Oh, you do not know how this site scares my wallet. Not that AIM Surplus can’t still do that, but this is a different kind of fear….
“Items he’ll rarely use” of Terror!
With the purchase of Buddy the Jeep, friend and co-worker, Paul, sent me a link to this group of folks who not only build up their 4WD vehicles, but take them out and test them under very, very real scenarios.
For days and weeks. Across whole states. Hell, across continents.
Now, I don’t know that I’ll have the disposable income available to the group members, but sooner than later, I hope to put a Cherokee onto their list of Expedition Vehicles.
If you sleep up off the ground like that anywhere it’s cold you need a lot of insulation – I think it’s a hot-weather only thing. We tried it with a “truck tent” in my pickup-truck bed and the expedition down sleeping bag, two layers of thermorest mattresses, and the bedliner wasn’t nearly enough when it started to snow.
The wind whistling underneath just sucked all the warmth out of everything. I opt for a tent on the ground.
Well for me when it was really cold, we would sleep in a Snow hut (easier than an igloo) and that was great. Thermorests are not good for cold no matter what they say, I will go for a closed cell any day. It also looks like these tents are on a wood or fiberglass platform which is a lot better than the bed of a truck. For Phil’s case, and if I remember correctly his size is similar to mine (me 6’4″ 275), he could sleep in the back, diagonally, and not be too scrunched.
I went here: http://www.theoutdoorlodge.com/survival/cold_weather_survival_seven.html ,and found that it agreed with my BSA training. Also, “Note: In extreme cold, do not use metal, such as an aircraft fuselage, for shelter. The metal will conduct away from the shelter what little heat you can generate.” I think this applies to truck beds as well.