Canister failure: has this happened to you?

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Lol…..

On a serious note, sure I have had leaky canisters. It happens. In most cases it is because the canister has a leaky valve – which gives a slow and smelly leak – little danger. The others I have seen someone was screwing a stove on the canister but doing it sideways, so the canister was not upright – and they mis threaded it.

Canister stoves are overall quite safe! So are the canisters. Any stove has a bit of danger – it is fire and fuel after all. ANY STOVE. ANY FUEL.

[BlackHatGuy]

"But this is hardly the norm, you probably will never be as lucky as I am, and I have been known to live on the edge."

No edge for me. I prefer to occasionally live in CAPS! I don't do it very often, so when I do live in CAPS, it's important…..

[David Ure]

From the brilliant mind of Craig.

Curious if the fella plays the banjo?

[Max Dilthey]

Jennifer, every accident you just described can be put out with stamping and water bottles. A pressurized canister explosion is different.

I don't really care about stoves, honestly. It was an interesting story and I like posting things in a conversation that haven't been said. It lets the conversation go in interesting directions (and it worked; a new backpacker saw my post and then 15 posts about the overall safety, which might not have gotten discussed at all if we hadn't talked about the worst case scenario). I hardly think a canister stove failure is irrelevant to a thread called "Canister Stove Failure."

Plus, we reminded 50+ people not to take their stove canister off while having a cigar. Bonus!

Some call it idealism, others call it enthusiasm. I call it "Being Max Dilthey" ;)

[Jeffs Eleven]

Every time I go through the drive-through restaurants they get my order wrong. No matter who is working, and no matter which restaurant it is. Every time.

I'm starting to think its a conspiracy against me.

Of course, it could just be the way I order.

[Max Dilthey]

In this thread: Two backhanded passive-aggressive insults at Senõr Dilthey. Everyone seems to be just smitten with my posting history.

I'm a liberal 23-year old, East Coast, highly opinionated, dangerously vocal, and woefully headstrong. Of course it's me, was there ever a question?

Doesn't matter; having a great time, learning a ton. Another day, another post!

[BlackHatGuy]

"Everyone seems to be just smitten with my posting history. "

Ah, Max, not nearly as smitten as you so obviously are with yourself…..

[Hikin’ Jim]

Story I heard was, his leaking canister stove hit a spark and blew up, and his leg or legs were amputated and he's in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

So, I don't use canister stoves.

Max, I don't mean to disprespect your choices (and what the heck, wood stove cooking is actually a lot of fun), but general question to all: How "big" is the danger with canister stoves? Realistically, it's pretty small. Yes, something bad could happen. And the bridge you drive over every morning on the way to work cold spontaneously collapse some day while you're on it. Both are pretty unlikely.

I've used gas stoves since the 1970's. I've had one canister failure. Even with the old puncture type canisters (which really are more dangerous than the modern valved canisters), I never had a failure. They're pretty darned reliable.

Having said that, follow best practices. Don't put on or take off a canister near a heat source. Do NOT leave the canister attached to the stove in transit unless you have to; if the valve gets jarred open in your pack, it could be hazardous (although most gas leaks dissipate harmlessly into the air). Don't use a full 360 degree windscreen with an upright canister stove, and always monitor the canister's temperature with your hand.

So, I disrespect no one's choices, but the objective danger from a canister stove is pretty low. There's a whole lot of reason's not to choose a canister stove, so if you use something else, by all means have at it. Wood (where ethical and practical) is definitely the most interesting and fun of all the major stove fuel types.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

[Travis Leanna]

This thread = too funny! :D

…and yet…so sad. *sigh*

[Max Dilthey]

The real issue wasn't that I shared a story about an exploding canister stove.

The real issue is that two weeks ago, I had a conversation about backpack padding that people got fired up about, and yesterday, I called out a group of BPL'ers for profiling homosexuals and now I'm the "idealistic hothead" that users like Douglacide can't hardly contain their glee about.

People love scapegoats.

This is what it feels like: In real life, I'm a highly respected outdoor leader and people take me seriously. My lecture on self-arrests saved a kid's leg on Camel's Hump last season, and I've got a 22-student trip to Maine next weekend that I designed and executed myself. I have a real voice.

On here, refusing to go along with a hivemind all the time means I'm basically kicked out of the club, and I don't even try asking questions anymore. :P

[Hikin’ Jim]

Hi, Max,

Sorry, but I missed your backpack padding post (but I can see how that would be a hot button topic). ;) I'm working 7 days a week right now and don't have a lot of time (just waiting on a crashed database right now so I've got a moment). In other words (and I don't know if you were specifically calling me out), my comments have been purely about the matter at hand.

You're leading a trip? Awesome. Hope you'll post a TR (and I hope I have time to read it. Too much work right now. Ugh. But I need the money.)

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

[Max Dilthey]

The few negative nancies that go around slipping burns at me every day know who they are, Jim. I'm not worried about it. You didn't really do anything.

[Hikin’ Jim]

OK, cool. I'm pretty brain dead right now. Glad I didn't come across the wrong way.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

[Herbert Sitz]

"I was on the AT last summer and . . .
Story I heard was, his leaking canister stove hit a spark and blew up, and his leg or legs were amputated and he's in a wheelchair for the rest of his life."

I'm not real confident that any "story" told on the AT (or PCT or any other xxT) is true (I remember the "telephone game" from when I was a kid). On the other hand, I would like to hear if anyone has actually been injured by a canister stove. Anybody? Anybody know firsthand of anybody?

[Travis Leanna]

Max, the real issue has nothing to do with any one particular instance.

I'll be sitting with Doug by the fireplace drinking scotch, listening to Abraham Lincoln, Mickey Mouse, Einstein, and George Carlin discuss the meaning of life. You're welcome to join us.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Aw Max, you're not kicked out of the club. You're just talking to a bunch of geezers (and yes, I include my own menopausal self in that category) who like to smack around young whipper snappers who seem very sure of their choices.

One of the defining characteristics of "wisdom" is the realization that you don't know much, even regarding things you are supposedly an "expert" about. You just seem to have a knack for being righter than everyone else…or just coming across that way.

And honestly I don't mean this to be mean, but just to share my observations as to why you seem to get in a lot of trouble here ;)

As well as most of us really, really, really need to get out and hike. Really.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

22 student trip? Eek……..

There are days (99% of them) I am glad I am not 23 years old anymore. You get poked because you are too easy to mess with.

Oh yeah, and who wants to be an expert? The one who is an "expert" gets noticed when stuff goes wrong. It is why if I EVER disappear and/or get hurt on a hike, my husband is to claim I was a newbie hiker who hated nature. Lol……

[David Ure]

The only thing I have learned here is that Max is Spanish. I had no idea.

Ola.

[Max Dilthey]

I do research as part of my job. I find information on things, confirm accuracy and reliability, and become an "expert" on a subject in hours instead of years. It's part of being freelance.

So, in my hobbies, I'm either really right or really, really wrong. Since I'm only a pretend expert, I can miss the mark and not realize it. it doesn't happen often, and it doesn't happen at all in my professional life (I could lose my job for being inaccurate.)

That rubs people the wrong way here, even when my intention is to save someone else the legwork of either looking something up or explaining something to someone else. And it's always something stupid, like trying to say durability matters in a rain shell (Hiss! Heretic!)

But I'm always, always repeating the catch-all phrases of "I'm sure I could be wrong" in everything I type. It never matters. Like I said, I'm kind of done asking questions… It's not worth the trouble, really. I still like contributing once in a while and I take the time to PM a few individuals with specific questions.

[Max Dilthey]

Oh yeah, and BPL suicide seems to be asking "Why" something is a bad choice. Those threads ALWAYS end in tears, haha.

[Jan S]

Max

There is a difference between an expert who read things and an expert who has experienced things. Since most people here do not seem to be very young or inexperienced and altogether more on the smart side, I'm not sure they're convinced by book experts (I know I'm not).

Aside from that some posts from you read a bit like an opinion piece in a newspaper. I'm not sure if I'm the only one but reading these always makes me want to burn the newspaper. And the "I'm sure I could be wrong" part is just part of the opinion piece language and I just translate it as: My editor told me I have to write this. Otherwise we could be sued. Just ignore it. I'm right. I read a book on the topic.

Right, back to bending back pack stays.

[Hikin’ Jim]

As well as most of us really, really, really need to get out and hike. Really.

I sure do. Yeesh.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

[Jennifer Mitol]

See Max, you're doing it again…you've just made my point.

I was a journalist for 15 years before becoming a PT. I was a national and international producer for ABC network news, and my job consisted of producing pieces for World News Tonight, GMA, Nightline…yes, I appreciate that you have to know your stuff before writing a piece, interviewing a subject, whatever. But you know what? You are absolutely NO expert on the material you research. Yeah, you have to know enough to ask good questions, not get sued, convey information in a basic way, etc.

But consider this some career advice: you've got to be open to information, ideas, etc; you have to realize you not only don't know everything, but that in fact you know nothing. Otherwise you just keep fishing for information that validates what you already think you know instead of actually learning something. Always try to prove yourself wrong…otherwise all your reasoning is biased and filtered.

And now I'm going back to learning how to pack my new circuit for its inaugural trip next weekend. Yeah!

[Mark Fowler]

I hope never to have a problem with a gas canister but I have seen what happens if one explodes after watching an idiot throw several full canisters into bonfire. As expected they go bang but they do not become a mass of shrapnel. A seam splits and the canister becomes a self propelled object for a few seconds. It lands intact. If it hit you it would hurt but not take off any body parts, and there would be some burnt/singed flesh/clothing.

[BlackHatGuy]

"That rubs people the wrong way here, even when my intention is to save someone else the legwork of either looking something up or explaining something to someone else. And it's always something stupid, like trying to say durability matters in a rain shell (Hiss! Heretic!)"

Max,

Perhaps I can offer a different perspective that you might find useful, or not. In my opinion, very, very few people take issue with what you have to say in these forums. Very, very few people have any issues with being disagreed with. You've played the victim card a few times here already and claim groupthink by others, yet I can't think of a thread I've read where everyone agreed with everyone else. Lots of disagreements on this forum, and you're not picked on for disagreeing. And my word, you're not a scapegoat for anything (not even sure where that one came from).

Some of what you feel on being attacked is really just good natured ribbing – you seem to have a pretty thin skin (this is all my opinion). But I think that most of the negativity from others has nothing to do with what you say, and everything to do with how you say it.

In the short time you've been on these forums, you've started threads and then gotten pissy when people didn't abide by your specific rules when replying; you've told someone about twice your age how they should behave/respond/act; while you don't mind disagreeing with others you don't appreciate people disagreeing with you; and you whine (yes, whine) about how mean some of us are and how under appreciated you are. You also seem to think your opinion is just correct and should kinda be equated to fact.

Even your example above illustrates this: you're not saving someone else the legwork of looking something up or explaining something to someone by saying durability matters in a rain shell. There's no fact in that at all – durability will matter to some and it won't matter to others. It's opinion. And there will be varied opinion on that, just like everything else here.

You just don't seem to realize that (again, in my opinion), too many of your posts simply come off as patronizing, arrogant and pompous. Of course people are going to poke fun and react negatively to that. Many of the folks on this forum have lived significantly more life than you, not to mention have significantly more backpacking experience than you. So when all of your 23 years comes bouncing Tigger-like onto the forums to show us the truth, the way and the light, well, many of us just roll our eyes, and some of us negative nancies just smile and poke poor little Tigger.

If you fail to see or can't admit that you contribute to this problem/issue, then I guess there's not much more I could say. But I'd recommend truly thinking about how you might be coming across to others instead of simply blaming the way people respond to you solely on them.

Lastly, I think 'smug' would have been a much better word choice than 'glee,' but that's just me.

[Author]

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