wet stones as you do not know how saturated the stones are and they could explode due to the pressure of the water inside rapidly turning to steam from the fire. Safe camping everyone!

As a long time search and rescue guy I recommend having a real map and compass and if you don't know how to use them take an orienteering class. REI often offers them for a small fee. Also do SAR a favor and step on a piece of aluminum foil so it gets a shoe print and leave it on the dash of your car. You are so much easier to track when I know what your effing shoe print looks like.

Wow, a backpack that turns into a tent, a staff that makes a stool, and a fur cloak that makes a ground mattress and blanket. I absolutely love the multi-use nature of your gear ideas! Can't believe you forgot gloves haha

As I sit here sweating through my singlet under a blaring fan this fine Australian summer evening: "... I should make a fur-trimmed cloak."

you can't fool me, Cl3ver, the studio shot is a green screen and you're still lost out in the woods somewhere. Props for thinking of bringing it though

i know you weren't actually in a desperate situation but, in the future if you have to set up camp while losing light you should gather material for your fire _first_ because roaming around is the most light sensitive activity of getting ready (you don't want to trip in the dark looking for kindling) then set up your tent once you have things gathered, and the stool would be the last thing i make. Also if you undid the tent portion of you pack but kept the frame it could be used to bundle material for your fire making it easier to carry

Adventurer's camp rules: Locate your camp near Water, near an abundance of Wood which you gather, sheltered from the Wind, which brings down the Widowmakers, and well off the trail beaten by Warlike Orcs. First, set the hearth of your fire that you may then situate your bed for warmth, feeding the fire, but free of the curling smoke. Then arrange your shelter from wind and rain. Sharpen and oil your blade that you may, with unbending ferocity, cow the Horrors of the Night that may dare disturb your Bardic musings ...

5:37 one of the biggest problems I note among survivalists (myself very much included) is not doing enough prep work on the fire. It's so tempting to light it before there's big bundles of material ready.

Does your kit have a compass? I think a magic/rune looking compass or something more nautical like the 100 year perpetual calendar compass, would be an amazing survival tool to your arsenal. Also for immersion story telling.

Great use of Tolkien's writing! Fun video too.

so a trick for the fire next time; build a small wall of branches behind the fire opposite from where the tent is. It will reflect more of the heat of the fire towards you, and keep you warmer

One suggestion I might make for future is to add a small lantern and a couple of candles to your kit. Having a candle - even a tea light - in your tent will help deal with moisture and dampness inside, and by putting it in the lantern you keep yourself safe from accidentally burning down your tent if your lantern gets knocked over.

i like this type of video its nice to see all the gear being used. some people mentioned you need to level up your map reading skills. It would be really cool to see you leveling up other skills that dont have to do with crafting. like sword play, forging, map reading, bartering, and so on. maybe you can bring other people in to help out with QUESTS and stuff. just some ideas. winter camping skill is now level 1

You made a very small fire ring that could only fit little pieces of wood. If you make a bigger ring that can fit larger pieces then you won't need to spend as much time tending to it because the big pieces will last a lot longer.

I would make one suggestion. If you wrap your gear in another water proof tarp you could with the help of a tree make a fly to give you a bit of shade or help keep your fire dry in bad weather. A fly is just an awning that is attached to a tent. Also us leaf cover to give yourself a bit more insolation from the cold ground.

Would love an episode 3 to this two-parter that’s an after events report. What went well, what didn’t, and what you wish you had (including many of these comment suggestions) could provide you with material for a few more videos.

All caught up again. All archived. The biggest thing for winter is to keep your head/neck warm. I'm the worst for that, cause I prefer to see everything. But this winter has been entirely schizophrenic. Yesterday it snowed all day, today? If you told me it was March or April I'd believe you, not a bit of snow left. Anyway. Last year we had a bad one, and I bought a motorcycle helmet, because it keeps your head reasonably warm and protected, and if you fall on the ice, your head should survive. If you're anywhere that gets colder than -10C, pick up one. They actually are worth it. I just have to figure out a better way to breathe when it's super cold out, because if I lose my breath? It's not getting back until I'm inside for awhile.

Hope you picked up the Axe you dropped as you left the camp.

the revenge bit had me CACKLING

It's great to see the wanderer gear in action. Also great that you didn't roll a nat 1.

Always good to see a kit test. Interested to hear a full review and what you will add or change for seasons and such.

That surely must have been at least a little bit fun to test our you kit. (Revenge as your reason to survive is legit.)

every bit as much fun as the builds deserve. Next, can you craft a couple additions to your kit such as a small metal (brass, maybe?) lamp and something you can safely heat liquids in?

I know this video is a bit older now, but I am reminded of something I read in a book. If you're camping in extreme cold, a trick you can do is to dig a hole over where your sleeping mat will be and put the dying coals of your fire into the hole. You can then cover them with the dirt and lay your mat over top for a nice warm ground. I haven't had the opportunity to try, but I always think about it.

Hmmm...great that all of this elaborate gear worked that great. What you SHOULD level up probably: map reading. Or...selecting the correct map. ;)

That backpack tent system is honestly really genius. Made with modern materials it would be really neat. Because you have everything carried and nothing is actually a waste item that isn't part of the camp.

I can't wait to see LARP Shire respond to this video!

Love that the kit works!🎉. But a serious question, where did you get that great looking sweater?

This truly is a skill tree. You made all that stuff and it actually worked. Congrats man. That's a real accomplishment.

So you missed the LARP. Your gear worked and you didn't die. I consider this a success.

This was awesome. You made it threw a survival scenario with stuff your nerd self made. This was great.

Totally loved this. Loved the chill look of your camp. You would have many admirers in a real backpacking community except they would take these ideas and make everything out of Tyvek®. 😆

love the change of scenery

Since you forgot gloves, does this mean there will be an episode of making reindeer fur mittens in the future?

Ooh, i'm happy for you, my guy. This was fun to watch

Nice kit! Looks like it worked out well, and the double-duty (or more) tactic served you well.

This is great! All those thingees I've been watching you make finally put to real use. 🙂

I have definitely used my woollen circle skirt as an extra bedding layer while at a larp camp. Never underestimate the amount of warmth you can get from a woollen cloak or skirt.

As someone who has made "primitive fire" many times. Bravo sir. That was well done

It was very kind of the furry woodland critters to edit and post this video after they came to feast on your frozen carcass. 😁

Finally im so excited to watch this

The staff of the wanderer is so you don't get lost, you silly goose! When the weather warms up, and if you have that level of intrest in things, I would love to see you demonstrate all the functions of the staff on a hike. You don't need to go Survivorman and get actually lost, but a video with a real world proof of concept would be something very interesting. The stool is very nice, but the staff is so much more than a stool.

As a Boy Scout, in Wyoming, MANY years ago, I won the fire with flint and steel contest at a Camporee! 3 SECONDS! I must say thatthe wind we had, at the time really helped but, I was a record that stood for over 40 years! I'm proud ofthat rcor, even though I've never equaled it or surassed it since!

I cant wait to give making the walking staff/seat. does it feel steady enough? or should it be reinforced somehow for stockier people? 😊

I put this on for my dad and I to watch. His response "what's that hobbit doing?"

You got lost that was funny but damn that’s awesome that everything worked

So as a retired vet I have had live with what I had on my back. So remember the important things about cold camping hydrate first . Shelter to keep winter off you. Food that can easily be heated with a little fire. Hot food and hot tea is choice. A wind break is also a good thing .

That was fun to watch! Especially impressed with you getting the fire going with flint and steel 😀👍

You don't make several errors. You just made one. The rest was a success. At least in this video.

Wonderful content! Keep it up!

Great video! Different but I have to say very entertaining. I'd love to see more practical use of your creations.

loved this man, super fun to watch

Skills acquired: Land Navigation, Fire Making, Knife (Axe) Sharpening Recommended research: Terrain Association, Dead Reckoning, Siberian Survival / Lay Fire, Swedish torch

Depending on the type of stones you used for your fire you could have put them in the tent with you for the radiant heat. Also for a good fire starter is you need the grease left over from bacon and some dryer lint. Pull the dryer lint intonthebsize of a charcoal brickette and pour the grease onto it. Let it dry, and then the next time you build a fire put that under your tinder pile, and you get al little fire log.

You've probably thought of it already, but put all the stuff in the tent pack into a drawstring bag, and then into the tent bag. Another thing that you can do is carry a couple of 6 inch nails, knock one into a tree and you can hang up your pack if the floor is wet.

I have been checking for this all day!

That is so cool. It's always satisfying when you get to test something you've made and it works. Side note about rocks in a fire pit for those here that don't know. Do not, I repeat. DO NOT use river rocks for that. The water inside can boil and make them explode.

There’s always that one friend that forgets about something 🤣🤣

That was a great video you should do more like that testing the gear you make and how it holds up

A video, on my birthday? Today is a good day lol

A new Learning Branch has opened up before you: The Navigator skill. As a lifelong Navigator myself, the Navigator Branch doesn't open up until after about half a dozen others are at least at Novice level or higher. After all, you definitely need certain Survival prerequisites just to be able to practice the Navigator Skill Tree. Survival and Navigator are generally corequisites, BTW. As they very much relate to and rely on each other.

I always look forward to your episodes. Hopefully I can do this kind of trip one day as well.

Cl3ver going mad as it zooms out to reveal it's his backyard

So jelly. I haven't been camping in years.

Loved seeing the kit in action!

I love the RP take to the video and showing off all the items. Its like watching a mini movie with good info

At 0:52 did you refer to *yourself* as "The Kit" or your gear? I think you should just own the direct article and refer to yourself as "The Kit" at least once an episode from now own. 😎🦊

I think redundancy would be an important aspect for a wanderer. I love your tools. Having things with multiple functions is fantastic. I would probably use devices like that aas the backup. As if they were used as the primary tool, then there are several mechanisms that if they fail, multiple import functions are lost. What would a redundancy utility item look like for you? I'd love to see what kind of kit you would put together, designed for long term use. For example, if you were wandering for an entire winter. What redundancies would you pack, while still being light enough to carry? (or perhaps you + what a horse / animal friend, could carry)

2:22 first mistake, you should have tested all of this at home before going on any trips. second was COMPASS and a Land Navigation course... 6:48 wait, you had GPS and didn't use it? 9:09 Gloves, better navigation, and use your GPS... glad everything worked out for you.

I can see your problem: a map in paces, but where oh where are your Elven Ranger pace beads? Or your Dwarven Lodestone Compass?

This is what I love from your channel!

To keep your tent warm at night bring in some of the rocks from your fire circle.

Such an epic atmosphere during all the video! If the indoor videos are super exciting, this one outdoors was amazing! 😊

Too much fun. We camped in TX over Christmas break. It was 11° F one morning. It was cold taking the pups to potty. Hubby kept saying, he has pacing beads. Looking forward to adding leveling up land navigation skills. So enjoy your content.

way cool to see your creations in action! I thought you would like to know that Louie is flying free.

This was really cool. Most of the bushcraft channels I have watched do not make their own gear.

The next logical step in the kit assembly should be a cooking kit, like a pot and/or skillet/pan. It is an essential piece of kit. Both for making water safe by boiling (big bubbles, no trouble) and for making food. Another idea could be to utilise the layering concept also on you equipment kit /carry kit. Divide you equipment kit into, clothing, belt and backpack. where each sub layer gives different ability. For an example the clothing layer gives you the environmental protection to withstand the current weather. Is being carried all the time The belt adds the ability to make fire, and basic survival for say a day or 2. Basically a belt with knife and a pouch with the means to make fire, waterbottle. an everyday carry kit. Finally the backpack for all the rest which gives the ability to survive long term, shelter, sleeping system, more food. Not something you will be carry all the time, more or less carried to camp, left in camp while standing and then carried home from camp.

These videos are great. Testing the gear that you make to see if it practical. Also, just because your gear helps you survive the cold nights, doesn't mean it's going to be comfy cozy. Cheers, mate🧙‍♂

Blade, Aid, Shelter, Illumination/Ignition, Calories, last "S" varies.

i would love to see a compact portable waste oil burner on a staff or something with multiple burners and colored flames for a cooking station that looks wizardy and still fits the theme so you can be cooking food and have coffee on and water anywhere and a handmade flint and steel like what you see for welding so it can be lit with one hand and when done it all fits onto the staff probably looking like a bulky umbrella but hey its magic it can cook with living fire and would be super useful

Pace Counting A pace is approximately 3 feet. Items suggested; 1) 25 foot measuring tape OR an open reel measuring tape that surveyor's use. The latter can be 100 feet or on up to 300 feet, plus. Costs for both can run from under $5 or $20+ depending on where you go and style you want. (Harbor Freight is the least expensive) 2) Simple metal tent stakes 2each. 3) Colored ribbon That's it! Tie a piece of ribbon on each tent stake so you can see the beginning point and end point. Here is a simple way to measure your pace over a flat distance; 1) Find a level area at a park or a long dirt road or even a football field. 2) Determine a start point and mark it with your ribboned tent stake. Measure a distance out 100 feet. Mark the end point with your other ribboned tent stake. 3) Put on your kit and start walking naturally. Count each step. Once you have reached the end, you now know how many steps it takes for you to walk 100 feet (whatever scale your most familiar with). Up your skill! Ranger Beads Google search 'Ranger Beads for sale' and you will see how this item is put together. It's very simple. Items needed; 1) Nylon para cord or thick string/ thin rope - if your wanting to be more Larp in appearance. 2) some 14 beads that fit firmly/ snugly on the string How to use; A mile = 5280 feet The strand with the 9 beads is used for each 100' segment that you walk. Once you drop the 9 beads at 900 feet, drop a bead down on the other strand for marking 1000 feet of distance traveled. Notes: This stuff is part of a skill called 'Land Navigation'. It's a very involved skill that is perishable (if you don't use it/ practice it, you will lose it) Have a small notebook and pens/ pencils on you always. A simple boy scout style compass will always help as well. The above works great for flat ground. You will need to do this process for other types of terrain as well like, up hill, down hill, rough terrain, dense forest, etc. I suggest you write down your pace count for each type of terrain you may attempt for a future quick reference. There is other things related to all of that are more advanced such as, navigating around a lake or pond, for example. There are resources available online in the form of video's and books on topics like, 'How to use your Ranger Beads' and 'Learning Land Navigation'. OR Use your cell phone... IF you actually can get signal. Basic land navigation is highly recommended before you attempt to do something like Cl3ver just did. Even though he had cell service available, he was by himself and things can always go wrong. The phone may become damaged or run out of charge. I live in the rural and rugged mountains of Colorado and it amazes me how many people get lost. Some die. Our search and rescue teams stay rather busy in the summer months. A "nature walk" on a remote trail should never be taken for granted. I hope this helps someone! Fiddlers Green

Speaking of the traditional fire kit, there's a LOT people don't seem to realize: 1) Ironically, the thing called the striker is the source of the sparks and not the flintstone! This has multiple consequences. For one, you can't just take any metal object and use it as a striker. Also, if you hit the flint trying to peel off a thin layer, hoping for sparks, you'll be most definitely disappointed and all you do is end up ruining your flint stone. The flint stone is harder than the striker, but also very fragile. Lastly, if you want to strike a stone and see sparks, then use Pyrrite. The name says it all... Note: Flint is called Feuerstein in German, which translates to firestone, which is highly misleading and it gets only worse that we call the ferrocenium rod in lighters Feuerstein too. However, Ferrocenium is actually closer to Pyrrite... 2) You might want to hold the striker and the flint directly over the open box with the char cloth. It makes it much easier to get the cloth ignited and it the lid may offer some wind protection. You can then put hay or other tinder on top and blow onto the box to ignite the tinder. Then you can remove the burning tinder and simply close the box smothering the embers. 3) You can use the box to make more char cloth if the box is made of a heat-resistant material.

I would suggest looking into how to make a Siberian log fire, it takes a lot less processing time for wood, since you don't cut it and the pieces can be thicker. It also directs the heat towards you and the shelter more. Besides that, having a lantern or something in the tent might help a lot if you can better seal up the door a bit. A candle gives off about as much energy as a person so if you have a lantern turned down for the night, that's equivalent to maybe 1-3 people extra in the tent warming it up. Just make sure you do give enough air flow to let that co2 out.

NEVER forget your gloves!!!!

loved this video. it is always fun putting your gear to the test. and it can be inspirational for your next projects.

Ghis was really cool!

Ono followed the wrong map hopefully they were some treasures there in the mystical lands that you fell prey upon...... Still love the backpack the ranger cloak everything you do here on this channel is is awesome 👍 much love to you keep up the great work hope to see the video sooner than next week would love to see the video sooner than next week but as you say keep leveling up

I laughed to hard at the realization the prop map wasn't real

Now you need to make a compass

buy felt to keep warm is cheap and it's a proven material in extreme cold.

Cl3ver the kit looks awesome and I camp in the winter more often than not but yeah better to be safe

He dropped the hatchet at the end😂😂😂

8:35 27F "cold" * *laughs in Canadian cold* *

Pro tip: roll a couple of your firepit stones into your tent before closing it up for the night. Keeps things toasty

More videos like this please!!

Absolutely amazing.

Give it some further go. I bet you'll be going on survival trips more often. Also, give Bushcraft a go. You'll find some good success and enjoy your time in the wild with survival and bushcraft in tow.

You should definitely built a little brass candle lamp and a small soup pot.

Hmmmmm I heard that "Each Hour was a Lifetime ago of the Earth" You sir... Mare smooth

Excellent