Jj,
Do you just dislike the improvised stoves or camping ones too?
dedicated camp stoves like my msr whisperlite are great for a quick water boil for dehydrated meals. Plus some parks not allow open fires I hear.
For survival no fire no smoke, multiple fuels, I think it's a good thing to carry.
The twig stove looks god I wouldn't think a lot of smoke is given off and fuel is plenty.
But you are right nothing beats the flavor and experience of fire/ fowl cooking!
I think stoves like the MSR you have are great for short run back packing, but I prefer the ritual of building a fire even if it is just a mall enough one to get coals to boil water. I am in no hurry.
Like I have said before, in a survival situation it is probably a good thing to have smoke to help the rescue folks find you. Think about all the disasters or whatever you have read about, heard about or seen since you have been paying attention - Katrina, Japan quake, Haiti quake, tsunamis etc etc etc, I promise you they wanted to be seen, heard and found ASAP.
Yes, there is the off chance TEOTWAWKI could happen and then smoke may not be a wise idea, but I am not going to add the few pounds to my pack for that off chance event when a few pounds of water, food or ammo (for food and maybe protection) is probably going to be more needed than keeping low profile.
When is the last time good people had to hide from a large invading force on U.S. soil?
People talk about the U.S. economy going belly up. And, I agree we are heading down a bad road, but we are nowhere near Great Depression levels. My granddad tells a lot of stories, some about the depression. Is he hiding the stories about hiding in the woods from marauders?
Sorry about the soap box tangent, I just think prepping for immediate survival like in a Katrina event is more important than prepping for Red Dawn. (shhh, Arch hates it when I use that movie reference) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
