Mt. San Jacinto Outdoor Recreation

I've got an article on windscreens in particular and stove fuel economy in general in the August edition in Seattle Backpacker's Magazine: http://seattlebackpackersmagazine.com/2011/08/02/three-times-the-fuel.



I've written a blog post that goes with the article. The blog post discusses a few windscreen alternatives, including some that may not have occurred to you (they didn't to me): http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2011/08/windscreens.html

HJ

Jim,
a great write-up as usual. Would it be safe to say that the non-reflective "kite" would only help with wind and not help out much with heat reflection? I wonder if a heat resistant Mylar-type would be workable?

http://www.beaconfabric.com/vindex.html?cat210.htm

Looks heavy eh?

Andy wrote:Jim,
a great write-up as usual. Would it be safe to say that the non-reflective "kite" would only help with wind and not help out much with heat reflection? I wonder if a heat resistant Mylar-type would be workable?

http://www.beaconfabric.com/vindex.html?cat210.htm

Looks heavy eh?

Hi, Andy,

I'm not sure which product at that link you're referring to, but generally you don't want too much heat to be reflected back to the stove because a) the canister could overheat and b) you could melt plastic parts on the stove. I would think a non-reflective material would be the better choice.

The article focused on windscreens, but there's a little nugget in there that's really worth remembering:

The essentials of stove fuel economy:
-Turn it down! A low flame is much more efficient.
-Use a lid. Escaping steam = escaping heat = wasted fuel.
-Use a windscreen.

HJ

The link I was trying to show was for a Nomex type cloth...but more like what you'd see on an ironing board.

Good point about heating up the canister

Andy wrote:The link I was trying to show was for a Nomex type cloth...but more like what you'd see on an ironing board.

Good point about heating up the canister

Nomex would definitely work. I'd stay away from Mylar.

HJ