[pct-l] saying no to alcohol

[Steel-Eye]

Good afternoon,

I agree with Hayden:  Alcohol abuse - in whatever context you care to view
it - is a behavior problem not a "thing" problem.  Banning a thing is very
unlikely to ever change bad behavior.

I haven't cooked on the PCT since 2002.  '07 was a very dry year in SoCal so
the only flame I used on the trail was when I flicked a Bic to burn the ends
of a nylon cord inside the shop at Hikertown.  Elsewhere: zero flame.

For those who must have hot food there are options less risky than alcohol.
I don't use canister-fuel stoves but I understand they can't spill and they
are less likely to flame-up significantly.  The same can be said for solid
fuel tablets, which I do sometimes use.

Except for careless and/or irresponsible behavior alcohol is a very good
choice for a hiker's stove.  Much has been said about the versatility of
multi-fuel stoves but if one fuel - alcohol - is readily available why not
just use it?   Much has also been said about the speed-to-boil of the
various stoves, but plus/minus a few minutes doesn't really matter to me.
Similarly, any simmer function has no value to me.  I don't carry foods that
require simmering.  I specifically read the label before I buy and if it
says simmer for 5-10 minutes I put it back on the shelf.  I want full-bore
heat until the fuel charge runs out then whatever is in the pot better be
ready to eat.

I don't care about being able to turn the stove off to save fuel.  If I
ration an ounce of fuel per meal, I just let it burn up.  Why should I fuss
around trying to pour ¼ ounce of fuel back in the flask just so I can carry
it up the trail, all the while knowing that I already have sufficient  fuel
remaining?

For me the best stove is the one that is lite, simple, inexpensive,
fool-proof, easy to light, and QUIET!  Probably the best in that regard is
the 3-inch square of aluminum foil upon which I place my chunk of solid
fuel.  That too, is a "stove".  For alcohol stoves I prefer a 0.70-ounce
TrailDad CAT Stove, or one of the ubiquitous 0.55-ounce pop can stoves.

It seems to me that anyone who thinks they may not be sufficiently careful
to properly use an alcohol stove -- probably is.  Anyone who is sure they
don't have to worry about it -- probably should.

Steel-Eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "hayden wilson" <hydnwilson at yahoo.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2008 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] saying no to alcohol

As an observer of stoves, rather than a user (I haven't carried a stove in
over 7000 miles), I have a few thoughts on stoves in SOCAL. I have a photo
of the cooking table at Muskrat Creek Shelter (mile 78.2 on the AT). The
table is about 3'X6' and is made of what looks like 4"X8" timbers. I can
count well over 50 stove rings burned into the table top. A couple that I
actually measured were nearly one half inch deep. It takes a lot of burning
fuel and a lot of flames to do go that deep into solid wood. Not too
dangerous in NC in the spring, but with the heat of SOCAL alcohol is much
more volatile, the grass drier, and winds stronger. That said, alcohol
stoves are not the only stoves that have flareup and not all alcohol stoves
( I probably own 10 of them) flare up. I was never able to start my old
Whisperlite without a towering inferno to warm it up and know of at least
one person on the AT named Flamethrower for that reason.
So, maybe not just an alcohol fuel problem, but rather a "responsible use,"
and a "stove selection" problem. Or maybe do as Radar did in the south and
modify stove use in the more fireprone areas.
Hayden