New Stove

The wind was fierce, but despite its roar I heard the crash. I pulled over and gave Phoebe what I thought was a thorough look-over. It wasn't until the next day's morning coffee that I discovered the stove, formerly lashed atop one of the roof boxes, was no more.

As part of my hope-springeth-eternal aspiration to do some overnight backpacking, I'd bought a small single-burner. I retreived it from the pack and have never looked back. (Rolling Steel Tent also uses a single-burner.)

It does just fine as long as I don't need the hashbrowns to be ready at the same time as the eggs.

$22.00...check it out. With two adapters for differing kinds of fuel bottles.

Gotta love the Chinese...making $2.50 an hour?

Coleman Jus' Ain't Makin' 'em Lak Day Yoostuh

I bought this after my Canadian Coleman suffered a devastating loss of a control rod.

It's A Stove

Modified Control Knob

I wanted one that would light with a steel & flint rather than a battery-operated, peizo-'lectric unit. I also appreciated that this one was ready-to-connect-to-a-five-gallon propane tank like the one used with most back-yard grills.

But watch out!! The controls on this unit are SSSSSSSOOOOOOOOO touchie I've had to resort to modifying them in order to simmer stuff (see image). Yessir, this he'ar unit mustah bin designed by the fellar that invented the flame-thrower. The burners adjust in increments of 1/32nd. And with a knob the size of a fifty cent piece, that means the slightest twitch takes you from "AwwWWWwww MaaaaaAAAAn, it went out AGAIN!"   to FULL BLAST.

I took the knob off to see if the nut behind it was loose; it was tight as a lemon-induced pucker.

I considered other models but this one retains the hinged-to-the-lid style windflaps. The latest fad of having the breeze-breakers fold over onto the grill when closed means that -- when deployed -- they impede the use of large pans. Coleman's are adjustable and can be folded into the lid out of the way when not needed.

I considered getting a unit without a lid or wind-flaps, but the lid acts as an early-warning device for raccoons and grizzlies. And sometimes the breeze-deflectors DO seem helpful. In other words, it'd be a decent stove if it weren't for the dangerous controls.