I've discovered an on the market option for wood burning backpacking stoves! The Firebox Nano 3" is amazing. It folds flat to be only 1/4" thick and weighs only 6 oz for the steel version or 4 oz for the titanium version. It can boil a cup of water in under 4 minutes and it runs on twigs! And in keeping with our brand ethos, it's made in the U.S.A. I like it so much that I've decided to over it in our shop. Click here to check it out.
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I love backpacking. The unparalleled views, the lack of people, the dip in crisp mountain lakes, the lack of people. Even the barely passable food is somehow amazing. One of the ways to make backpacking better is to lighten the gear up. One piece of gear that can help is your cooking system. There are a lot of fancy stove systems out there, but I don't know much about them 'cuz they're expensive. Also I like to make things. If that sounds like you, here are a few options you might like.
Denatured alcohol stoves.
These are simple to make (with a little skill) and don't require any special materials. They are super light weight and the fuel is easily accessible, which is why through hikers like them. They are a bit on the dangerous side. If they tip over, they get exciting. Next time we hang out I'll tell you about why I don't use mine very much any more. Good times.
Here's a simpler design and an instructional video.
Wood burning stoves.
I have been working on a design for one of these off and on for a while. I've been trying to create one that is as compact as possible. I started really small, and it didn't work. I don't think there was enough heat build up to sustain itself. I have seen some that work really well. You have to make sure you get good air flow! That's key.
Here's a good link to a tutorial on making these:
Another design that's pretty cool is the mini rocket stove. They are less compact, but you still might be able to make them work for backpacking. This design has fuel feed tube where you add wood to the fire. It also creates an airflow moving up the chimney that sucks more air in and sort of works like a jet engine. I've not made one of these, but they seem pretty neat-o. It's certainly on my to-do list.
Hopefully you've found something here to tickle your DIY fancy. I know I'll be making one of these bad boys soon. I'll post the results when I do.
New bandana designs are in! These two new designs family with the Know Your Knots bandana and bring knot based style to the everyday staple. Both designs are available in navy or Red. We are also very glad to tell you that with this print run we have upgraded all of our bandanas to a softer U.S.A. made 100% cotton bandana, and water based inks. We think you'll enjoy the quality upgrade. The next time you pull one out of your back pocket for a quick boogie check your nose will thank you.
This trail review was written by Becca Christlieb, an avid backpacker and explorer of the SW. She lives in Las Vegas and has visited a lot of the amazing places nature has to offer in that area.
Zion National Park is one of my most favorite places in the world to visit. It has amazing beauty anytime of the year. We decided to hike some trails on the 14th of Feb. Usually, there is a significant amount of snow this time of year, but thanks to an unseasonably warm year in the Southwest, hiking Zion was PERFECT.
We decided to do a trail that was a little less traveled, and less-known, which was the East Rim Trail.
Zion has a shuttle system in place that adds about 45 minutes to travel time to get to the trail head, but thanks to hiking in the off-season, we were able to drive straight to the trail head.
We started hiking in the late morning and headed up a series of long switchbacks until we essentially made it up the top of the canyon wall. Ignoring the turn off for the Hidden Canyon trail, we continued with the long switchbacks and enter into a small slot canyon.
Hiking through the slot canyon, and across a bridge we came upon a trail marker.
The trail for the East Rim isn't obvious, and there was a man sitting right next to the sign who informed us that the sign was not the correct turn off. (He was wrong.) After hiking up the wrong trail for about 3/4 of a mile, we realized we had received the wrong information, we headed back down the trail and hooked onto the actual East Rim trail. We then crossed over a volcanic field with cairns as trail markers. This part of the hike is relatively flat compared to the previous switch backs.
The "flat" portion of the trail soon gives way to another switchback section. This time, it is wooded and view of the high white cliffs become more visible.
Finally, (and it is quite the climb), we reached the top of the cliff to even more amazing views.
From here, the hike is very flat and easy. We chose to go further on the trail for about another mile and sat down for a meal of spaghetti. Having forgotten our utensils, we improvised with sticks and rocks. I broke the rocks down to a manageable size.
The trail continues on for several miles to Jolley Gulch and eventually the East Entrance, but we chose to head back the way we came in. The views with the lighting on the way down were spectacular.
Thank you, Becca, for a wonderful trail review and some breathtaking photos.
Methods of fire building have long been a fascination of mine. I tend to gravitate towards the more traditional options. The bow drill option is about as traditional as it gets. But it's not as easy as it may seem. Conditions and materials really have a huge influence on your success rate with the bow and drill. I wanted to share this video as a very good, detailed look at the bow and drill material choice, technique, and what to do once you have a good ember. It is long... but it's worth it. Hope you enjoy.
