I happened upon a well-worn SVEA 123 at a yard sale for 5 dollars. It was missing the flame spreader and the pot holder wires. I was able to create some pot holders from rebar that I had on hand, and I ordered the flame spreader for 23 dollars. Once complete, I fired it off and it ran beautifully. The cup is a stainless steel one from GSI Outdoors bought at the local sporting goods store for 6 dollars. It fits perfectly over the SVEA.
Nice catch - looks to be a strong runner! (Hard to see if the flames are yellow or blue - but it looks to be dishing out some heat!)
Nice catch… For me, the Svea 123(r) pricing has been an enigma; pay an embarrassing amount for one today, someone gives me two of them free tomorrow, and everything between… Still, you did very well, and it’s working for you,,, congrats! I’m leaving for a 4 or 5 day BWCA trip in a couple of days,,, even bought a new MSR multi fuel stove for the trip… After reflecting on it a while longer, the new MSR stove will stay home, and my oldest Svea 123 will be going along instead… Great usually trouble free stoves the Svea…
haggis..i'll be at lake jennette starting sunday for a couple weeks. site 1,your welcome to fire up some stoves i have along.
Sorry for the thread drift… @DAVE GIBSON 2 weeks!? Very cool… I might be able to find my way up there during your second week… Herself and I get up to Jeanette every few years, but she prefers to fish on Lake Pauline…
Haggis...site 1 is sort of small and i may move to another so look for a site with two old canvas tents.
I remember those beautiful August days in the north country. Lowering humidity, fewer bugs, time to catch some fish!
There’s a fire ban just now,,, stove only in the parts of the BWCA not closed due to fires, and danger of fires…
I think of the Westerners as the Mountain Men and the Upper Midwesterners (and their Canadian counterparts) as the Axe and Saw men. Even if they have to leave the implements behind. Calvin Rutstrum being the archetype, so to speak.
@Ed Winskill I have, and have read, every paper, pamphlet, and book Calvin Rutstrum wrote,,, some were difficult to find,,, and expensive to buy… Sigurd Olson was another prominent writer from these parts… All of his books were easier to find,,, and much cheaper… These two men, outdoorsmen both, had a very different style, and not just their writing style, and a very different take on the few remaining wild places…
Ya, Sorry about the highjack. @Haggis , @DAVE GIBSON Eight days of food and the fishing rods are packed and have the canoe on the car. Heading to Ely tomorrow (Monday) going into Insula Lake* on Tuesday and from there we will see. *I have made it to Insula on the first day in the past but I am slowing down these days, so maybe Wed. Sounds like there may be some rain up there the first part of the week. Got 1 inch of rain this morning in the middle of the State. Oh ya, important thing is -- I am taking my 123R.
@Haggis I came upon an old copy of Rutstrum's 'Paradise Below Zero' many decades ago, and after that looked for his stuff which was, as you say, hard to find; mostly out of print. Then, a few years back, the University of Minnesota Press reprinted almost all of his books, and I bought them. I've read most all of them; and Paradise Befor Zero several times. Between that book, Elliot Merrick's 'True North' at Dave Gibson's recommendation, and a couple of other things, I bought the outfitter's tent and created our Big Tent winter campouts, which have become legendary in my family these last 15 years.
@itchy Sounds like a good trip… The last time I was on Insula was 20ish years ago, though I do frequent the Lake One entry point… Took in a group of ROTC kids,,, I was told to put them to the test; I was about 50 at the time…We put in at Snowbank Lake,,, made our way over to Insula, then north to Knife, then followed the border route down to Moose… Tough 3 days, but I still caught plenty of fish… Sure wanted to stay a while on Kekekabic, but the clock was ticking,,, and “we had promises to keep, and miles to go before we” slept…
