Gordon, at least in my book, the 500 has earned its place, yet again, as one of my all-time favorite stoves besides my 123. I had my 123 at that camp, but I needed a lot more power and the 500 provided it! Don't worry, I did the test for you! Kevin, yes, I'm crazy about winter camping, I love it! But, you can't get complacent about it like I did on one very important part of it - warmth! I'm going again in a couple of weeks, but hopefully it will only be in the 20F's. all the best, sam
Winter camping is an acquired taste, but it is richly rewarding. In popular places like Yosemite National Park, there's 1/20th the number of visitors than in the Summer. You've got to shell out some cash for higher quality gear than you can get by with in fair weather, but once geared up, you can be very comfortable. First and foremost, for those long, cold nights, bring two sleeping pads and stack them and bring a sleeping bag that's rated at least 10 degrees F lower than the lowest temperature you could reasonably expect on your outing. By the way, in the US, investigate the reputation of your manufacturer's ratings. I believe that in Europe they have standardized rating methods. In the US there is no standard method leaving manufacturers free to pretty much claim whatever they like. Some high end manufacterers like Western Mountaineering have excellent reputations for accurate ratings. Some other companies like Coleman are notorius for over rating their bags. Sleep in long johns -- top and bottom. If it's going to be really cold, invest in expedition weight long johns. Wear gloves and a hat to bed. Wear either down booties or double socks to bed. Boil a liter of water, put it in a Nalgene bottle, and put the bottle in the foot of your bag. Use the draft collar in your sleeping bag, and cinch up your hood tight but make sure you have a clear path to exhale through. You don't want to exhale in the bag because the moisture in your breath can freeze inside the bag, reducing your bag's warmth. I remember cross country skiing down an abandoned road in Yosemite National Park a couple of years ago. There was light snow falling but little or no wind. It was the quietest, most peaceful experience -- and the tall pines flocked with fresh snow were beautiful. You really haven't seen a place until you've camped there in all four seasons. HJ
When comparing bags its good to look at the weight and type of fill as well as construction type. That way you can compare the cheaper bags with dodgy ratings to the ones you trust.This might allow you to buy the cheaper bag but do remember that hypothermia doesnt take prisoners.If you feel you might need the more expensive bag buy it.
North Wales winter camping with a mate, snow was down and at night it was well below freezing. I was fine as I've always believed in sleeping bag 'overkill' i.e. better to be too warm than cold. However my camping mate did not have a good sleeping bag and I spotted hypothermia symptoms in him when he started speaking in a confused almost drunken manner. I lit my Primus Grasshopper and made warm sweet tea for us and kept the stove on low heat all night and he was fine. I've no doubt that without that extra heat he could well have died that night.
Never been saved by a stove but have welcomed the heat from a Trangia while changing out of wet gear into dry. I just invested in a nice Marmot Lithium 'new old stock, sleeping bag with the previous spec 900 fill power down rather than the current 850 on a ebay BIN. Looking forward to trying it out in just over a weeks time. Amazing the warmth to weight ratio with 900 fill down - rated down to -minus 18C for a weight of 2lb 8oz.
Like many others, I've never been saved by a stove, but I sure have spent more than one miserable night shivering ! If I had a stove back then, I sure would have lit it!!! For me, two army surplus mummy bags (inner and outer) were a godsend in my early teens. $2 each at a garage sale! Mmmmm, warm!
Okay chaps, This, maybe slightly not quite the story the topic title is after... but true never the less. I have been buying stoves from E bay, but due to the air mail restrictions, plus some sellers will not post outside of UK, i have had over a dozen parcels sent to my mum in Dorset. The intention was to collect my purchases when i drove back to the UK for her birthday. Upon visiting mum last month, she told me she had stored 19 parcels for me in the lounge (not all stoves sadly). I saved the grand openings for one evening whilst we sat watching the tv. That evening with the telly on,a programme called "dancing on wheels" came on !!! the oddest, strangest idea for an entertaining show i have seen in a long time... In short, i opened all the stoves whilst the entertainment dragged on ! This is how i was saved by a stove !!! SORRY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not actually saved by a stove, but the 111's were very good to have when I served my military duties in 1977/78. I was at Sætermoen, Troms, in the North of Norway during the winter. We spent many nights in small tents. We were 4 or 5 soldiers in a tent about 1 meter high. Snow all around. The lowest temperature I can remember outside the tent during night was in the range of -37 to -40C. Two Optimus 111 were burning in the tent all night. One of us was awake to watch the stoves and keep them running as they should. Saved? May be not, but I have ever since loved the 111's.
Many years ago, when I was a mere 16 years old, I went to Alaska and spent a month on the Matanuska glacier climbing peaks. There were 7 of us total, divided into three tent groups. My tent group and one other used Phoebus 625's and the other group used a first generation Coleman Peak 1 stove that we were testing for Coleman. All stoves performed without a hitch, and that was not only cooking, but melting ice regularly. I guess you could say that those stoves saved our lives. We certainly depended on them. I'd still like to acquire a 625 just for the memories of that trip. Lonnie
LOL!!! That was the best save yet!! I can't stop laughing. I've been saved the same way when my wife and I 'watched' Mamma Mia 'together', while I worked on a stove nearby... sam
