21st Century Baker's Tent

For example, a breathable weave of that reflective coating on the inside of a tent might make it warmer rather you use a campfire or not and reduce condensation when compared to my garage built proof of concept made with off the shelf materials.

As to places where you can't have a campfire, I addressed that at the end of the post.

One of the things I didn't really talk about, but did show in the video a couple times, is that reflective bubble wrap I use for the floor of the tent.

That stuff makes a great pad for under your mattress pad or bag. It makes a huge difference when you're sitting or sleeping on cold ground and it protects your mattress from rocks and other small sharp hole poking stuff, folded up it makes an awesome pad to sit on, and it's pretty light.

I personally have used a BA UL2 which I loved although it was a bit too flimsy for my taste. Later I got the REI Half Dome SL 2+. "Ideal" is very personal with tents because you are always making tradeoffs but for me, my REI tent is perfect. Not so expensive that I worry too much about it, not too flimsy, decently light, very nice usability, backed by great warranty.

Therm-a-Rests are a dependable brand in this regard, as while a leak may happen from time to time (I have had two punctures in about one year of sleeping outdoors), it is usually very easy to find the hole and patch it yourself, just like you do with a bicycle inner tube. I think Therm-a-Rest even includes the patch kit with some of its models now.

His answer: modern synthetic fabrics. In his childhood and early adulthood, raincoats were expensive, heavy, thick rubber and still barely worked. By the time he retired, they were thin, light, entirely waterproof, durable and cheap. Along similar lines, it's hard now to imagine life without elastic in socks and underwear, not to mention shirts made of modern sweat-wicking poly-cotton blends.

There is no best tent. There are only your requirements and how much you want to spent. I have done well with throw away tents. Be on a festival during my trip, trash the tent, keep traveling without unnecessary equipment.

In the 2nd video I didn't use any poles or sticks. I tied the upper corners to tree branches with string.

So, you're carrying two short poles and your hiking poles and string and pins to stake out the tent. That's not anymore than any other tent and less than some if you're carrying hiking poles too.

I'll also point out that in our Ozark forests you won't ever be 15k feet when backpacking and tree branches are abundant most everywhere here.

But, the real take away from this video should be that there's room to explore how these heat reflective materials might be used in cold weather backpacking clothes and tents. Not that a Bakers Tent is the best design, although it's a very good one for the Ozark forests and many other places, and for using that reflecting material.

I use a layer of thicker branches about 3" in diameter first, then I use smaller diameter sticks in layers on top of that. When you light that off the smaller sticks burn down and create a bed of coals on the first layer that keep fuel burning as it's added.

By design that burns low and slow. I'm also burning deadfall from hardwoods, Oak and Hickory by choice, and because that's what's growing in our forest here.

The reflective action is impressive. They also act as a wind break and turn whatever clothes you are wearing into a more effective measure against convective heat loss.

I'm not sure exactly how effective the mylar blankets are and under what circumstances, but this is what "trapped air" refers to.

If you have to in an emergency, then at least cook in the vestibule area (i.e. outside and away from the tent material) with lots of ventilation.

PS: I think it is essential to embark on any camping/backpacking trip with a mindset of adaptation/sacrifice. You have to be willing to make conservative or uncomfortable decisions in the name of risk management (e.g. trudging through a stream and getting your shoes wet vs. attempting a dry crossing on a precarious log, or resisting the warm noodle cravings during a rainstorm). Besides, it makes the experience of returning to civilization that much more exhilarating.

If you need to boost the warmth of your tent, boil some water outside, put it in a container, and keep that in your tent (being careful of scalding, of course).

https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/have-you-seen/2021/05/0...

“ We had no sooner pitched our tent than the thunder-shower burst on us, and we hastily crept under it, drawing our bags after us, curious to see how much of a shelter our thin cotton roof was going to be in this excursion. Though the violence of the rain forced a fine shower through the cloth before it was fairly wetted and shrunk, with which we were well bedewed, we managed to keep pretty dry”. Page 99: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page99.html

“Our bed was made with as much care and skill as a roof is shingled; beginning at the foot, and laying the twig end of the cedar upward, we advanced to the head, a course at a time, thus successively covering the stub-ends, and producing a soft and level bed. For us six it was about ten feet long by six in breadth. This time we lay under our tent, having pitched it more prudently with reference to the wind and the flame, and the usual huge fire blazed in front.” Page 27: http://www.thoreau-online.org/the-maine-woods-page27.html

I didn’t find anything about a tent catching fire, but I only skim searched.