Re: [Paddlewise] Katadyn owes up!

On Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 12:59 AM, Tord <tord_at_mindless.com> wrote:

>  Thanks friends for your show of sympathy, and all the mails!
>
> It was Katadyn, makers of Katadyn water purifiers, Optimus stoves, and
> other
> outdoor equipment, that forgot to mention that the stove was temporarily
> out
> of stock - most companies, like Amazon, will not charge you till they have
> the
> stuff in their warehouse(s), ready for delivery - a very sane arrangement,
> I'd
> say.
>
> I'm glad you'll be getting your new stove. My Optimus 8R, which I bought in
1972, is still my primary source of cooking in the field  (however little of
it there seems to be these days). I have eschewed (I love that word) the
cannister-powered stoves simply because of my antipathy towards getting
"locked in" to any brand. There's enough of that going around anyway so if
it can be avoided, then I avoid it. Besides, I don't like having to pack out
something that is bulky and empty unless it's my stomach.

The Trangia stoves - and other alcohol powered stoves - seem to be gaining a
wider acceptance; especially among the paddling public. I've avoided alcohol
stoves because I don't like the fumes. Some say that there are no fumes but
I find that alcohol stoves emit a particularly nasty odor; apparently not
everyone is affected by it the same way. The Trangias come as complete
cooksets with stove and pots and pans. I'm not convinced of their
effectiveness at high altitude but since most paddling is done at lower
elevations that's probably not an issue. Alcohol does not contain as much
heat energy (BTU) as naptha or kerosine or gasoline so cooking might take
longer even at sea level. Additionally, alcohol is somewhat expensive (as
are, in my opinion, the Trangia products themselves).

Tord mentioned the jet-engine whine of a naptha-powered stove (what we, here
in the USA, generally refer to as "white gas") and there is no doubt that
the noise is obnoxious. If it scares wildlife my hopes are that the bears
are the most affected.  They do discourage chatter around the cook table. In
the mornings that doesn't seem to be much of an issue; at least until a
couple cups of coffee.

Wood-fueled stoves are gaining ground and there a couple worth noting. One
is the stainless steel camping stove built by a paddler in B,.C., Canada
which folds up; there is a new wood stove built in B.C. which doesn't fold
up but seems to be more widely available (the folder required that you know
him or someone in Canada who can pick it up and bring it down into the USA).
The commercial product has a PayPal payment method (I'm not a big fan of
PayPal) and is not folding but seems robust and effective. The foldhttp://
www.bushbuddy.ca/ing stove can be found by reading the posts on
www.westcoastpaddler.com. The second, non-folder, has two versions (one
slightly lighter in weight) at www.bushbuddy.ca.

Another wood-burning stove is the Kelly Kettle (description here:
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/the-kelly-kettle/) which is a
wood-burning stove designed to efficiently boil water. These little stoves
are remarkable for their ability to boil water quickly on very little fuel
and are handy for soups, instant noodles, tea, hot chocolate and coffee
pick-me-ups on a beach or mountaintop. Not so handy for steaks and burgers.

The wood burning stoves are interesting because they work on twigs and
scraps of wood you might find laying around almost anywhere - even in the
desert. You don't have to pack anything in (or back out) and you don't have
to buy the fuel. The stoves themselves are not expensive (I think the
folding stove in BC is about $60 and the BushBuddy is about $100 while the
Kelly Kettle is also about $100). If I camped more I would be a proud owner
of at least one of those.

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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