Re: [Paddlewise] Lightweight backpacking stoves (was: Introduction)

> For instance, Let's say you have a kayak the manufacturer suggests a maximum 
> payload of 325 pounds. Let's say I weigh 225 pounds. That leaves food, water 
> and gear allowance of 100 pounds. Now, let's say you want to paddle Baja or 
> the Everglades for 7 days. Each gallon of water weighs 8 pounds and a minimum 
> of 56 pounds for 7 days of waterless/wilderness travel.

Which leads to a whole other thread/debate on how much water to bring on
a trip.  It certainly takes more trip pre-planning but I tend to go with
empty water containers now (other than enroute requirements plus
reserve) and a water purifier.  Specifically a PUR Explorer, with the
screw on carbon element, and the carbon stop-top.  The convenience of
virus/bacteria/cyst free water with reasonable taste via a filter
extends useful load for such things that can't be manufactured on the
spot, such as fuel (well at least in the absence of a cold-fusion
solution).  I've had good results from even the most stagnant, visually
repulsive "water" when hiking inland and upland.  Kayaking environs
usually have me nearer more pleasant water sources though.  Perhaps if I
didn't live in a rainforrest, I'd be looking to a de-salination pump
instead.

> Here's another reason to use alcohol stoves if it might work for you: alcohol 
> is available worldwide. In Baja they had no cartridges for my propane stove, 
> though they assured me they did, but made an honest mistake.

It seems really gutsy to me to rely on cartridges being available at the
destination.  I've never not been able to obtain White
gas/Naptha/Coleman/MSR (not that those are chemically the same, only
functionally interchangeable).  But I'm pretty sure, unleaded gas and
AV-gas would be pretty easy to obtain.  Not that alcohol or even
kerosene would be that much more difficult.

MSR has a fascinating table of fuel name cross-references.  There's some
interesting homonym transpositions, which could well get one asking for
the wrong thing elsewhere.
http://www.msrcorp.com/stoves/fuels_int.htm

> another honest mistake and rented me a coleman propane stove that did not 
> work. I use my Dragonfly often, it works well but is very heavy and needs a 
> load of fuel in a metal bottle.

Heavy is even more relative than I thought ;-)
I wouldn't have thought of the Dragonfly as heavy, but as for the fuel
containers...  You're still carrying your alcohol into the field for
burning aren't you?  And I don't find my empty MSR or Coleman fuel
bottle weight in a different weight league than a SIG or Nalgene.
 
> Its simple 
> availability of fuel where you are going that dictates the type of stove to 
> bring.

If that were so, we wouldn't be having this thread though ;-)
And we'd likely all be using stoves that burned unleaded gasoline. 
While it can be argued that food grade alcohol can be had nearly in as
many outlets, it's in a whole different price league, when you're going
to burn it for fuel.

-- Craig Bowers
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************