Stoves

What do the resources say? Who signs rank requirements? It’s up to the unit leader to select and train those who approve advancement, that’s the short answer! Listen for the longer answer and answers to email questions about troop meetings, terms for positions of responsibility, alcohol stoves, and backpack weight. Links in this podcast Going Camping Go Light! (more Horace Kephardt quotes) Guide to Advancement 2015 4.2.1.2[Scoutmaster Handbook on signing requirements](....

If you’ve been reading the blog for the past few years you’ve likely read about wood burning stoves for camping. High efficiency wood burning stoves have been around for many years but there’s been a renaissance in wood burning stove technology over the past decade or so. This renaissance has its roots in engineering simple technology that can be used to conserve wood fuel in the developing world. Half of the world’s households and 80 percent of rural households in developing countries cook with solid fuels like wood, coal, crop residues and dung....

While researching information to write this EcoZoom Stove review I learned some interesting things.: Half of the world cooks on a wood fire every day. They use open fires or unimproved stoves. Nearly half the world’s wood supply is used for fuel and deforestation rates are rising all over the world. Smoke inhalation accounts for a staggering number of health problems and deaths in the developing world. High efficiency wood burning technologies significantly reduce both health and environmental impacts....

The BSA chemical fuels policy is a good common-sense approach to the safe use of any gear using chemical fuels. Here it is in it’s entirety: Purpose This policy directs Boy Scouts of America members how to safely store, handle, and use chemical fuels and equipment. Safety and environmental awareness concerns have persuaded many campers to move away from traditional outdoor campfires in favor of chemicalfueled equipment for cooking, heating, and lighting....

I am not a scientist, so tell me if this makes sense. There are about 40,000 Scout troops in the B.S.A., they go camping (this is a very conservative average) of six weekends a year. 40k * 6= 240K weekends I’d guess, conservatively, that two-thirds of these troops own stoves or lanterns that use disposable gas canisters or disposable propane cylinders. 60% of 240K = 144k weekends The average troop has 20 Scouts....

Before I begin this Solo Stove review I need to explain that I think building a campfire is an important skill. It connects Scouts to many things, sharpens their ability to plan, and is almost always a group activity. I once thought that we ought to do all of our cooking over fires and not stoves, then I acquiesced to the idea that stoves were quicker and to the misapprehension that gas stoves were a responsible low-impact method (they aren’t when you consider the impact of making and disposing of a gas canister)....

Over time I have managed to get my weekend backpack down to around 25-30 pounds. I am not an fully anointed apostle of the ultra-lightweight sect but I have certainly benefited from a lot of their ideas. The backpacking cook kit described here weighs in at well less than two pounds depending on your choice of stove. Without the stove my choices will cost you somewhere between $20-25.00 – a pretty good deal....

Should Scout troops use standard two burner propane stoves for camping? Half of the world’s households and 80 percent of rural households in developing countries cook with solid fuels like wood, coal, crop residues and dung. Many of these households use traditional open fires or simple stoves that release smoke into the dwelling and do not make efficient use of the fuel. According to the World Health Organization 1.6 million people a year die of health effects resulting from toxic indoor air....

Inventor Kent Haring has developed the elegantly efficient Littlbug stove that deserves a second look from campers in general and Scouts in particular. Most of us have come to rely on the convenience of propane stoves and would be hesitant to trade them for wood stoves. I think there are some compelling practical and ethical arguments for using high efficiency wood stoves. But first let’s take a close look at the features and use of the Littlbug....