[Paddlewise] Stoves and Bags

Additional comments on the camping equipment theme:

1. Stoves. Another model worth a mention is a relatively new item from
Primus called the Multi Fuel System. It will burn just about any organic
chemical you would want to try to burn including white gas, kerosene, fuel
oil, alcohol, paint thinner, and it can be hooked up to a number of the
butane/propane mix cartridges available. It retails for about $99 US, and
is distributed through Suunto USA, also the distributors of Optimus and
Suunto compasses. 

Be cautious when using an MSR-style or other aluminum windscreen with Svea
or other burner-on-top-of fuel tank stoves. If enough heat is reflected
back to the fuel tank, it can cause the fuel to vaporize and flare out and
possibly explode. I once saw this happen to a Svea when the pressure
release valve released pressure- meaning a flame of burning gasoline
several feet long. Keep a large extra cook pot or a shovelful of snow handy
to smother the whole works. 

2. Several good points have been made about down bags. Keep in mind the
investment value of a good down-fill bag. 25 years from now, when your
Polarguard bag is just a flattened dog bed or a wad in some landfill, a
well-made down bag will still be going strong. I still have my first down
bag, a 1965 British-made Black's of Grennock or some such name- a bag made
of seriously outdated shell materials- cotton, sewn-through seams and a
metal zipper. But the down itself is still lofting fine, as good as the day
I proudly loaded that bag on my 10-speed bicycle and headed for Alaska. 

What happens when you get a down bag wet?  Don't get your sleeping bag wet,
period. In 36 years of bicycling, mountaineering, and paddling, I have
never gotten a down bag wet. If you can keep your toilet paper and your
journal dry, you can keep your sleeping bag dry. With modern dry bags, you
can keep as much of your gear as dry as you want, for as long as you want.
(The previous statement does not apply to children under 12.) My 20-degree
(-8 C) Marmot semi-rec. bag weighs 1.9 lbs. ( .9 Kilograms for you metric
enthusiasts) and stuffs into a sack the size of a Fosters beer can. That
means you can even bring a sleeping bag in a British Sea Kayak. Take the
weight and space savings and invest in a tent that won't leak, and get a
good night's sleep.

-Andy Knapp
Minneapolis
Bears to the north, feedlots to the south.
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