[at-l] CookSack

[lparker@cacaphony.net (L. Parker)]

CookSack


Space enthusiasts know a thing or two about parabolic mirrors and dishes –
the cupping of a reflective surface concentrates beams onto a focal point,
whether it’s faintly visible starlight you’re gathering or radio waves that
might carry a greeting from extraterrestrials. Now that same principal
stands ready to cook your food during the autumn camping season.

Soltac’s CookSack is an inflatable polyester bubble that lets light in
through a clear skin on its upper side so that it’s mirrored lower half can
focus the rays onto a black pot. That could be useful not only for cooking
where campfires and conventional stoves are prohibited, but also to melt
snow or ice when needed and warming batteries. Depending on the weather, you
could save 30 percent to 75 percent on your fuel supplies, the company says.
In a pinch you can pasteurize water with the CookSack, and the reflective
dish can prove a lifesaver when you need to signal for help or get spotted
on radar, the company notes.

The entire $59.95 kit (which includes the bubble, black aluminum pot, frame,
inflation fan, and other items) weighs just 11.5 oz. / 326g. The downside to
the CookSack is that you’ll need at least partly sunny weather to make it
work, and even under ideal conditions it takes 90 minutes to boil water.
CookSack’s creators moralize to potential customers who might complain about
the wait. In a FAQ exchange, the Soltac site replies to the question, "Are
you serious? Would it really take an hour to fix a hot meal with CookSack?,"
with the snippy, "Yes, we are serious – because reducing our dependence on
non-renewable, toxic fuel resources is serious." More constructively, the
site notes that if you set up your CookSack first you might have a meal
waiting for you by the time you’ve set up camp. Since there’s no flame
involved, this oven can be left unattended.

Already there are solar cookers that strap to the decks of kayaks. One could
imagine a smaller version of a parabolic device resting atop a backpack to
heat a meal package while a hiker plods through her day.

http://soltac.safeshopper.com/

-- Erik Baard, Technology Correspondent



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