PJ,
I definitely agree with the "ain't broke, don't fix it" theory. I trust that the Smokin-It designers did a great job in figuring-out what works best in our smokers, and I've personally had great success operating it per their instructions. I always foil line the bottom and smoke box lid, and always use a water pan next to the smoke box (usually with H2O, but sometimes with apple juice or beer). These are tried-and-true methods that work great for me.