Re: [Philmont]: Dummies and Stove Fuel

1. I thought John's disertation on stoves was one of the best on this list.

2. I am not as tactful as John. I am also not a dummy. :))

Background, (for those of you who have read this before skip to next paragraph). I have climbed all over the world. I live at 9000'. I have 7 stoves right now. I have used, tested, struggled, and praised about every stove out there. I test stoves for companies. I was just handed a 3 oz stove to try. 3rd one I have seen in 2 years, ho hum. My favorite bottle fuel stove is a Bibler. I haven't used it in a while, I haven't been above 24,000 feet in a while.

I only use liquid fuel stoves below 24,000' I believe in leave no trace and using bottled fuel below 24,000 is against LNT principals. Don't try and argue this point you cannot win. Recycling is not reuse. You also do not have to worry about finding bottled fueld that fits your stove. Not as big of a problem now, as it was ten years ago.

I always carry my $0.98 coleman filter. In Argentina and West Virginia I have filtered out as much water as I fuel. I am going to try coffee filters in the next couple of days. I use coffee filters to filter water (stage 1), they work well. All you need is something to slow the water so you can through the water out.

I currently favor the Optimus Nova for BSA use. I feel it is a safer stove for youth to use. I still posses 3 MSR stoves. 95% of the time I use a multi-fuel stove. Multi fuel stoves burn at a slightly lower temperature (nothing you will notice at Philmont) however they burn anything and everything, including garbage in the fuel. If I am carrying a brand new bottle of coleman fuel then I'll use a single fuel stove. Walmart or anyone else's fuel, I go with multi fuel. Why set your self up for trouble.

I would suspect that 99% of the problems at Philmont are using the single fuel stoves. If you are car camping, that works. If you really are backpacking, a multi-fuel stove provides a lot more options. Run out of red-can fuel, use unleaded gas, kerosine, alchol and your stove works. The price is little more, however you do not get clogging problems. Difference is sort of like a race car and a 67 chevy truck. Problems with the race car, takes 5 technicians to fix. Problems with a 67 Chevy (ford, etc) duct tape and baling wire and you are home. Also, you cannot use a single fuel stove outside of North America. Red-can fuel does not exist outside of NA. So you are limiting your options. I should limit that statement some more. You cannot use your single fuel stove anywhere there is not a walmart. If you forget your red-can fuel, your going home in parts of CA, CO, NV, ID, MT, UT, AZ, WV, etc.

(One time driving a borrowd buss back from Philmont, with a load of people after a trec, I poured the left over fuel in the bus because I was not paying attention to the fuel gauge............ Old busses run on left over Philmont fuel)

I carry a large plastic bottle that I can see through and I pour my fuel into it first. If I have time I allow it to set, then slowly filter it into my fuel bottles. I would not do this at Philmont. Normally I am carrying my fuel for the entire trip from base camp onward. Philmont gives you a once in a lifetime opportunity to get fuel mid trip. My last trip at Philmont I had not problems, however I carried my filter. If I get lazy, and do not pre-filter, and I start to get sputtering, I re-filter all my fuel. The filter ways less than an oz or 2.

I never leave on a trip without disassembling my stove, replacing or at least checking all valves, rings, etc and giving it a thorough cleaning. For a couple of buks in a re-fit kit, my stove works brand new.

I take my pump and stick into my first bottle and carry the stove with pump rather than a lid. That saves switching lids and pumps around and increasing your chances of contaminating your fuel. It also saves 1 oz and 1 less lid. Use this weight to off set the filter weight. The only time my fuel bottle is open is the first time I stick the pump in. There is no switching around and no spilt fuel, no fuel leaking from the pump while backpacking. (Nova prevents this anyway, one reason I like it. By the way, I don't get paid by Brunton). Take the lid off the new bottle, stick the pump in the new bottle and put the lid on the old bottle.

Learn your stove now. (Great English, but you will remember it.) How long does your stove burn once you turn off the valve. How long does it take to burn the fuel out of the lines. How many hours of fuel do you get from each bottle. Each stove is different. 90% of Philmont meals just require boiling water. How long does it take to boil a liter of water. Now you know how much fuel you need.

If you want to get efficient. Get an XPD Heat Exchanger (http://www.msrcorp.com/cookware/alpine_xpd.asp) and a Backpaker's Pantry Pot Parka (https://secure.backpackerspantry.com/secure/category.cfm?Category=22&CFID=39167&CFTOKEN=93445446f4aa1917-F33B08F3-FC15-29B9-EC244C3CF0A13B7E) heat cover. Used together, they will cut fuel consumption in half. (If you want to be slick, study the Backpacker'sPantry stuff and pick up an oven kit. I taught our kids how to cook pizza, scones, biscuits, etc for a Philmont trip. Scones are nice to start a morning hike.)

Finnaly, if none of this has convinced you, in my opinion, your just plain lazy if you use bottled fuel in Scouting. You can come up with any excuse you want, but bottled fuel just teaches scouts that time and money are more important the enviroment. Time and money are an excuse to destroy. Bottle fuel supports that theory.

Jim

James H. Moss, JD
jhmoss@earthlink.net

PO Box 16743
Golden, CO 80402

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Received on Thu Feb 26 13:39:36 2004