RE: [pct-l] 2ND ADZPCTKO, Stoves & Fuel usage

[Ronald Moak <ronm@fallingwater.com>]

Looking forward to the upcoming ADZPCTKO.

New Stove Changes

I've had some inspiration over the last few days on changes to my stove. Got
some good feedback at the PCTA Annual Conference. So I've reworked the
alcohol burner to integrate it into the stove and make it more efficient.
The result is a single piece stove that works for both alcohol and solid
fuel tabs. I've improved the efficiency of the alcohol burner and reduced
the boiling times from around 10 minutes to 7 (with steam and bubbles at 5
minutes).

Its body has been modified slightly so that it doesn't require any
additional wind screen. I've constructed it out of recycled 1 lb coffee
cans. This makes it somewhat sturdier and more crush resistant.

 In total the weight as increased a mere .3 ozs to 2.3 ozs. I don't have any
plans for it on the website. I'm going to wait until after this summers hike
to finish writing up all of the details. Let the stove contest begin!

Cooking with Less Fuel

Monte ask awhile back about cooking his favorite Mac & Cheese on one of the
lightweight stoves. In '97 while on the AT we were consuming about 1 22 oz
fuel bottle per week cooking two meals a day for 3 people. The cooking was
on a MSR Whisperlight. In general we were cooking lots of Pasta based foods
that we had prepared for the hike. After running out of fuel twice prior to
reaching town, we were getting frustrated. 

Talking to another thru-hiker, we found a different way to cook our pasta.
Instead of continuing to keep the stove going after adding the pasta to the
boiling water, we simply dumped the pasta in and turned off the stove. We'd
take the pot and cover it with some clothes to help retain the heat. As it
sat for the 15 or so minutes it would continue to cook the pasta just fine.
Without the aid of additional heat. 

By the end of the summer we had cut our fuel usage down by 50% and were
carrying the small 11 oz gas bottle. 

Ron "Fallingwater" Moak
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PCT 2000 Journey - http://www.fallingwater.com/pct2000


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