IGLOOS

“I purchased the Ice Box back in February this year and have not used it of course but plan on it this comming Winter.
www.grandshelters.com

Has anyone used this particular Igloo Tool?
I know building a real Igloo with a saw and snow shovel is the original way but I am a gear guru, and thought this may work out. I did contact the store and they tell me if I am not satisfied within a year I could return for a full refund.”

“Worth a shot. Be surprised if it works in ALL snow conditions. I'd plan on sweating a lot & spending a couple hours to build. Last rings are the hardest. VERY warm & good basecamp/”

“...photo of my daughter crawling out of a 7-foot igloo I built this morning in my front yard. The snow was pretty wet so it was easy building but the resulting igloo is not as strong as if I had good clean powder to work from. I have found that wet "packable" makes an igloo that is not as strong than snow that needs to be worked before putting it into the forms. Still, this is great fun, good exercise, and draws lots of attention from the passers by.

A 7-foot igloo easily sleeps one person. An 8-footer easily sleeps two but takes a lot more work.

I can solo-build the 7 footer but not the 8 footer. I built the igloo in the photo by myself. It's not as much work as one might think (I hardly break a sweat) but you do get wet building the top portion.

This was built with the Grand Shelters igloo slip-form but you can hardly tell since the snow is so wet. The shape is perfect as you would realize if you saw it from the inside. The reason it's so "lumpy" is because when you solo-build the 4th and 5th row you take the front off the slip-form and "pile" the snow onto the form. The result is a lot of snow spilled over the edge and packed on the side. Like I said, the inside is perfect.

Normally I would pile up a 1-2 foot base before I started but for this one I did perhaps 6 inches.

”

“Is she sleeping in there tonight?”

“Haha, she mentioned that... said it was big enough for two kids to sleep in or one adult.

I'll tell you... it's pretty roomy in there compared to most 1-man winter tents I have slept in... downright spacious!”

“Go fo it dude!”

“Yea, we built a couple. These were made by Rodney for one of the New Years trips.

We made a little tool to tamp the snow down with. Nothing more than a wooden block with a bit of a handle. Don't loose the instructions, it can be a hassle if you forget how to set the distance thingy.

During one Winterfest it was such a hassle (I think Rodney forgot the instructions)that Trailbum ended up saving the day (night?) by finishing the Igloo the old fashion way.





Note: We came back to this spot a couple days later to find a broken snag had fallen and flattened the igloo.
last edited: 2/19/07 9:17:24 PM”

“sooooo Jimmy san, we need a pic of the perfect inside then! hope there are no broken snags anywhere near it. :O)”

““sooooo Jimmy san, we need a pic of the perfect inside then! hope there are no broken snags anywhere near it. :O)”

I would be more worried about a Chevy Blazer than a snag ;-)
last edited: 2/19/07 10:36:28 PM”

“LOL at mtnsteve!”

“i worry more about the army of 8 and 9 year olds... and the teenagers across the street. those are more of a threat to an igloo out here! i have lost a few the same day I built them to a monster snowball fight.

a 'tamper' for the snow is a good idea. you really need a good pair of waterproof gloves if you have the job of the form handler. your hands can get very wet and cold. good mittens work well and the icebox actually works pretty well with mittens on.”

“Here you go Full Moon.................”