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 I still have my first down bag, a 1965 British-made Black's of Grennock or some such name- a bag made of seriously outdated shell materials- cotton, sewn-through seams and a metal zipper.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. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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