CoolFly Problem Solved

Hello all - Happy 4th of July!!

Thanks Mac and PS for the suggestions. I ended up biting the bullet and taking off the built in windscreen of my potstand in hopes that it would allow heat to escape; allowing my stove to breathe more efficiently.

As you can see in the video below, it worked. I will take the windscreen next to my stove with me when I start my hike in 16 more days. Sorry it is sideways...didnt realize it until I copied it to my computer.

Shepherd

Mac: Thankfully no firefighters were needed with my first video attempt! lol ;O)

Overheating CoolFly stove.

Hello all!

Only 19 more days till I will be back on the trail, so I took the day today getting my gear organized. I was playing with my new stove that Pastor Scott sent me (thank you!), and am having a problem getting 2 cups to boil before it overheats.

I don't know if it is because of the heat (about 75 degrees out) or because of the windscreen on my pot stand, so if anyone has had similar problems or know how to resolve the problem....comments are greatly welcome! Mac or PS...any suggestions?

I did poke out about half of the windscreen holes to open up the area around the stove, which did give me about 3-4 more minutes of burn time before the stove overheated. So, maybe punching out the rest of the holes might do the trick and just use an external windscreen. Also I have tried different heights of the wicks, which didn't change the outcome.

The stove is a CoolFly alcohol stove from minibulldesign.com. Here is a short video of what it looks like when it overheats....this is about 12 minutes into the test.....

Shepherd.

PS - Thanks for the Heini wrap! It is nice to be able to pick it up without burning my hand! It was very easy to put on!

Good Eats.....AT style!

Howdy all,

Only 50 more days left to the big hike! Still have a final gear check with a friend who has hiked the whole Appalachian Trail back in 2002 (Bill Tilt...aka Yossarian). He definelty has helped me immensely with advice on what to buy and take for the trail, and for encouragment along the way. Thanks Bill!

Well back to the main point of the blog...cooking! You may wonder what do hikers do for food along the trail, since you obviously can't carry 4-6 months of food with you! Well you basically take 5-6 days of food with you and then resupply on the trail at different trail towns. You can either buy food at grocery stores (which i will do) or have family at home mail you "mail drops", which the post office will hold for you till you pick them up. They are basically just big boxes of food and extra gear that you may need. Then if you don't need all the items in the box, you simply mail them further ahead on the trail to another trail town (now it is called a "bounce box").

Some of the most popular foods eaten on the trail are (in no particular order):

1. Poptarts
2. Instant Oatmeal
3. Trail Mix
4. Beef Jerky and Summer Sausages
5. Peanut Butter
6. Cheese and Crackers
7. Snicker bars or other candy bars
8. Dried or fresh fruit
9. Power bars
10. Mac and Cheese
11. Instant potatoes
12. Instant Rice or Ramen Noodles.
13. Ben and Jerry Ice Cream (probably the most sought after item in towns!)
14. AYCE restraunts (All You Can Eat Buffets... when you are in a trail town)

Yummy eh! Plus i have found a website (freezerbagcooking.com), which gives recipes to make certain dishes with dehydrated and instant food products stored in freezer bags. Just add 1-2 cups of boiling water to the package, let sit for 5-15 mins. and then dig in! This is what i will do for the most part for dinner.

Finally, here is a video of my cooking system that i will be using on the trail. It weighs only 3.5 oz (not counting the fuel). Hope you enjoy! Good Eats!