I’m a survival skills buff
and I have learned and practiced many different survival skills, including bow drill, finding water sources in unlikely places, and even improvising wound dressings from natural materials, but I always go on the trip with adequate gear to fall back on. Going on a trip unprepared is not adventurous, it’s just stupid.
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I’m really enjoying this thread,
– Last Updated: Feb-24-15 10:42 AM EST –
never felt so much like an "old timer" until this thread came out.
There are a lot of ways to camp- you can go minimalist- a bivy sack, tarp and cold food, somewhere in the middle like a tent and a stove, and you can camp with gas grills, dutch and reflector ovens and plug in coffee pots and even with an oven in a Winnebago. Its all your choice- not sure there are right and wrong answers.
Knowing how to build a fire is an essential skill in my book. Now truly, I can't really say I've ever met anyone who didn't light and build a fire without some help: be it matches, a lighter, a bow kit, magnifying glass, a set of flint and steel, battery and steel wool.
To be able to light a fire using only what is in one's surroundings would be impressive to me. Nothing brought with you, just what you found on site. So just as I carry a pocket knife I also carry some matches or a lighter with me.
Building a fire takes time and energy but it also can be very rewarding. Its more important than a first aid kit to me. It is a skill, a knowledge, although not difficult in most situations I have struggled at times. So if its wet, you should carry dry tinder, a candle to melt, and an ax and saw can be quite useful- although they can dangerous as well. Otherwise, carry a stove as a back up.
There's nothing wrong with using a stove and as many have noted its a godsend on a cold day when your tired and hungry and want something right away. For the most part stoves are convenient, yet sometimes stoves themselves can be a pain in a**: cold weather can make them hard to light, fuel canisters run out when dinner is half cooked, white gas has leaked in my pack and left a nasty aftertaste to all of my food, and using unleaded gas in my xgk required constant daily cleaning.
Some places fires are appropriate and other places they are not. Yet I have a sense of sadness for those who never experienced the warmth and glow of a campfire. Staring into the flames and embers and finally trotting off to bed as the fire dies out and the coolness of night creeps in.
Sometimes its not just about the miles you cover, the terrain you mark off the map, but connecting to your more primal being where fire wasn't just a choice to be made but was a necessity for survival. I can relate all to well with Jack London's "To Build a Fire" and the urgency of the moment. I think every outdoorsman should know how to build a fire as a basic survival skill.
Catching a fish, cooking it over the fire, that's how I roll. I never have tried sushi, but I've caught too many fish with parasites to make me think its safe to eat, so I say bring on the fire, along with its warmth, radiance, and gathering powers. Cold instant oatmeal and bivy sacks are for the young. Now I prefer a comfortable camp chair, store bought fire wood, and a marshmallow or two. Next thing ya know, I'll be sleepin' in a camper van and using my plug in coffee pot, oops I already do that. Oh, its a slippery slope from walking upright, then mastering fire, to using camp stoves, to RVs. Next thing ya know, folks will be paddling with two blades instead of one! Then we will all look back and wonder if its okay to use a single blade, to revisit our past, our heritage, and dare I say it, "canoe". It will be less efficient, slower, but perhaps like fire, for some of us it holds a different meaning, and enjoyment.
None of this paddling stuff makes sense in a "modern age". So fire is no different. Make up your own outdoor code and follow it. My outdoor journey began as my father taught me how to build a fire and it will end someday with the flames of cremation.
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30 years ago, you could
build a fire with downed wood.
Today, with as many people as there are camping and such, often there is no more wood to gather and the Forest Service protects what is left.
Plus the danger of starting a forest fire, the fragility of the desert, etc.
I used to carry three things with me i nthe Air Force, a book, a pocket hammock and an esbit stove. You may wish to consider that route as the real Esbit and fuel are lightweight. Avoid the knock-offs.
I was able to keep three days of of fuel and matches IN the folded stove.
My food was not steaming, but it was warm to hot.
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The Brits will light up a stove even for
a snack, and they have a fascinating array of stoves that work efficiently with locally gathered twigs and branches.
Reflector oven and dutch…
Is the way I prefer. I enjoy cooking on the fire. I too enjoy the act of camping. For me tripping is the entire process…paddling to camping. The smell of a fire, the warmth, and associated challenges.
I usually have a gas stove in the pack, but more for emergency situations. I know/practice survival skills too, but don’t rely on them daily (see bow-drill blisters).
Obviously I would plan my camping method based on the location. Lack of wood, fire-hazards, ecosystem, or weather.
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yup
which is the reason I carry a stove.
You cannot cook over a fire, even a twig stove in Manitoba or Ontario during fire bans.
You cannot cook over a fire in Maine in some campsites without obtaining a fire permit from the local warden. You cannot cook over a fire above high tide line on a Maine island. You may find yourself standing in water…
You cannot cook over a fire where there is no fuel. Believe me Yukon willows suck and the driftwood is too big.
ok - sure
but - what if you are on a trip where there is plenty of wood and there are no fire bans etc. etc. Do you still cook on a stove? Or do you leave it in the pack?
Stoves are useful
I always bring a tiny stove that is $10 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Ultralight-Portable-Backpacking-Compatible/dp/B00B4FY8YO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441216677&sr=8-1&keywords=etekcity+stove). It is smaller than a pack of cigarettes and comes with a plastic case.
It screws onto different fuel canisters (I use isobutane like the JetBoil canisters), many of which come in very small options. I bring a pot as well that doubles as a bowl.
Honestly, I could do without the stove since I usually pre-make pot roast in foil packets and cook them in the embers of my campfire. However, I do enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning and this stove will boil water in 2-3 minutes and the total weight for all the gear is negligible, especially since it’s packed into your kayak…
…most of the time the stove is the #1 dependable tool, especially when the weather turns on you, which happens a lot in Maine.
you are back
of course a fire is not always appropriate. We don’t need you to tell us that through yet another Google link…
right on!
that post made too much sense
many nicknames for the regulators- Bastard State Park, North Maine Hoods, American Money Club, Green Money Club, Dumb Old Club (Dartmouth) All-a-Gash (to your wallet)
heck I avoid most of the permitted stuff out west- lots to paddle out there that is wide open
wv just keeps lookin’ better and better, just hopin’ the NPS doesn’t mess it up
If you go on a “Paddle Florida, Inc.” trip you don’t need a stove. They cater each night stop.
This is an old revived thread, but since I wasn’t here the first time around I’ll add my take.
Eating cold food for a week sucks. So does leaving fire scars everywhere, or worse yet starting a forest fire. I’ve seen enough of the latter two for a couple lifetimes. The best technology we have right now to mitigate this is the portable camping stove.
I currently use a propane/butane canister stove but have also used a portable wood burning stove in the past. One always has to be mindful and aware of where they are traveling. Lots of areas are sensitive and need to be avoided or only very lightly trod upon.
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I recently bought a Solo Stove (Titan) and it saved my solo trip. I forgot my water filter, and was confronted with boiling to get enough water to sustain me for five days. Of course, I brought only enough fuel to cook my dehydrated meals, so boiling 48 oz of water each day would not work. The Solo Stove shined at boiling, 48 oz went from cold to boiling in 15 minutes. 16 oz only took 6 minutes. The stove is remarkable at boiling, but also allows a wider range of cooking techniques because it simmers. Fuel was easy, took a few minutes to gather multiple cooking sessions worth of ground liter and break it into 3-4" pieces. The only negative I have is the sooty pots.
For me it’s all about redundancy. I take a gas cannister stove with a lightweight metal pot, home made firelighters, lighters and matches.
If I am going solo I never have a fire, I just snuggle up when it gets dark.
Plus it’s a kayak! Most of my overnight adventures are on foot with a 40 litre pack.
A kayak is huge storage wise, why not bring a stove?
In the Northwoods people have traditionally cooked on fires. In the West, we have deserts, open country and lots of place with little fuel. Often there are restrictions on fires. I always bring a stove.
I did one week in the Boundary Waters where we flew in and rented our whole outfit. I don’t think we had a stove, but that was in 1985 when they still rented aluminum canoes.
I carry a Jetboil and a small, folding stainless steel stove similar to an EmberLit as a back up.
The only time I build a fire is if I have enough garbage to burn. I never cook over a fire and have no interest in doing so. For me the process around building, tending, quenching and removing all signs of a fire adds unneeded complexity to my day and doesn’t add to my appreciation of nature.
I am retired forester. People are always talking about how a stove is more “responsible” than a fire. A stove is made of metal and plastic which means mining, the use of oil and manufacturing. Then there is a need for transportation. Then the fuel must be acquired and more transportation. Then the fuel canisters must be disposed of.
A fire when it is allowed under fire regs, is carbon neutral. It releases the same amount of carbon it accumulated during the lifetime of the growing of the fuel. Dead wood contributes to forest fires. It adds little in the way of nutrients. I like fires on many levels, and they are environmentally responsible, assuming you are following local regs. When I see a fire ring, I usually dismantle it.