denalipilot wrote:Sorry if I missed it, but what's the location? There's an outside chance I could swing it. Sounds like a blast.

-DP

It's a small dry lakebed about 12sm northwest of Yerington NV. That would be awesome if you could make it!

Zzz wrote:My 40th birthday is that weekend.

Sooooo......Your saying we are having a very large birthday party?????

As Rob mentioned, it sits between Minden, Carson city and Yerington Nevada. About a 20 minute flight or so south of Reno International. Many folks will be driving in.

Here is the famous "Gold mine" this am....its less than 5 minutes from our location.



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10204067057978221&set=vb.1277632076&type=2&theater

AKT

Jeezus - Zane is circling the drain - time for a party

soyAnarchisto wrote:Jeezus - Zane is circling the drain - time for a party

LOL... He's just getting started! Although, any reason for a party...!

I had a blast last year. Hoping I can find a way down. Wonder if the Avcenter would notice if I brought their plane back covered in dry lakebed dust.

I want to go too

This may seem like a silly question, but I have little experience in cold weather camping. How do you keep warm at night?

I can tell you the in "cool" weather camping (and freezing is not cool to me, it's downright "cold"), there's a tendency for me to wake up freezing, particularly around the face, and its a real challenge crawling out and waking up. There's also a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night.

Outside of suggesting something extreme (it would be stupid to haul that little honda genset + an electric heater for tent camping... and would probably just piss everyone off?), what techniques work to keep oneself warm? I have the basic coleman tent, air mattress, and a regular (and a mummy) type sleeping bag... army surplus stuff, without the greatest results.

Forgive the stupid questions. Consider myself new to not only airplane camping, but camping in general.

Arriving via A/C

idair wrote:This may seem like a silly question, but I have little experience in cold weather camping. How do you keep warm at night?

I can tell you the in "cool" weather camping (and freezing is not cool to me, it's downright "cold"), there's a tendency for me to wake up freezing, particularly around the face, and its a real challenge crawling out and waking up. There's also a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night.

Outside of suggesting something extreme (it would be stupid to haul that little honda genset + an electric heater for tent camping... and would probably just piss everyone off?), what techniques work to keep oneself warm? I have the basic coleman tent, air mattress, and a regular (and a mummy) type sleeping bag... army surplus stuff, without the greatest results.

Forgive the stupid questions. Consider myself new to not only airplane camping, but camping in general.

Arriving via A/C

Good sleeping bag, insulated pad under that, and a bottle of Jack Daniels. Stocking cap.

Cheers...Rob

Good down sleeping bag (zero F comfort level), good under layer and socks (Smartwool), a toque or beanie, and like Rob said, a good sleeping pad. Then pop a Benedryl before bed.

I might have to try the cap/beanie and better mattress. Do you have any recommendations? My feet and the rest of my body are generally not as cold as my face. Of course mornings still suck . Garden valley is cheating with warm showers...

Bring a Nalgene bottle. Boil some water before bed. Fill the nalgene. Put it in your sleeping bag.

It's pretty hot, so keep it off bare skin.

It'll still be warm in the morning!

Good bag, a good insulated mattress...not just an air mattress ( I just switched to an Exped pad about a year ago and love it!), and a Mr. Buddy heater. We also take a spare blanket just in case we need another layer on top. The heater we use to take the chill out of the tent in the morning. Makes getting out of your bag a bit easier.

get a Wiggy's...end of cold end of story....

http://www.wiggys-global-inc.com

?

If you're flying in ID and NV during Fall and Winter, and getting cold while camped out, it means you need to think about, and try out, your survival gear and tweak things to where you're warm and dry.

Gump

Thanks for the input folks. I will try some of these suggestions out.

whee wrote:I had a blast last year. Hoping I can find a way down. Wonder if the Avcenter would notice if I brought their plane back covered in dry lakebed dust.

If you're willing to pack light, sit back seat in a C-172, and can get that plane from that AvCenter to the other AvCenter west of you, I can take you the rest of the way...

Thanks for the offer idair. Packing light and riding in the back is no problem, but I'm fat and we'd use up every bit of that 1300' of lake bed trying to takeoff.

For best trip quality above 5000 MSL in a 172, I wouldn't be offering the back seat to anything/anyone but a beer cooler.

Zzz wrote:For best trip quality above 5000 MSL in a 172, I wouldn't be offering the back seat to anything/anyone but a beer cooler.

Yeah, I've pretty much accepted this is going to involve a ferry operation to Carson city on departure in any case. The book says it will do it; but not with the desired margins.