This past weekend, I took a short overnight trip and for the fun of it, carried both a Trangia burner/Mojo stand combination and an Emberlit wood stove.
The experience really drove home to me why I prefer alcohol/white gas stoves to wood stoves, at least for the kinds of trips I take.
To understand why, you need to understand where I typically go and why.
This week's destination was Ethan Pond near Crawford Notch, in New Hampshire. The pond sits at 3000', which in NH means it's solidly in the boreal forest. The line between open hardwood forests and boreal happens at around 2500'.
Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on Flickr
Look along the banks of the pond. See the camp spots? You can't because really there aren't any. The boreal forest is just too thick.
This what a "clearing" looks like in the boreal woods. It's also amazingly flat since it's near a height of land. Normally the boreal floor is tipped up on edge.
Boreal forest near Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on Flickr
This is super open, actually, that's why I took the picture. Normally, you're hard pressed to walk off trail in this zone.
Notice also the fragile moss. The top soil here is very, very thin and gets very few months a year to process what little organic material is here.
The reason I'm mentioning this might be quite shocking to many readers who aren't from the US Northeast. Here it is....
Tarp at Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on Flickr
This is a tent platform. It's one of 5 or 6 at the Ethan Pond shelter and camp site. The terrain is rough enough and fragile enough that hikers are strongly encouraged to localize their impact by staying in established camp sites with platforms. Deeper in the established Wilderness Areas you will see localized marks of prior camp sites. The terrain pretty much demands it. Different people walking through the same area end up camping in pretty much the same areas.
This area is also high volume in terms of the amount of traffic. Deep into October and all but one of the tent platforms and the 3 sided shelter were all full.
The bottom line here is that wood harvesting is hard on the land and actively discouraged. I got to the shelter and found a sign posted by the USFS and AMC discouraging fires of any kind.
So, I did this....
Silky Pocket Boy 170 by Pinnah, on Flickr
I found some dead fall balsam and cut it up. This wasn't entirely cricket, as the Brits say, but there you have it. I set aside my greenie sensibilities for the sake of the experiment.
I sectioned the wood and split it with my Mora. It took, I dunno, maybe 20 or 30 minutes start to finish.
After the wood was cut, I brewed up some hot chocolate. I've been using the Emberlit for about a year now. I'm OK with it. Not a god or demi-god yet, but OK. It's really finicky and this coming from an owner of a Svea 123. It's also smoky.
Later that night, when I made my evening meal, I used my Trangia. Like the Emberlit (and Svea and any other stove), the Trangia takes some practice. Still, the difference was huge. The Trangia is comparatively fast. It doesn't smoke. It is almost entirely devoid of drama. It runs more or less with no attention needed.
The next morning, I awoke to the first snow of the year (for me). Snow, high winds and cold.
Snowy morning at Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on Flickr
With the Trangia (and a good windscreen) I was able to stay in my warm bag and cook breakfast while reclining on one elbow. With some care and some risk (of burning holes in fabric or suffocating due to CO poisoning), you can cook under tarps or in tent vestibules with an alcohol/gas stove.
If camping means going some place where gathering wood can be done with minimal damage and if camping means spending time in camp farting around with a camp fire, a stove like the Emberlit makes a lot of sense. The fire has a nice charm and the Emberlit minimizes impact while making the fire more manageable and useful.
But for me, hiking means going somewhere far and getting there tired, wet and cold. I don't want a fire. I want hot tea and I want to be in my tent or under my tarp. I want a drama free and more controllable fire. I want something that will work when I'm not working well and when it's blowing sleet sideways. I want an alcohol or gas stove.
I also want a lighter pack. I don't want to carry a saw or a big knife.
This isn't a condemnation of wood stoves. I can see their utility in the low lands for sure. And I'll still carry mine on XC ski tours this winter. But, there's no question for me. Alcohol/gas stoves work better for where I go.
Thanks for reading.
The experience really drove home to me why I prefer alcohol/white gas stoves to wood stoves, at least for the kinds of trips I take.
To understand why, you need to understand where I typically go and why.
This week's destination was Ethan Pond near Crawford Notch, in New Hampshire. The pond sits at 3000', which in NH means it's solidly in the boreal forest. The line between open hardwood forests and boreal happens at around 2500'.
Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on FlickrLook along the banks of the pond. See the camp spots? You can't because really there aren't any. The boreal forest is just too thick.
This what a "clearing" looks like in the boreal woods. It's also amazingly flat since it's near a height of land. Normally the boreal floor is tipped up on edge.
Boreal forest near Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on FlickrThis is super open, actually, that's why I took the picture. Normally, you're hard pressed to walk off trail in this zone.
Notice also the fragile moss. The top soil here is very, very thin and gets very few months a year to process what little organic material is here.
The reason I'm mentioning this might be quite shocking to many readers who aren't from the US Northeast. Here it is....
Tarp at Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on FlickrThis is a tent platform. It's one of 5 or 6 at the Ethan Pond shelter and camp site. The terrain is rough enough and fragile enough that hikers are strongly encouraged to localize their impact by staying in established camp sites with platforms. Deeper in the established Wilderness Areas you will see localized marks of prior camp sites. The terrain pretty much demands it. Different people walking through the same area end up camping in pretty much the same areas.
This area is also high volume in terms of the amount of traffic. Deep into October and all but one of the tent platforms and the 3 sided shelter were all full.
The bottom line here is that wood harvesting is hard on the land and actively discouraged. I got to the shelter and found a sign posted by the USFS and AMC discouraging fires of any kind.
So, I did this....
Silky Pocket Boy 170 by Pinnah, on FlickrI found some dead fall balsam and cut it up. This wasn't entirely cricket, as the Brits say, but there you have it. I set aside my greenie sensibilities for the sake of the experiment.
I sectioned the wood and split it with my Mora. It took, I dunno, maybe 20 or 30 minutes start to finish.
After the wood was cut, I brewed up some hot chocolate. I've been using the Emberlit for about a year now. I'm OK with it. Not a god or demi-god yet, but OK. It's really finicky and this coming from an owner of a Svea 123. It's also smoky.
Later that night, when I made my evening meal, I used my Trangia. Like the Emberlit (and Svea and any other stove), the Trangia takes some practice. Still, the difference was huge. The Trangia is comparatively fast. It doesn't smoke. It is almost entirely devoid of drama. It runs more or less with no attention needed.
The next morning, I awoke to the first snow of the year (for me). Snow, high winds and cold.
Snowy morning at Ethan Pond by Pinnah, on FlickrWith the Trangia (and a good windscreen) I was able to stay in my warm bag and cook breakfast while reclining on one elbow. With some care and some risk (of burning holes in fabric or suffocating due to CO poisoning), you can cook under tarps or in tent vestibules with an alcohol/gas stove.
If camping means going some place where gathering wood can be done with minimal damage and if camping means spending time in camp farting around with a camp fire, a stove like the Emberlit makes a lot of sense. The fire has a nice charm and the Emberlit minimizes impact while making the fire more manageable and useful.
But for me, hiking means going somewhere far and getting there tired, wet and cold. I don't want a fire. I want hot tea and I want to be in my tent or under my tarp. I want a drama free and more controllable fire. I want something that will work when I'm not working well and when it's blowing sleet sideways. I want an alcohol or gas stove.
I also want a lighter pack. I don't want to carry a saw or a big knife.
This isn't a condemnation of wood stoves. I can see their utility in the low lands for sure. And I'll still carry mine on XC ski tours this winter. But, there's no question for me. Alcohol/gas stoves work better for where I go.
Thanks for reading.
