Originally Posted By: Byrd_Huntr
HJ,

I have never wanted, needed, carried a stove. With the exception of my big Coleman camp stove, I've plied the prairies, woods, and waters of the Northland for decades without one. Your detailed reviews and great photos are starting to interest me in getting a small pack stove.

May the ticks of a thousand bull moose........never mind, I'll just go get my checkbook.
lol.

Hey, don't give up on wood fires just yet. They're great, and it keeps your survival fire building skills up to speed. In areas where it's safe, legal, and practical to have a cook fire, go for it.

BUT let me tell you a little story. One time I was out backpacking. I ran into unexpectedly heavy snow. I not only had to slog through the snow, I also lost the trail. By the grace of God and a bit of ded. reckoning, I found my night's camp, but I was completely wiped, and it was 11:00 PM -- full dark in other words. Did I want to dig in the snow to gather wood, prep a fire, get a fire going with snow-soaked/wet wood, burn it down a bit to get a good cook fire, and then start cooking? HECK NO. I was starving and exhausted. I wanted a full belly and to crawl into my sleeping bag. I reached into my pack, pulled out my stove, and in less then ten minutes had dinner on the "table" and a cup of steaming hot tea. Sometimes, a stove isn't such a bad thing.

HJ
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Adventures In Stoving