Bogley

Shan · Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 824 Location: Cache Valley

My BF and I tried out his new Ice Box igloo making kit by Grand Shelters this weekend. http://www.grandshelters.com/

We skinned up about 3 hours to a nice spot near the ridge of the Bear River Mountains. The igloo we made in his yard took 2 hours, but this one took 6+ hours. Not including the hour to work harden the igloo floor. We were on a bit of a slope so you have to build up a level floor. The snow was also sugar, so it took a little extra work to set the blocks.

With two tea candles burning inside, it got up to 41 degrees, but a damp feeling 41 degrees. The floor system was a tent footprint; a thermarest; a DownMat (http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/downmats.html). My feet stayed cold but I put them in the bag cold, so I should have wrapped them in a fleece.

My dog went too and she's not built for cold weather, so I made her a winter outfit out of a DI fleece. She needs something better.

A pictorial:

RugerShooter · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 1741 Location: On www.bogley.com

Cool, I helped MTNMAN1830 make one last year.

Shan · Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 824 Location: Cache Valley

davis_b_1 wrote: Cool, I helped MTNMAN1830 make one last year.

I swore I saw a review of this product on here, but I couldn't find the post when I searched for it.

Mtnman1830 · Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Posts: 1764 Location: In my cave

Great times!

I haven't made it out yet to make one this year, but here is some from last year.

http://www.bogley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10218&highlight=igloo

DiscGo · Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 6210 Location: Provo

Wow. Good work. I'm really impressed that you could sit on it.

Last Child · Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 1248

That looks like a lot of fun. I too am impressed. :2thumbs:

offpiste · Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 326 Location: Pleasant Grove UT

cool igloo, I've built a few caves but nothing that solid.

"My feet stayed cold but I put them in the bag cold, so I should have wrapped them in a fleece."
Down booties are great for winter camping, just for this.

Scott Card · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 2262 Location: Provo, Utah

Very cool indeed. I have had my eye on this product since last year but haven't had the excuse to buy it yet (or the hidden funds). I am glad to see you made the igloo out of sugar snow. They advertise any snow will work but I wasn't too sure about that. What added to the time in the mtns. vs back yard building? Snow conditions? Building up and leveling the floor? digging the trench? All of the above? What did you do for a door and/or air?

accadacca · Joined: 02 Dec 2004 Posts: 9979 Location: On my Beemer

Very cool. :five:

blueeyes · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:44 pm Post subject:

Sweet! How fun is that?

JP · Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 7656 Location: Not Sure

Great igloo :2thumbs:

The only one I want to be next to is the cooler type :haha:

Joe Gardner · Joined: 13 Dec 2005 Posts: 371 Location: SLC

Wow! Thats cool, it looks very well made!

Don · Joined: 20 Feb 2006 Posts: 2178 Location: Happy Valley

Very cool. I have got to build one this year. Seriously. Josh? Cody? Anyone?

Shan · Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 824 Location: Cache Valley

Scott Card wrote: Very cool indeed. I have had my eye on this product since last year but haven't had the excuse to buy it yet (or the hidden funds). I am glad to see you made the igloo out of sugar snow. They advertise any snow will work but I wasn't too sure about that. What added to the time in the mtns. vs back yard building? Snow conditions? Building up and leveling the floor? digging the trench? All of the above? What did you do for a door and/or air?

The new DVD that comes with the Ice Box shows the inventor making an igloo out of sugar snow too. As he is digging, he comments about how people wrote in, "Sure you had great snow for your DVD! What about other conditions?" So he went out on a day that was sugar on purpose.

Yes, work hardening the floor took a good hour or more. Even then, it would break as we walked on it. But over time, the floor just got more sturdy the more we walked around on it. So I guess don't be so meticulous with a perfectly hard flood before you start.

Since we did a new diameter igloo this time, we had to reread the directions. Maybe 30 minutes cumulative over the 6+ hours.

The snow had two crust layers at the top, then the rest was sugary. My snow farming technique basically was scraping the uphill wall to get a pile of snow ready for a block. For the blocks that faced down hill (and hence further from my farming wall) the inside person would scrape up some of the floor and throw it over the side. Or I'd scrape a big pile and move it as needed. Sometimes mixing/stomping was involved if there were chunks.

My BF was thorough when packing the snow blocks. He packed (very lightly) every shovel full, where as in the back yard he was the shoveler and I didn't pack so tidy. But in the backyard it resulted in an igloo that was slightly Swiss cheese like. So I guess in the end, because it was the first one we would sleep in, thoroughness was fine until we can find a happy medium later.

The door and trench were quick to dig. The trench allowed for you to sit on your sleeping pad with your legs in a normal sitting position. Plus somewhere to leave your boots when you're sleeping. The door went down into the floor.

For a door, we used part of the Ice Box and my backpack to block the entry.

8' was big enough for two people and a dog (packs left outside or made up the door), but a 9' would have been a little more spacious. At one point my DownMat near my feet was hanging into the trench because I tossed and turned alot, so next time I would build my individual "sleeping platform" so it rolls away from the trench slightly.

Scott Card · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 2262 Location: Provo, Utah

Thanks :2thumbs: Looks like fun....mostly.