From: CoopWright@aol.com
Date: Fri Feb 28 2003 - 14:04:45 CST
Randy
You can purchase white gas at Services. Just bring your empty fuel bottles.
You can purchase Peak 1 Max butane/propane cartridges at the Trading Post and
at backcountry commissary stops.
I have included the section on stoves from the Philmont Advisor's Guide, an
unofficial publication available as a MS Word email attachment from me. For
more info on the Guide, email me directly.
"Stoves
When Coop first went to Philmont in 1958 as a Scout, all cooking was done
over an open fire. Backcountry cooking changed a great deal since then (so
has Coop!!) and stoves have become an essential part of crew equipment. We
typically bring our own stoves from home. This way we can ensure that they
have been thoroughly checked out before hitting the trail. However, most
airlines will no longer accept stoves and fuel bottles as baggage and you
will have to send them via parcel post or UPS to and from Philmont. One crew
in Coop's 2000 contingent did not heed this advice and wound up having their
stoves and fuel bottles confiscated at the airport during baggage check-in
and had to buy new ones when they arrived at Philmont! Before packaging up
your stoves and fuel bottles, they must be completely empty and as fume free
as possible. If you are bringing a Peak 1 stove or any other type of stove
that has a built-in fuel tank, empty all fuel from the tank and relight the
stove. This will burn out any residual fuel that may be left in the bottom
of the tank and in the generator. Once the stove goes out, pump it up again
and let air perform a final purge of the system. Make sure that all fuel
bottles are empty and have had a chance to air dry. Remember that you will
have to perform these same procedures when you come off the trail in
preparation for your trip home.
The last night on the trail, combine the leftover fuel into one bottle and
begin airing out the other fuel bottles. If you can wash and rinse the fuel
bottles on the trail and give them an evening to air out, you will have fewer
hassles when you arrive back in base camp. Once you arrive in base camp, try
to find an outgoing crew that needs fuel at the Welcome Center, Logistics or
Services. If your crew comes off the trail late, go to Services and ask
where extra fuel can be turned in. Once the fuel bottles have been emptied,
wash and rinse them out and begin air drying. DO NOT TRY TO BURN THE FUMES
FROM THE BOTTLE. Package the stoves and fuel bottles, but DO NOT TAPE UP THE
BOX. The Post Office at Philmont will inspect the stoves and fuel bottles or
smell and will seal your package after they have been aired out completely.
They will then ship your stoves and fuel bottles home.
Philmont recommends that one stove be carried for each four crewmembers.
However, because we use 4-quart pots, we only use two stoves, but carry a
third for backup. MSR Whisperlite white gas stoves seem to be the most
popular at Philmont, but Peak I, Coleman Apexes, MSR Dragon Flys, and the new
Peak 1 Max butane/propane cartridge stoves have also been seen in the
backcountry. White gas and Peak 1 Max cartridges (introduced at Philmont in
1998) are sold at all commissary stops so you need not carry eleven days of
fuel. If you use a white gas stove, we recommend that you bring along a
Coleman filter funnel to reduce the possibility of getting dirty fuel. Be
sure and give it to the commissary personnel to use when they fill your fuel
bottles.
Whatever stove is chosen, it is important that you are familiar with it
before you leave home. In his book, The Complete Walker III, Colin Fletcher
says that most of the trouble with backpacking stoves comes from stupidity
and neglect. Stupidity isn't readily curable; neglect is. Check your stove
before you leave home and know how to safely operate and maintain your stove
on the trail. Stoves demand your crew's respect and care.
Use a wind screen (store bought, natural protected area, or packs and people)
to keep your stove lit in windy conditions. Make sure that your crew tops
off the stove's fuel tank before starting a meal. It isn't easy to interrupt
meal preparation for a refill and it can be dangerous with a hot stove. Make
sure that your crew does not overfill their stoves. Both Peak 1 and
Whisperlite stoves need an air space that can be pressurized when the stove
is being pumped up. Beware of large pots. They spill easily and can entrap
enough heat to cause your stove to explode. Fill your stove away from your
cooking area so that any spilled fuel will not be ignited when you light your
stove. Should your stove flare up, have a pot ready to place over it to
snuff out the flames. Never use a stove in or near a tent. Never open the
fuel cap of a hot stove. Always let a stove cool down before refilling or
packing away. Stow fuel bottles and stoves in a pack's outside pocket. Make
sure that tops are on tight and check (before you hit the trail) that the
gaskets are not cracked and do not leak. Use a funnel or pour spout when
filling a stove. Always empty your stove when storing it; old fuel can
separate and gum up the generator. Carry a maintenance kit for your stove
with you and KNOW how to use it. Better yet, give your stoves a complete
check up before you go to Philmont and make sure they are ready for the
trail.
The first rule in lighting a stove is not to light it until something is
ready to be cooked or boiled. Likewise, never leave a stove burning with
nothing on it. Crews waste gas by lighting the stove and waiting for someone
to find the pot and get the water. The second rule is to make sure that the
fire circle is established. When the cook crew starts working, everyone
seems to migrate to the fire circle, drooling at the mouth with cups and
spoons in hand. If someone walks through the fire circle, he can easily tip
a stove or a pot over, scalding the offender or innocent bystanders and
wasting food. We know of a crew leader who had to come off the trail in 1999
because he was inside the fire ring and was burned by hot water. As a rule,
once the stoves are lit, allow no one in the fire circle other than the cook
crew. The penalty for the offender is that he gets to do the dishes.
A question that is often raised is how much fuel is required? IF pots with
tightly fitting lids are used for heating, and IF dish washing is performed
as described in this booklet, and IF stoves are never lit until the pot is
ready to be put on the stove, and IF the pot is taken off the stove
immediately after the water reaches a boil and then the food is mixed in, two
32 ounce fuel containers is all that is required and one will last for four
days of use. A suggested crew equipment list is contained in Appendix D."
Cooper Wright
Associate Advisor, Crew 1519
Co-author of the Philmont Advisor's Guide
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