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fiftyfifty
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# Posted: 24 Nov 2021 08:53
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That cutter is so cool! Nice work!
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Crake
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2022 14:15 - Edited by: Crake
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January 2022 update
This past weekend my daughter and I headed up to the quarter for an overnight stay on our way to the family farm. The road north of my property was completely blown shut with snow. We stacked the Pelican sled full of styrofoam, tools and overnight supplies, and sledded two miles up the road and across the pasture just as darkness fell.
Once we reached the edge of the forest, I dumped the Pelican sled and we slowly plowed a trail into the cabin. The snow was well above my knees and solid powder right to the ground. The Tundra either bogged down or was constantly tipping over. I resigned myself to walk alongside it until we reached the cabin. Exhausting work! I dropped my daughter off and got the Gstove going, caught my breath and headed back for the Pelican. Way easier going once the trail in was broken in.
The cabin was pretty snowed in. We pulled everything out and started installing the roof styrofoam between the rafters. I taped up all the seams with tuck tape. There will be a few spots to fill with foam sealant before the ceiling boards go on.
We stopped halfway and cooked some seasoned moose tenderloin in bacon grease, then mixed it into some mushroom soup for gravy. Absolutely outstanding meal. I attacked the rest of the ceiling, finishing up around 11pm.
The insulated roof made an immediate difference. Everything above the top bunk was incredibly warm. The lower half of the cabin is still fairly cool, so I'm going to rig a small 12VDC fan hooked to my car battery to circulate the air inside the cabin. It will have to do until I can pick up a firestove fan.
I didn't sleep so well, as I had to stoke the stove every two hours or so. Daughter was out cold all night long, waking only to mumble/talk in her sleep, haha... The coyotes were howling up a storm at one point, and the nighttime sky was radiant with stars. How quickly I forget how quiet and peaceful it is out there.
We woke around 6am and packed up to sled out. Quite the adventure getting in and out in the winter but I enjoyed every minute of it! Next weekend - snowshoeing adventure time!
"Crake"
Cabin at night
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Moose supper
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Ceiling back
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Ceiling front
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2022 15:10
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More photos...
Window at night
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Winter cabin
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1985 Tundra
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Looking back
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BRADISH
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2022 17:43
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Surprised the Tundra didn't manage better. The FIL has a 92 and it seems to handle more than I ever think it will.
Quite the cozy little cabin! Makes each project far more manageable when it's on that kind of scale.
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Crake
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2022 08:45
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BRADISH
It certainly is a tippy little machine in deep powder. I'm starting to understand why they were nicknamed "Tumblers". I may be a little oversized for such a little sled (6', 190 lbs) - I'm probably not getting the best flotation out of it. Might have to look into getting a long track machine down the road.
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BRADISH
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2022 11:09
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Quoting: Crake It certainly is a tippy little machine in deep powder. I'm starting to understand why they were nicknamed "Tumblers". I may be a little oversized for such a little sled (6', 190 lbs) - I'm probably not getting the best flotation out of it. Might have to look into getting a long track machine down the road.
Well, with me at 6'3" and 225 you are certainly in good company. Rather than just a long track, you might specifically look for a 'wide track' option. Not always the most plentiful, but there are certainly options out there. A lot of these options are known for their hauling capabilities, which may serve you well for your purposes getting things/people in & out of the cabin.
Happy trails.
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arp
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2022 18:25
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Great spot you have there Crake. The memories will be priceless.
You might want to check out Caframo for a fan. They're Canadian (Ontario). I have one of the Seekr models. The black unguarded one. Works great off a car battery. Lasts all night. The EcoFan looks like a good idea because it doesn't need any power and you have the stove going.
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Crake
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50
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February 2022
1st snowshoe into the cabin! A friend of mine bravely volunteered to shoe in with me to do some interior insulating. The temperatures were still in the -20c range with deep powdery snow. It was about a mile long hike in from the south pulling about 150lbs of gear on the Pelican sled. We took turns pulling the sled and dragging in what turned out to be extremely awkward 4x8 styrofoam sheets. I still can't decide which was worse.
Once we arrived we enjoyed a nice -20c glass of apple flavored whiskey while the stove heated up. I'd dragged in about 50 lbs of nice dry pallet wood scraps specifically for heating, as I didn't want to be scrounging for local firewood in that deep snow.
(continued)
Snowshoe Trip 1
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Snowshoe Trip 2
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Cabin through the trees
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Ice cold whiskey
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:57
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February 2022 continued
Once we'd emptied the cabin we set to work on the walls. The styrofoam sheets were awesome to work with - only 3/4" thick and easily cut with a box cutter. Once fitted into their respective recesses, I taped them in place with tuck tape which appears to make a nice airtight seal. I plan to come back in the spring and cover the sheets with interior pallet board. Make it look more like a cabin and less like a spaceship...
We insulated and taped every nook with exception of the firestove corner - I'll save that for the spring trip as we didn't want to work around that pipin' hot stove. I was cooking up a moose stew over the stove while we worked and we enjoyed an excellent hot winter meal around 8pm.
(continued)
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:14 - Edited by: Crake
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February 2022 continued
After supper we set up a board game on the folding table and tied into a nice bottle of Saskatchewan whiskey. By 1am we were ready to rack in.
I rigged up my small 12VDC fan off the car battery and experimented with a few different placements to try to circulate the air.
By midnight it was around -30c outside.
I laid facing the stove with a convenient stockpile of pallet wood nearby, so I could stoke it without getting out of my cot. My friend took the top bunk. Apparently it was hot as a sauna in the peak, as he spent most of the night outside his sleeping bag. The floor space under my cot remained exceptionally cold.
We agreed the 12VDC fan was woefully underpowered for the task - it simply doesn't move the air in a high enough volume to evenly circulate the heat. I'm going to watch the Princess Auto flyers and see if their stovetop fans come on sale in the near future.
We snowshoed out the following morning. What took us 90 minutes the day before only took 20 minutes on the way out. It definitely helps having a broken trail to shoe back on!
I left behind enough styrofoam to finish the ceiling and stove nook. I've planned one more snowshoe trip in before the snow melts. If the temperatures cooperate, I'll be able to remove the stove and finish the insulation behind it, install a proper heat shield and start finishing the interior with more pallet board.
"Crake"
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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:43
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Really nice story man. I use snogos a lot. I have a wide track for freight pulling. I've currently got over a thousand pounds to get out. But nothing like reaching the cabin n settling in. Ours is 16x24 with 2 floors.
Nice thing about cabins is that each one has its own ombiance n memories.
Our cabin n wonderful daughter
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My chill spot
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travellerw
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2022 12:21
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Quoting: Crake We agreed the 12VDC fan was woefully underpowered for the task - it simply doesn't move the air in a high enough volume to evenly circulate the heat. I'm going to watch the Princess Auto flyers and see if their stovetop fans come on sale in the near future.
Damn Canadian Tire just had a sale of those fans (I bought one). Watch their website too. CT sells actual EcoFan brand. Its better than the PA versions.
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jsahara24
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2022 13:20
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Very Nice! Looks like a good time, and productive!
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2022 13:44
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Quoting: travellerw Damn Canadian Tire just had a sale of those fans (I bought one). Watch their website too. CT sells actual EcoFan brand. Its better than the PA versions.
I've been waiting for the 4-blade one at Princess Auto to come one sale. My dad has one in his hunting shack and it really moves the air. I like the maple leaf they built into the frame - proud canuck that I am... (pictured below)
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BRADISH
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 02:13
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Looks like the kind of trip memories are made from! What a great time..
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 11:01
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My little 12v x 6" moves the air in our 16x24 cath ceiling place good enough. I put it in the cold corner to push the cold air toward the peak ridge rather than trying to push the warm from the stove. That kicks the warm air down and around.
Good thing about a cold corner is you can have your own indoor fridge 
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Crake
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 11:36
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Quoting: gcrank1 My little 12v x 6" moves the air in our 16x24 cath ceiling place good enough.
I tried a few different locations - hung it up in the peak near the back of the cabin to try to push the hot air down, and down below to push the cold air up. It could be that my fan has a low CFM. And I suppose hot/cold issues only manifest for a small portion of the year...
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 11:47 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Yeah, maybe all you need is a 'bigger' 12v fan. My two were inexpensive 20yrs ago. They look like a mini caged blade house fan with a long cig-plug lead.
I see them on Amazon, 6" clip-on, auto/rv/etc, about $20.
Ive had to pull them both apart a few times to lube the cheap sleeve bearings, they slow over time to squeal if I dont. Its an easy service.
There are similar 120vac fans but no sense running an inverter for simple elec needs if you are lugging a battery.
Btw, are you using an LFP?
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 12:03
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Quoting: gcrank1 Btw, are you using an LFP?
Nope - just an old 12VDC automobile battery. I tuck it in behind my little chair in the corner and run anything that needs a zap off that. So far only the fan and the odd cell phone top-up. I have a little solar charger on the south wall of the cabin that keeps it topped up while I'm away.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 12:17
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When I started out in '84ish at our 1st build it was a 'starting' battery too, and an old one that wouldnt start my car anymore. I figured it had more amp-hours than it did, but it worked enough to get me to a 'marine deep cycle', again used. It was too weak for my friends trolling motor use but sure was an improvement over a starting battery.
If you have some fishing friends hit 'em up for when they need to get a new deep cycle to give you the battery and you provide a junk 'core charge' bat. Ive been keeping a couple junk bats around for situations like that.
With your place, the cold and all, I think lead-acid is the way to go as long as it stays there. If you were transporting an LFP back home, they are substantially lighter for the amp-hours they provide. I'll take a guess that a 5ish# 20ah LFP, about the size 3"x7"x7" would give you more amp-hours than you get now.
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Crake
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 14:13
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Quoting: gcrank1 With your place, the cold and all, I think lead-acid is the way to go as long as it stays there. If you were transporting an LFP back home, they are substantially lighter for the amp-hours they provide.
Yep my thoughts exactly. I recently bought a few of LFPs from Canadian Tire for work - they pack a lot of juice in a small package. I'll see how long the lead acid battery lasts. Might upgrade down the road.
I still have an old 2-stroke jenny I left in a Rubbermaid cache out at my old moose camp. Would have to go for a quad trip to retrieve it. So far I haven't run into a need for on-site AC power - most of my carpentry tools are battery-operated.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2022 14:33
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Do they make a plug-in accessory device to use on your power tool bats?
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:25
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Quoting: gcrank1 Do they make a plug-in accessory device to use on your power tool bats?
I looked into that. Most of my stuff is DeWalt and they make a couple of nice adaptors for the 20W batteries - DC-to-USB, as well as modified sine inverters. Would certainly be a great way to have portable power when I need it.
I talked to my brother in law about heat distribution - he suggested drawing the air from the peak down to the floor area by way of a tin duct running vertically up the back wall. Could rig a couple 12VDC fans to draw warm air into the top duct and spit it out the bottom. I may have to explore this idea further.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:51 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Btdt, imo, too much fabbing when all ya gotta do is kick the air around your room; ie, fan low in the cold 'corner' aimed toward the middle peak. That mixes the air temps. Keep the speed down and direction such that you dont feel a cooling draft across your skin.
Keep looking for the best placement anyway, it costs nothing in time or money to try a bit more.
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Crake
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2023 14:03
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January 2023
Its been awhile since I sent an update. I haven't put much work into the cabin since my last batch of photos. I was into the cabin a couple times over the summer/fall for odds but really didn't have time to do any improvements. My buddy and I planned another snowshoe trip in this year and took some materials in to get at'er.
Snow conditions were much the same as last year, though it was a lot warmer (-10c) this time in. We drove in Friday afternoon after work and were at the cabin by nightfall.
Before we completely ran out of daylight, we finished the styrofoam insulation behind the stove and in the ceiling. We fried up some whitetail chops on the stove and a can of brown beans. My new Princess Auto stove fan definitely improved the airflow in the cabin and we had plenty of heat.
I spent a pretty fitful night tending to the stove. I think I'm going to invest in a good sleeping bag so I can let the fire go out and sleep in the cold. I figure I got about 4 hours of sleep total. The small interior space makes temperature regulation a challenge - a small adjustment on the stove settings can result in wild swings in temperature (as my top bunk buddy found out). At times it was practically a sauna inside...
The following morning pulled out some downspout tin, some cardboard and duct tape and my 12vt fan and rigged up a prototype duct on the back wall to pull cold air from the floor up to the peak. It seemed to work really well at circulating air. A larger fan would probably do a much better job at moving the air. Colin was less-than-thrilled that I hadn't tried this idea out the night before....
We spent a few hours tacking up some ship-lapped pallet wood on the ceiling until we ran out of material. I had brought plenty of boards, but we didn't feel like dragging a hundred pounds extra weight in with us.
Before long we were shoeing back out again and on the road home again. I'm hoping to get in there one more time this winter (hopefully by snowmobile this time). It would be nice to get at least the ceiling installed by spring. Later! "Crake"
20230106_173212.jpg
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20230106_165113.jpg
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20230106_181819.jpg
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20230107_103440.jpg
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Crake
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2023 14:06
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January 2023 continued
Some more photos from the next morning. This was after I shoveled a foot-thick slab of snow and ice off the roof. The second photo is the south trail heading out of the swamp. We passed a few elk beds on the way out. Glad to have some neighbours keeping an eye on the place while I'm away... "Crake"
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2023 18:31 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Looks like yer livin' the dream! 
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 8 Jun 2023 21:35 - Edited by: Crake
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May 2023 trip
After unsuccessfully trying to organize a working crew to head up this spring and do some trail cutting, I finally bit the bullet and decided to do a solo work trip into the cabin. I was a bit nervous heading in, as the snow had just melted and I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into the property from the south. There is a big beaver pond that stretches the length of my quarter section, which blocks my path to the cabin from the south road allowance. I figured I'd quadded all sorts of mucky conditions in provincial forests in the past. How bad could my own land be?
In the last year I sold truck and bought a Jeep Wrangler, towing my quad on a little trailer. I drove up early Friday morning and arrived around 9:30.
True to their word, last fall the the rural municipality work crews had mowed a beautiful path up the south road allowance right to my property edge. Such a relief to be able to park on the edge of my property instead of the ditches half a mile away...
I brought along a pile of pallet wood for the interior and my battery operated mitre saw. Time to get started on the interior!
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Crake
Member
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# Posted: 8 Jun 2023 21:44 - Edited by: Crake
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As it turned out, the trail was far drier than I expected. I had about 6 fallen trees across the trail that had to be cut and a few wet spots to cross on the quad but that barely slowed me down. I was at my cabin within 30 minutes.
I emptied the shack and gave everything a clean sweep. No mice leavings, and only a few bugs to be seen...
I trekked back to the trailer and hauled in half the wood. The mitre saw made the cuts super quick and I had the bulk of the ceiling done by lunch. I worked the rest of the afternoon siding the back wall, window wall, and around the stove. My third quad trip I encountered a bit of storm clouds and had a few sprinkles of rain to contend with. Fortunately I had a sheet of poly in my tool kit to cover my cutting station...
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Crake
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2023 10:58 - Edited by: Crake
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May 2023 - continued
I used ship-lapped boards on the ceiling but didn't bother with the side walls. Heat rises so I'm more concerned with heat loss out the roof than the side walls. Besides, the styrofoam and tuck tape makes more than an airtight seal.
Clean sweep
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Ceiling work
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Window wall
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