Is there such a thing as having too many stoves?!!

Howdy, Fellow Stovies!

Well, in truth, I never thought I would say these words, but, "I have too many stoves"!!! In fact, after one more stove, that's incoming already, I'm putting myself on a "Stove Fast", and not going to look for, nor buy any more stoves for a while!! I have a few things to send off to several of my CCS Mates, and besides that, it's past time to deal with this issue!!!

The happenstance which brought all this on, is two-fold: One, is a big box that had been stacked on some other boxes, down in the Hobbit Hole, fell, when a lower box collapsed!! That caused some very important stoves, (to ME!), to get scattered here and there, and could well have done major damage to them!! Two, is that, I'm trying to clean up the stoves and goodies we took to the recent CASG #11, and truth be told, I do NOT have any room to store them in an organized manner!! SHEESH!!!

It's time, friends, to admit that I'm not only a "Stove Whore", but I'm a Horder, too, of stoves and parts!!! Hey they do come in handy, when you need them!! But, time to clean house. More on that later.....

The word, "embarrassed" just doesn't cover my conundrum!!! Talk later, and God Bless!

Facing the Truth....,
Doc (who has the most advanced case of Stove Pox, he's ever run across!!!)

 

I stopped, then I slowed down, then ....
I recently purchased a Radius 46.
I have stove I wish to let go .... but, I cannot, and keep adding.

Signed,
Doomed

 

No... it is impossible, too many stoves? not in my world. Mind you I have some stoves that I do not want anymore but they will surely be
replaced if I ever find the courage to part with them. I would love to just gift them to someone who would use them but most people that
I know just look at me as if I am a bit "funny" when I tell them about cooking with them.

Signed
Beyond help

 

I have slowed way down and have been giving away stoves and lanterns to family and friends. And I have only about 30 stoves and a dozen lanterns. In truth, I don’t actually want any more. What I really want are more camping and hiking experiences to enjoy the stoves I already have. I have every possible stove use already covered, from backpacking to day hiking to camper camping to sailing. If I acquired more stoves it would diminish the need and pleasure from the stoves I chose because I liked or wanted them. I think I still have some to give away before the collection is pared down to the ones I like best. It is still way more than I need and I will not get rid of my favorites, but I am not seeking any at this time. I think we all have to discover when enough is enough, or perhaps for some there is no limit. I recently was gifted a stove by a fellow CCS member, and I am thankful for the gift. It found its home as my traveling stove in the truck at all times, so sometimes a surprise is nice, too. Good luck all and keep having fun. Brad

 

Enough is enough? .....oooh it is causing me pain. Of course you are correct, I have stoves stashed in so many places that I have forgotten what they are and where they are. In the roof of my garage, under the bench in my workshop, somewhere in my shed, in the back room wardrobe etc etc. Amongst them are some with family history, some that are just plain beautiful to look at and some that are serious users, it is all the others that i do not really need. I need help, I need courage, is there a support group for people like me, am I the only person in the world that can not deal with this alone?

Signed
Losing hope

 

Well you know Doc, I’m right down the hill from you. If you need I could fit a couple of stoves in my garage. I can still see space on my work bench and that needs to be corrected.

 

When you start getting flyers from hoarders anonymous it might be time to look at slowing your collecting. Otherwise dig a new room onto the hobbit hole.

 

Well I have slowed down too, am giving one away that I have fettled, it is a Campanion with a Svea regulated burner. Being an Australian one it is a favourite but my brother in law requested a regulated one that he can take on a car trip. He used them well on our last trip, in fact he brought some gas ones and never used them, he just loved the liquid kero ones. When he got back he bought a cheep China one which was not much of a stove so now he will have a real one.
Some time ago I gave to a mate a Coleman suit case stove which still works a charm.
I have not got as many as some but now I will concentrate on ones that are really good and take my fancy.
Cheers
Rob

 

I think on this often. I relish giving a stove to someone who can enjoy it as I do. But as stated it seems they are few and far between. In the meantime, I love bringing a stove back from the brink, seeing it burn as it should. So they accumulate. Sometimes I think of just keeping the best or favorite of each model, a 00, a 123, 45,48,111, nova,firejet,96, 8r, coleman suitcase,........or just one.
I can remember back when I had only one stove. It held a place of high worth to me. It was always handy to go. (I still have it). The same with other parts of my kit, knife, mess kit, candle lantern, pack, carefully chosen.
I think I was richer when I had less. My few things had far greater value, not in dollars, but to me.
But I also enjoy tinkering with all my stoves so ....Its A tough choice. As long as I have a stove or two needing some work I'm content without needing to buy more. But the still seem to increase somehow. Guess I'm no help Doc. But I commiserate with you.
Ivan

 

I have about 55 or 60; I don't figure that's too many, but I need to go through them all again. Something I haven't done for years, and 're-find' some treasures.

I have 5 stoves on permanent display at my office, and maybe a stable of 5 or 6 more that are regular users. But the others have been neglected. Not getting rid of them, though....

 

I only have 16 stoves myself including the three inbound as I write this. I have peaked in my collecting of stoves. The only one that I want now is an original 111 for kero and a 22B. I have two 8R's and an 111B inbound atm and I can see a new side of my addiction starting with the small suitcase style stoves so I have made myself stop. Like others I want to take them hiking and camping. It's the reason that I started collecting stoves originally. I am already making myself not buy another Optimus 45. I've gifted four NIB Coleman 550B's for x-mas to start. I have two more that are bound for x-mas gifts and they will all finally be gone (no love loss). I can only imagine how difficult it is for some of you to part with your treasures.

 

I had 60-ish stoves last time I counted, some interesting, some not so much. Getting better about not buying the less interesting stoves,,, I’m also selling or giving the less interesting lot away...

 

I have 2 many, and 3 and 4 and 5.

Nurse I really don't know how many, yes the pink pill please...

 

I Did It! I have had well over a hundred stoves and lanterns in the last 50 years. I now have 4 stoves and 4 lanterns. Less is better to appreciate them more. Good luck, Mike...

 

Doc admitting to too many stove! Shock horror. The world is ending lol.
I have seen everything now. My life is complete.
( Even Anne my wife who is not interested in stoves at all knows who you are, was amazed! lol)

 

Doc, start a "one in one out" rule. Even up it to "one in two out" until you're down where you want to be.

Like others, I'm at the point where I have enough stoves. Other than a couple specific examples I have in mind, I want more experiences and less stuff. Both in stoves, and in life in general.

 

I have sold quite a few, and some I wont ever sell, and still searching for a few (as you know). And there will always be one more that I want. Just one though.

A problem I have often is deciding which stove to take. I very often grab some neglected, lonely stove I haven't used before only to find it less that perfect in the field.

On to the fettle pile.

Yes you can have too many, hard to enjoy em piled up in a general mess.

 

One does need some logic to their collection rather than anything and everything. For me this means a stove in every class ie upright petrol with and without can ie 123 and 71 Tourist which is covered by a sigg tourist with 123r discuss in various sizes in silent and loud case stoves petrol and kero 2 and 1 burner meths burner MSR style etc even a few gassys. I do have some double ups but at the same time I dont have everything. I do need a 111 and cant figure out how I came to have 2 71s (ones in box the other looks like the 6 dollar man Its flame spreader is home made and square)
Others may concentrate on half pint stoves or coleman suitcases or whatever
Whichever method keeps the collection sort of sane

 

I have to agree with Mark when he is asking is there such a thing as too may stoves.
I lost track of how many stoves I have and in truth I don't have the interest in stoves I use to have. I have way too many duplicate stoves and I also have no more room for these stoves. For this reason I believe there is a point where you have to many stoves. Fortunately I have a way to decrease my surplus of stoves and that's at the Coleman Collectors Annual Campout. There I won't have any selling fees to deal with. Ebay and Paypal really rip people off in fees.
Well enough said.

Cheers,
Norman

 

I did have to check the date. Thought for a minute that it was very very early April. Also checked that Carlo Collodi hasn’t been reincarnated.
More seriously @Doc Mark if it’s got to the stage that “boxes of stoves” are succumbing to Professor Newton’s “gravity” I think you’re lucky that you weren’t underneath them.
Does this mean that you’ve conceded defeat to Fr. Lawrence? (I think that was his name, apologies if it wasn’t).
Regards
John