Re[2]: [at-l] another stove question

[spiriteagle99@xxxxxxxxxxx (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Shane wrote:

>Nobody has ever asked me...
>
>As a general rule, when in an area that is under fire ban, I just eat cold.
>Generally, when there's a fire ban, you don't need a fire anyway...

Hmmm - so you're in the middle of a thruhike when a fire ban is declared in
Virginia or New Mexico - what are you gonna do with your stove?

Eating cold is OK if you have to - some people even do their whole thruhike
that way.  But if you're already carrying the stove (as most people do), you
might want to be prepared to mail it ahead.  But even that's not always
possible - ask the people who've had their Zips (and other stoves)
confiscated in New Mexico and California.

Basically, I'm not big on Zips for a couple reasons - one is that thruhikers
generally aren't interested in long-cooking meals.  So trying to sell the
stove to thruhikers on that basis is self-defeating.

But my main problem with it is the smoke/smell.  Yeah - I know - the smoke
isn't generally a problem if you use dry wood.  Let's see - I had a period
on the AT with 19 out of 23 days dumped rain, sleet, hail and/or snow on me.
  Dry wood?  I don't think so.

But then there's the smell.  I can't stand to wear clothes that are washed
in many (most) detergents.  I can't stand to be around people who use heavy
perfumes (or cologne).  And I no longer tolerate campfires all that well -
I've started "maybe" 5 campfires in the last 12 years. So I'm not likely to
tolerate the smell of a Zip for very long.  Probably not any longer than the
next town stop where I can get rid of it.  But that's personal preference -
mine.

One other point that someone mentioned back there - the particles in wood
smoke are NOT so heavy that they drop to the ground.  In fact, they're fine
enough that they become part of the atmospheric circulation. Where do you
think the Brown Cloud over Southeast Asia originates?

My two cents --- after a day of shovelling snow and a couple miles of
snowshoeing  <VBG>

Walk softly,
Jim






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