More like 50 yrs, though I only have had a down jacket for 10. I haven't been burned in a couple of years. It was the puffy quality of the jacket that deceived me. I didn't even know it had happened until I stepped outside to get another armload of wood and noticed some white stuff floating in the air. At first I thought it was snow, but that didn't make sense on our covered porch. No matter, the holes have been sewn together. Lesson learned.You would think after 20 years of burning and 12 or so working around stoves you would think I would have learned stoves are hot
Also a good pair of wool Filsons or Johnsons will see one through whatever winter wants to throw at you,Merino Wool and wool in general does not burn. I have a pair of wool pants I used with the scouts during winter events primarily because they would not get burns from campfires.
Indeed. That's one I remember. Got the stove running good one day. Went outside for an hour moving wood to the porch and shovel a short path to the wood pile. Only 4'' of snow. Came back in afterwards and ''hugged'' the stove. Before I knew it, my pants were burning my legs through the long underwear. Had to go back out to cool down, while pinching the pants away from my legs.When you come from out in the cold and back up close to the woodstove. Make sure you don't stay there too long.
Yup, been there. That jacket is now my hiking jacket. Battle scars!Got some favorite wood heating lessons? Famous flubs? I'll start with yesterday's:
Nylon and wood stoves don't mix. Take off the jacket before loading the stove.
View attachment 322736
My mother in law came to visit once and noticed the stove was dying out. She decided to help, and recycle, by making her own log with a cereal box stuffed full of magazines. I came home to 98% of a cereal box stuffed tight with magazines. I have no idea how long it sat on top of those coals smouldering. *shrug* she tried.I think my wood best lesson was when I planned on doing a break in for our new steel regency stove up at camp. I gave my wife instructions on what to do for the first fire. When I arrived a couple hours after her I realized that the stove door was ajar. She said “I thought it was shut”. No harm done. Guess that little kindling fire was raging.