How to make a tin-can portable stove

Kayaker’s coffee can stove is fast, easy and super-cheap

By Michael Lomas

THIS 0.4 KG (1 LB.) STOVE uses readily available twigs and bark as fuel. It eliminates the need to carry hazardous petroleum-based fuel and worry about failure-prone commercial stoves. The cost? How does $0.00 sound? Create this stove in less than half an hour using two coffee cans, a coat hanger, tin cutters, pliers, a large nail, measuring tape and a hammer.

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1. Get two coffee cans. Use 1.36 kg (3 lbs.) size or similar sizes. Keep plastic lids to serve as top/bottom covers during travel. Open the cans, and put the coffee elsewhere. 2. Punch a ribbon of nail holes just above and around the base of the tin. (See diagrams). 3. Punch four holes, north, south, east and west around the tin about 6 cm (2.5”) up from base. Then cut two lengths of wire from a coat hangar (cut them long to reach across

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the diameter of the can to the outside) and bend the wire ends on the outside to hold them in position. 4. Trim about 1/8 to 1/4 inch around the outer edge of the top lid, and cut four triangular wedges on the lid edge. (See diagram) 5. Drop the cut lid into the tin so it serves as a fire platform, with air space below. 6. From your second coffee can, make an internal fire chamber tunnel, which is about 7.6 cm (3”) tall. Make one vertical cut lengthwise in the

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coffee can from top to bottom so you can squeeze it into a smaller diameter than the original can, allowing the metal to overlap. You may have to experiment with the height of this fire chamber band to suit the height of your cooking pots. It should not be higher than the outer edge of the stove, but at least several centimeters lower. The fire chamber slides inside the stove like a tunnel, and rests on the fire platform. (See diagram)

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7. Place a small cooking pot on the fire chamber, ensuring there is an adequate ventilation gap around the pot for excess smoke and flames to escape. 8. Make a cloth storage bag for this oven to prevent soot or ash rubbing off on other gear. To minimize soot build-up on your cookware, apply a thin coat of liquid dishwasher detergent to the outside of utensils prior to use. Also, store the stove and cookware in well-sealed bags during travel. You can also use the stove to store dry twigs, along with tablets of commercially available firestarters.

– Michael Lomas is an avid camper and outdoorsman. He uses this stove when going on extended kayaking trips when space is at a premium.

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A 1-day workshop for managers, mediators, union reps, HR professionals and others on the challenges of working in the field of conflict management and strategies.

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A 1-day workshop in Sea Kayaks on the dynamics of workplace relationships and what makes them tick… or not!

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Welcome inside Jennifer Gratto’s head

EVER SINCE SHE WAS 10 years old, Jennifer Gratto has loved paddling.

She is one of a select group of whitewater enthusiasts: a competitive whitewater kay aker. Jennifer has harnessed her passion and knowledge to take her to new heights over the course of the last 19 years.

From humble beginnings in a borrowed plastic boat in Chalk River and Deep River, she has been a member of the elite Canadian National Kayak team for eight years, with strong international finishes on the World Cup circuit. Jennifer attended her first Junior World Championship event at 14 and her first World Cup at 16.

After a hiatus to pursue studies in out door education, she made a triumphant return to competition in 1998 and has been training, competing and coaching ever since. What keeps that drive alive? The complete package

Kayaking is a highly technical sport. It requires countless hours of practice, conditioning and travel. Kayakers face internal, mental challenges that only the athlete can conquer, as well as external, environmental challenges that are out of the athlete’s control.

I wanted to know what makes this champion kayaker seek to take her pad dling to the next level. What mental skills make her tick? What drives her to coach and share her passion with young pad dlers?

“I always knew I loved kayaking,” explains Jennifer. “Right from the begin ning when I tried it at 10 years old, I’ve loved the way every run is different. I must have run the Petawawa River 50 times a year and every time, I see and feel some thing new. It’s dynamic and exciting.”

“I think you need to really love the ele ments of your sport,” she adds. “I love that kayaking takes place outside, where I feel at home. It’s playful and fun. It makes the

training worth it. And the challenge is what keeps me always striving to be a better paddler, and passing on that knowledge and experience to the athletes I coach.”

Jennifer says maintaining balance dur ing the pursuit of excellence is essential: “Some may say that being an elite ath lete requires a blinding commitment to the sport eliminating all else. I believe you can only get so far with that kind of intensity and that the best athletes have learned to make their larger commitment to sport without losing sight of other impor tant priorities in life… That’s not to say that in the ideal athlete’s world, there are no sacrifices – there are. But there is a difference between missing a few parties in high school versus letting go of friends and family commitments.”

Another sign of a champion is the will ingness and drive to share enthusiasm and knowledge. In 1999, Jennifer focused this drive – and the need to make a living – to create her own kayaking and adven ture company, Down To Earth.

“In the beginning, I started Down to Earth with the goals of offering kayak ing and cross-country ski instruction and excursions,” she says. “Today, we offer kayaking instruction for adults at all levels (from novice to intermediate), but mainly we take pride in our youth development program.”

Grassroots and youth programs are the bedrock of every sport in Canada, and Jen is proud to be one of only a few kayaking schools that takes kids from basic intro duction all the way to competition. Today, the superpowers in whitewater kayaking are Germany, Britain, France, Australian, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

“When I started out kayaking years ago, there were very few coaches. You had to go out and find one and hire them and set up a training schedule on your own. Even at the national level now, things have had to come a long way. My goal is to provide that support, technical and practical foun dation for my students. They are the future of kayaking in Canada.”

I wanted to know what gives Jennifer and the other members of Canada’s whitewater kayaking team the “mental edge” to compete at an international level. Jennifer’s insights could apply to anyone who wants to excel at work or play: E Be prepared. “The first thing I would advise is to be mentally and physi cally prepared. So much can be out of your control on competition day that the more you can get a handle on what you can control by being organized and posi tive, the better.” It’s essential to have a list of objectives you need to meet in order to achieve your final goal. E Be flexible. “You have to know that things aren’t always going to go according to plan. Be flexible. Have a plan B.” For example, learn to cope with meal shakeups where food isn’t available and the milk is sour, or warm-up time is cut short. E Love what you do. “I took a break at a certain point in my career because I needed to get some other elements of my life in place. By the time I came back to paddling, the passion was there. I was ready (mentally, physically and financially) with a plan to put things back into motion.” And she hasn’t looked back. E Stay focused. “The focus should be on what you need to do to achieve your goal. Focus on your own preparations and execution – no one else’s.” There can only be one person mentally in charge: you. E Be confident. “Believe in yourself. Know that you have the ability to achieve your goal. Don’t worry about anyone else in any way.” E Set your own goals. “Be realistic. Know that you are capable and have done the preparation necessary to achieve that goal.”

– Shaunna Taylor is an avid runner and multisport athlete. She is the sport psychology consultant at the Ottawa High Performance Centre.