Living In a MOD tent

[Cannon Fodder]

Hi Everyone

Im going to be living at Blue Mountain in Gagetown for ten weeks this summer and I just learned that my course is quartered in MOD tents due to lack of housing on base.  Does anyone have any good advice for spending alot of time living in a MOD tent, besides bug spray that is.

 

[AmmoTech90]

Hmmm,

Depending on what material you have, how much time you have and what your instructors allow I have to following suggestions.  In order of comfort...

1. A bed, using 4x8 sheet of plywood and 2x6 legs and frame.  Make the legs high enough to put your barrack box underneath.  Drill holes in the plywood and fasten a one man bug tent (not the bug net) to the plywood.  Put sleeping bag inside.  This gives you lots of room inside the tent for alarm clock, kit, etc.

2. Put bug tent on top of normal cot.  You can pin the legs into the holes where the wooden poles go.  Makes the tent kind of narrow and tall but it is stills miles ahead of the bug net in comfort and privacy.

3.  Issue bug net with issue wooden poles on issue cot.  Quite serviceable, just make sure your netting is set up right.  Bit cramped.

4. Sleeping bag on air mattress with net set up ad hoc or with a bug hat on.  Ok for a few nights I guess.

Floor boards are nice, if not pallets down the centre, or cocomatting...replace the cocomatting or at least bang out the crud in it periodically.  Even little wooden boards (4"x4" or 6"x6") under each leg of the cot will keep it from sinking if its in the mud.  Check you kit everyday for bugs/rodents

Unless you are eating it right away or it is double bagged and in tupperware DO NOT KEEP FOOD IN THE TENT.  When you are done eating clean up all the crumbs.  Ditto for drink containers.  Easiest way to piss off tentmates is to have a column of ants marching across your bed or rats running around. 

Here's a pic of #1

 

[George Wallace]

I highly doubt he will have those type of luxuries, nor the logistics to carry your recommendations out to Blue Mtn.  If he did, we could also recommend he take his golf clubs and a tennis racket.  If he showed up with one or both of those items, he would instantly be a marked man.

The bug net and four poles that stick into a camp cot are good recommendations.  There is a lake beside Blue Mtn, but the chances of going swiming may be nil.  There is a Legion just down the road, and again the chances of visiting it may be nil. 

Small luxuries may include a radio, bug coils, magazines or book, cash for the canteen, sweat suit, and perhaps shorts/swimsuit.  Bring out a Barrack Box and lock for security.  Remember, you'll have to carry all this stuff.

 

[AmmoTech90]

George,

We can always dream...Like I said everything depends on whats available/permitted.

Took me four months to get to suggestion 1 in Haiti...The one month I had it set up was worth it

 

[swanita]

I have no idea how it's set up over there, but i did my QL3 in Meaford all in a mod tent but they have concrete slabs set up for each tent with a pole holding 2 electrical outlets. Kinda like a step-up of regular camping but i loved it because inspections weren't as harsh...eg, no floor to wax makes a BIG difference!!  You might not even have much time to enjoy anything anyways & will just crash from exhaustion anyways! Hope it goes well though.

 

[CommonSenseNCO]

Depends if you're living in a mod tent on concrete or in mud. My best suggestion is to get some of those coils you burn to keep the bugs out and make sure they sign you out a mosquito net. I did my QL3 in a Mod tent on mud, we had to resort to burning smudge pots to keep the skeeters out,

 

[Navalsnpr]

Go to Canadian Tire and buy some wooden dowels that will fit into the holes of the cam-cot. Then you can place your bug bar ontop of the dowels and not have to worry about a place to tie off the bug bar.

As well, you may want to ensure that all your kit is placed in water tight containers in case the mod goes for a ride in a wind storm

 

[Lost_Warrior]

Want some good advice for living in those things?  I spent 9 weeks in one last summer. I was lucky enough to have a concrete slab under us.

If you do, then be sure to sweep the floor every night. get 2 guys from the section to help you.  2 of them put all the kit under the cot on top of it and lift.  Then you sweep it.

Do this for all the cots.  It can get rather dusty and disgusting when the dust and sand starts to accumulate.  That, and the instructors won't be too happy come inspection.

As for the bug net mods, you don't need anything.  Just tie one of the stubs to the bar (or para cord) you use to hang your towel on, and tie the other 2 stubs to both ends of your cot, and let it hang down over you.  it will cover you completely.

If you want added protection, you can tuck it under your sleeping bag.  Thats what I did.  Worked like a charm.

Before inspection, make sure the front (and back...depends on the course standard) flaps of the tent are tucked and tied very tight. 

DO NOT spray the light bulbs with bug spray while they're on thinking the aroma will fend off the bugs...

Be sure to always have something on your feet.  I can't count how many times little creepy crawlers got into the tent and can potentially bite your feet. 

Nothing like a 10k ruck march in the blistering heat with a nice big spyder bite on your foot...(trust me, it itches and hurts)

DO NOT keep food around.  I did my first 4 weeks in Camp Vimmy in Valcartier and we were surounded by animals and forest.  You don't want a bear crashing your tent in because some recruit left an open bag of doritos laying beside hiis cot.

Make sure to empty your garbage can (or smoke can) every day. 

Make sure to have your fire extinguiser filled at all times. (we had the ghetto pump ones that you fill with water, and the instructors had a bad habbit of randomly emptying a couple on us a few times just to see if we would make sure they were filled...boy did we pay for an empty fire extinguisher..)

Before inspection, take your sleeping bag of your cot and tip it 90* to get the sand out of it.

Thats all I can think of for now.  Good luck and have fun!

 

[paracowboy]

your instructors will provide all the knowledge you need. Your course will provide all the equipment you need. Don't worry about anything except showing up on time, in the right dress, and being prepared to learn. Have fun with it.