alcohol camping stoves

[Buddy]

When I lived in Alaska in the '70's I did a lot of backpacking and finally decided to spring for an expensive Swiss alcohol stove. After the first use I emptied the fuel and put it away until the next weeks over night hike.The next weekend, after hiking all day I set up camp and broke out my new stove to prepare a nice hot meal, only to find it wouldn't light. Later in the week I returned it to the very expensive sporting goods store from which I had purchased it. The young clerk, himself a outdoors man quickly field stripped it, and in a loud voice in a crowded store informed me that, "You have a dirty pricker!"