longer duration lights,* water,
tarp. sleeping bags...

*Electric chem sticks, basically.

I never thought of this recent purchase as bug-in gear, but it passed the test tonight. A Trangia alcohol stove.

Some friends and I got together for wine, cheese and fondue. Turns out the Sterno for the fondue set wouldn't stay lit (possibly too old?) I pulled out my Trangia burner that I had just bought the other day on a whim. Poured a few ounces of HEET alcohol into it, fired it up, and it kept a pot of oil boiling for two hours! I'm talking a full rolling boil, and the flame adjuster was set way down (maybe 1/3 open). I couldn't believe how long that stove lasted on one filling of fuel. There was still some left when we finally have to snuff it out.

While not the best home-cooking-without-electricity device, it would certainly work in a pinch. And it's cheap. This little burner must hold 3oz to 4oz of alcohol at most. I was expecting a few minutes burn time. But it kept going and going and going... Maybe without the flame adjuster and running at full power you'd get less time. But I was astonished at how long it ran at the 1/3 setting.

Technically... no. Rotated some water, due to camping with the wife.

But... upgraded tires/wheels on the pickup (don't tell wifey!)
Crowbar (in truck, and at home)
2 5-gal Scepter water cans (she's not happy about these)
2 5-gal Scepter fuel cans (ditto)
Falkniven Forest knife (this thing is HUGE - should have gotten the pilot survival knife. Don't tell wifey)

Need to get a ton of batteries (been slacking there), rotate out some lights, clean up my camping gear in general. Maybe actually ask my wife before I buy some of these things? Though she was GF until a few months ago, so not like she doesn't know about this hobby.

added some 200 hour dorcy light sticks ; $2 at Family Dollar stores

On the cooking front, we picked up a new 2-burner propane stove by coleman, and a half dozen canisters of fuel for it. I also found another cast iron dutch oven too, with a tigh-fitting lid.

To help stay warm, we grabbed a bunch of wool blankets and sweaters from the local thrift stores. We're always on the look-out for great cast-offs from others, and thrift stores and yard sales are fruitful hunting grounds.
Every now and again, old oil lamps show up on the shelves. We added 2 last year. There always seems to be extra glass shades there too, so I picked-up a couple of spares too.

My hubby got in on the action by installing a water filter system on the kitchen sink for drinking water, and we also bought a new portable unit.

Not over-looking the kids, we also added lots of low tech games and books for entertainment purposes.

"...looking for a small metal garden sprayer (that can be directly heated)..."

Wouldn't there be a pressure buildup problem with that? A situation where you would need to use it wouldn't seem to the best time to have a chunk of metal buried in your chest.

Just a though. Maybe I'm missing something.

Sue

Sue...I heat the water before applying the top and pressure pump... in the past I've had to heat the water over a propane stove in separate container and add to the sprayer for morning shower... now that I'm retired don't have to get to work by 7am... a metallic tank would save a step

Oh, okay! Gotcha! (That's why he wanted metal, you dummy!)

Sue

> looking for a small metal garden sprayer (that can be directly heated) rather
> than my solar heated sprayer I use for shower

Is this what you're looking for?


http://www.hotcampshowers.com/campfire___stovetop

Of course, Coleman has made propane showers for years; a battery-powered submersible pump in a pot of hot water would do the trick, too. Not hand-powered, of course, so you have to have batteries.

Philip/Sue... thanks for the replies, yes I'm aware of the commercial camping units...I was hoping to find one of the small stainless units that had not held insecticide/herbicide on the used market...I haven't had the need since 2005...my hot water tank held for about 2 days (electricity was off for about 6 days), and by that time the Sun had broken through enough to heat the solar unit, and provide for a shower in the afternoons... one of those things that is on the list, but since I retired not critical anymore