Building a pop can stove

Hello everyone, this is Ed.  Just like every other morning for the past few years, I have woke up thinking about the ride to Alaska.  With the ride being only a few months away, there is still a lot to be done.

This week, I am going to focus camp stoves.  I did a ton of research on the internet about stoves when I was planning this as a solo ride.  I needed a small, lightweight stove with readily available fuel that was reasonably priced.  This is when I learned about a home made stove that is used by many motorcycle adventurers.  A pop can stove is easy to build, burns HEET which can be found at any gas station, cooks well, compact,  light, and is extremely cheap. So pull up a chair at our kitchen table and let's look at how to build one of these things.

Here are our supplies; two full pop cans, a bottle of HEET, and a penny.  As for tools, can you hand me the scissors, those books, that knife, my Leatherman, the drill, and the smallest drill bit that will fit in the drill?  Cool, thanks let's get started.

The first step is to drain the cans.  Thanks for helping me with that.

We are going to have to cut both cans at different heights.  With the first stove I built, I free formed my cuts.  This turned out good, but I went through four pop cans before I got it right.  I have found that using two books as a guide helps to keep your cuts straight.  I suggest using some of those books about Alaska that you have laying around your house.

For the first can, stack the books so the height is about 1 1/8 inch tall.  We'll place the knife on top of the books and score a line by rotating the can along the knife blade.  This will give us a scribe line for our cut to this can. 

Here is what the scribe line looks like on this can. 

We will remove the thinner book and scribe a line on the other can.  This line should be about 1 inch in height.

The scribe line on the second can.

Time to cut the first can.

This piece will be our burner when the stove is done.

Time to cut the other can.  I found that it is easier to cut the can in small strips until you reach the scribe line.

Can two will become the fuel chamber of the stove.

Let's look at the can piece that is 1 inch high which will become the burner of the stove.  On the bottom of this can, there is a raised number.  Not all pop cans have numbers stamped into the bottom.  If there are raised numbers on your can, you will need to remove them so your penny will seat correctly (we will go over this a little later in the post).  So, if you will follow me out into the garage, we will do a little metal work with precision tools.

We'll take the largest screwdriver in my tool box and place it in the vice.

We'll place the pop can on the screw driver.

Gently tap the can until the stamped numbers are no longer there.  It is important not to flatten this area of the can, you want to keep the curvature of the can so the aim is simply to remove the stamped number.

Here is what it will look like with the stamped number removed.

We will now take the smallest brill bit that will fit in the drill and drill three small holes in the shape of a triangle in the center of the can.  I held the can in my hand while drilling the holes so the edges would not bend.

Here is what the holes should look like.

Now, we are going to drill 12 holes around the edge of the base of the can. 

This will become the burner of the stove.  Doesn't the Wing make a great backdrop for this photo?  Let's head back inside to finish the stove.

OK, now that we are back at the dinner table, we'll take the Leatherman and make a series of crinkles along the side of the burner.  This will allow us to slip in into the other can half.

Very nice, well done!

Next, we'll slide the burner into the other can section and push it all the way down.

This is a side view of what the stove should look like.  At this point, the stove is basically complete.  Let's go outside and test it.

Pour the HEET into the center of the burner and fill the lower chamber.  You will need to experiment with how much fuel you are adding so your stove will stay burning for the desired amount of time.  I like to fill mine to burn for 8 to 10 minutes.  This generally allows me plenty of cook time.  You will be surprised at how quickly water will boil on with this stove.

Place the penny over the holes in the center.  The penny is used as a pressure valve to increase or decrease the size of your flames.  You can move it around once the stove is burning to determine the best position for you.

Pour a little HEET on the penny and go ahead and light it, then let it burn for a bit.  What will happen is the HEET in the fuel chamber will start to boil, the fumes will come out of the holes with an even burn pattern.  You will be able to hear this happening.

Isn't that cool!

Here's a picture in the dark that shows the burn pattern a little better.

Here is the final product.  To build a stand for the pot, I took a canned chicken can and drilled holes in it.  The pop can stove was placed in the chicken can.  The chicken can not only acts as a stand for the pot, but also as a wind screen.  Since I was cooking in a dry field, I put the top of my mess kit on the ground for the stand and burner to sit on.

On our trip, we are planning to bring two of these stoves to use for boiling water and cooking smaller meals.  We are also bringing an old dual fuel Coleman two burner stove that we have had laying around for about 15 years.  It looks like this, only not as new and clean:

As with any home made piece of equipment, especially one that uses fire and fuel, be careful and use it at your own risk.  I hope you enjoyed building this stove and hope you get some use and enjoyment out of it. 

Next week, we are going to try to install the components for our heated gear on the bike.

Thanks for looking at our blog, I look forward to talking with you again soon.

Night In The Tent Part Deux

Since Ed and I see things differently I want to add my bit about the tent, sleeping bag, my pillow, padding, and the cold.  He really was going to go on this trip with a lesser tent, one that was used by our boys in Scout camping here in Oklahoma and he probably would have been OK.  Not necessarily comfortable, but OK.  Then he invited me along, and I was given this piece of advice from a friend who is a big camper “Get a good tent.  It’s one thing you don’t want to skimp on.”  Thought on that for about three seconds and realized he was right. 

Which made me think: what did we do before Google?  Ed and I did TONS and I mean TONS of research on tents and other camping gear.  I’m not convinced this endeavor would have been this successful without our beloved Google.  When we narrowed it down to the Agnes and Marmot it then became a question of:  

 Do we want more space and to be able to stand up?  Or would we like one that is really waterproof and easier to set up?  We are not tall, one of the 1^st times in my life that being short is an advantage.  We have also been married for 18+ years, so we don’t mind snuggling either.  For us the Big Agnes Big House 4 was a luxury we didn’t really need. 

For me there was no question.  The dryer I am, the warmer I’ll be, and then Ed will have a happier Devon.  The world will keep turning and all will be super, duper happy.  Maybe not the rest of the world but certainly Ed’s world will be happier.   We also opted for easier set up because in our minds a worst case scenario would be pouring rain and we NEED to get the tent set up NOW!  The Marmot Lime 3P is a backpacker’s type tent so it is meant to be light weight, sturdy, and fast set up.  The bonus was the lower price.  But, and it’s a big but here, we would have paid the higher price.   We will be saving money by camping, most area’s average $30 a night rather than using hotels which tend to cost around $150 a night so spending money on a good tent is a good investment.

As for the sleeping bags Ed did all the research on that one.  I trusted him, he ordered the Pureland Track300 and when they came and I unrolled them my first thought was ‘why oh why did I trust him!’  The bags seemed AWFULLY thin.  The packaging said it was rated to 0 but I wasn’t so sure.  After about 2 min. of crawling in that night I realized that these really were going to be great.  I loved the mummy bag and the way it hugged my head.  I also loved and I mean really LOVED the flap that came down around my neck.  It kept the heat in and made a huge difference in comfort for me.

Devon's pillow.  This side is the fleece side.

Now two things I was not happy with.  My 1^st problem was my pillow.  Now it was a great size.  It fit in my and around my bag and could be condensed into a small sack.  We purchased this from our local sporting goods store and didn’t pay attention to the brand or cost.  I know it wasn’t more than $5.00.  The front was a nice warm fleece and the back was made of nylon.  I laid the nylon side down so I could rest my head on the warm fleece.   This didn’t seem too bad until I would move and the pillow would shoot out from under my head.  After about the third time I knew this was going to really bother me and rather than unzipping my bag and trekking back into the house I texted my oldest and had him bring me out my pillow.  I discovered I really like having a butler while I camp. 

To solve my slippery pillow issue I plan to sew over the nylon with a fleece backing.  This should keep my pillow in place and keep it from escaping. 

 

He rides a bike, and cuts off pillow tags.  I married a rebel.

Devon's pillow is the green bag.  Folds up quite nicely.

Next, I found that I am a princess.  By morning both my left and right hips were in pain.  I am a side sleeper and the pad we had bought was not good enough.  We had bought the ALPS Mountaineering Lightweight Series Self-Inflating pad for our trip.  Also, I noticed that the cold from the ground tended to seep through the tent floor and my bag.  Ed said it didn’t bother him but what does he know, he has an internal temp of 115 F!  See I’m a princess.  We have since ordered a new pad in hopes this will keep out the cold and solve my hip pain.  Same company just the XL size.  This one is 30”x 77”x 3” and it is considered the ‘choice for luxury camping.’  Princess Devon should now be more comfortable at night.  Maybe I can pack my butler and order him to bring me chocolates in bed too. 

My advice:  GO GOOGLE.  Make a list of what you want.  What extra amenities are you willing to live without?  What amenities do you absolutely need?  Read the reviews.  But remember that there is always someone out there that will whine about anything and everything; rather look for common complaints in the reviews.  Also, go to several websites selling that item and read the reviews on those sites as well, and then compare.  This will give you a clear picture of the item you are purchasing.  If you are able test it out before you go I suggest you do it.  After all, wouldn’t you like to find out it doesn’t really work the way you want it to close to home rather than out in the great outdoors where you’re stuck with it? 

Remember I am not a camper.  This is our 1^st time in our 18+ years of married life we will be camping and for me this is the 1^st time in 25+ years I’ve camped.  I really think I’ve got the pillow issue fixed and if we can solve the padding and cold seeping up from the bottom I can see me liking this.  Have an open mind and a willingness to try is the key here and it will lead to an awesome adventure. 

New Digs!

We’d like to give a great big shout out to my good friend J.K.  LOVE the new design.  LOVE IT!  She obviously has way more computer know how than Ed or I.  

I met J.K. when I was 10 or 11 (so long ago I can’t really remember the exact age) and she’s been a friend ever since.  When she offered to spruce up the joint I jumped at the offer and boy am I glad I did! 

Thanks J.K.  You’re the best.  

I'm working on my tent/sleeping bag/pillow review, just give me a day or two to get it done. 

The sleeping gear

Good morning, Ed here.

Gear selection is going to be one of the most important parts of the trip.  Gear can make the difference between being well rested happy people who are having the time of their lives and the most miserable crabby people you have ever met.  Since we prefer to be well rested, happy, and have the time of our lives, we are trying to make wise selections with our gear.  Today, let's talk about sleeping gear.  To give different perspectives on the gear, I will write my thoughts and Devon will write hers. 

Normally, we like to compare shop and look at multiple sites when we are looking to purchase items.  For the sleeping bags, pads, and pillow (we bought one at the local Academy Sports store), we went to Amazon.com.  My parents gave me a gift card to Amazon for my birthday this year, so we used it for some of the gear.  Amazon.com is an amazing site where you can purchase just about anything you can think of from multiple vendors.  Most of the time, you can get good prices here as well.

For the pads, we went with the ALPS Mountaineering Lightweight Series Self-Inflating Air Pad.  We went with the long pad which measures 25"X77"X2" per the manufacturer.  In reality, I don't think it is 2 inches thick, more like an 1.5 inches.  These pads weigh 3 pounds 15 ounces when packed, so they are very light weight.  For me, the pad worked just fine.  I found it quite comfortable and could not feel the cold bleeding through the bottom of the sleeping bag.  The pad is self inflating with a twist valve at the top.  It inflates fully in about three minutes.  I did find that I had to give it a few extra puffs to firm the pad up a little before settling down for the night. The pad rolls up tightly and measures 6.5"X 26" when rolled up, so it will stow nicely in our trailer.  Here are some photos of the pads:

Here is one of the pads rolled up in its bag.  The two rolled up items above the pad are our camp pillows

Here it is in the tent.  I have not opened the air valve yet, so it has not started to unroll.

I unrolled it a little and opened the air valve.

A close up of the air valve.

The pad self inflating.

These pads fit perfectly side by side in our tent. I thought I had a photo of it fully inflated, but I do not. 

Now that we have a nice comfy pad to sleep on, let's take a look at our pillows.  We purchased Devon's at the local Academy Sports store when it was on sale.  She will share her thoughts about her pillow in a later post.  My pillow was ordered on Amazon.com.  I went with the Columbia Cloud Haven Packable Fleece Pillow. 

What I liked about this pillow is that it has a self contained stuff sack and it rolls up quite compactly.  It also fit nicely in the hood of my mummy sleeping bag.  The problem with it is that it is very thin and does not provide much support.  I found it quite uncomfortable and woke up a few times at night due to neck pain.  I am not going to bring this pillow on our trip and plan on giving it to my sons to use for their Scout camping trips.  I plan to sacrifice some space in our trailer and purchase a regular pillow and pillow case from Walmart to use.  However, if you have any recommendations, please post a comment or send us an email.  Here are some photos of the pillow:
 

Here I am opening the pillow stuff sack.

Here it is unpacked.  It does have a nice and soft fleece cover, but it is simply not going to work for me.

 And now for what I believe is one of our best purchases so far, our sleeping bags.  We went with the Pureland Track300 -8 C / 17 F Mummy Sleeping Bags.


These bags are excellent.  They are rated to 17 F degrees which will be more than adequate for our trip.  During our test, they worked quite well.  They warmed up quickly and we were very comfortable all night long.  The bags stuff down to a very compact size in a compression sack and weigh in at 5 pounds each.  The interesting thing about these bags is that they are not bulky at all and feel thin.  We were a little skeptical at first because they seemed so thin, but we were quite impressed with how warm they are.  One thing to note with these bags, they can be zipped together to form one large two person bag which could come in handy for those extra cold nights ;-).

The bag stuff easily into the compression sack. 

Ahh, warmth and comfort.

There is a flap secured with Velcro to seal the cold out by the zipper.  There is also a zipper at the foot end of the bag that you can unzip to get a little air flow at your feet if it gets to hot in the bag.  We did not test the zipper at the foot of the bag.

There is a nice bib flap on the inside of the bag which seals the cold out from around your neck.

It also has a draw string that you can pull to seal the hood around your head.

I'm ready for the cold nights ahead.

Welcome to our home on the road!

Over the next few weeks we will be posting reviews and information about additional gear we have purchased as well as some bike prep posts.  

Next week, we will learn how to make a very light weight and efficient camp stove from these items.

The tent, our home for twenty to thirty days.......

When Devon and I started planning this trip, we had very limited camping gear.  I had purchased a few small items when I was planning the solo run and we have some gear from camping trips our sons have been on with the Scouts.  Devon and I have never been camping together, so this ought to be interesting. 

There is a ton of camping equipment out there with a wide price and quality range.  Devon and I did a lot of research online prior to purchasing our tent, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads.  We did not purchase the most expensive equipment, nor did we purchase the cheapest.  We took a hard look at all of the reviews we read and our budget to determine which equipment would work best for our needs and within our means.  We purchased these items online, so we were not able to inspect them first.  This can be a little nerve racking, but so far we are happy with our purchases.

Last night, we put our new gear to the test and were quite pleased.  It got down to 45 F degrees last night with wind in the morning.  The forecast called for it to get down to 35 F degrees so we thought that would be a good test.  Since it did not get that cold, we have decided we will test it again before we go.  Since it can still get below freezing during June where we are going, we want to make sure the gear will work for us long before we leave.  We thought we would share a review of our thoughts about the equipment thus far.  Today we will focus on the tent, so if you will follow us to our back yard we will show you our tent.

All of this equipment is important for our journey; one thing we did not want to skimp on was the tent.  We wanted to make sure it would be rugged, easy to set up, and most importantly water proof since there is a high probability of rain for this journey.  After a few weeks, we had narrowed our tent choices to the Big Agnes Big House 4 and the Marmot Lime Light 3P.  Both are great tents with pros and cons to each.  The Big Agnes is very tall and is a four person tent while the Marmot is a three person standard height tent with two vestibules.  Keep in mind that a four person tent is really a three person tent and a three person tent is really a two person tent.  

We decided to go with the Marmot.  It is slightly smaller inside, but with two vestibules and two doors, it would be easier to get in and out of and would actually stow more gear.  The Marmot also packs smaller, weighs 6 pounds less, and was $100.00 cheaper.

The Marmot come in its own bag that measures approximately 22"X 8".  Packed, it weighs in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces.

The Marmot out of the packing bag

The poles and stakes are held in bags

The stakes are made of light weight aluminum and are very sturdy

The poles are light weight aluminum.  Though this looks like a bunch of poles, there are really only three poles.  The yellow ones are hooked together in the middle with a piece of plastic, they form the frame of the tent while the blue pole is used to support the rain fly.

The tent comes with a very small gear loft.  It is only large enough to hold items like your glasses, an I pod, and a small book.

One other big selling point for the Marmot is that it comes with its own  footprint.  With most of the other tents we were looking at, the foot print had to be purchased separately.  If you are wondering what a foot print is, they are used as ground cloths under  tents to prevent the wear and tear of the tent against the ground.  A footprint also helps to keep water out of the tent in the event of rain.

The tent also comes with a large rain fly that goes all the way down to the ground.  All of the seams are sealed to make it water proof.

 Setting up our tent took us about six minutes total, this included taking the pictures.  I believe we could get this tent up within two to three minutes if we are not taking pictures.  Keep in mind that Devon and I are not avid campers and don't set up tents on a regular basis.  Part of the reason we picked this tent was that the reviews stated it was quick and easy to set up.  The set up was straight forward, easy, and very quick.  Let's look at the setup of what will be our home for twenty to thirty days next summer.

We unfolded the tent and placed it on the foot print.

The yellow poles snapped together easily and we placed them in an X pattern on top of the tent.  You will remember that the poles are held together in the middle with a small plastic piece.  This piece is placed at the center of the tent.

In each corner of the tent and foot print there are straps with bosses in them.  These straps secure the fly to the tent and are where the stakes attach to secure the tent to the ground.  The ends of the poles are placed in the bosses in these straps.

The tent with the poles set up.

The next step is to secure the tent to the poles.  Unlike other tents, the Marmot has plastic clips which secure the tent to the poles rather than sleeves for the poles to slide into. 

These clips make the tent a breeze to set up without the risk of tearing the tent or damaging the poles.

Next, it is time to add the blue pole.  This pole attaches to the top of the tent.  Hey, is that dirt on my upper lip?  No, don't be silly.  I'm growing a moustache for Movember.

Next, we staked the tent to the ground through the straps on the corners of the tent body and foot print so the tent is nice and secure to the ground.

This probably is the most challenging part of setting this tent up, centering the rain fly on top of the tent.

The rain fly is secured to the tent body with plastic buckles.  The straps can then be tightened to completely secure the fly to the tent.

The vestibules are also staked to the ground.  For high winds, there are tabs where you can secure the fly to the ground further with stakes and rope.  Here is what the tent looks like set up.

This photo shows one of the vestibules.  The vestibules will keep some of our gear and shoes dry and protected.

Though the Marmot is not as large as the Big Agnes, there is plenty of room for the both of us in it.

We would give this tent an all around high rating and are very pleased with our purchase.  This tent is so well built that we did not even feel the 4.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Oklahoma City last night.

Watch for information and reviews over the next few days about our sleeping bags, camping pillows, and sleeping pads.

Milepost-The Bible of North Country Travel

Can I just say how unbelievably happy I am that the Wing is back up and running?  Really Ed is a bear to live with when it’s down.  A complete and utter grump.  Not to mention my garage looked like a parts convention and me and the kids had to tip toe around it all, constantly in fear of accidentally moving something and watching the grizzly bear explode! 

Last week our Milepost arrived (thank you Amazon) and OMG we were sooooo excited.  Yes we were jumping up and down like a couple of teenage girls.  OK Ed wasn’t, but I was.

Our plan was to use our regular Saturday date night to sit and plan go eat at our favorite Greek place and spend lots of time reading.  But life has a funny way of biting you in the tucus and reminding you of your obligations.  The first problem that came up was our in house teens had a band competition in Broken Arrow.  This meant our two babysitters would be MIA.  So I put plan B into place…pack a book, the DS and iPod and bring him along.  He’s ten so I figured I could bribe him to be good with the promise of dessert, all the soda he could drink and tons the video games and all would be well.  Lucky for me he’s a good kid and easily bribable. 

After Ed spent ALL day with the wing I was anxious to get out and start planning and I think he was tired of hearing me squeal like a little girl.  So we loaded up our 10 year old and headed to Let’s Do Greek in Edmond, Oklahoma.  Part of the reason we love this place, aside from the really good food, is that it is run by a family that believes in family time.  What we failed to remember was that they close at 2 pm on Saturday’s because they spend time together as a family.  OOPS!  We had to go with plan B (again).  Off to Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, not Greek but we do love their frozen custard and my ten year old was over the moon excited about the promise of custard.  What can I say he’s cheep. 

The information in this book is truly amazing.  I was blown away by the amount of detail in this one book.  Not only were we able to map out our route, but we were also able to map out a few scenic detours.  I love that there were markers indicating where we could find camping,  amenities, wildlife viewing, medical aid, and gas stations.  No wonder it’s called The Bible of North Country Travel, it truly has everything.  Since I have not actually taken this trip I can only view it from the before part, but I can tell you it has answered just about every question I have.  I promise to blog after our trip and let everyone know if it lives up to its promise.  But I have a feeling it will give me all that I need and probably more.  Right now, and this could change, we plan to take the Cassiar and Yellowhead highways to Faribanks.  Three hours later, a steakburger, fries and a frozen custard we felt more informed.  We were ready to hop on the Wing and hit the road.  Too bad we had a 10 year old and Old Man Winter in our way. 

Although we seem to planning this trip we really aren’t planning.  We have a route; we have leave date and return date, but how many miles we cover each day will depend on how we feel.  Since we are camping, there will be no need to book any hotels not only will this keep our costs down but it will also give us more freedom to go as slow or fast as we like.  I may not be a big fan of camping but I want my freedom to roam as I please more than a comfy bed.  And believe it or not I'm actually looking forward to it. 

So now we have one more thing to cross off our list, one step closer to our dream.  Our tent and sleeping bags arrived and were planning on testing them out in the backyard.  Keep your eyes peeled for a review.  

Planning the trip with The Milepost.