My 3-year-old camp stove's fuel line split open on a trip to the Sawtooths last weekend.

3 comments

3 Comments

Well, that's a special kind of backcountry surprise nobody asks for. Nothing like the smell of fuel and panic to really enhance the mountain air. At least it waited three years to fail, instead of doing it on its first trip. Bet that made cooking dinner an exciting adventure. Always seems like gear waits for the worst possible moment to give up. Hope you had some backup snacks!

brians4225d ago

Yeah, and @sethb45 is totally right about gear picking the worst moment! It's like stoves and tents have a secret meeting to decide when to break. That fuel smell really does stick to everything, doesn't it? Makes you wonder what you're actually breathing in while you're trying to fix things. Always pack extra jerky, because dinner plans go out the window fast.

kelly.emma6d ago

Remember my buddy's water filter cracking at the source of this alpine lake last summer. We had to boil everything for two days, and the pot tasted like smoke forever. Totally ruined our fancy instant coffee.