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Make
sure you know how to use your stove.
Discovering your stove is difficult to prime should not
happen while shivering and hungry on the trail.
Use your stove at home in a more controlled environment.
Become familiar with its quirks.
Some stoves ship with protective coatings or a thin layer of
oil to protect them in shipping and transit.
By running your stove prior to entering the field, you can
burn off these residues. The
place to find out your stove does not work is not on the trail.
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Use
the ideal fuel. If your stove uses multiple fuels and the
manufacturer recommends one type over the other, always use the
preferred fuel. Using alternative fuels can clog your
burner. Use the wrong fuel and you can ruin your stove.
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Check
your fuel. And double
check. Murphy’s Laws
of Camping dictates that full fuel containers become mysteriously
empty on the trail. Make
sure to double check that your containers are full before hitting
the trail.
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Do
not store your stove with fuel, especially liquid fuels.
When you are done with your trip make sure to remove all the
fuel canisters from your gear.
Leaking fuel canisters can ruin your pack and other nylon
materials and will also give you a false sense of security that you
have, “full bottles,” in your pack (see above).
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Do
not take full fuel bottles on a plane or train, and declare them
when on a ferry. Taking
full fuel canisters on an aircraft or train without declaring them
is illegal and can get you in a lot of trouble.
If you are going on a ferry, make sure to declare that you
have full fuel canisters so if storing procedures needs to be made,
the proper precautions are taken.
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Don’t
smoke around your stove. I know this really shouldn’t go without saying.
All of these fuels are volatile stuff.
Smoking around your stove, especially when you are trying to
light it is only asking for trouble.
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Get
a repair kit, and become familiar with how to use if for your stove.
Make sure to clean your stove after each adventure.
A properly cared for stove can literally give decades of
service to you. Never
operate a broken stove as this is only asking for trouble or even
serious injury.
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Dispose
of your empty fuel canisters properly.
Don’t leave empty fuel canisters behind.
Do not put them in a fire and do not bury them.
Even the slopes of Mount Everest are covered in the litter of
spent oxygen and fuel bottles to the point that serious restrictions
are under consideration. If
there is a recycling program available, then try and recycle your
bottles, if not dispose of them properly and per the instructions on
the bottle. Remember
Leave No Trace ethics, pack it in, pack it out.
Policy
