I really admire how you don’t panic or get overly worried when caught in bad weather miles from help. It is a good quality being able to reconsider plans as things develop, others often don’t and then come unstuck. Loving rewatching the older videos I have not seen before, thanks for taking us along.
I know this was a couple years ago, but DUDE! I started watching your videos earlier this year and came across this one. The cold and me are not friends, but I would love to get to the point of having confidence in survival in a freezing environment that you demonstrated here. So many great tips. Thanks.
After you mentioned Keto here, I decided to look it up and see exactly what it was about. I decided to try it on March 9. Today I am 27 lbs lighter! I'm really glad I saw this video! I know that is waaay off topic, but I hope you are encouraged how even some relatively small aside in your videos can cause a positive impact. Thanks. Now if I just had time to go backpacking...
thats what happens when you're a hiker living in delaware, id assume hahah. I live in southern mass and i hate driving the 3-4 hours to the whites at 5am, nevermind 8-10 hours haha.
@@GetUpTheMountains Ive moved out to the midwest since and I wish I still could make those 3 hr rides both directions while doing an 8-12 mile day hike in between! Missin southeastern MA right about now! One summer I drove up 8 straight weekends while working a physical labor job 50 hrs a week haha
Hats off to the level of dedication you've got to go camping and trekking stupid uphill in snow like that, I don't have any comprehension of that magnitude of snow living in Georgia
A tip if you're still reading comments, don't slide your striker across your ferro, slide your ferro across your striker. You won't accidentally hit your fuel source that way.
Very Good Video! This was a good challenge going solo with a lot of gear to test. I would have used the hammock setup both nights. It would have wasted time switching setups. I really enjoyed watching your video. A+. A winter trip in my area would have been nice, but with the lake effect snow it's too unpredictable for backpacking and driving. Also you may have been limited on trail choices. Sometimes a person can make a good loop, but not always. Thanks again for taking us along on your winter adventure in the Whites!! 👍👍😀
If you’re serious about geeking out on the finer details of camping in deep snow in temperatures below zero F, this video is for you. :) We’ll be spending a lot of time at camp experimenting, demonstrating & discussing a lot of winter camping topics in detail.
cool, informative always helps. Never winter camped but slowly gaining the knowledge for one of these days! You have the most harcore winter vids I've seen great job!
Diesel has more kilojoules per unit of fuel than any other fuel. So it is no wonder it heated better. The trick is to keep the flow low enough so that it fully atomizes in the gas chamber, the flame at the burner will be brightish yellow, but very hot.
Definitely like the judgement calls, I’m New to winter camping and it’s a good thing to see the reality of it, I was in NH 2 weeks ago camping for the first time, but we were in a tent... thank you!
Great video and some hard core winter hanging. What I have discovered when laying tarp lines or tent lines is to not tie the line to the stick you bury. Simpley put the stick in the bend of the line and tie a tautline above the snow. When the snow sets you can tension the tautline. When breaking camp just untie the knot and pull the line out. Saves digging them back out.
I live in NH and been exactly where you camped, I give you much props, you have the clothing for sure to survive and I can tell your experienced, great winter white mountain camp video!
when i winter camp, i put a handwarmer in each boot, tuck the laces in, then put my old socks on top to keep the heat in overnight. boots are nice and warm and unfrozen when i put them on in the morning.
Consider positioning your stove with the throttle facing you so you do not have to reach over the stove exposing your face to potential burns from flare ups.
I'm behind on your videos. That being said, if you'd like to geek out with temperature, you can get a Garmin Tempe. Pair it with your GPS (or watch if you get one) and you can log temperature. It also shows you the highest and lowest temperature from the last 24 hours. It's officially rated to -4, but will go well below that.
Great video! Being a native of the western NY snowbelt where we often get 15-20 inch snows, I totally applaud your decision to not summit and skip the bivy experiment! Always better to stay warm and safe! Love this one and the adirondack video from a couple of years ago. Also like your idea of putting the canister in water. And I always try to keep 2 lighters in my pocket with a hot hands hand warmer. They usually fire right up.
I made the mistake of sleeping in a hammock in the winter once. Froze my butt off! Sleeping in in the snow is much warmer and insulates you from the cold if you make a shelter.
If you are going to use diesel fuel as a heat source in low temps, make sure the diesel has an anti-gel additive mixed in. Most gas stations add it to the duesel in the underground tanks, but some don't. If untreated, fiesel fuel will thicken and gel up and wont run throught your lines or stove. Like he also daid, keeping it on a couple ziplocks at the foot of your sleeping bag is a good idea.
I rarely watch a video that is longer than 45 mins but am finding your videos so informative and interesting that I am watching and enjoying them in their entirety. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your adventures. Don.
We always used a square of 1/2 closed cell foam under our Svea stove in the winter. Kept it up off the snow and ice and allowed it to build up pressure. might work for propane too.
Dude, total respect for going out alone in the whites in the winter. I think you’re decisions were wise. We’d rather see another video than hear bad news. Outdoor Vitals should be happy that you gave them a shot in such harsh conditions and Optimus should be thrilled. “Dirty diesel saves the day”. Thanks for a great (vicarious) adventure. BTW. I’d recommend putting gas in a red can and diesel in green. Accidentally mixing = not good.
Thanks for sharing as always I had to watch this again after awhile I have been going back over a lot of ones I have already watched and I always enjoy your films you put a lot of attention to excellence and it really shows Thank you
Hey don't be so hard on yourself with the change of plans, it's real life. I appreciate the changes and how you think through what's best for you, and all the other things that are part of the process. I also appreciate you saying, that you want to enjoy your trip and the surrounding. It's not about jamming a bunch of things into a day. Your doing great and it's been fun riding along with ya.👍
Each time I go hammock camping, I use ratchet straps and a hammock my wife reinforced with heavy duty fabrics, ratcheted very tight to 4 trees about 8ft off the ground. I also use a tarp that is 4ft above the hammock. The straps are usually tight enough to stand on so I can tie it to a tree and tie it to the hammock. Basically turning it into a two person tent that’s 8ft up. I use a paracord ladder to climb up. My wife custom made most of our camping stuff. Learn to use a sewing machine, you can make some amazing camping stuff or greatly improve what you have.
Great video. I think you would have been a bit more comfortable if you spent the day collecting firewood and made a fire. Maybe the weather would have made it difficult, but at negative 2, I would want a fire.
Nice trip report Sintax- I live in MD- and the amount of driving you’re doing to that VT/NH area I can really appreciate after having done the long trail a few times last year.. Really enjoyed watching!
Hey Karen I moved to Ohio from Texas and I can tell you I have seen plenty of ice and snow in Texas it is rare though but there has been some very bad years let me tell you I've been through them be cool
Shawn you are amazing! How you can find your way and not get lost is just great. I would have gotten lost and die out there in the all white terrain. Thumbs up!
For downhill, a plastic garbage can lid would work. Steering would be tricky. On a serious note, if you are smart, you get to hike again. Bad decisions can stop that from happening. adaptors for a 1lb green propane bottle are less than $10, and it will burn down to around minus 40f.
Setting priorities and goals like you have like not reaching the summit and time is a very smart decision a lot of hikers have died trying to push for the summit when they shouldn't have in the second choice that you made was a smart choice staying above the snow instead of being in byiv mode and being buried in the snow
Great video! I was kind of thinking maybe too long before hitting play, but it was fun and informative all the way through. And great editing, too. Glad you had the diesel fuel along with the white gas running out and it being too cold for the canister! I also like how you included us in your decision making and then setting the good example by choosing safety over machismo. Thanks for an enjoyable viewing!
I learned the hard way in West Virginia I fell in hawks best state park after I accidentally wandered off trail of i had my walking stick i wouldn't of fallen but I left it in the car luckily I was just bruised up and the rest of the trip i was fine but great video I have a Lawson hammock if I if I can get it to a winter quality set up like yours i do have a under quilt that's made for it but it's a 14 degree one and the built in but net probably will hinder me putting a winter sock on it I might get a different hammock for winter
vanscoyoc I love camping hammocks in the south, but you need a mosquito net. Hammocks are ideal for us arthritic oldies with artificial joints, more comfortable than a cot or bare ground
I woke up one night around 3am to the feeling of something touching me on my back. I jumped and grabbed a flashlight only to see a fawn there looking for a bite to eat, smelling the food from my bag. I’ve always been paranoid of that ever since
@@ScopedKilz We never hear about the stories where the bear, wolf, cougar were 'touching' the camper in the hammock or tent. Likely because they didn't survive to tell the tale. :)
MSR Dragonfly does really good with both diesel & white gas / Coleman fuel. Minimal to no sooting with either, the only issue is that it's kind of heavy, kind of big, & it's ridiculously LOUD, like a jet engine (but that's why it burns clean, great aerosolization of the fuel)! It's more an ideal car camping / basecamp / SHTF stove, rather than an UL backpacking stove. For me, the nice thing about Diesel is that my BMW X5 is also diesel, where I always keep a 5 gallon spare can of diesel when I'm headed out to BFE where I may not find a trustworthy diesel fill station for a while, especially in the winter (Bad diesel is a great way to cause $8K+ in damage to a modern diesel vehicle)... Awesome vid, winter camping is definitely my favorite due to the complexities of it & testing out / experimenting w/ different things; however, these days, my car is not far from the campsite & my tent is heated, where I day hike out from there, or in the general area as I have a car at my camp to get to other places nearby ;)
That is a shit ton of snow. Thanks for all the video . I wouldnt be in that stuff being from California. And you made a great many great decisions I noticed. One turning around going back doun the hill and just keeping up the hammock and not changing to the bivy. Great job
I love all of your vids Sintax, but I can't decide which is best, the winter stuff or the obscure/creepy destinations :D Very well done on this trip and video (I've watched multiple times...)
Why no twig stove option, Sintaxx? ;) I love my Pocket Rocket, JetBoil, Whisperlite, $5 Chinese canister stove, Trangia etoh burner, and multiple beer can etoh burners....BUT... twig stoves!... They can be made at home for next to nothing, no cold constraints, and look at all the free fuel that nature provides....even if its wet, its all so small that it is easily ignitable. Look into them. Thanks for the vid today!!
Hello sintax77, I'm digging your gravitation towards military surplus gear and would be interested to hear you talk about that maybe on your next mail call. More specifically what attracts you to it, pros/cons ect. I have integrated a few surplus pieces into my load out and am very impressed with their cold weather gear. Performance and durability seem to be much higher than anything else out there for often a fraction of the price. Happy trails =)
Great video. Very informative. Living in Texas I am very jealous of all the snow. I'm a big fan of Outdoor Vitals. I have 3 of their sleeping bags and under quilts and they all preform above and beyond what I expect. Great value products. Can't wait for your bivy camp. Have a great day and God Bless.
Great video....a bit too much detail but informative. I've been all over the area. We are expecting 10-18" by tomorrow, may do a day snowshoe hike in that area Saturday.
South of the Kank is nice, should try up towards Jackson if you're ever up this way again. We have a family cabin up that way and I have a few secluded spots I like to hit along the rivers.
Great adventure!!! I always love your videos I've been following you from the start and each trip is always great. You make smart moves and give great advice. Thank you so much and I look forward to the next one. Stay safe and god bless to you and your family. P.S. tell Mike we miss him. I know it's tough getting out with a big family But we will see him soon I'm sure...
Kerosene or clear mineral spirits are the best fuels for the Optimus. More heat and burns longer and cleaner. White gas burns less time. Had my Optimus for 3 years and love it.
You got me at kerosene, diesel and jet fuel are basically the same thing, subscribed, on white gas, it is probably the equivalent of what we call white spirits or methylated spirits in Australia which is basically ethanol with a bit of methanol added (the methanol addition is to make it poisonous to drink, which results in many people getting really sick or dying after mistaking it for pure ethanol and drinking it). Fortunately in Australia we don't have the problem in the vast majority of conditions that a butane or propane canister will freeze up 👍
Making good decisions is more important than trying to continue with goals that have risks. Not doing that is 1 of the leading causes of accidents. I liked the way you would stop and think things out before you continued.
I used the same outdoor vitals hammock system in a major ice storm and another inside and was toasty. my dog crawled inside and as the wind rocked us we snuggled in. The only down time was you can't lay side ways. Open ends will make the system fail.
I have the mummy pod system as well and I believe you have to unzip the foot box and tuck the bottom of the foot box into the pod and pull it back out a partial way. I have used it down to its rating and it worked well. Keep up the great content chief!
Another good video testing equipment. Keep them coming. FYI you can wrap your fuel canister in some clothing while your stove is running to help keep the fuel warm.
Great video and I appreciate the versatility of the stove and camping setup you brought. I’m also glad to see someone else seeing the efficacy of military surplus items.
Love this one; great job with he filming. FYI - I wear vapor barrier liners (ie plastic bread bags) in my boots on multi day trips. boots never freeze up and feet stay warm. You amazingly do not sweat too much. Required procedure for ADK winter school too
You are a madman!!!! Excellent video. I learned more about these stoves in this video than all my researching on the big web. Also, you make winter camping look doable. Dangerous. Why? Because it gives me ideas I shouldn't have. Kidding aside, good insight into how to make decisions on the side of safety vs. sticking to original plans when things don't go to plan. Good stuff.
Another great and inform him informative video my friend. Thank you for taking all the time and trouble to create it. A lot of fantastic tips. It can be scary to camp in the winter if you’re by yourself and you happen to get wet or don’t have the right equipment. By the way the hang angle is 30°. Be blessed brother. John
It will probably be a while still before I start doing winter camping, but knowing the limits of that isobutane is really a wake-up call. I'll have to be very careful on the fuel I choose
@43:57 One think you can do to get the canisters started is keep a small bottle (2oz or 4oz nalgene bottles) of any fuel (denatured alcohol is less sooty burning in liquid but have to keep it warm) put a bit on the wick or bowl (MSR stove) and light it. Let it warm up then just use the canister straight inverted. Once the stove is hot turn the gas on and canister works just fine.
When I finished up your video today I saw you mentioned this. However I have the Primus Omniful TI and have the same issues you are having with your stove in it goes out sometimes. However I can never get mine back burning after that. However that happens using white gas for me, but haven't tried it with a canister in cold to see if it happens. I ended up buying a MSR Wisperlite universal and has been more reliable in the cold. Primus kept saying it was probably getting clogged but after like 10 minutes of burning i could take it apart and clean it then it would work for another 10 minutes. They also sent me a replacement and the replacement did the same thing. I don't know but kind of afraid to take it out on a trip now. Have you had any issues like this aside from the video (which could be the canister) although the MSR seems to be fine in the same realm of temps with an inverted canister. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this issue or have experienced anything similar with white gas. @1:23:28
Hi, Brian. I haven't had any similar issues yet, but I'm taking it out on another cold weather trip shortly, so I'll update accordingly if there are any issues. All good so far with white gas and diesel though.
