Well, this is a bit off the subject, but, when i was a kid of ten or so, my Dad and Grand-father would take me and my brother on a camping trip, up to Pymatuning Reservoir, in North-western Pennsylvania, for a week of fishing and row-boating, and seeing the sights. (This was around 1933 to 1940.) We had two old WW I Army tents, and cots, blankets, a gasoline stove, cooking utensils, plates, etc. We didn't have an ice chest. My Dad would dig a hole in the creek bank, and we'd keep the perishables there, in the cool water, in a bucket, with a lid. We'd rent a row-boat, and Daddy and me and my younger Brother would go out on the lake and fish. We'd spend a week there, and had lots of fun. We'd turn in at dusk, since we didn't have a big lantern. One night, there was a great commotion outside our tent, and the head-lights of our car were shining into our tent and the horn was blowing loudly! (Around 3 a.m!) I awoke, and asked what was happening. Daddy shouted:"There are skunks in your tent"! Uh-Oh!? "Be very still"! I didn't move, and could hear rustling under my brother's cot, so i managed a peek. And there were two skunks worrying an old half empty can of fish-bait! WOO-HOO! Well, they finally "licked the platter clean", so to say, and ran off. Daddy finally quit blowing the horn, and it all cooled down then. Also, when my wife and i went up to Hammonasset State park, in connecticut, we set up the camper, then went in to town to buy some groceries. As we drove back into the park, we saw 3 skunks walking into a tent that was set up nearby. We watched to see if anybody came running out, but no one did. Then, a car pulled in and four girls got out and started for the tent!! I hollered and told them about the skunks---woo-hoo, they hollered, ran out, got into their car and drove madly away! Don't know if they ever came back! Hammonasset was a nice park to visit. We went there several times. It was close to where our son lived. We went there one 4th. of July when the holiday fell on a Saturday. This was on Wednesday. the park management said we could camp there, if we left on Thursday, as the weekenders would need the space. We agreed, and we left.

Cast Iron is my primary choice for campsite cooking. If weight is not an issue, pack a 12" and maybe a 10" diameter pot. When choosing a brand, choose an american made Lodge as opposed to an asian import that lacks in quality. There are two types of dutch ovens. One type is made to use over a direct flame and has a dome shaped lid, and may be selp-basting. The other type is raised on 3 short legs and has a lipped cover that can hold hot coals. This one is the most versitile as it can be used over an open flame, directly in a campfire. or over a campfire with the use of a tripod. It may seem that it would take longer to cook using a dutch over, requiring firing up a campfire or charcoal fire, but I have found a way aound this with another piece of equipment I cannot do without. Again, this will not work for backpackers! I carry one of the CampChef double burner stoves with me on my camp trips. They put out much more BTU's (30k)than you are used to on your home range (7-10k). Either type of the Dutch ovens will seat on the surface of this stove. It produces enough intense heat to get a boil going fast, and then you can turn it down unbelievably low to keep a simmer going, because of the excellent seal produced by the dutch oven and lid. The propane tank can do double duty as a fuel source for other items such as a propane lantern when not cooking. If I want to bake on the stove, I can do that too. I have what is called a charcoal chimney for starting charcoal. This generally takes 10 to 15 minutes to get hot coals when using newspaper and a lighter to start the coals. However, by utilizing the other burner of the stove to start the coals, I have hot coals in 5 minutes or less. Then they are ready to pour on top of the dutch oven. I also like to carry a couple of teflon coated saute pans, a 7" and 8". Gotta flip my eggs in the morning and use the larger one for omelots. With these four pots & pans, a coffee pot, and a few utensils I've got everything I need to cook for 4 to 6 people.

whisperlite stove is a good stove. nice to have the flexibility of multi-fuels especially is you're backpacking in another country where white gas is rare. you should really test the stove out to see if a jet stove is really for you. using a liquid fuel stove is a little more work than a canister stove. pressurizing the fuel, priming the stove & cleaning the jets make this kind of stove a chore. my camping friends are 1/3 for jet stoves, 2/3 for canister. jet stoves have the advantage of working better in really cold weather ( below 30 degrees), but watch out for spilled fuel on bare hands....it can cause frost bite at those temperatures. this stove has the shaker needle so it claims to clean it's own jets. you have to prime the jet stove by opening the valve to let a bit of fuel out & lighting it until the manifold is hot enough to vaporize the fuel as it sprays into the burner. i have the msr dragonfly multi fuel stove, but think the whisperlite is a better choice. the dragonfly is really noisy and a bit cumbersome. works great in the snow but now i choose to bring my snow peak gigapower canister stove with a isobutane/lpg canister fuel mixture canister for use in cold weather. you also have to keep the canister warm for better results. as a backup, i also carry the esbit stove. i tried to use it exclusively to see if it would work as a primary stove. it works great, although because the fuel tablets burn for about 12 minutes, you have to get everything ready for your meal beforehand. then after your food is done, you have to switch out & heat some water as the fuel burns out. that way you can have your cup of coffee or cocoa after dinner. some meals will take up the entire burntime though. contrary to reports, you cannot put it out & relight it because what's left of the fuel after you put it out takes too long to light & doesn't get up to the temperature as a straight burn. also, the esbit hexamine tablets are much better than the cogland brand. it took 2 cogland tablets to boil the same amount of water. avoid the trioxane tablets you get at army surplus stores. they are toxic & i couldn't get them to boil the water with 1 tablet. all my tests were done at home : 1780' altitude, 78 degree temperature (didn't get the humidity reading). your actual results will go down as you rise in altitude & drop in temperature. tablet / burntime / practical cooktime / 20 oz water boil time esbit hexamine / 12 minutes / 10 minutes / 8 minutes cogland (2 tablets) / 13 minutes / 9 minutes / 9 minutes trioxane / 5 minutes / 4 minutes / did not boil water a bit more information than i you wanted, but as you can tell i like to test my gear so i can pack efficiently. campers tend to form opinions on gear based generally on only what they own or what's offered at walmart. i try to look at all gear & try to accumulate gear that works efficiently & has been tested in the field. the 3 worst things that can happen are gear that works great at home or in the store, but fails in the field; carrying bulky gear only to find there was a more efficient gear out there or getting a newfangled piece of gear that does many things mediocrely and then going back to your old trusty piece of gear you've camped with for years. Here is a link that might be useful: how to choose a backpacking stove

Coffee syrup is very popular in the state of Rhode Island. You can purchase Eclipse Coffee Syrup in any supermarket. You may be able to contact them in Providence.