wood vs. propane

[lakedelavan]

hello everyone i am just getting into doing more and more DIY hunts in the mountains and from the places i have read is that people are saying to use propane little stove/pot units for cooking there food. My questions is why just not carry a hatchet and saw and just collect and use wood. Is there something bad with that or it just doesn't work or something im not seeing. I am not trying to be mean im just wondering why not use it. so please give your opinion on why you use what you use and if you have any other info.

 

[mtmiller]

My stove is faster and weighs less than a hatchet.

 

[schmalts]

try using wood when it is heavy rain and your hungry. you will stay hungry

 

[mdunc8]

Because sometimes I don't want to hike down a mountain or burn up Miller's house to start a fire to cook over.

 

[SFC B]

I am all about using a wood stove for heat in our main camp but for cooking propane or butane is te way to go. Fast and hot. Also, if you are packing it in you are probably just going to be boiling water for dehyd's. ALWAYS having fire making ability with you though as part of a survival kit.

 

[Sawtooth]

Many parts of the West have fire restrictions because of the dry summer they are having. This means some National Forest lands are not allowing wood burning (campfires) until we get more rain and snow. Stoves are the only way you are going to cook anything.

 

[RobG]

Fires are pretty inefficient given it takes an hour for your fire to burn down into coals vs 3 minutes to bowl water with a little stove... Fire can also cover your pans with heavy black soot!

I'll add that in the backcountry fires are frowned on because they make a mess just by themselves and if that isn't bad enough when a certain class of individuals get drunk enough they think they can melt all of their beer cans and bottles in them!. "Leave no trace" is the ethic."

 

[lakedelavan]

ok thanks for the info also i see these little propane stove head attachments suck as pocket rocket and primus classic trail stove have little propane containers about how long do those last when you run them.

 

[1_pointer]

If all you're doiing is boiling water, get a Jetboil. IMO/E they are perfect for that. If you need to 'cook', something with better temp regulation than the JB would be better. I generally just eat Moutain House for dinners so the JB works for me.

 

[brownbear932008]

The pocket rocket is a great little backpack stove. I have the coleman version of that stove and it does wonders considering it just weighs ounces. I guess it will get water boiling in about 2-3 minutes for a mountain house meal from the ice cold stage. I am guessing I can get 4-6 meals out of a canister I'm not very sure on that though. I will check while in AK. next month.

 

[Sytes]

Light packing - MSR whisperlite for cooking.
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/category

Base camp wall tent - wood stove
Personal build - 35-40lbs collapsible.

Packing in multi day hunt - titanium camp stove.
Seeks outside - great company!
http://seekoutside.com/products/wood-stoves/
Believe mine is 3 lbs w/ 9' pipe.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

early season fire restrictions make the jet boil type set up a must if ya want to follow the rules.late season isnt that much of a issue.

 

[wandering monk]

I have a propane stove unit...and I also have technology familar with older methods...

when its raining or a new snow dropped...its hard to beat an easy propane cook out...just sticking your head out of the camper or tent...

but a campfire with a few ribs on it is pretty hard to beat...havent had a decent BBQ on my propane yet...but it has made some great coffee & breakfast...

 

[sagebrush]

I bought one of these and it works great! They have gone up a dollar in price since I bought mine but still can't be beat.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Ba...id=1376422898&sr=8-1&keywords=back+pack+stove

Takes two weeks for delivery because they are shipped from China.

 

[kevin_t]

Alcohol stove for the lightest minimal fuss cook, Jetboil or MSR reactor for the fastest at boiling lots of water. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with wood. In fact, the titanium wood stove pictured above can do a pretty bang up job cooking. A few weeks ago I made Elk stakes on top and baked Sweet Potatoes in the oven in about 45 minutes (baking sweet potatoes requires some time). I'll use wood if I can almost every time. Good fire starters go a long ways. I often carry a little alcohol stove for simple / water coffee tea stuff. If I need to melt a lot of snow , or heat a lot of water for a group (or even a lot for a wife that likes a lot of coffee ) and weight isn't much of an issue then I use a MSR reactor.

 

[Southwind]

Many parts of the West have fire restrictions because of the dry summer they are having. This means some National Forest lands are not allowing wood burning (campfires) until we get more rain and snow. Stoves are the only way you are going to cook anything.

Plus 1, nobody loves a wood fire more than me but propane for every reason stated here is the way to go. Never go out on a pack trip without your fire-starting kits though.
I normally carry several types in my pack.