Having perfectly still wind conditions for cooking in the outdoors is a great way of saving fuel and getting your food quicker. The chances of that happening are pretty low, especially if camping in rock overhangs or on ridges. The simple solution is to put up some sort of barrier (or hiking stove windshield) to protect the flame from being blown around.
As with most hacks out there, you can buy these little gems in most outdoor stores ranging from $5-35, but here’s how you make one with a common disposable BBQ tray from your supermarket.
YOU WILL NEED
- 1 aluminium foil BBQ tray (check the width is higher than your stove when attached to a gas bottle)
- Pair of strong scissors
- About 10 mins
HOW TO
- Make two cuts down one of the sides of the tray to access the base.
- Cut away all the 4 sides and discard, or if you need a larger shield, keep the sides in tact and flatten the full tray.
- Being careful not to cut yourself, do a double fold (like a hem in sewing) around all of the new sharp edges.
- Check against your stove and Voila!
IMPORTANT: There have been serious reports of gas bottles overheating and the related dangers from this. You need to read this link and ensure that you don’t construct it in a way that causes the bottle to heat up. Keep checking the canister heat with your hand during cooking to be sure!
Full credit to my lovely bushwalking buddies, Michelle and Owen, for this tip that I learnt from them last weekend in the Wild Dog Mts.
