Covid Projects

Here’s my new reflector for an MSR Pocket Rocket 2. The first picture shows the reflector with the cylindrical windshield I made from a 100 x 380 mm piece of titanium. The hooks are made from paper clips. I chose the dimensions so it would fit round my widest pot which is 135 mm diameter. See the second photo.

The third photo shows my paper pattern, a prototype cut from a a piece of roll valley flashing from Home Depot, and the final cut from an aluminum foil pie tin. To avoid fractions, all dimensions are in millimeters. The slots are offset from the radial lines by 5mm. Note that this setup can accommodate a pot that’s wider than the pot supports on the PR2. I’ll try it out on my next trip and see how it works.

Out of curiosity, what problem does this solve?
I ask because afaik most users do don’t bother.

Cheers

The one-piece cylindrical windshield made a significant difference in cooking time and flame stability even in a slight breeze. I’m hoping that the lower reflector will reflect heat toward the pot and stabilize air flow in windy conditions. BTW, if I was building the cylindrical windshield again, I’d make it a bit longer horizontally, so it would wrap round the pot more.

>> The one-piece cylindrical windshield made a significant difference in cooking time and flame stability even in a slight breeze.
Definitely with you there. I never operate without a windshield – even inside a building. Significant improvement in fuel efficiency.

>> I’m hoping that the lower reflector will reflect heat toward the pot and stabilize air flow in windy conditions.
Can’t say I have ever noticed any stability effect, but that may be because my windshield goes down to the ground.
I haven’t noticed any significant heat reflection effect – well, not enough to notice. A good (wide) burner head does a fair job of reflecting heat upwards anyhow.

And, of course, always a lid on the pot.

Cheers

I have a short-skirt windshield because when ordered from AliExpress, the 100mm rolls of titanium foil are significantly cheaper than the 200mm rolls. Might be because of shipping package dimensions.

But I broke down and ordered a 200×500 roll of titanium. When it comes, I’ll make a taller (probably 170mm) reflector that will enclose my taller pot (Evernew ECA267R 900ml) and have a longer skirt below the burner. But I’ll take care not to enclose the gas cylinder.

Anyhow, the pie foil reflector is 0.1 0z, costs nothing, and nests inside my pot.

Hi Adrian

You can make a fine windshield out of 100 mm wide Ti foil. In fact, one of my windshields uses narrow foil.

Cut off TWO pieces long enough to go around the stove and pot while leaving a 2″ gap on one side.
Lay these two strips out side by side and tape them together. For packing, fold them in half (lengthwise).

Now, ordinary sticky tape will not work here for very long. One use maybe. You will need some high-temperature tape for this. Have a look in your local hardware store to see what is available. And put the tape on the OUTSIDE of the windshield.

I use masking tape meant for electro-plating printed circuit boards. It takes 150 C just fine. I don’t know what might be available locally for you. I also use the tape to reinforce the edges of the aluminium, because otherwise it sometimes cracks.

Cheers

Ok, that’s a good tip. The folding windshield is more packable.

Like this. (That is mine.)

cheers

Just finished my 2 person duplex like tent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlzHrxMnLdw&t=29s

On the TARPTENT PROTRAIL LI… HMMM thread, John noted that

“You can save just under an ounce on the Nemo Hornet 1P by replacing the standard shock-cord in the poles with 1/8” shock-cord. It’s very easy to do. 1/8” shock-cord has worked fine on my MYOG tent for several years and over 100 nights.”

So I tried it. To reduce weight even further, I used 1.18mm microcord (from Dutch) in the  Y-legs, threading it from the tip up the leg to the hub, then into the center pole and looping back through the hub and down the other leg. I ran 1/16 inch shock cord (Dutch’s thinnest) down the center pole from the loop to the tip.

Using microcord means that the Y-legs have to be assembled after and disassembled before snapping the center pole together, but I think microcord is lighter per foot than shock cord.

Alas, I didn’t get as good weight reduction as John. Even with my thiner cords, this reduced the eight of my pole set by only 0.7oz.

Here’s a picture.

I made a 70g pair of US M12 insoles using a 300 x 200 x 1 mm woven carbon fiber plate purchased for US$22.91. I had a hard time deciding on thickness, but finally decided on 1 mm after watching this video. They’re stiffer than I’d like… maybe 0.5 mm is the way to go.

These fit into a pair of Altra Superior 4s under the padded insoles to offset a bad midsole hinging effect, which on past trail runs/hikes has irritated my first MTP joints. They also eliminate an annoying squeeking presumably from material stress at this flexion point.

Normally I’m fine with minimal shoes with little cushion. I liked a lot about this model, but this design flaw bummed me out enough to leave a review on Altra’s site. I’ve used the insoles on a few runs/hikes and they definitely change the feel/performance of the shoes.

They make the shoes more responsive and springier especially with walking gait. They’re great rock plates. All welcome changes especially on the back half of an ultra marathon length outing. It’s nice to be able to quickly change back and forth on “ride” based on need.

Caution should be taken with cutting/sanding this material (PPE). Also, I’m concerned about snapping/splintering. However, carbon fiber insoles are made and sold($$$) elsewhere and I do keep mine under padded insoles, so maybe my concern is overblown…?

@matthew-d-kirk

Superiors no longer come with the rock plate?  Or do you just not like the one Altra provides?  My Superior 3s came with rock plates, a little flimsy, and 1 mm thick.

I should’ve added that the rock plates from Altra don’t do it for me. Never really used ’em. The protection they offer seems marginal, but this isn’t the issue. They are too flimsy to impact my problem. The Altra rock plates seem as flexible as the 0.25 mm thick carbon fiber appears to be (from above vid) while weighing about the same as the 1 mm ones I made.