My Old Coleman Camp Stove

I've been thinking of making burgers with onions and cheddar cheese in my cast iron skillet on the camp stove out on the deck. So last week I got out my old stove to make sure everything's in working order, and it wouldn't light.

I tried new fuel--same thing. That came as no surprise because I remember a few years ago pulling Dad's old Coleman Camp Stove--like mine--from a shelf in his Pecatonica, Illinois garage where it had been for probably ten years or so, and it fired up "right now," as Dad would have said. I cooked that night's supper on Dad's stove.

Next I figured a spider web had blocked something, but I couldn't find any obstructions. Then I remembered that when I checked for fuel, the o-ring in the generator filler cap fell apart. Maybe too much air was entering the generator, changing the mixture to something less combustible. So today I made a trip to a hardware store with the filler cap in hand, and found a replacement o-ring that fit.

Boom: The stove works again. Not sure whether you can tell, but the right burner is lit. The left works, too. I've had this stove since my sons were little guys. According to the stamped date on the bottom, it was made in October of 1978. 

I don't want one of the newer LP camp stoves. Sure, one has to pump up the generator, but once that's done it will cook meals or make tea or coffee in a campsite for a weekend with no additional fuel. These camp stoves were designed to last, and for .63 cents, the cost of the o-ring, I figure mine is good for another 36-years.