Kudos to you Pharaoh for using the BEST all season/purpose stove there is. It's been awhile since I have looked on the forum and I am glad I saw your post. I got a trail stove and have never looked back! In fact I sold my god for saken fuel stove the next day. I think a lot of people don't understand the concept of the trail stove and that is why it isn't as popular, but those who do get it, love it!!!!!!! Well I think I have heard only 3 complaints about it. One is that it gets a little dirty, it takes a little longer to get hot (aren't we out there to relax anyway?) and lastly when the user touched it, it was hot, really <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />, who would have thought.

I lived in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in N.E. CA. and now I live in MT. and I still use it even with fire restrictions. Now before everyone starts getting at me for breaking laws and endangering our forest land and that they hope I get fined there are two things to do to the trail stove to use it in fire restrictions.

First take it in to the ranger station and let them look at it, but I warn you be prepared to demo it for about 3 pots of coffee like I did. They had the same worries as posters said on this thread, sparks, ashes, coals, poppicock! I used all types of wood and only get a few sparks, coals are the best for cooking so technically that is what you want to cook with why would you get ride of them? and ashes????? What that very cool fine gray powder at the bottom of the stove that amounts to maybe 3 table spoons. And if that doesn't settle the fears of the rangers and firefighters then on to plan 2.

Second, bend only three of the taps at the bottom of the stove in a triangle pattern so the grate comes out really easy, go and get a 120 hr Nuwick Candle and when you can't use wood, grass, sagebrush or any of those other weeds that nobody seems to take notice of as they walk past that can be used for fuel, stick that candle in the stove and put the grate back in and WHA-LA a perfect non-wood burning stove that will last you about 62 hours of cooking time. Now how much liquid fuel would one have to carry for that much cooking time?

With this set up I can have a perfectly safe stove that will last me about a year before I have to buy a new candle. Speaking of price, the stove is 25.00 w/ S/H and the candle I believe is like 7.00. So for 32 bucks and about 32 oz I have a stove that can be used anywhere at anytime. No fuel, tanks, pumps, in fact no moving parts period! I have used this in a tent for warmth and cooking. Rain?!?!? Please, the same protection that goes into sheilding a liquid fuel stove from rain to start it is the same for a trail stove. No need to think in terms of seconds for cooking, take your time, boil that extra pot of water so your hiking comrades with their 80 dollar stoves can wash their hands and dishes once dinner is over. Come to think of it, I guess I do have a complaint to this setup. I do all the cooking now <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />