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[pct-l] Candy ass defends his honor!



Monte writes:

>Only a candy a-- uses a canister stove and deserves to suffer if you are
can,t a
prime a real stove. ha ha<

For those listers who haven't figured it out yet, one of Monte's favorite
tactics is to hurl these kinds of jabs and then pretend he doesn't mean it.
 I don't know if he means it or not, but I know he pisses me off once in
awhile and sometimes gives me the impression he's not particularly
open-minded.  Course, this probably just makes me a candy ass, which may be
true.  And I sure wouldn't want to stifle anyone's free expression of their
point of view ; - )  

Propane/butane stoves work just fine for a PCT thru-hike.  I used an MSR
Whisperlite on the AT and a Coleman Xtreme canister stove on the PCT, which
I came to love (after a few initial problems -- mostly due to using a very
new design).  I would never go back to a white gas stove, unless I was on
an extended (more than 4 weeks) stint in the backcountry.  

The Xtreme is light (11 ounces), compact, used 11 ounces of fuel every
10-12 days (one cooked meal a day), supplied a full heat range, from low
simmer to blow-torch, and, of course, lit easily without priming.  Rather
than screwing on top of the cylinder like some designs, this stove sits on
the ground and is attached to the canister by a hose.  This is a really
stable design, though a little heavier than the cylinder top models.  This
design also makes it easier to use a windscreen.  If you're fairly careful
the stove top models work well and are very light.  

I never encountered any problems with significantly diminished performance
in low temps or high altitudes.  (I don't think low temps are really much
of an issue for thru-hikers -- you can probably count the times it'll drop
below 20 degrees -- when you need to cook, anyway -- on one hand).  If you
don't cook in the morning, you don't really need to worry about keeping the
cylinder warm overnight.  If you're just cooking dinner, it probably isn't
that cold yet.  The canisters for this system are recyclable aluminum
weighing 3 ounces empty; the stove comes with a key to allow you to
puncture the cylinder once empty.

The canisters were not as readily available along the trail as the Primus
or Camping Gaz ones were, but we just kept a few extras in our drift box
and mail-ordered a fresh supply whenever we needed them.  (Our drift boxes
always went parcel post.)  It was nice to eliminate the search for white
gas at each resupply point.

Shoshonna write:

>I think its important to realize that Ray Jardine and company have
enough cash coming out of the nose and ears to afford to be heliported off
the Trail and also stay in a hotel room at every resupply stop!<

Two observations:  I got the impression that Ray and Jenny preferred to
spend as little time in resupply towns as possible.  I think Ray might take
issue with your characterization.  I would also note that in the three
seasons when I've spend a lot of time on either the AT or the PCT there was
absolutely no correlation between lightweight packs and lots of nights in
hotel rooms.  This is a patently ridiculous notion!    In fact, if
anything, folks carrying more traditional weights were as likely to spend
the dough as those who were going lightweight.  I don't know where your
impressions came from, but I believe they're misinformed.

None of this really matters, except that folks shouldn't think they have to
have "cash coming out of the nose and ears" to enjoy a light pack.  For me,
a lightened pack has much less to do with more or easier miles than it has
to do with more enjoyment of the hike and (speaking only for myself) more
opportunities to appreciate the experience.  I don't understand why some
people (not necessarily you, Shoshonna) are intent on portraying those of
us who chose light packs and footwear as reckless, performance-crazed,
un-thinking Jardine acolytes who are foolishly risking our lives and not
hiking for the correct reasons.  The fact is that light packs and footwear
can and do work fine for thru-hiking.  Obviously, your mileage may vary.

Chris.

P.S.  Can I be kicked out of the Jardine cult if it becomes know that I
carried a thermarest on my PCT thru-hike?  Just wondering.  

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