Igloo-making-experiment trip!

[Shan]

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]

Cool, I helped MTNMAN1830 make one last year.

[Shan]

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]

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/viewtopi...ighlight=igloo

[DiscGo]

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

[Last Child]

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

[offpiste]

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]

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]

Very cool.

[blueeyes]

Sweet! How fun is that?

[JP]

Great igloo

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

[Joe Gardner]

Wow! Thats cool, it looks very well made!

[Don]

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

[Shan]

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]

Thanks Looks like fun....mostly.

[adamsco]

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

Build one? Let's just go find that one and sleep in it.

[gwest]

I used mine a few times last year in the wasatch. They took a long time each time ~6hrs. And they seemed to sag fairly quickly, ....ie, we couldnt go back and use it 2 weeks later. I dunno ...it's really neat but i think the conclusion i came to is that its not worth it. You can dig a snow cave for a few people in less time, and it doesnt sag since you can build it with less of a span between supports. Snow trenches with a snow block or tarp covering are the best i think. Minimal effort and wetness.

I think maybe in a climate with wetter snow theyd work better? I dunno, we tried 1 using powder and 1 using consolidated snow from lower in the pack, both sagged.