Hey all, Wanted to ask what you could all recommend for a sleeping system, what are the pros/cons between a sleeping bag versus camping blanket, what brand or specifics should I look for when shopping around for one, etc. Thanks in advance

Just uploaded a bunch of old YouTube videos into the classroom for extra references.

Training Primer: With the grandson team member, practice 2nd Amendment Rights & Responsibilities, Resource Walk, Fire under moderate conditions ( wet ground), supported shelter, Quiet Woods Time, and intro to Land Navigation. G Man and I will meet at 9:00 at his house and he, (11 y.o. ) has instructions to bring the BB Rifle, ammo, safety goggles, and whatever he equipment he chooses but it must include a compass. And to wear his Bogs. I will be carrying my full bushcraft kit with shovel and canteen cookset. Part of today’s exercise is to go out to the winter campsite location and make sure no mess remains. Land Navigation objective is compass introduction: Cardinal Direction of the main road dividing the homestead, same for the access woods road, and same for the path to the winter campsites. He will make a supported shelter and kindle a fire, from my pack if required. I will have suffered a lower leg injury, so Grampian Ken can talk but not help - much. I hope everyone here has a contemplative Saturday and remember the roots of their faith during this Holy Season.

I think it is common knowledge that I configure Kits for particular purposes and the bags stay configured. Not always constant but normally add water and snack and go. Hunting, work, overnight, grab & go, etc. Today’s Kit is a reworking of my Bushcraft Kit. This separate build started a year ago when I was getting ready to take our grandchild, G-Man, to a local survival course. They had a very specific list of materials and I purchased two sets of everything, for multiple reasons, but mostly so I knew exactly what he had. He was told he could not bring any NEW equipment to training. We ended up attending two of their courses last year and are looking at two this year. For me, this kit buildout has been in multiple packs, the original 5.11 pack just not cutting it. I switched over to an LL Bean Continental Weekender temporarily. I picked up the OneTigris Wild Rocket 45L pack used with the sole purpose of returning theWeekender to its overnight duties. I also wanted to add an insulation component to the kit. I had a SRO Foresters Quilt that was just treading water so it got conscripted. In this flat layout, there are two cooking options, one of which gets packed: canteen set and pot, and the cold steel shovel and the hatchet. Although the both ride well on each side. This pack also has redundant shelter components with the SRO survival tarp and the poncho. The poncho poles area bit of a luxury, but the stakes and rope kit work with both options. The first aid component is strong with a hard shell first aid kit and a trauma kit which includes a pair of TQs. The compass in the navigation kit is from their list, I have not really put it through its phases.I have a Suunto MC2 I reserve to add as needed. The whole setup with emergency bars, two kind bars, and one-liter of water comes at 26.6#. One goal this week was to start rucking again so this pack, as weighed, went two miles in one hour, ten minutes, in boots, partial trail and partial cross country. Not a lightning start but a start.

The shoulder season between winter and spring is tough. Can’t enjoy winter activities and not ready for spring hikes and activities. So I wrote my own shoulder season challenge. Training Primer: Supported Shelter, flint & steel natural tinder and kindling fire kindle, and cook lunch over the fire. AAR: The right hand support of my shelter area has been dead and of concern. After I set up a simple supported lean-to shelter with a preconfigured rapid ridgeline and succeeded in placing the black plastic tent stakes, I cut off the widowmaker with an arborist saw. Before that I kindled a fire with flint & steel using local grass, flower tops, and birch bark. The char cloth was a cooked cotton round from previous outings. The platform that was built for previous scenarios was frozen solid and gave the fire a very hard time. Extra kindling and some split hardwood did the trick and although late, cooked my lunch. I counted on the wood platform from the past exercise to get the fire off the ground. Part of the days mission was to clean up the mess from the winter. That will have to wait and probably be a rake and shovel job. This will probably be the last fire on the snow for this year.