I have a nephew living in Portland who commented on social media the other day that he'd really like a cup of coffee. Apparently since the power was out, no coffee maker. Several people responded on various ways to make a cup all of which required a heat source, naturally enough. I think he has a gas stove but many of the folks who have lost power recently have all electric appliances. If that's the case, a small plumber's backpacking stove should definitely be part of their preps. The photo shows most everything needed to make one other than a tuna can, some cotton balls and alcohol. Step by step directions can be found here.
I made mine years ago and it's been all over the country on my bicycling trips. I use gas line anti-freeze for my fuel source. It comes in screw on lids now, so it's possible to close it up without it leaking. I've currently got my fuel in a long neck aluminum beer can with a wine cork for a stopper - improvise, adapt, overcome.
The stove will heat up a Sierra cup full of water in about 5 minutes. When cycle camping, I typically heat water for my oatmeal and then heat a second cup for my tea or coffee. My buddy and I then normally break camp, ride for a couple of hours and then stop some place for our second breakfast at a cafe or restaurant depending on what is available. When we did the trip on the Cowboy Trail my buddy didn't want to mess with cooking breakfast so we had a real meal at a restaurant every morning and then hit the road. The little stove did come out a couple of evenings, however.
So even if you're not a camper, make yourself a stove, buy a metal cup and store it with the rest of your preps. When the power goes out you can have a hot cup of coffee or tea, warm up the baby's bottle or fix a simple meal. Make two and keep one in your vehicle for peace of mind if you're caught out in a storm like we've been having. Just be careful with the alcohol. It burns with an invisible flame.
Also, on the related topic of staying warm during a power outage, I bought myself a catalytic heater to use in my teardrop trailer for winter use. I've never used it for the intended purpose but I did use it a few years ago when the power went out during a weather event like we've been having. While the heater is no where big enough to heat the old farm house, it kicks out 1,500 BTUs and has a shut-off if the oxygen level falls below a safe level. At that time I also put the kettle on the stove and lit a kerosene lamp, giving me light and a bit of heat. With the fireplace going it wasn't enough to heat the whole house but it did slow the cooling of the house quite a bit until the power came back on. I've also got a Coleman lantern I could have lit. They put out a nice bright light as well as a lot of heat. In fact, ice fisherman will put them inside a box they sit in that has holes punched in it to warm their fannies and feet.
The conclusion you could draw from this is, even if you're not a camper, camping equipment is prepping equipment. With an investment of maybe $200.00 you can equip yourself for most any emergency that results from a power outage. And don't forget to drain your pipes if you're in an area like Texas that normally doesn't get extended periods of freezing temps. Drain the water into a bucket or pot and transfer it to the bath tub so you'll have a water source for flushing the toilet.
Stay warm and remember the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.
2 comments:
Our power went out last night. I went to my emergency stuff looking for a specific thing and ran across my little stove that you made for me. It made me wonder about the use. Will denatured alcohol work? Light it with a match? I have a gas stove so I wouldn't need it at the house but I'd be worried about lighting an invisible flame with a match. Perhaps when the weather is more amenable to outdoor tinkering I'll give this a shot.
Denatured alcohol works. I use Heet or similar because most every gas station or dollar store carries it. One bottle lasts a couple of weeks with my typical usage on the bike trips. The cotton balls soak up the alcohol so it just burns the fuel off the top. You can light it with a match or a lighter you would use for starting a charcoal grill. Try it outside a couple of times and you'll get the hang of it. If I had an electric stove I'd feel comfortable using it on one of the burners during an electric outage. There are lots of back-packing stoves available but unless I was doing some extreme hiking, mountain climbing or group camping, I wouldn't even consider using something else.
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