Hi people.
I'm the new kid on the block on ETS and have been reading what and how most of you guys "do things"...for a few years now.
I am surprised at how few of the members use wood for fuel when hiking or camping outdoors.
My backpacking camp kitchen consists of 1.) a kelly kettle for boiling (and sterilising) water faster and cheaper than anything else on the market. 2.) a Trailstove, which in transport sits inside the kelly kettle and also does a fantastic job cooking my meals (fast!). and last but not least a grilliput (which was only recently added as it is a fairly new concept) which is a stainless steel bbq that folds into next to nothing and in transport lives inside the kelly kettle/ trailstove combo. These three items combined don't weigh much (less than your cooker with fuel) and do a far better job than the bulk of gas, fluid and solid fuel cookers I've been using in the past ! Also you're not lugging around fuel and the cannisters/bottles it comes in. The minute your hike starts you're tripping over fuel everywhere for this combo.
And if you plan to go above the tree line pick up some wood or pine cones on your way up. Purpose now defeated ? Nope, because this would be the ONLY TIME you actually carry fuel vs. carrying ALL THE TIME. And let's face it it is extremely difficult to run out of fuel and since there is nothing to break this combo is virtually idiot-proof. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
All the bases covered and the best thing about it is they don't burn just wood. They happily digest almost anything you feed them: bark, paper, pine cones, dry grass, peat, dung and garbage you otherwise would have to carry out. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

So, why aren't more people using these things and still clinging to their liquid/gas/solid fuel burners. <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Let me know what you think !
Regards,
Pharaoh.