Gotcha!

You probably don't know how much this photo means to me. Ok so it's dark and blurry but it's my first photo of one of my local Badgers.


After many hours trying to even see one of them I managed to actually get a photo at last.

There are a number of problems with the local sett. Firstly, I don't get up there too often although it's not too far away. The second problem is that the sett is on a long, low rise with many sett entrances. Most of these are on top of the rise so if they do come out, you only tend to see a fleeting glimpse of a silhouette as you're generally at the base of that rise. Grass growth makes it almost impossible to see anything in the late spring and summer. The final problems is that the area is in the middle of a field. The prevailing wind is not conducive to where the best lay up position is.


On this ocassion, I said sod convention and went on top of the rise and laid up about 10 yards away from the most recently dug hole. As the sun went down out came this chap. He immediately ran to a hole even further away before I could even take point the camera. When he came out of that hole, I managed to snap a couple of shots off. Only one was good enough to put up.



I've heard reports that there are cubs about but I didn't see any here. In fact, this was the only animal I saw. Perhaps I was too close and he got a scent of me. There was no movement for the next hour (in the area I was watching anyway) and so I called it a night.



Nevertheless, a nice result for me and I went home grinning all the way.



Pablo.

Gotcha!

You probably don't know how much this photo means to me. Ok so it's dark and blurry but it's my first photo of one of my local Badgers.


After many hours trying to even see one of them I managed to actually get a photo at last.

There are a number of problems with the local sett. Firstly, I don't get up there too often although it's not too far away. The second problem is that the sett is on a long, low rise with many sett entrances. Most of these are on top of the rise so if they do come out, you only tend to see a fleeting glimpse of a silhouette as you're generally at the base of that rise. Grass growth makes it almost impossible to see anything in the late spring and summer. The final problems is that the area is in the middle of a field. The prevailing wind is not conducive to where the best lay up position is.


On this ocassion, I said sod convention and went on top of the rise and laid up about 10 yards away from the most recently dug hole. As the sun went down out came this chap. He immediately ran to a hole even further away before I could even take point the camera. When he came out of that hole, I managed to snap a couple of shots off. Only one was good enough to put up.



I've heard reports that there are cubs about but I didn't see any here. In fact, this was the only animal I saw. Perhaps I was too close and he got a scent of me. There was no movement for the next hour (in the area I was watching anyway) and so I called it a night.



Nevertheless, a nice result for me and I went home grinning all the way.



Pablo.

Bluebell wood

This is why I love the British woodland in spring.

Lowt's wood is full of Bluebells ...

...and White (?) bells...

The weather today was 20 degrees C. A perfect spring day. I took out a picnic lunch, slung the hammock and laid amongst the Bluebells in the wood.

I saw a fox and a fallow deer in the distance but it just wasn't enough to get me out of the hammock.

I fell asleep for two hours. It must have been the delicate scent of the flowers.

I feel sorry for those people who have to go shopping, watch football, or spend their lives indoors watching TV.

What a perfect day.

Thanks for the visit. Oh...don't forget to join the forum.

Pablo.

Bluebell wood

This is why I love the British woodland in spring.

Lowt's wood is full of Bluebells ...

...and White (?) bells...

The weather today was 20 degrees C. A perfect spring day. I took out a picnic lunch, slung the hammock and laid amongst the Bluebells in the wood.

I saw a fox and a fallow deer in the distance but it just wasn't enough to get me out of the hammock.

I fell asleep for two hours. It must have been the delicate scent of the flowers.

I feel sorry for those people who have to go shopping, watch football, or spend their lives indoors watching TV.

What a perfect day.

Thanks for the visit. Oh...don't forget to join the forum.

Pablo.

A Forum, 200 posts and a book

You may have noticed a new tab at the top of the page. This leads you to a new forum page. I created this especially for the Reading/Bucks bushcraft group so they can arrange and discuss their meets in private, but I've also created a general discussion board for anyone.

The intention is not to outdo the excellent forums already out there, but to create a friendly online environnment so that everyone can have a discussion or chat or ask advice about anything to do with the outdoors. Hopefully we can share knowledge and ideas. Think of it as a virtual campfire. If you want to join in please follow the instructions on the page to register.



You may also have noticed that I've moved from blogger to wordpress. There are a number of advantages, particularly if you have your own domain like this one.
One advantage is that you can create extra pages so you can put up other stuff up on the site either for others or for yourself.

I'd like to expand the site to offer something more. I'll do this slowly but surely, as and when I have the time. Any ideas would be good.

I've asked for feedback on the readability of the posts. A couple of people said it was too dark but most have no problems. Thanks if you commented. I have brightened up the fonts slightly. If it's too bright it tends to blur the text.

I was lucky enough not to lose any posts when converting to Wordpress. Since then I've been a little concerned despite the ability to back up posts electronically that one day I would lose 4 years worth of journal entries. This post is number 200 by the way.

I've recently found an excellent little tool that converts the Wordpress blog to pdf format. Although it's still in a beta version, I found that it formats the posts reasonably well putting the oldest posts first. Hence you have an archive of posts including all the pictures and potentially a hardcopy book.

Here's an unedited extract from 2006. (2MB) Included free are all the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Any publishers out there? :) No, I didn't think so.

Thanks for your continued visits to this site.

Pablo.

A Forum, 200 posts and a book

You may have noticed a new tab at the top of the page. This leads you to a new forum page. I created this especially for the Reading/Bucks bushcraft group so they can arrange and discuss their meets in private, but I've also created a general discussion board for anyone.

The intention is not to outdo the excellent forums already out there, but to create a friendly online environnment so that everyone can have a discussion or chat or ask advice about anything to do with the outdoors. Hopefully we can share knowledge and ideas. Think of it as a virtual campfire. If you want to join in please follow the instructions on the page to register.



You may also have noticed that I've moved from blogger to wordpress. There are a number of advantages, particularly if you have your own domain like this one.
One advantage is that you can create extra pages so you can put up other stuff up on the site either for others or for yourself.

I'd like to expand the site to offer something more. I'll do this slowly but surely, as and when I have the time. Any ideas would be good.

I've asked for feedback on the readability of the posts. A couple of people said it was too dark but most have no problems. Thanks if you commented. I have brightened up the fonts slightly. If it's too bright it tends to blur the text.

I was lucky enough not to lose any posts when converting to Wordpress. Since then I've been a little concerned despite the ability to back up posts electronically that one day I would lose 4 years worth of journal entries. This post is number 200 by the way.

I've recently found an excellent little tool that converts the Wordpress blog to pdf format. Although it's still in a beta version, I found that it formats the posts reasonably well putting the oldest posts first. Hence you have an archive of posts including all the pictures and potentially a hardcopy book.

Here's an unedited extract from 2006. (2MB) Included free are all the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Any publishers out there? :) No, I didn't think so.

Thanks for your continued visits to this site.

Pablo.

A picture of bliss

Have a look at this picture. What do you see?

Perhaps a few trees or layer of Dog's mercury. A bit of mist. Not exactly pretty woodland I'm sure you'll agree.

Shall I tell you what I see? Silence. Peace. Tranquility.

It's been quite a busy week culminating in a birthday party for my wife last night. We were invaded by people. It was a good party but... well, you know what I mean. Too many people for me and far too loud. I'm getting old.

Today, I escaped. It was bliss even with a chilly easterly wind blowing through the wood. I set up the hammock, cooked up some beans and watched the squirrels leaping around the trees. After a few hours, I was completely chilled out.

On the way back I noticed these plants in the hedgerow.

Stitchwort, Ground ivy, White dead nettle.

Apparently stitchwort and acorns were added to wine to assist in ailments like the stitch. That's why it's called... Stitchwort.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

A picture of bliss

Have a look at this picture. What do you see?

Perhaps a few trees or layer of Dog's mercury. A bit of mist. Not exactly pretty woodland I'm sure you'll agree.

Shall I tell you what I see? Silence. Peace. Tranquility.

It's been quite a busy week culminating in a birthday party for my wife last night. We were invaded by people. It was a good party but... well, you know what I mean. Too many people for me and far too loud. I'm getting old.

Today, I escaped. It was bliss even with a chilly easterly wind blowing through the wood. I set up the hammock, cooked up some beans and watched the squirrels leaping around the trees. After a few hours, I was completely chilled out.

On the way back I noticed these plants in the hedgerow.

Stitchwort, Ground ivy, White dead nettle.

Apparently stitchwort and acorns were added to wine to assist in ailments like the stitch. That's why it's called... Stitchwort.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Mark's Moot

At the weekend, Mark was good enough to host a meet at his wonderful woods just outside Reading.

Although there was a flat area where the ground dwellers pitched a variety of tarp configurations and tents, I was quite pleased I took the hammock where area selection wasn't too much of an issue on the slopes of the small hill.

The parachute and the windbreak served us well as the communal fire got going and liquid refreshement started to flow. Particularly refreshing was John's sloe gin.

After breakfast on Saturday, we all mucked in to prepare the stew. Rabbits were skinned (it was good to have another go at this) and the veg was prepped. Honey and cider were added to the carrots, celery and onions for the stew. The spuds were peeled and put into another couldron.

While the stew was simmering, four of us went tracking. Armed with plaster of paris, the intention was to get some good casts of some tracks. Unfortunately, it was wet underfoot and the intermitant showers had washed out most tracks we saw. We did identify Roe and Muntjac. Rod also later picked up on a Fox trail underneath the leaf litter. Both Rod and Mark are experienced trackers and I was pleased to pick up some more tips.

We followed the small stream in the valley and came across Grey heron and Pheasant tracks. On the muddy sides of the stream we saw tracks that were of our main quest; that of the Water vole. Again they were too washed out to get a cast. Holes in the bank were clear signs that they were resident.

On the way we spooked a Muntjac foal. With four of us it was difficult to walk quietly and it jumped across the stream and away into the wood. A great sight though.

On the way to the lake we tried out some wild plants. Bittercress, young Hawthorn leaves, Wood sorrel and Burdock were all on offer. Some Cuckoo flower (Ladies smock) were just out of reach.

We ended up at the lake and took in the view before walking across the field back to the site.

Just before the stew, George showed us some different ways of firelighting involving flint, steel and either charcloth or rope. I'll write more about this later.

The stew was as good as it looked. With the addition of mashed potato and Rabbit cooked to perfection, the meal was delicious. The only time when there was silence in the group. The meal was washed down with beer, cider and some brandy to finish it all off. Ben had fashioned an oven out of a large tin and two lots of cakes were produced for pudding. Who says you can't eat well in the woods?

All too soon, Sunday was upon us and amidst a couple of showers we packed up. We parted with the promise of another moot in the not too distant future.

Thanks to everyone there for a great weekend.

Pablo.

Mark's Moot

At the weekend, Mark was good enough to host a meet at his wonderful woods just outside Reading.

Although there was a flat area where the ground dwellers pitched a variety of tarp configurations and tents, I was quite pleased I took the hammock where area selection wasn't too much of an issue on the slopes of the small hill.

The parachute and the windbreak served us well as the communal fire got going and liquid refreshement started to flow. Particularly refreshing was John's sloe gin.

After breakfast on Saturday, we all mucked in to prepare the stew. Rabbits were skinned (it was good to have another go at this) and the veg was prepped. Honey and cider were added to the carrots, celery and onions for the stew. The spuds were peeled and put into another couldron.

While the stew was simmering, four of us went tracking. Armed with plaster of paris, the intention was to get some good casts of some tracks. Unfortunately, it was wet underfoot and the intermitant showers had washed out most tracks we saw. We did identify Roe and Muntjac. Rod also later picked up on a Fox trail underneath the leaf litter. Both Rod and Mark are experienced trackers and I was pleased to pick up some more tips.

We followed the small stream in the valley and came across Grey heron and Pheasant tracks. On the muddy sides of the stream we saw tracks that were of our main quest; that of the Water vole. Again they were too washed out to get a cast. Holes in the bank were clear signs that they were resident.

On the way we spooked a Muntjac foal. With four of us it was difficult to walk quietly and it jumped across the stream and away into the wood. A great sight though.

On the way to the lake we tried out some wild plants. Bittercress, young Hawthorn leaves, Wood sorrel and Burdock were all on offer. Some Cuckoo flower (Ladies smock) were just out of reach.

We ended up at the lake and took in the view before walking across the field back to the site.

Just before the stew, George showed us some different ways of firelighting involving flint, steel and either charcloth or rope. I'll write more about this later.

The stew was as good as it looked. With the addition of mashed potato and Rabbit cooked to perfection, the meal was delicious. The only time when there was silence in the group. The meal was washed down with beer, cider and some brandy to finish it all off. Ben had fashioned an oven out of a large tin and two lots of cakes were produced for pudding. Who says you can't eat well in the woods?

All too soon, Sunday was upon us and amidst a couple of showers we packed up. We parted with the promise of another moot in the not too distant future.

Thanks to everyone there for a great weekend.

Pablo.

Perfect Natural Camouflage

Not long ago I wrote about the sort of camouflage we humans wear in an attempt to conceal ourselves from wildlife.

I’ve been pondering on nature’s natural camouflage recently. There’s some pretty good stuff out there. Here’s a picture of a Little owl I took last week hiding against the trunk of an old oak. Little owls and Tawny owl’s have the same sort of camouflage to allow them to be hidden against tree trunks during the day exactly like this.

Mammals are slightly different. The likes of rabbits and deer don’t have any dappled effect, choosing instead to blend in with a single natural colour of the woodland. Most Fallow deer change colour depending on the season but I wondered why they are almost grey in the winter.

Even though they were leaders in developing camouflage uniforms, German soldiers fighting in Europe during the early part of the second world war used a grey colour or "feldgrau" while us Brits were still blundering about in khaki. Khaki, by the way, eminated from the stained colour of tea that soldiers used in an attempt to camouflage their kit while fighting in India in the late 1800's. Perhaps not that effective in European woods especially in winter. But again why did the Germans choose grey?

I took this photo at the weekend and it probably explains why grey is so effective. The grey/brown of the woodland floor and the grey trunks of the trees says it all. You’ll have to look pretty closely to identify the deer. Almost perfect I’d say.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Perfect Natural Camouflage

Not long ago I wrote about the sort of camouflage we humans wear in an attempt to conceal ourselves from wildlife.

I’ve been pondering on nature’s natural camouflage recently. There’s some pretty good stuff out there. Here’s a picture of a Little owl I took last week hiding against the trunk of an old oak. Little owls and Tawny owl’s have the same sort of camouflage to allow them to be hidden against tree trunks during the day exactly like this.

Mammals are slightly different. The likes of rabbits and deer don’t have any dappled effect, choosing instead to blend in with a single natural colour of the woodland. Most Fallow deer change colour depending on the season but I wondered why they are almost grey in the winter.

Even though they were leaders in developing camouflage uniforms, German soldiers fighting in Europe during the early part of the second world war used a grey colour or "feldgrau" while us Brits were still blundering about in khaki. Khaki, by the way, eminated from the stained colour of tea that soldiers used in an attempt to camouflage their kit while fighting in India in the late 1800's. Perhaps not that effective in European woods especially in winter. But again why did the Germans choose grey?

I took this photo at the weekend and it probably explains why grey is so effective. The grey/brown of the woodland floor and the grey trunks of the trees says it all. You’ll have to look pretty closely to identify the deer. Almost perfect I’d say.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow

It doesn't happen very often but when it does, it's an all encompassing moment that grabs you refusing to let go for a great while. It's the epitomy of everything I try to strive for when I'm out in the natural environment.

I started yesterday off by tracking the lengths of the main paths in Mr J's Foxes Wood. It soon became clear that a large herd of Fallow deer frequent the woods, confirmed by distant sightings at the south end of the wood. I also managed to pick up Muntjac, Squirrel, medium sized dog tracks (accompanied by a female at a rough guess - judging by the width of the footwear mark) and a single Badger track. I also came across what I'm certain were Fox earths, which really confirms the name of the wood.

After discovering the main deer trails and finding out the popular lays, which took me a good few hours, I settled down for a bit of brunch.

The sun came out at intervals providing welcome warmth but there was a hint of icy wind which would herald snow forecast for the next 24 hours.

While tracking in the south east quadrant, I noticed 3 or 4 hares leaping about in the more open part of the woodland. I was determined to get a photo of them. I realised that it would probably not be possible to get close enough by stalking, so I settled down to wait at the base of an oak tree and tried to to keep as still as possible by using the zoning in technique. Only the chill breeze kept be from dropping off to sleep.

After about 20 minutes, I noticed a movement to my left. I readied my small camera and slowly, slowly moved to position myself toward the Hare. I waited as the almost comical hopping figure came closer and straight towards me. I got a couple of shots off and concentrated on studying the animal.

At 20 yards, I'd never been that close and I was amazed to see how streamlined and powerful the hare was. A sheer running machine with massive rear legs. The face was thin and almost designed to minimise wind resitance. Hares are still quite prevalent in East Anglia, but in other parts of the country they are becoming increasingly rarer.

This one appeared to be in no hurry whatsoever as it hopped slowly towards me. Closer and closer. I was careful not to look directly at it and kept the swivel lens of the camera on my lap, trying to focus as best I could through the screen.

The Hare passed in front of me at no more than 1o feet from my outstreatched legs (I measured it afterwards). It stopped sat down on it's haunches, looked directly at me and after about a minute slowly hopped on. Yes, it was one of those indescribable moments. I must have been accepted as part of the environment. I was no threat. I was just there, as close to nature as ever you can get.

Pablo.

Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow

It doesn't happen very often but when it does, it's an all encompassing moment that grabs you refusing to let go for a great while. It's the epitomy of everything I try to strive for when I'm out in the natural environment.

I started yesterday off by tracking the lengths of the main paths in Mr J's Foxes Wood. It soon became clear that a large herd of Fallow deer frequent the woods, confirmed by distant sightings at the south end of the wood. I also managed to pick up Muntjac, Squirrel, medium sized dog tracks (accompanied by a female at a rough guess - judging by the width of the footwear mark) and a single Badger track. I also came across what I'm certain were Fox earths, which really confirms the name of the wood.

After discovering the main deer trails and finding out the popular lays, which took me a good few hours, I settled down for a bit of brunch.

The sun came out at intervals providing welcome warmth but there was a hint of icy wind which would herald snow forecast for the next 24 hours.

While tracking in the south east quadrant, I noticed 3 or 4 hares leaping about in the more open part of the woodland. I was determined to get a photo of them. I realised that it would probably not be possible to get close enough by stalking, so I settled down to wait at the base of an oak tree and tried to to keep as still as possible by using the zoning in technique. Only the chill breeze kept be from dropping off to sleep.

After about 20 minutes, I noticed a movement to my left. I readied my small camera and slowly, slowly moved to position myself toward the Hare. I waited as the almost comical hopping figure came closer and straight towards me. I got a couple of shots off and concentrated on studying the animal.

At 20 yards, I'd never been that close and I was amazed to see how streamlined and powerful the hare was. A sheer running machine with massive rear legs. The face was thin and almost designed to minimise wind resitance. Hares are still quite prevalent in East Anglia, but in other parts of the country they are becoming increasingly rarer.

This one appeared to be in no hurry whatsoever as it hopped slowly towards me. Closer and closer. I was careful not to look directly at it and kept the swivel lens of the camera on my lap, trying to focus as best I could through the screen.

The Hare passed in front of me at no more than 1o feet from my outstreatched legs (I measured it afterwards). It stopped sat down on it's haunches, looked directly at me and after about a minute slowly hopped on. Yes, it was one of those indescribable moments. I must have been accepted as part of the environment. I was no threat. I was just there, as close to nature as ever you can get.

Pablo.

Snugpak Stratosphere hooped bivi bag - Initial Review

This review is a little lengthy, so I've also put it on the kit page in case you want to view it at a later date.

It would be easy to make this a hammock versus bivi bag review, but really these are two different ways of sleeping in the outdoors. So I'll attempt to confine this to reviewing the bivi bag itself.

As the name implies, a bivi bag is designed as a shelter and to encompass a sleeping bag which will lay straight on the ground. Ideally it should protect the sleeping bag from the rising damp of the ground and be waterproof enough to protect the occupant from the elements. Basically it's a single person lightweight shelter falling short of an actual tent.

There are a few bivi bags around but the most popular is the ex-Brit army goretex version; a bag I have used on a number of previous occasions. These are certainly waterproof but you pay for it in weight. The other disadvantage is that most bivi bags leave the head exposed. So is the Snagpak bivi bag an improvement on this system?

The bivi bag comes in its own compression stuff sack, which is a good start. There are two lightweight alluminium poles which collapse into 8 inch lengths. There's also a bag of the sturdiest tent pegs I've ever seen (and the heaviest!) They went straight into the great tent peg repository in the sky to be replaced by my normal alluminium pegs.

Setting up the bag couln't be easier. Thread the poles through the sleeves at the head end of the bag and secure the ends in the holes in the loops provided (a la tent). These loops can then be pegged down. Before you ask, yes it is necessary to peg at least two poles down (one at each side) or the hood part moves about too much and becomes a pain.

It's also a good idea to peg out the other foot end of the bag with one peg in the provided loop. This make a minimum of three extra pegs you must carry about (or make).

The obvious difference between this and a normal bivi bag is that you now have a raised, supported or framed hood at the head end, which you can only really appreciate once you're inside the bag. It's really a self supporting canopy, which can be enclosed, covering your head and shoulders.

Unless you have a very large head there's surprisingly a lot of space in this area and you can share this space with a couple of small items that you might want to keep dry. I put my hygiene pack in there, spare socks, and Swanni shirt. You certainly have no room to cook (that would be a little dangerous as well) but there's space enough inside to read a book, nibble on some trail food and listen to the rain.

There's a nice little touch inside of the roof of the hood where Snugpak have sewn in a piece of zipped, square, white netting. This is ideal for storing your head torch, providing your light and for stroing any loose items from your pockets.

The head end (facing outwards) has fine mesh netting provided for ventilation. This is thin enough to keep the dreaded summer midge out of your sleeping area but you can also close it down somewhat by unrolling a triangular piece of material which will need to be pegged to the ground. It won't completely close up against the bag. If it did, despite being made of breathable material, I would imagine the bag would suffer badly from condensation.

The other mesh vent is at the front of the face if you were laying face up in the bag. Left unattended it would just dangle down in at about chest level, but you have the option of rolling it up or zipping it to the outer material of the bivi bag. This second option encloses you completely yet allows a good deal of ventilation through the hood. I slept like this most of the weekend and there was no sign of condensation in the bag at all.

The alternative to zipping the netting up is to completely zip up and enclose the front or top of the bag in the outer material. I found this very clausterphobic, but if you are used to small tents, it's probably no worse than that. What it does do is completely keep out wind and rain. It also very quickly increases the temperature inside the bag and as long as the end vent is fully open, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of condensation as a result of this operation, but I didn't try this out for long.

The material fabric top is 40D Nylon Ripstop, which is waterproof and moisture permeable: The bottom fabric is 70D Nylon Taffeta with PU Coating. The overall size (when erect): 90'' x 37'' x 42'': Packed size 14" x 4" x 6" inches and the weight is 1.4KG or around 46 ounces (including original pegs) (all this paragraph from the official blurb).

The size of the bag isn't a great issue and should be long enough to fit most folk. Width may be a problem for larger people and Unlike the ex-military bivi bag which has ample space inside, I'm not sure whether you would be able to stuff a large rucksack at the bottom of the bag in order to keep it dry. Perhaps a small one.

The zips were easy to use and didn't snag too often on the material. The long zip is on the right side of the bag and goes 3/4 of the way down the bag. This makes for easy entry which is a definate plus over most bivi bags. But you have to remember which side the zip is on when setting up. It's also a bit awkward if you have a sleeping bag that zips up on the left. There are extra velcro fastenings which closes extra material over the zips making them even more weather proof. All the seams appear to be well sealed with a layer of waterproof sealant.

I haven't tested fully how waterproof the whole bag is, as on my intial excursion with the Stratosphere, I also had a tarp, but I can say that the damp ground didn't ingress into the bottom of the bag at all. I'm not sure whether it would stand up to a full onslaught when open to the elements, but other reviewers have stated that they had no problems even in foul weather on open ground.

The nearest rival to this bag has is the Highlander Falcon, which is similarly styled. They're about the same price and roughly made out of the same material. The Falcon though has the vent at the top of the hood.

The Stratosphere ranges between £75-£90 (March 2008 prices).

All in all I'm quite impressed with the bag as a ground dwelling shelter. It will keep damp off and certainly makes for a cosy and warm environment once you're inside the bag. It is a litle vision restrictive - but then, I suppose you don't have to deploy the hood.

In summer it will keep the mossies and midges at bay while providing good ventilation and you should be able to use it without tarp. Add a Thermarest and you should have a relatively comfortable nights kip (if you're a ground-dwelling that is).

Pablo.