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nutjob
Stoked OW climber
San Jose, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 24, 2008 - 02:41am PT
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Folks, I won't win this one on absolute count.
But if you just count the number of nights I've been under the stars, and what percentage of those had a sleeping bag, I think I'm a contender.
Out of around 7-8 nights out so far this year, maybe 3 of them had a sleeping bag. Several nights of cardboard groundpad and wearing whatever clothes I could find in the trunk, or wrapping a tent without poles around me, or shivering in a talus-filled chimney under the space blanket, or ...
Just got to thinkin' is all.
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Scrunch
Trad climber
Provo, Ut
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Jun 24, 2008 - 03:34am PT
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I'm in. Got 0 so far, but am leaving the sleeping bag home from now on. BRING IT!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jun 24, 2008 - 03:44am PT
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Car camping with no sleeping bag?
Many years ago I bivvied with a heavy down jacket and just my pants. My legs cramped in the cold and it wasn't a good night. Later I realized a light down bag weighed about the same as that down jacket....
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nutjob
Stoked OW climber
San Jose, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 24, 2008 - 09:33am PT
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Oh Clint, you assume I do it on purpose! That would be a ludicrosity.
The real issue (aside from unplanned bivies) is I get caught up in work etc. and throw my stuff in the trunk minutes (seconds?) before leaving, then laugh when I open my trunk in the middle of the night in the valley, or hardin flat, or evergreen, or....
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Jun 24, 2008 - 11:07am PT
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0 and holding
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jstan
climber
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Jun 24, 2008 - 11:07am PT
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The most memorable route I ever did involved two bivies and so is on topic for this thread.
A friend had resigned his position at MIT and was taking a new position at the university in Boulder. I was hitching a ride with him to the tetons but he had to let me off at Long’s Peak CG for two days while he got an apartment in Boulder. I had a small plastic sheet, two bacon bars, and a Baby Ruth so I figured I was well supplied. We got there a little after mid day but as I was reluctant to just sit there till the next morning I started hiking up Long’s. Near the top some people carrying shovels seemed perturbed that I was going up instead of down. Nothing I could do about that. People need the freedom to choose what they will get perturbed about. Coming down about dark I got to a flat place where people used to leave their horses. Again there was no point in going right down so as to spend two full nights and a full day in the CG. It was raining lightly but here there was the wreck of an old John affording some protection. I had come up quite a distance above Kansas and so coughed most of the night. While not five star, the accommodations were adequate. I was displeased that I had carried up too much food. I had used one bacon bar and the Baby Ruth for the calories to do the climbing. As the rest of the hike was all downhill I figured I would not need the second bacon bar and it could be held in reserve for the Tetons.
The next night in the campground featured rain which I tried to avoid by stretching my plastic over a picnic table. Unfortunately there was too much splashing from the table’s seats and in addition there was the problem of the last bacon bar. Unaccountably I had gotten hungry and had misplaced the last bar. All of that would have been tolerable but for the people eating and drinking in the RV’s nearby. Something had to be done. I tried walking to Estes Park but after awhile decided I did not have the calories to make it thirty miles. The campground had some new and very luxurious outhouses so I elected to spend the second night there. Since this had proven to be my most difficult route of all I chose to name it in my own honor. One day it may even be included in a guide to the area.
Bacon bar:
Ground up bacon bits smushed together with fat and so many antibacterials even the trees lean away from it.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Jun 24, 2008 - 11:49am PT
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jstan-great story. thanks. What's a bacon bar?
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nutjob
Stoked OW climber
San Jose, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 24, 2008 - 12:44pm PT
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Thanks Jstan, that's what I'm talkin' about.
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salad
climber
Escondido
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Jun 24, 2008 - 02:37pm PT
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if passing out drunk on the walk home counts, im in the running...
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Jun 24, 2008 - 02:52pm PT
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The thread is nights without a sleeping bag in 08'
However it seems there are already stories that happened pre 08' ?
Should we start a "strange/peculiar forced bivies" Thread ?
~~~~~~~~~~~
I want to put in a bid as a contender for night out without a (proper) sleeping bag.
(I might more appropriately run for dirt bag of the year in Susan's thread)
This year so far...
I would guess I have spent at least dozen nights outside without a sleeping bag ;)
I have not owned a 'proper' sleeping bag since I was a teenager.
In the mid 70's when I was about 15 years old I went into Boston's EMS, and down in the Bargain basement I bought a Sierra Designs 'Elephant's foot' foot sack, an EMS foam pad that is nylon covered 1/4" closed and 1.25" open cell foam and a Plastic emergency blanket/tarp. I recently (a decade ago) acquired a large piece of 'Tyvek' http://www2.dupont.com/Tyvek/en_US/uses_apps/apps_landing.html I use over everything if the weather moves in.
My duvet is getting pretty worked, but I love it. It's an old school Gerry, baffled, down ski parka that's almost knee length and has draws at both the hem and waist. It was a 'hand me down' (forgive the pun) from my dad, years ago.
I lay out the space blanket, then the pad. I get into my foot sack with a hooded fleece and wrap my duvet around the top of the bag. Then I zip up my duvet and cinch the waist draw string, then pull my arms out of the sleeves and tuck them either inside the jacket or the foot sack depending on temps.
I think I paid $15.00 for the foot sack, $5.00 for the pad and $5.00 for the space blanket/tarp and the Tyvek was a job scrap salvage.
I have slept in this arrangement everywhere I have been, on boats, in the desert and up in the mountains during both summer and winter.
When it gets really cold I sleep in the same gig but I wear fleece pants and down booties as well. The few times I have done extended periods out in full winter conditions, I just borrowed a well baffled summer bag and put my whole gig inside that.
It's not roomy by any means, however the versatility wins me. Someday (maybe this decade) I will buy a 'real bag' but all in all I would say my 'crash gear' has been pretty 'cost effective', 1000's of nights of cozy warm sleep for under $30.00.
I love my set up.
Like I say it is not roomy, it is down right cramped and taking a pee in the middle of the night can be an epic affair. However the light weight and versatility are great. During a cold day I am wearing the bulk of my sleeping gear weight on me. My bed roll (the foot sack, foam pad, E-tarp and Tyvek) weigh well under 3.5 lbs. If the gear gets wet, the layering is a lot more effective insulation and the components dry much faster than a conventional bag. and it packs up reaaallly small.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Jun 24, 2008 - 03:04pm PT
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Just four or five w/o a sleeping bag so far.
If you want a real competition you can discuss how many nights IN a sleeping bag (not at home...) this year.
4 weeks at josh... 5-6 nights at tahquitz... 4 weeks in the valley... I'm looking at around 60-65 nights so far in a bag :D
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yosguns
climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jun 24, 2008 - 03:06pm PT
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I had my first night without a sleeping bag on Saturday. Was so surprised to return home and not find the bag in the living room where I thought it was hiding.
I think it grew legs and ran away. Not one wash...ever.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Jun 24, 2008 - 04:04pm PT
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"Out of around 7-8 nights out so far this year"
"I'm a contender"
.... I'm a bit confused here. It *is* June, right? And you've only spent 7 or 8 nights out? And it sounds like a lot of them are close to the car. What exactly does this make you a contender in?
Most of my neighbors on my street, who probably really aren't outdoor folks at all have come close to spending that many nights out...
Just curious what I'm missing.
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nutjob
Stoked OW climber
San Jose, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 24, 2008 - 04:07pm PT
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C'mon Khanom, pissing can be fun.
One time I wrote my whole name in the snow, in cursive, with breaks to cross the t's and make the K starting my last name.
edit: Like I said Nef, I'm not winning any awards for nights out. I'm a silicon valley geek with a full-time consulting contract that supports my family and funds a start-up I've been running for two years now. I gotta savor what I can!
The only thing I'll be the best at is being me :)
This is sorta like the "special olympics" for outdoorsy folks.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Jun 24, 2008 - 05:25pm PT
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hahaha Special Olympics for outdoorsy folks. Love it!
I feel ya, dude. I have a media company start-up, a photo business and a day job still. I haven't spent many nights out either this calendar year. It sucks. But, I keep reminding myself that I'm working towards the coveted position of being able to spend a TON of nights out in the future.
Hang in there, bro!
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scuffy b
climber
watching the flytrap
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Jun 24, 2008 - 05:38pm PT
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Hey there, Nefarius...
What you're missing is that Nutjob is talking about bivies
without a sleeping bag at all.
7 or 8 sounds like plenty to me.
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roy
Social climber
New Zealand -> Santa Barbara
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Jun 24, 2008 - 07:59pm PT
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Last night...
Early season snow, dirty slabs and a falling rock foot injury slowed us down on Laurel Peak. A 3,500 foot scramble with 5.2 slabs. The long way down is long; there's no way we were going to do the 10 mile hike in the advertised 4 hours in the middle of the night. But it was a beautiful night for sleeping on a rope waiting for the moon to rise.
Cheers,
Roy
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Jun 24, 2008 - 08:34pm PT
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"Out of around 7-8 nights out so far this year, maybe 3 of them had a sleeping bag."
scuffy. I read this differently... I was just pokin' fun anyhow. I'm jealous of any nights out anywhere lately. hahaha
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scuffy b
climber
watching the flytrap
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Jun 25, 2008 - 10:57am PT
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Nefarius, I'm with you. I had read it only partially correctly.
On the one hand, 7 or 8 nights out aren't so many.
but 5 or 6 with no bag sound like plenty.
A toast!!
To Reading Comprehension!!!!
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