Moutain camping

[GPW]

Every time we went we ate mostly the Fish we caught in Chalk Creek and nuts and chocolate … Camping light, pup tent ...

[MtnDon]

Regarding water and coffee. According to a few coffee experts, if you are using a hot water brew process......

Water Temperature
The brewing temperature of the water used is very important. It should be between 195 F (91 C) and 205 F (96 C). The closer to 205 F (96 C) the better. Boiling water (212 F - 100 C) should never be used, as it will burn the coffee. Water that is less than 195 F (91 C) will not extract properly. Keep in mind that if frozen beans have been ground, the aggregate will drop the temperature of the water upon contact. In this instance the temperature of the water being added to the aggregate should be right at 205 F (96 C).

That is from here.

When we get up to around 8500 feet water is no longer hot enough to get a good brew according to the temperatures mentioned above. Home is now at 8800 feet. I guess it is a good thing that I discovered the cold brew process years ago and grew to much prefer cold brewed coffee.

[Tom&Shelly]

Regarding water and coffee. According to a few coffee experts, if you are using a hot water brew process......

Water Temperature
The brewing temperature of the water used is very important. It should be between 195 F (91 C) and 205 F (96 C). The closer to 205 F (96 C) the better. Boiling water (212 F - 100 C) should never be used, as it will burn the coffee. Water that is less than 195 F (91 C) will not extract properly. Keep in mind that if frozen beans have been ground, the aggregate will drop the temperature of the water upon contact. In this instance the temperature of the water being added to the aggregate should be right at 205 F (96 C).

That is from here.

When we get up to around 8500 feet water is no longer hot enough to get a good brew according to the temperatures mentioned above. Home is now at 8800 feet. I guess it is a good thing that I discovered the cold brew process years ago and grew to much prefer cold brewed coffee.

Guess I'll get thrown out of the coffee klatsch for this, but when camping, we take instant.

[MtnDon]

I used to use an instant, too! Bustello!

For me, camping is a time to relax, to take things easy, as well as hike, see things and enjoy myself. My cold brew coffee fits right in. The concentrate is made at home, diluted 1:3 to drink. Taking it easy also means eating meals I made ahead of time at home and reheating.

Back to the OP and the theme of mountain camping... Most of my camping has been in mountain areas. I long ago learned that the seasons in the mountains do not necessarily follow the calendar. One should have clothing that can be layered well. We even carried 2 sleeping bags when car/truck camping. And yes, I feel the cold a little more as I have aged (72 two days ago).

[drhill]

Good thing I live at 3750 feet. Perfect for making coffee & I am addicted.

One thing I really dread about early and late season camping is climbing under the covers onto a cold mattress. It can take a very long time to warm the mattress with body heat. Many years ago I received a 12V electric blanket as a gift. I plugged it in but couldn't feel any warmth from it so it has been gathering dust on a shelf in the garage. Awhile ago I was revising the program that logs temperatures on a pizza oven and decided to do a couple experiments with the thermocouples. I put the 12V blanket under the covers next to the mattress with a couple of the thermocouples and one monitoring the outside air temperature. Here is the result.


After a couple hours the temperature next to the mattress was up by about 10C or 18F. Not hot by any means but a lot of heat that the body wouldn't have to provide. This uses about 3.5 amps so can easily be plugged into the cigarette lighter for a few hours with no worry of draining the battery too much.

I also tried a 250 watt 120V heater and the upper 3 lines here show the result.

The lower two lines show the outside air temp and the 3 upper lines the inside air temp. The top line was about a foot over the bed and the other two lines on top of the bed covers. This heater uses more than 6 times the power, and even more if being converted from 12V to 120V. I gave up on it as it would be no use without shore power.

I haven't used the 12V blanket for camping yet, but I will this fall.

[KTM_Guy]

The best thing for cold weather camping. Just as long as you have some one to share it with. I really liked spooning on 20 degree nights. Not a big fan getting out of the bag in the morning to get the heat the water for tea while someone stays snug-as-a-bug.

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Agnes-Degree ... eeping+bag

[GPW]

We only camped the High Lonesome in the sumer time , when it only got down in the 30’s at night …

[crttaz]

The best thing for cold weather camping. Just as long as you have some one to share it with. I really liked spooning on 20 degree nights. Not a big fan getting out of the bag in the morning to get the heat the water for tea while someone stays snug-as-a-bug.

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Agnes-Degree ... eeping+bag

I have a big NEMO Mezzo Loft Luxury 30 Sleeping Bag, it'll fit two if needed. Then again my partner in crime is only 5'1" and maybe 95 lbs. It was below freezing outside but I ended up being too warm, she was perfectly comfy.