Lightweight Gear
Platypus Water Bottles
08/09/06 11:14
One of
the favorite pieces of gear among fanatic gram counters are the
Playtpus water bottles, made in Seattle.
These bottles, unlike those
omnipresent Nalgene bottles you can see on university campuses, are
made of a soft, tasteless plastic. When full they form a shape
fairly conducive to holding and drinking, although when near empty
they can flop around a bit if you don't control your water flow
carefully. When empty, the bottles squish flat and fit damn near
anywhere. Alternately, you can roll them, as I do, to fit one into
my little day bag around town. I fill it up at work, use it, then
empty it and carry it home. A 1L bottle weighs 28g, and although a
wider opening would make cleaning easier, you can't beat the
weight. (well, you can, with cheapass plastic pop bottles, but they
last less time and can't be flattened). My only real issue is with
the pushpull caps. These caps are made so that they don't open
accidentally in your bag - fair enough - but they are really hard
to open, especially with your teeth (not recommended). Still, they
are the only bottles I use when I am not boiling water for health
reasons.
The Penny Stove
02/09/06 14:12
In
Japan, open wood fires are prohibited, which presents to camping a
large problem: how am I going to cook? When I was a kid, my family
would have a fire mainly for fun, marshmellows and evening warmth,
while a two burner coleman stove did the cooking. That was
backcountry 4x4 camping with my dad - last year, I was faced with
the prospect of cooking for myself and lugging the stove around on
my back.
The first stove that caught my eye was the popular Jetboil.
This stove was revolutionary when it
came out, as the canister, stove and pot are integrated to provide
ideal heat transfer. The price, however, is about $75USD, and the
canisters are both small and proprietary (other canisters may not
fit inside the cup). Price aside, the jetboil can bring water half
a liter to a boil in 2 minutes (they say) and is really fuel
efficient.
As I was reading reviews of the Jetboil, I came across a new breed of stove - the alcohol stove. These stoves operate by burning the vapor from high-concentration alcohol such as the drinkable Ethanol, fuel line cleaner like HEET, or the noxious but strong Methanol. The simplest stoves burn alcohol in a cup under a pot, which reduces the chance of clogging or failure, common with gas or mixed fuel stoves, to next to nil.
The stove I chose was the Scandinavian darling, the Trangia.
The Trangia consists of a cup for
alcohol which is lit and then vaporized into the exterior jets. I
took my Trangia on one trip, but discarded it quickly, and a bit
prematurely. On this trip I had neglected to take a windscreen.
Windscreens, however, are essential for alcohol stoves because the
flames move more slowly than gas stoves and are more easily
disrupted, increasing fuel consumption and lowering the boil time.
In any case, I decided to try a new, lighter, homemade stove.
Through Mark Verber's list of recommended gear I found the Penny stove.
The Penny goes a step further and
corrects a problem common to alcohol stoves. When alcohol is
vaporized too quickly, it escapes through the jets without boiling,
lowering fuel efficiency. The Penny uses a novel design to
counteract this - a penny covers the fuelling hole and seals the
stove until boiling alcohol accumulates excessively. At that point
the penny lifts due to the pressure and the gas is released slowly
and burnt off, preventing fuel loss. The stove took me a couple
hours to make and is constructed of a couple ridged Heineken
cans.
Enough background. I took this stove on my 5 day hike through Northern Japan, and also cooked with it for 3 other days spent at campsites in towns. What a rocket! I started my trip concerned about fuel consumption because I had to boil all of my water to kill a waterborne parasite that is rare but possible in those mountains. The Penny boiled tons of water, and in about half the time -- 4 to 5 minutes -- of other alcohol stoves. Unfortunately it was a bit big for my Evernew Titanium pot and it melted the rubber covers on the handles. I am working on making another with better jet placement for my small pot. In any case, highly recommended: it weighs 19g and boils nearly as fast as clunky gas stoves.
The first stove that caught my eye was the popular Jetboil.
As I was reading reviews of the Jetboil, I came across a new breed of stove - the alcohol stove. These stoves operate by burning the vapor from high-concentration alcohol such as the drinkable Ethanol, fuel line cleaner like HEET, or the noxious but strong Methanol. The simplest stoves burn alcohol in a cup under a pot, which reduces the chance of clogging or failure, common with gas or mixed fuel stoves, to next to nil.
The stove I chose was the Scandinavian darling, the Trangia.
Through Mark Verber's list of recommended gear I found the Penny stove.
Enough background. I took this stove on my 5 day hike through Northern Japan, and also cooked with it for 3 other days spent at campsites in towns. What a rocket! I started my trip concerned about fuel consumption because I had to boil all of my water to kill a waterborne parasite that is rare but possible in those mountains. The Penny boiled tons of water, and in about half the time -- 4 to 5 minutes -- of other alcohol stoves. Unfortunately it was a bit big for my Evernew Titanium pot and it melted the rubber covers on the handles. I am working on making another with better jet placement for my small pot. In any case, highly recommended: it weighs 19g and boils nearly as fast as clunky gas stoves.