2-in-1 Stove-shield and Food-protector ... See WARNING below! This article has been removed from the site's general content.

Note: This is a newly designed item that will be field-tested in the 2002 camping season!

A 24" length of stock aluminum dryer vent is cut into two 11" lengths. Their edges are smoothed with wet-stone and emery-cloth. The two lengths are connected and crimped together to form a single curved sheet. A small hole is punched midway down each of the opposing edges.

A length of metal coat-hanger wire is cut and bent to form a fastener. Threaded through the previously mentioned holes, it retains the shield's shape as it encircles the gas stove. Determine the length of this fastener based on your largest pot, allowing at least an inch of clearance all around. This shield will serve as both a wind break and as a heat reflector.

WARNING! ... While my own experiences with this item were uneventful during camping trips in June and July 2002, a serious concern was expressed on August 3rd, 2002 in an email received from gremitch@sympatico.ca ...

"I made a stove shield/food protector modelled after the one shown on the Algonquin Adventures website. I used it with my own stove. It worked great. Well, actually a little too great!

Because there was too much heat contained in the shield, the plastic grabber that holds the butane/propane fuel canister to the actual stove melted. Only then did I bother to read the instructions that came with the stove thoroughly. It clearly stated that no shield of any kind should be used with the stove.

I sent the stove to the manufacturer's rep for repair and they told me that I was lucky the fuel canister did not blow up on me as a shield traps too much heat. The stove shown in your photo and article about the heat shield also uses a propane/butane canister.

I suggest you put some kind of warning in the article telling people to read their instructions thoroughly to see if their stoves should or should not be used with any type of heat shield BEFORE they use one. I'd truly hate to see anyone get hurt because of this."

Based on his experiences I must caution everyone considering using a shield to check on their stove's operating instructions and to seriously examine any safety implications. Considering the potential results expressed by the stove's company-rep, shields appear to be inappropriate and unsafe for use with compressed gas stoves!