you are right about fires kutenay one needs to be able to get by with out one. when going out ski touring then that is a trip that i would use no fire as camp would be in the alpine anyways so bring on the nylon type stuff. there is alot of other trips that i plan where a fire is part of the enjoyment .wood is never a problem just a small fold up saw using dead spruce or pine it is no effort at all to cut op 4-6 inchlogs we always leave them very long and just keep pushing the ends in. what would an ice fishing trip be without a fire --basically unheard of.

also you can and i do go light weight and stil have a fire just move nylon tent away and i have some old light weight fleece stuff that u put over the good stuff .there is a moose wintering ground that provides excellent viewing but can not be done as a day trip and it is nice to go lightweight as you have to search a little bit to find the main groups of animals but i still like sitting out under the northern lights with my fire.