~all, I was wondering if anyone has ever been 'saved' by a stove. I've accounts like Shakleton's men and others that talk about expeditions where they were crossing a frozen waste like the Barrier near the South Pole or the frozen landscape of Greenland. As I read them, I've noticed that on many occasions, their lives are saved by a stove they brought for the expedition. Well, I had an experience a few weeks ago during a camp out near the Snake River here in Idaho. There was plenty of snow on the ground and it was very cold. The temperature dropped to around O°F. I thought I would be ok since I'd camped there before and experienced the cold on several occasions. The humidity is higher by the river so it felt a lot colder. After the camp routine, we all retired to our tents and sleeping bags. At first I had a difficult time trying to get warm and get some sleep. I didn't get warm but I did fall asleep. After about 2 hours, I woke up to the worst torso spasms and teeth chattering I had experienced in 25 years. I was in the early stages of hypothermia. I tried to move around a bit, but that actually made me feel colder and so went into spasms. I had my usual sleeping bag, but I usually put a wool liner inside the sleeping bag for added measure. I stayed in control and figured I could go out to my vehicle and get another sleeping bag to put inside the first. So I got up and out and went and retrieved may other sleeping bag and my stove - my Coleman 500 Speedmaster. By this time, I was shivering worse than ever. By the time I got back I could hardly stay still from all of the shivering. I thought maybe if I grew desperate I could use the stove for warmth. Well, the chattering wouldn't stop and I later found that my vehicle's battery had gone south. I was thinking maybe that I could start up my vehicle and get warm in there. That wasn't going to happen now. My boys were with me, but I didn't want to wake or panic them. I had to do something, so I knew the next step was to get the speedmaster going. I tried to light it but only yellow flames. It needed primed. I had some fire paste in my coat pocket and started the prime of the stove in the 0F weather. While priming the stove, I figured I could also get some lights turned on. I pulled out my mini-butane lantern and tried to light it. It wouldn't light since the butane was frozen inside. Eventually, after putting the fuel canister between my legs, I got some light and a little warmth that way, but I was getting worse. When the priming was nearly finished, I struggled to grab the knob to increase the flame. I was able to stop shaking a bit and turned up the 500 and the life-giving blue flame warmed me up. I leaned over the stove to get at the warmth it would provide. It took a long time for me to stop quivering and shivering like I was. It actually worked to have a stove like that on hand. The tent was already vented so I let it stay on inside the tent at full throttle. Once warmed after about 20 minutes, I was able to put my other sleeping bag into my first sleeping bag and finally get warmed enough to sleep. Of course, I turned the stove and lantern off before I fell asleep. The stove saved me that night. Has anyone else had a similar experience? You can see the 500 that saved me in this picture: sam
Sam, I believe that to be true as an example on the CASG3 where the last night was really bad because the wind made it much cold so leaving the coleman lanter on against my best judgement kept me warm but when the wind really picked up, my Jeep saved me from hypothermia. My tent and a larger one was literally blown taking the stakes off so you would imagine the wind. The lantern was my best option rather than a stove since the tent was small. Which also tells you to make sure your vehicle is in tip top shape. One reason also why I opened a topic on sleeping bags which garnered a lot of response. Glad it turned out well in the end. Ron
Hi Sam, I don't have any survival stories, to share but I am glad you had the presence of mind to do what you did rather than freeze to death. The worst enemy in a survival situation is usually us telling ourselves it not as bad as it is and not taking action. Beaut of a 500 and the Radius 43 aint too shabby either. I thought I was going to have a go at the one on Ebay that ended today but I didnt have 275.00 to do it. Person probably had a bid of over $300.00 US anyway. Wonder if one of us here got it
Hi all: In the mid 70's while on a search and rescue for a downed plane in northern Washington State, a starry night turned to downpour and myself and two other rescuers got drenched and as the temp. dropped, started shivering. It was dark our radios could not get out so we were on our own till morning. No shelter was available. We tried to light a fire but in pouring rain it was not possible in the normal manner. I dumped some fuel from my 520 on the firewood but the wood was to wet to lite. We were getting uncontrollably cold and our own situation as rescuers was desperate. I lit the 520 and placed it under/ inside the wood pile. Eventually the wood and brush began to burn, turned the fire into a bonfire and despite the driving wind and rain plus being soaked to the skin we kept warm till morning. After the fire got going well I dug the Coleman out with a branch. Washed it off (after it cooled) and relit it for coffee and brandy for my fellow searchers and me. I used that stove for many years. Mike...
Morning, Guys, We've had a few close calls over the years, but only one that truly merits being called "saved by a stove". That was our PCT misadventure with the Whisperlite Internationale. Most of you probably already know the story, but in a nutshell, that stove failed us, when we needed it most, despite meticulous cleaning and care. Had a fellow PCT Thru-Hiker not loaned us his trustly Coleman 550 Multifuel stove, both Sweet Bride and I would have been headed for serious hypothermia issues!! Needless to say, after that, the WLI has earned our enmity, whilst the Coleman 550B earned our complete trust!! Great topic, Sam, and thanks for sharing your own misadventure with us. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Back around the mid 80s, my younger borther and I decided it would be a good idea to go camping at Kern River on Thanksgiving eve. We got as far up the river road aws we could but it was too icey for little Datsun pickup truck. So we pulled off to the sied of the road to camp for the night. We started to get ready for bed, but it started to snow a lot. Being southern Californias, we were not familiar with those big fluffy flakes. I, judging that it would be better if we headed home rather than possibly get snowed in, decided to start the drive home thru snow. THis was one of those trips from hell. Halway down the river, my alternator broke it's pulley. So we drove down highway 14 thru light snow, with only our emergency flasher going since we did not think we had enough battery power to make it with lights on. We made it to Mojave and got the garage guy to wake up a buddy at an auto parts store to buy a rebuilt alternator. I installed it laying on my back in the snow. That alternator cost me probably 3 times what it would in the city. We almost got home but we were taking that mountain road that leav es highway 14 and heads up to Angeles Highway. It snowed all the way and finally it was just soblinding we stopped at that little rest area outside the tunnel that takes you to the other side of the mountain and onto Angeles. We slept in the camper shell of my Datsun. I had a nice down bag, but my idiot brother only brought blankets. He was freezing to death he claimed, so we pulled out the Coleman propane heater we had. I lit it up and the camper was warm enough to make it thru the night. I think my brother would have been in serious condition without that heater. There was barely enough room to use the heater so we had to wire it up and hang it from the frame of the rear window of the shell. I still have that heater and it still works like a champ. The alternator blew about a week later in town. I drove to the rebuilder who coincidentally was in LA and got a new one. When I got home it would not put out any juice. So I had to go back and get another one. That one lasted maybe a year or two. Jim Henderson
I've had experience with hypothermia. It's no fun. Sam, ya done good to pull through and keep your wits about you. For the future, it might be a good idea to wake up others since hypothermia affects ones' mind. On the one trip in 1984 where hypothermia nipped at our heels all night, we had not brought a stove (or really any gear). Would that we had. We survived by doing jumping jacks in the rain. Thank God the rain stopped when the sun rose. It took us another two days to hike out of that mess. If anyone's ever seen my larger than normal backpack, there's a reason for it. A little less dramatic, but on a backpack in the late 70's, it was a cold, gray day with a constant drizzle -- the kind of day where hypothermia can sneak up on you. Most hypothermia occurs between 30F (-1C) and 50F (10C), temperatures generally above freezing. It was late afternoon, and dad insisted that we stop and get out the stove. All I wanted to do was gut it out and get into camp where we could set up the tent and change into dry clothes. Dad prevailed, we set up the stove, and dad made Jello. Well, we heated water and stirred in the mix anyway. Obviously we had neither time nor facilities to allow it to set. Afterward, I felt like a new man. I always thought dad was kind of a nut to be bringing Jello on every hike. We a) never used it and b) couldn't make proper Jello even if we did use it. Now, looking back, I understand. The Jello was his emergency stash. Nowadays, you can buy those fancy Gu shots/Power shots/Cliff shots for a boost out on the trail. Know what they are, really? Flavored sugar. Know what Jello is, really? Flavored sugar. Funny how much more your parents know once you get to be the age they were when you thought you knew better than them. Dad unfortunately passed in January, 2004. Miss that doggone old son of a gun to this very day. HJ
Excellent stories guys!! Thank you. Can't say I have ever been saved by a stove but it sure has made winter camping "comfortable" The Coleman heater then steps it up a notch to where you could almost stay out there forever... given enough fuel. Sounds like a lot of Coleman's have saved lifes. Good to hear. I am sure Optimus and Primus have too. Cheers, Jeff
Early Polar explorers used Primus stoves and frequently staked their lives on the stoves functioning and providing the heat necessary to provide the water and heat they needed not just to quench thirst or feed their hunger but to survive at all. Otherwise, they died. There are topics in the Stove Reference Library in the 'Stoves in Literature' where SNOWGOOSE has posted numerous examples of Primus stoves in action, saving men's lives. Wonderful stuff. all the best, sam
I like the story about the two Primus 41's left in the ice! Things are not so bad when you have a stove. When you have 20+ your sitting pretty. Jeff
if you are camping you can be up to 10 deg cooler by camping next to a river than 40f't f further up the bank as cooled air drops into the depression low lying area around water courses and lakes see ron woods dvds for more accurate info its been a long night so far
Site selection is something of an art. It's nice to be near water so you can fetch it easily for cooking, drinking, and cleaning purposes, but it will be colder at night and mosquitoes love riparian areas. A little higher up, the land may not be as level, and you may be more exposed to wind. I suppose one has to weigh the various factors and use one's best judgment. HJ
Hi guys, Yep, camping by the river, you have to be very selective where you set up camp, especially during the winter. I wasn't on the shore but I was probably about 100 feet away from the river, in a small clearing between a few trees. For most of the day and into the night there was a slight breeze of about 5MPH. That probably contributed to feeling more cold too, but, that river and probably humidity was what done me in. I probably made a few mistakes thinking I would be warm, when I had just been doing work around camp getting ready to turn in. You don't realize how warm you keep yourself when you are up and around. Bedding down and relaxing, I felt warm but must have cooled off too quickly and didn't really take precautions to stay warm either. I think I basically fooled myself. That won't be happening again. As for the vehicle battery, I found a dome light had been turned on and wasn't turned off. I know I didn't do it, but I had my boys with me on that campout. Need I say more? Yeah, you're probably thinking, "That's a good excuse!" Needless to say, I was very glad to have a stove to get me and keep me warm. I still shiver at the thought of the alternative. sam
And from that little statement you might get an idea of why some early settlers chose their homesites where they did. The folks (me included) that live in subdivisions have no choice in the matter but are dependent on a developer whose only thought iss to get as many house lots as he could on a given piece of ground or acreage. Watch where the livestock or wild animals bed down in summer and winter and you'll find the coolest spot in summer and the warmest in winter. FWIW, Bob
The next day, I had to go out and flag somebody down. Problem was the my vehicle was in a foot of thick, hard snow. The first couple of people that I was able to convince couldn't get back in where I was. Finally, a guy in a minivan took a chance and barreled his way in next to me and gave me a jump with my cables. I then had to yank him out of the snow, which we had agreed to do, once my vehicle got going. I was so lucky and blessed that night and that day. sam
Sam: The 500 is one of my favorite stoves and has certainly save the day for me a few times, but never my life!!! I think I will make every effort to avoid putting it to that test!!! Gordon
Sam you're crazy! I've known other people who like to winter camp. Not this wimp. I would much rather figure out how to cool down than to warm up.
And then you hear of people who don't believe in a God. That was not happenstance, IT was, in my view Devine Intervention. I may not be a practicing religious person but i am certainly one who believes in devine intervention and i believe this to be a dramatic example of it. Had you not woken in the night it's highly like your lads would have been found beside your body frozen to the ground lance
