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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,175
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,175 |
One evening a buddy and I were in camp trying to feed our little fire to dry out when someone approached and hailed the camp. It turned out to be a lady, probably in her 50’s at the time, who was hiking to some old roadhouse or mine she was writing a book about. We offered her a cup of coffee and she sat for a little bit and visited. She asked why I was constantly fussing feeding little willow sticks into my fire and why didn’t I just burn coal?
I had never saw a lump of coal in my life at the time and she informed me that the black rocks in the creekbed 20 yards from camp were indeed coal. I gathered a pile and once they were going I was in business.
She headed out after she finished her coffee and I never saw her again, I think I still have her trekking poles she left in camp. But I burned a bunch of coal to dry out and warm up over the years.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,633
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,633 |
One evening a buddy and I were in camp trying to feed our little fire to dry out when someone approached and hailed the camp. It turned out to be a lady, probably in her 50’s at the time, who was hiking to some old roadhouse or mine she was writing a book about. We offered her a cup of coffee and she sat for a little bit and visited. She asked why I was constantly fussing feeding little willow sticks into my fire and why didn’t I just burn coal?
I had never saw a lump of coal in my life at the time and she informed me that the black rocks in the creekbed 20 yards from camp were indeed coal. I gathered a pile and once they were going I was in business.
She headed out after she finished her coffee and I never saw her again, I think I still have her trekking poles she left in camp. But I burned a bunch of coal to dry out and warm up over the years. Very interesting! I very much appreciate the insight and the story!
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,480
Campfire Kahuna
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OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,480 |
We tried the propane stove in the Arctic Oven the past two years. Short answer, no Bueno! First, it does not do enough to dry anything, even while we were eating a LOT of propane. After the first attempt we were assured we were doing it wrong. So last year we tried again. We are there for about a month. Second go around the propane use was worse, nothing dried, and the tent was cold.
Nothing matches a wood stove for drying a tent and contents. We cut at least a year ahead and stack some in the tent to dry... and we are not in a wet place compared to Kodiak or the peninsula. Thats interesting . The Idiatarod trail breakers team uses them with great success but you have to have a vented tent. They even say they don't burn that much propane. They are 2000 miles of some interesting country and weather basically. I've heard others have really good luck with other stoves non wood in Arctic ovens too. Of course I would prefer wood, to dry stuff with. But alas as I've noted when you have no wood, its a no go. The Arctic Oven we use is 12x24 with the vestibules at each end. The Iditarod is run at crazy low Relative Humidity. Frozen wet stuff sublimates a bunch of water just due to the RH. They also use smaller tents. I have camped frequently at temps well below zero and have burned a ton of propane doing it. It is not a great way to go IME&O. Thats a big AO for sure. We won't be camping at anywhere close to zero so with the input of others also I suspect the nuway is worth a try. Especially since we don't have the wood choice Pass on low cots. Defeats part of the purpose plus we have plenty out there and the owner is already used to hauling them around grins. But I really appreciate the offer. Suspect we have the same cots you do anyway as to the low ones. But those are not what we use out there. Coal. Have not seen much out there. May have to look closer. I know its BTU if its GOOD coal is good. There is some in town at that the military left from the war. But getting low I think and one more thing to have to collect and haul in a plane and up a river in a boat in skinny... I will let the head trail breaker of the Iditarod know he is wrong... lol.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,480
Campfire Kahuna
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OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,480 |
Just off the phone with a bit of a conversation with Nuway. Told them what I'm after and what type of tent we use, flourless. We needed it more to dry things than to heat. Where we were located IE moisture rain wind etc....
The fact its vented with a stove pipe allows the air to dry out and dry gear. Just like I figured.
Stove 4000 probably perfect. On low it should run 7 days 24 hours a day on a 5 gallon/25 pound normal propane bottle. So if we manage 2 bottles we are likely going to do just fine.
We discussed low temps and low humidity like the Iditarod vs the wet of places like Kodiak or Cold Bay etc.... yes will net same results.
While this isn't the OT basically, it confirmed what I've heard so far and I've hear far more positives than negatives. What the heck. A stove is 400is bucks and a top line gore tex rain coat is the same and the gore will leak... Worth a try. if not my tipi will be really happy next time we are in no wood area.
Strictly FYI from the conversation.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,645
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,645 |
I always wanted to try either charcoal or coal in my titanium wood stove but never got around to it. I bet a couple of small bags of charcoal would work great and be enough for a week. I usually did some beach combing at Kodiak when we were tent "hunting" hoping to find coal but never did.
My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost.
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