The problem with campfires is that you wake up in the morning smelling like the night before. Wood smoke permeates everything. This is not a problem at the beach on a picnic or with the fire pit in our back yard because you have the option of taking a shower and changing your clothes. When camping for extended periods of time off of the road this option does not exist. And I have not lit fires when camping for the last 15 years or so. For many years I relied on a lightweight gas stove for cooking, and we'd sit around the tent staring at some sort of gas lantern pretending it was a fire.
And then about 5 years ago we discovered the joys of a wood stove and a floor less tent. They provide lots of heat, dry stuff off and you can cook on them. They are lightweight and compact too. One of mine weighs less than 2 pounds and is just a little bit bulkier than my old whisperlite gas stove. Best of all, when it is raining you got the camp fire there in the tent with you and everything stays smoke free and dry.
Still for our recent family adventure to Afognak I was a little worried that everyone would want a fire on the beach. How would the family like the woodstove? It was a HUGE hit. It did rain but we stayed cozy by our campstove. The kids even cooked hotdogs and marshmallows over the stove. Zoya admitted that the woodstove made camping A LOT more comfortable. I think I got some converts! Patrick
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