New sub-type of SUL: BXUL

In winter conditions you would build a snow cave, make a bed with boughs from fir or pine trees, and the temp stays about 32 degrees inside (melting point. Snow is an excellent insulator. People involved in ski-mountaineering depend on this type shelter. Anyone venturing into backcountry in winter needs to know how to survive as well.

Of course, you must be wearing the insulation layer you will sleep in, and it must be pretty warm clothing for comfort, and able to ventillate well when moving. Lost skiers,snowmobilers spend days out in subfreezing temps all the time. Not saying they are comfortable, but they survive if they know how.

here's my 3# excursion from earlier this year- good have probably got to 2.2# pretty easily

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=47753&skip_to_post=406449#406449

Mike, your trip sounds really interesting to me. The whole experience sounds like something that would be very educational, especially going at temps that low without using a quilt or bag. For me, I might try it with some gear to fall back on in an emergency because my skills in this area are pretty weak, but it would be great to get the practice in with the skills. I can't wait to hear more about trips like this.

it's definitely worth doing IMO, I've been stuck out a time or two in the past and prior practice increased my confidence level a bunch- never overly comfortable, but safe and sound :)

Nice work Mike, very cool.

I hope I can test out BXUL this weekend, but not sure just yet if I will have the time. I will do it eventually and looking forward to it. I could "cheat" a bit, as I know several natural shelters that I could use, that way I would not have to build much or at all. I only know of one very small cave, which I have slept in before and it was neato. I wish there were more and bigger caves in my area, it there were I would use them all the time.

I guess there is another "cheat" factor that could come up. One could go out one day, spend all day building a deluxe shelter, then go back the next day and sleep in it. Hmm. Perhaps there should be a rule about having to build a shelter and then use it that same night. However, provided one had enough food and was close to a source of water, and the shelter built was nice enough, it would be possible to camp at the same spot for a longer period of time than just a quick overnighter. Might be kind of boring, though.

Medical- fak, bug dope, soap
Shelter- space blanket, garbage bags, rain poncho, plastic rope, duct tape
Fire- mini bic, firesteel
Hydration- water bottle ?1 liter; water treatment must be fire
Communication- whistle, pen/paper
Navigation- flashlight; NO MAP OR COMPASS
Nutrition- consumables
Insulation- natural materials, shelter material as vbl
Sun Protection- worn clothing, sunblock
Tools- mora knife

Since the UL/SUL/XUL designations are all relative to the "traditional" weights associated with backpacking, designating any new category is meaningless unless the activity remains a reasonable approximation of traditional backpacking. It seems to me that the activities in your proposal for so called "BXUL" are much closer to Bushcraft than Backpacking, in which case the XUL doesn't mean anything. In fact, based on the very little I know about Bushcraft it seems the gear list example above is heavier than the others I've seen.

My entire kit consists of:
1. A magnetized needle, which, when placed on a leaf floating on a puddle, will point North-South, and I guess which.
2. A gob of Kevlar thread:
a. I sew all my clothing from local vegetation. (Why do women hikers I meet run away, screaming?)
b. I sew a "Gorilla Nest" from local vegetation, if weather demands a shelter.
3. I eat beetles, ants, flying insects, and locacl vegetation, and drink from streams.
4. I hike bearfoot, also bare foot.

If you're that in-tuned to the earth, you should know which way north is. Most animals do.