Butane is safer than propane for indoor use. Still produces a little CO so don’t burn forever and have some ventilation. But often used indoors by caterers. And cheap. Here’s an example, although I try to avoid Walmart.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Tabletop-Portable-Butane-Gas-Camping-Stove-1-Burner-Gray/34761205
Very spendy but you can DIY your natural gas.
https://www.homebiogas.com/
Rocket fires turn small sticks up to just over thumb diameter in powerful cooking tools. There are all sorts of videos on youtube about how to build them from cinderblocks, bricks, cans etc. as well as many for purchase. Durable ones need to be resistant to heat damage (cracking cinderblocks, burned through cans, etc.). Insulated stoves, either homemade or purchases, get more heat to the foot.
Years ago, I owned an anodized aluminum fry pan with a bowl shaped lid that allowed you to put coals on the lid or build a twiggy fire on it. This allowed one to bake in the pan with either a campstove or small fire (or rocket stove) under it. Here is the source
Here is the link: https://frybake.com/ Of course, cast iron will work to, but this one works just as well and is light enough to carry in a backpack.
While we are talking about fuels…
I have gotten several oil lamps to use for emergency lighting. When I use lamp oil the lamp gives off an odor and we find we get a headache, which doesn’t feel healthy. It is hard for me to imagine that kerosene would be any better. One of the lamps is from my grandmother. Did people just put up with the fumes back in the day? Anyone have a good experience with using oil lamps indoors?
I used to use those coleman stoves you’d pressurize as a boy scout. And now I use the ridiculously fast JetBoil system. But for longer term or as a back up, it seems like rocket stoves would be ideal, yes? I recently ordered a EcoZoom Versa from Amazon, hasn’t arrived yet but I’ve cooked on similar at friend’s house and it seems ideal. Great for frying up food, pretty quick and uses whatever sticks you have lying around.
I have a book detailing this but using empty oil drums, one drum fitting inside the other. Will look it out later today.
The original has been discontinued but there is a newer version. Go to Biolite directly or Amazon https://www.amazon.com/BioLite-FirePit-Outdoor-Smokeless-Charcoal/dp/B08BCTC22X?th=1
Camping can be a blast. And depending on where you are, now is a great time. You can always bring tons of blankets for cold nights vs. hot nights (for that and summer power outages, I recommend battery-powered fans). A good starting point beyond the backyard are drive-in campsites (car camping) that have some electricity and water at each site (vs. “Primitive” sites that have neither)…they are everywhere. Basically you park at the site, and pull the tent, ice chests, chairs et al out of the car. Cooking on a fire is fun too. All you need is a pot & pan, just nothing that won’t survive direct contact with fire). Bacon tastes better, eggs, steaks … veggies and potatoes wrapped in foil. As you gain experience, you’ll want to consider the idea of how you bug out. Interesting mental exercise and discussion around the fire: Are you driving (which allows you to bring more stuff) or walking (which means less materials like pots and pans etc. and more lightweight cooking tools). One strong piece of advice: putting up a tent at night is no fun!!! And ground pads…roots and rocks are not therapeutic on your back. Spend a little time at a good outdoor store with great service (or if you know hikers who walk the Appalachian Trail types). While I don’t like the politics of REI I love the store and the service and the sales folks are pretty knowledgable. They can walk you through the camping process and tools for beginners and experts.
The Ecozoom takes a little time to adjust to but once you have the knack with the size of twigs and branches it is great. Better and more durable than the PORTABLE rocket stoves I made myself. Tip–don’t use very light weight tinder like corn husks–they tend to fly up and out while still ignited. (I like to use corn husks as part of fuel starter the in the wood stove.) Overall I like how quickly the Ecozoom (and I am sure many of the others similar to it) heat up and are ready to use.
As an aside–some of the low ratings from reviewers say their product arrived damaged–that issue must have been solved because mine was triple boxed and in perfect condition.
I tried briefly, then quit oil lamps and even candles for all the reasons you give. Plus one more, there’s the fire hazard with these things.
I’ve gone over to LED camp lanterns for emergency lighting. They’re clean, convenient, safe, rugged, etc. They run for days off of a handful of batteries. If you’re using rechargeables and a dinky solar panel to keep those going, the whole thing can run for years.
@24091
We spent some years in my childhood off-grid and used kerosene lanterns. They do have huge downsides but were all we had at the time. Fuel, trim, clean the chimneys and clean the lamp outside to reduce the fuel smell. You can get an even light with no noise, no smoke and little smell. But trimming properly and burning at the right level to avoid smoke is a trick. And the fire hazard is kind of horrifying, looking back.
That said, we spend hundreds of hours listening to Mom read books by that light in the early winter nights. She would keep going as long as one of us would brush her hair.
Now I would want to use solar powered LED light, and probably should deepen my stock pronto.
Great thread, all!
Susan
If you find the book, I’d like to know the title and author. Sounds interesting.
Even with soaking you probably want to boil beans for at least 10 minutes before finishing cooking in the haybox. I couldn’t remember the toxin that occurs in some beans so I looked it up. Boiling breaks it down and renders the beans safe to eat. Here’s what a quick google search found: “Phytohaemagglutinin occurs naturally in several kinds of raw beans, including broad beans, white kidney beans, and red kidney beans. This toxin causes gastroenteritis, an unpleasant condition that sends most folks to the bathroom.”
When I soak beans for canning, I soak a stockpot of them. I usually will have 16 pints for the canner and will finish cooking the remainder in the stockpot. When the beans in the pot are nice and very tender, they go on dehydrator trays and become ‘fast beans’. They rehydrate quickly and are ready to be made into anything you normally use beans for–tossing into soup, making refried beans, grinding into flour, etc. The bean juice–aqua fava–can be substituted for eggs in cooking, in fact it can be whipped and flavored and used as meringue. I have used it to make gluten free bread light and fluffy. Aqua fava can be reduced and dehydrated and is lightweight.
Backpacking Chef is a great source of information on de-and re-hydrating camping and trail food.
https://www.backpackingchef.com/
Holy mackerel! This does explain a few things…
Great info, Samantha! I’ve always been curious about the solar ovens/Sun Oven, so I’m glad to hear that PP members like and recommend it!
One additional equipment that I wanted to note was the Kelly Kettle. I’ve used it many times while camping and it is super handy! It works with twigs/sticks just like the EcoZoom, but it’s especially made for boiling water quickly. It’s been great for freeze dried meals (like Mountain House, where all you have to add is water) and there is a small stove component that you can add as well. It’s really portable as all the components nest together into a package about 12" high and 7" diameter. I just bought another one to go into my prepper kit and I’m happy that the build quality is still as high as it was in the past.
I agree with you, there are many ways to make things yourself. Even if you have to purchase part of the cooker. Here’s my project. My friends call it the solar cooker 9000! Lol
https://peakprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/6BEB2712-4C4A-47B0-AB5A-FE76FEB37C11-1649518927.6575.jpeg https://peakprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/58771930-B810-42F8-9ED4-ED71941C66D7-1649518879.4294.jpeg
