The Story of a Backcountry Underdog: Ski Blades

My first published blog is up on Osprey's site:

http://blog.ospreypacks.com/2015/03/06/backcountry-underdog/

Working on some follow-up stories so stay tuned!

In the mean time here are a few photos not on the Osprey site!

Photo by Todd Babos

Full moon skin up West Buttermilk. Photo by Nat Noakes

Grace working her 360 Daffy on Smuggler Mtn.

Checkin' out the Smuggler moms on the way down the mountain.

Moisture Management in the Van

Here's a quick post regarding some of the ways to mitigate moisture build up in a vehicle.

The problem is we all breath and we breather harder while we're awake and there is a ton of water vapor in each exhale. According to this NPR article we lose about 15-16 Fl Oz of water each night, and when you're in a car or van that winds up coating everything. This makes seeing through a frozen windshield in the morning tricky, metals will rust when repeatedly exposed to this, it makes morning just a bit more unpleasant. When combined with cooking in the van it's not that hard to wind up with 1/8 of an inch of frost on the windows in the morning.

However, while I have not come up with a complete solution I have been able to lessen then problem.

-I use a couple of mesh bags full of silica packets that I collected from a local retail shop. I have probably 3-4lbs of silica which helps lessen the amount of condensation, especially in dry climates.

1/8" of frost will make some pretty
cool patterns on the windshield!

-In the morning when the frost thaws and starts to drip I have a micro towel that is super absorbant and is nice and small so I can take it in to work or a real house and dry it out without being too obnoxious.

-Crack a window whenever possible as this allows the moisture to escape before it becomes a problem.

-Whenever possible park in sunny spots, again with a window cracked so that the vehicle and dry out while you play or earn some pennies!

Sometimes it's impossible to completely manage the moisture and you just have to accept the fact that you'll have a car foggier than Leo and Kate's on the Titanic and that's ok.

Drying laundry in the van.
Not prime for keeping moisture levels low but
that's the way it goes sometimes.

Getting the Previa Winter-proofed

Snowed in...almost.

This winter I am back in the mountains of Colorado and according to the farmer's almanac it is supposed to be chilly...chillier than last which had a couple of weeks that it was dropping down to -25F. So far, unfortunately it seems to be holding true with nights dropping down to -7F in the second week of November, last winter I had not yet moved from blankets to my sleeping bag and now I have spent the last week and a half sleeping in my bag, with several of those nights being uncomfortably cold (my fault since I sold my winter bag and have been sleeping in a lighter bag rated to +45F) for more than a few nights.

To ready the van for the winter I have used a few tricks from the previous winters, modified some others and introduced a couple of new ones.

Returning due to popular demand:
-As in has been the case in prior winters when it's chilly and you're warm the motivation to put cold shoes on and step outside to visit nature loses some of its appeal, so the pee bottle has remained a constant.
-Another constant is the memory foam mattress that gets rock hard when cold but almost melts underneath you when it warms up, it's the closest a mattress can get to a hug and it feels great!
-The Coleman two burner continues to make cooking and water boiling a cinch while also cranking out those BTUs and making the van interior feel like a tropical paradise despite the snowy landscape.
-Books and podcasts as I talked about in my entertainment post have occupied much of my evening free time.

Version 2.0 
- This summer when I sold the purple dragon (the van I spent the previous two winters in) the home made tea candle space heater went with it. So far I have dabbled with a modification of placing a small bowl in a low walled pail (for draft protection). It fits three tea candles and I think is just fine for taking the edge of the air while I sleep. I moved away from the prior construction because last winter I knocked it over many times which was something of a fire danger as well as a great way to spill hot wax everywhere. The down side to the new design is that the candles to light up the van which isn't very stealthy and can sometimes inhibit sleep, also the exposed flames continue to present a fire hazard, we'll see if any more modifications occur as the winter progresses as it's still an imperfect system.

The Coleman with the coffee percolator, perfection!

-My hot beverage system, however, has been perfected with the introduction of a new mug in addition to my Hydroflask mug. In the morning I make my first cup of coffee and put it in the new mug that is less insulative and therefore makes for a great hand warmer and makes the coffee a more drinkable temperature faster. My second cup of coffee goes into the Hydroflask for work or more long term sipping as it will keep stuff hot for hours and if you're not careful like me is a recipe for a burnt tongue!

New this Season:
-All Wheel Drive, as you may know I upgraded to a Toyota Previa this year and it has AWD, it is awesome. With new snow tires and ingenious design I have had to work to make it slip. Time and time again I have assumed that I won't get out a snowy parking lot or will slip going around a corner, all of which would have been true in my previous vans. Time and time again I've been disappointed with a mundane and safe drive to my sleeping place or work. I now understand how my friend Nathan was able to pull my old Dodge out of ditches and through town with his Previa last winter, they're amazing vehicles!

The ensolite foam insulation on the sliding door.

-However, the Previa is a mini van and so has boat loads of windows A.K.A. heat sinks. To combat this I've installed the reflective bubble wrap cut to fit, backed with canvas that Velcros to the interior. On the sliding door the canvas wasn't very practical so the bubble wrap is glued to some ensolite foam, the bubble wrap was from Nathan's Previa, saving me a bunch of work which was awesome. For the front I've attached Velcro to the reflectors you can put in your windshield in the summer so that the reflective surface faces into the sleeping area. This set up has proved to be surprisingly warm, keeping the van (I'm guessing) 20-30F warmer than the exterior temperatures when combined with my tea candle heater.
-Down socks, they're awesome also! I wear mine inside the van when lounging, inside my sleeping bag on cold nights, in my snow boots when I'm lazy and it's cold outside. They pack down to nothing so are easy to accommodate in the van and are extremely warm (You might recognize the guy in the  picture in ^ link).

Books on the left, chitenge from Zambia on the right
and a man cave in the middle.

A view of the yard out of my bedroom window.
River front property is as great as they say it is.

Living in a Van During the Winter Part 2: The Necessities

Whenever people find out that I live in a van I am pretty consistently asked three questions that might vary in construction but have the same gist. 1. Where do you shower? 2. Where do you go to the bathroom? 3. Where do you park? In the winter often a 'Doesn't it get cold?' gets thrown in there pretty regularly also.

#8 Showering is one of the easier questions to field particularly during the winter. Basically, the way I see it is during the winter either you're super hardcore (read: not me) and you have to options: snow baths or no showers, pretty burly either way. Or you shower at friends houses and community centers with a few sink spritz ups to see you through longer shower less periods which is fairly normal van dwelling protocol.

#9 or is it #2...Unless you're living in a real RV chances are you don't have a full blown bathroom in your vehicle unless you've retro fitted your Outback's passenger seat with an after market hole or something of that ilk. And so you are faced with a dilemma, a where and when to do. This van life issue is magnified and really only becomes an issue during the winter, as during the summer in a pinch one can always dig a little cat hole somewhere, step outside at night to relieve that pressure etc. Getting out of one's sleeping bag in the middle of the night is unappealing, forget getting out of your home into knee deep snow to go pee. And so the simple solution that truckers have been using for decades is a simple pee bottle. There has been an ongoing discussion between myself and one of my cousins about the potentially harmful effects of human urine on grass (basing this on the observations of dogs) and I think that if you are emptying your pee bottles on lawns or areas that might be an eye sore it might be worthwhile using grass saver to minimize your impact. Stay tuned in the spring for more on how bottle dumping in a regular location can alter the local ecology.

When the situation in the winter is more dire, particularly after a morning coffee, the best solution I can offer is a real bathroom, whether at a workplace, library, your coffee shop (they started it...) or if you're really hardcore you could invest in wag bags or a poop tube, which is perfect for practicing for climbing your next big wall, El Cap? Baffin? Zion? The poop tube could be a perfect way to transport you to your dream climbing destination while taking care of business.

#10 Heating is a tricky subject. Before the last post I was steadfast in my belief that heaters were for sissys and all you really need is a bit of insulation in the walls, a warm sleeping situation and a "if you're gonna be dumb you gotta be tough" attitude. Now...I'm not so sure as I got kind of sick just before the new year and the more I think about it, the more I've come to realize that it is probably a result of sleeping in -25F and forcing my body to keep itself warm rather than keeping my immune system in tip top shape. So, this past week I have begun using a rather rudimentary heating system while I am sleeping. To be clear this system doesn't keep the van a sweltering 75F. It mostly serves to simply take the sharp edge off the air and I find myself remaining in my down jacket. I've definitely found myself sleeping without waking to a frozen nose in the night and found that I have been slowly getting over this sickness, that's now just a lingering cough rather than pneumonia that my mom thinks it would be otherwise. Don't worry I'll remain a slightly compromised van purist with this heating system, at least until a cold snap like the one on the east coast at the moment, then I'll follow the Weldin Way and get one of these things.

My Improvised heater, terracotta pots are hard to come by but empty paint cans are not and seem to work well.

#11 Hot beverages are one thing that I fully endorse. I'm not bothered if it's tea, coffee, hot chocolate or hot water (believe me, all have been consumed in large quantities in the van) all are equally awesome when it's cold out and your hands are frozen from scraping the inside of your windshield, handling cold clothes etc. And they're good for you even if you don't live in a van, so I encourage you all do take a beverage break, if you're of age I encourage a drop of whiskey or schnapps to spice things up (kids you get to wait until your parents leave their drink unattended for a responsibly sized sip).

On that note I think I'm going to prolong this series (yes, it's a series now) as a result of the number of cups of coffee I've consumed this morning and the fact that my shaking hands are severely compromising my ability to type.

So in the next post I'll cover van life entertainment, how nifty brooms are, reiterate why planning ahead might be helpful (I'm still working on this one myself) and then as per some external inspiration I'll saving food for a grand finale post.

If you're impressed by my use of hyperlinks (a recent discovery) or all the labels, that are like the # things (also a recent discovery) feel free to share my blog with anyone that might like it. If you're unimpressed with any of these things or have feedback/suggestions for me give me a shout!

'Nuff said.

Tips, tricks and the shortcomings of winter van living P.1

So I should preface this post with the statement that the following points are in no particular order and all can be equally valid when living in a vehicle during the colder months or might be all equally irrelevant, sometimes it's hard to say.

The van loves snow so much that sometimes it even needs to be pushed into moving. 

#1 Wine and beer do not freeze well. (This is number one because the learning experience was a rather poignant one.) I think this one is fairly self-explanatory, if you freeze them through the bottles will explode and leave you with a wine or beer slushy all over the interior of your vehicle. This will make you sad.

#2 Small scented candles are wonderful. During the winter I have found that I'm less inclined to let the van 'air' out as that's also letting out precious heat. As a result of this the smell of cooking, flatulence and dirty clothes can linger. If you're driving anyone around or spending anytime kicking it in your van/car yourself it can be nice to just sweep that eau d' you under the rug with a scented candle until you get a break in the weather for an air out session. Nice bonus is the heat gained from the candle flame, it's just the right size to warm your hands over in the morning or before climbing into bed.

#3 Water can be a bit tricky for the same reason (though not as messy) as #1. My way around water freezing solid, and thus inaccessible in water bottles or bladders is a little personalized but you may be able to extrapolate or adapt this strategy for yourselves. I will use what ever water I need at night for cooking and hot beverages and the remaining water is divided between my kettle (a standard enameled camping kettle) and my coffee percolator, so that in the morning I am able to reach over to my stove from the security and warmth of my sleeping bag and set those two to boiling, thus minimizing my time spent in the cold air and raising the level of stoke while waiting for a hot cup of coffee. Basically, just store your water in a place where, when it freezes you can easily melt it.

Remember in the winter time if you run out of water and you're in a snowy environment, in a pinch you can always melt snow, though it can be rather time consuming to get a sizable quantity of water this way but if you live in a van, chances are you have the time. Just stay away from snow that's not white...

#4 Layering. If you've spent anytime being active in the cold you understand the importance of layering. If you have not, the idea is as you get warmer you can drop layers and still maintain decent warmth and as you get cold you can add layers to trap warmth. This is true for the winter van dweller also but can be applied to more than just your clothes. I use layering in my sleeping set up as my sleeping bag is not sufficient alone on -20F nights so I have a light cotton liner (this is also for ease of washing), and several blankets and a quilt I can pile on top of my sleeping bag for the coldest nights. On warmer nights I might just sleep with my sleeping bag unzipped and as a blanket.

#5 Just to keep things complicated a super warm puffy is awesome and pretty much a requirement. Mine is one from PHD, you can check out their stuff via the link over >. This is awesome for when you first emerge from your sleeping bag, into your chilly interior or more importantly for when you venture out into the frigid world you are choosing to live in. A puffy just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, literally and figuratively.

#6 Mess control. I'm still working on this one myself as my messes seem to ebb and flow but basically it's even easier to turn that small living environment into a pig stye during the winter than during the summer because you're wearing more layers that eventually have to be taken off and put somewhere, I, at least, am less inclined to organize in the cold because I'm hesitant to open doors and let out the warm air. Washing dishes is also less appealing because wet hands are cold hands and that sucks in the winter. This can be mitigated by washing dishes at work or friends houses where it's warm or by sucking it up and doing them in warm water and having a quick way to dry your hands, or just by not doing them and eating off dirty dishes.
                                    
                                             Argh, the dreaded mess can befall even me.

#7 Drying stuff kind of goes hand-in-hand with #6 in that when you're tromping around in the snow or whatever your clothes will get wet, whether it's from sweat or snow, and if you're like me and enjoy a winter sport or two then you know that ski or ice boots love to collect ice in all their nooks and crannies  and that it is far from the most enjoyable feeling to jam your toasty feet into a frozen liner and wait for your feet to thaw it out and then rewarm them. To avoid this, if possible put them in front of your vents when driving (this is imperfect but helps) or whenever possible bring them inside, this goes for liners as well as layers. I know that I try and wear wet layers in to work to hang and dry while I'm doing my thing.

A sample of a growing mess - note the missing boot liners.

Dampness is a huge thing in the winter van living because it is so present. This is a result as I said of bringing in the moisture from the outside as well as the condensation that occurs while sleeping, which is fairly unavoidable. I'm currently trying to experiment with silica and/or rice to absorb some of that moisture and I'll hopefully have results fairly soon to share.

I have spontaneously decided to make this a two part post as this is getting to be longer than anticipated and I am still just a little ways through my list and have not even gotten to some of the juicy stuff (besides boot liners).

So stay tuned for details on potty talk and personal hygiene, cooking, entertainment, heaters and my thoughts on planning. Until then here are a few pictures to keep the psyche high.

A day out climbing in December at the Puoux in Glenwood.

A delightful day in the backcountry with the Pearces. Looking over the Roaring Fork Valley.