wilderness shelter with option for interior fire...and saddle bags for the long ride

let's say i am getting ready to pack out on horseback into the mountains--cold weather--and i want to pack SOMETHING in the way of shelter...with which i can build a fire inside...now...im not talking wide open plains...im talking mountains...dense forest...rivers...etc.  

what might that be?  any ideas???

"On horseback" implies that weight is not a critical issue, so I might try a substantial canvas cover, like the old army shelter halves. As long as a fire was kept small and contained, and the canvas was checked regularly, you wouldn't risk instant conflagration, or individual sparks eating through the shelter.

I would also take some sort of lightweight rocket stove, so combustion could be contained and protected. This would let a smaller fire be maintained than if it sprawled out on the ground. Or if the terrain and climate allowed, dig a fox/Dakota stove each time you set up camp.

Glenn Herbert wrote:"On horseback" implies that weight is not a critical issue, so I might try a substantial canvas cover, like the old army shelter halves. As long as a fire was kept small and contained, and the canvas was checked regularly, you wouldn't risk instant conflagration, or individual sparks eating through the shelter.

I would also take some sort of lightweight rocket stove, so combustion could be contained and protected. This would let a smaller fire be maintained than if it sprawled out on the ground. Or if the terrain and climate allowed, dig a fox/Dakota stove each time you set up camp.

THANK YOU GLENN!!!

ok....canvas...i was thinking canvas and know where i can get my hands on a roll...big roll that i could use, and i was soooo wishing it might work...i have no idea what the weather might be like on any given day...pretty much here, we would need to be ready for anything, my thought is just build a small teepee out of it when i get to the woods or some sort of shelter...can use saplings around river's edge...would canvas need to be waterproofed or fireproofed with something more??? what??? i was thinking the dakota fire as well...smoke hole diverted outside the shelter???  

we are planning some long rides in this spring...and whew...im going in with a seasoned marine vet...and well..i always depend on him to take care of this kind of stuff....i simply wanna impress him...LOL...
so, im kinda either encroaching on his territory or else being a good help mate...hope for the later i really don't wanna take our tents in...i would rather rough it just a little more...and the canvas is so much thicker than a tent from the store...and i want a fire inside...thus the tee pee...thought to...it would be a good place to store our gear...(saddles, etc) while camped...for our first ride, we will probably ride in for a day...camp a few...then ride back out...any thoughts???

we will be packing in on 2 horses...riding 2...wanna keep loads as light as possible...mountain traveling...and coming out of winter here, they are fat and out of shape...so are we!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHQSJ5RL67Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWPovzXGg6cfor

What about a simple tarp tent, rigged between trees? Hammock and good sleeping bag gets you up off the ground. The tarp gives a huge degree of flexibility for layout in different weather conditions, and gives you a chance to have a small fire in, or very near, your shelter if needed.

Michael Cox wrote:What about a simple tarp tent, rigged between trees? Hammock and good sleeping bag gets you up off the ground. The tarp gives a huge degree of flexibility for layout in different weather conditions, and gives you a chance to have a small fire in, or very near, your shelter if needed.

i LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! what about if it rains though
and if those are your pics, i am thinking this...YOU would have a good idea what to stuff in those saddle bags for the first adventure out... wanna share love that campfire!!! oh, i can almost just be there by closing my eyes!!!

Some years back, we went camping with a friend. He was testing out his survival gear. He slept on the ground with his treated canvas cloth. Maybe he also had a canvas underneath him? The shelter was strung up similar to the above pics, but really low over his body. He wasn't trying to fit a fire under it. His sleeping space was on a slight slope. Not not a crest at all.

We used a tent. His tent, by the way. It had a small tear we never did find. We do know it was there because we woke up in two inches of water.

He was very pleased with his survival gear. He stayed nice and dry. We packed up and drug our sorry soaked selves home.


Our (still) friend really likes how Dave Canterbury teaches bushcraft. I saw one quick reference to his using linseed oil on the canvas. I can't watch the whole video, bad connection today. He sets up his shelter here. I hope he also explains how to waterproof it ahead of time.

Those are not my own pictures, sadly, but I have used that style of cover personally. I invested in a very lightweight tarp cover, specially designed for bushcraft/camping/survival. Even if you are packing in with a horse, there is no point packing a heavier option when excellent lightweight versions exist. Re-setup; in windy conditions you pitch it low and snug to the ground, but in better weather you can have it higher as a workspace. It is a very multifunctional setup, as during the day you can have it pitched high for moving around in, and low at night. However, they are obviously not inherently warm as there is plenty of air circulation.  Your bedding becomes paramount. My bedding kit for sleeping out without a true tent includes a thermarest inflatable mattress (superlight weight, but essential for insulation from the floor), a very very warm sleeping bag, and the jewel in crown is a super-lightweight goretex outer bivvy bag. The bivvy bag is breathable, so moisture buildup from sweat/breathing doesn't end up soaking into your clothing and sleeping bag. The bivvy-bag was what tipped me over from "Wow, this sleeping out thing is intense" to "yep, I can do this for a few nights in a row".

Bivvy Bag
Superlight sleeping mat
Sleeping bags - pick for the conditions you are likely to face
Tarp Shelter

You get all of the above for under 3kg of packed weight.

Personally I don't get on with hammocks - I sleep on my front, and find I can't get comfortable - but for those who do enjoy them, they are great.

When you couple great kit with good bushcraft skills you can be very very comfortable.

For example, you can make a bush shelter more comfortable and warmer by constructing a sleeping platform 6" thick of branches/leaves etc... You can make a shelter warmer than any tent given a few hours to prepare.

When we made these they were warmer and more comforatable than any tent. Ideal for a few days staying in one place.

I realised I didn't directly answer your question about rain:

If the rain is falling vertically, rather than blown, you just pitch as normal. If it is blown rain then you drop the edges of the canvas down as flush to the ground as possible. Personally, I have no problem sleeping in the rain, so long as I'm confident in my kit - both that the shelter will stop rain falling on my, and my sleeping kit is properly waterproof.  And for the day time, I'd rather be under a nice high canopy, than huddled inside a tent. Under a tarp you can still get on with jobs; cooking, cleaning, making stuff, tending a fire etc...