Sarah,

I never used my Outback heat diffuser B/C I felt it was too heavy. I've used my aluminum diffuser made from a strainer and had good luck with it. However I did have to use 5 aluminum bolts W/ spacer washers & lock washers & nuts to raise the pot bottom off the diffuser. (4 on the perimeter and one in the center) But when I began using my JetBoil pot W/ its Flux Ring bottom corrugated ring I didn't need the bolt risers anymore.

The Outback Oven hood is great for winter camping and fuel savings, esp. when melting snow for water.
I now own two hoods, on the off chance they go out of production or the Russians invade... (Hey, even paranoids have enemies.)

Eric

ERic