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Backpacker's stove
- Thread starter Marc123
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http://www.jetboil.com/ great little stove satisfying all of your criterian. Editor's choice awards two years in a row in backpacker...great all around unless you are summitting everest or in thirty below.
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MSR (Mountain Safety Research) has a number of models that would meet your needs. I'm currently packing a Whisperlite. For severe cold it's tough to beat good old white gas (Coleman, etc.), but for convenience and warmer temperatures pressurized canister gas stoves (propane/butane/isobutane) are great, though you have to contend with the empty cartridges. Other makers are Primus and Optimus. Read The Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher or any number of backpacking books.
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I'll probably be in the minority, but I am a convert to alcohol stoves.
There are designs that weigh mere ounces, to full fledged Trangia cooking systems. Beginners can try out alcohol cooking with a $10.00 Swedish milsurp.
Once you find out how cool it is to have a system where the fuel is relatively benign, available universally, operates silently, and doesn't suffer badly at all from all of the myths surrounding it, you may find yourself building a stove that amazes even the most jaded backpacker who has never seen it before--the penny alcohol stove, with simmer ring:
http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html#
After I built a really well executed version of the penny stove and packed it along to play with, I dumped a Whisperlight with its greater weight and maintenance requirements.
Yeah alcohol is slower and cold prone, but the first is just a lifestyle change and the second is easily combated. With alcohol, if you want something boiling, you take two minutes, set up the stove and put on your water first. Then in total silence or against the ambient noise of nature, you set up the rest of camp. Easily before you are done, you have a roiling boil.
As for the cold, it is simplicity itself to use some tinder in the wind screen to heat the aluminum body of the stove to promote the evaporation of the alcohol.
The best part of ETOH stoves is that in the best triple use purpose ever, one can carry more expensive "drinking" fuel that will also make a fine disinfectant/pain killer in a first aid emergency. Try that with kero.
There are designs that weigh mere ounces, to full fledged Trangia cooking systems. Beginners can try out alcohol cooking with a $10.00 Swedish milsurp.
Once you find out how cool it is to have a system where the fuel is relatively benign, available universally, operates silently, and doesn't suffer badly at all from all of the myths surrounding it, you may find yourself building a stove that amazes even the most jaded backpacker who has never seen it before--the penny alcohol stove, with simmer ring:
http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html#
After I built a really well executed version of the penny stove and packed it along to play with, I dumped a Whisperlight with its greater weight and maintenance requirements.
Yeah alcohol is slower and cold prone, but the first is just a lifestyle change and the second is easily combated. With alcohol, if you want something boiling, you take two minutes, set up the stove and put on your water first. Then in total silence or against the ambient noise of nature, you set up the rest of camp. Easily before you are done, you have a roiling boil.
As for the cold, it is simplicity itself to use some tinder in the wind screen to heat the aluminum body of the stove to promote the evaporation of the alcohol.
The best part of ETOH stoves is that in the best triple use purpose ever, one can carry more expensive "drinking" fuel that will also make a fine disinfectant/pain killer in a first aid emergency. Try that with kero.
Another plus of alcohol stoves is the fuel is less likely to explode under certain conditions, unlike white gas.
The key question is what type of camping will you be doing? Will you be at very high elevations where it's really cold, or will you be backpacking in moderate temps and elevations?
The key question is what type of camping will you be doing? Will you be at very high elevations where it's really cold, or will you be backpacking in moderate temps and elevations?
Boats said:
Nah, your not in a minority. I've been using a alcohol stove that I made out of two cat food, and one coffee, cans for years
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html
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- Dec 2, 2005
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Whisperlite International. You can run it on just about anything if you have to and it's only a littler bit more than the whisperlite. If you can stick with canister fuel I'd go with the jetboil.
I've got one. These are very convenient and inexpensive, plus the cans are very nice IMO, actually I would have paid that price for the cans without any burner. That's for the good part. The downside is that the stove is quite weak in my opinion and takes quite a lot of time to pre-heat.Boats said:
Right now, I start heating with burner well filled. I think I'll try to start with less alcohol in the burner, maybe it will reduce pre-heating time.
As a side note, Primus makes stoves that will accept many different fuels, but these are expensive.
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- Jan 7, 2003
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Alcohol stoves cost nothing to try. I don't have to combat really cold temps. This is the system I use. This is my Gamo air rifle can with a series of holes drilled around the edge. It gives me a solid ten minutes of burn time. I carry this and a few small bottles of alcohol from the drugstore, very compact and light weight.
Whatever else you use, try one of these. Mac
Whatever else you use, try one of these. Mac
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I think it kind of depends on what you are cooking and where you are at.
I used to use(and still do sometimes) a Coleman Peak 1. However I don't use it that much anymore cause #1 it burns petroleum and #2 it's fairly heavy.
I have one of the alcohol stoves posted with the brass burner and I think it's pretty heavy too. I like the idea of the pop can alcohol stoves like people sell on ebay, but once again I like to cook, and they are really more for warming up water.
What I have been using last couple of years, and really like is the Sierra Wood burning Zip stove. It weighs about a pound, and you can get a titanium one that is even lighter. It burns little peices of wood, pine cones, chunks of charcoal out of fire rings work great. Since (hopefully) your fuel is all around you you don't have to carry any wood, and it has a little battery powered blower so it starts quicker and heats a bit faster than the plain wood so called hobo stoves. Since most of us are knife and chopper freaks anyway, it plays into our natural love of cutting and chopping stuff and puts it to constructive use.:thumbup: Here's mine.
Another thing I have been trying lately is if I am just doing stuff that requires boiling water or something simple just creating a tiny "fire ring" and cooking over it using about the same size fuel as cut up in the one pic.
I used to use(and still do sometimes) a Coleman Peak 1. However I don't use it that much anymore cause #1 it burns petroleum and #2 it's fairly heavy.
I have one of the alcohol stoves posted with the brass burner and I think it's pretty heavy too. I like the idea of the pop can alcohol stoves like people sell on ebay, but once again I like to cook, and they are really more for warming up water.
What I have been using last couple of years, and really like is the Sierra Wood burning Zip stove. It weighs about a pound, and you can get a titanium one that is even lighter. It burns little peices of wood, pine cones, chunks of charcoal out of fire rings work great. Since (hopefully) your fuel is all around you you don't have to carry any wood, and it has a little battery powered blower so it starts quicker and heats a bit faster than the plain wood so called hobo stoves. Since most of us are knife and chopper freaks anyway, it plays into our natural love of cutting and chopping stuff and puts it to constructive use.:thumbup: Here's mine.
Another thing I have been trying lately is if I am just doing stuff that requires boiling water or something simple just creating a tiny "fire ring" and cooking over it using about the same size fuel as cut up in the one pic.
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I cook over alcohol all of the time. The trick with alcohol stoves is that they have to have decent fuel storage capacity and you do not overfill them with liquid. Since they are operating off of the burning of fumes, one is ill-served by creating any standing puddles of alcohol that have to burn off before the jets come into play.
I will be the first to admit that an alcohol stove without some simmering (flame reduction) device is a more difficult cooking job, but it is far from impossible. With a simmer ring or some other flame cutter, the burn time is increased and the heat control is but a Leatherman pliers grab to adjust.
The important thing about alcohol cooking is that it should be practiced at home on a variety of recipies to see what works and what doesn't. I make myself lunch on my alcohol stoves at least 2-4 times a month regardless of whether I am getting to the woods or the beach. Every one pot recipie I have used has been easily adapted to alcohol cooking, and these stoves, if built for decent fuel endurance, are definitely capable of more than heating water, even if that is what is the easiest thing to do with them.
I will be the first to admit that an alcohol stove without some simmering (flame reduction) device is a more difficult cooking job, but it is far from impossible. With a simmer ring or some other flame cutter, the burn time is increased and the heat control is but a Leatherman pliers grab to adjust.
The important thing about alcohol cooking is that it should be practiced at home on a variety of recipies to see what works and what doesn't. I make myself lunch on my alcohol stoves at least 2-4 times a month regardless of whether I am getting to the woods or the beach. Every one pot recipie I have used has been easily adapted to alcohol cooking, and these stoves, if built for decent fuel endurance, are definitely capable of more than heating water, even if that is what is the easiest thing to do with them.
I been using a stove that is over 30 year old my dad used it before me ever day when he used to drive a truck. It never failed on him or me. Always works even at about 12,000 at the high sierra. Had some other packpackers ask if they could use my stove to heat some water as there top of the line stove ( cant remember which one it was) wont light.
http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/store/customer/product.php?productid=19610
The system is same as the svea 123. Cant go wrong with any one of them. Maybe a few ounces more but they work all the time. I wont buy anything else.
Sasha
http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/store/customer/product.php?productid=19610
The system is same as the svea 123. Cant go wrong with any one of them. Maybe a few ounces more but they work all the time. I wont buy anything else.
Sasha
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- Mar 3, 2006
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My Svea 123 is a backup to my Whisperlite international. It has never been cleaned or had any parts replaced in 20 years and has never failed to light. Very nice on dayhikes because it carries its own fuel and has a built in windscreen.
Jim
Jim
Coleman Peak 1 is a bit old fashioned by todays ultralight day packers, but still works for me about 25 years later. I've put it through tough trials in all weather, even winter camping. I've loned it out
, and its been kicked over, neglected, but still works as good as the day I bought it. Its good to own a machine that hasn't been designed with planned obsolescence. I never even had to replace a gasket. Its noisier than alcohol, because you are using basically a refined gas torch w/a base. Adjustability is better than a normal gas range at home.
I've thought about getting another lighter model, but the white gas is still very available and I wouldn't save all that much in weight. I think for weekend hikes one of the canister stoves would be a better choice. For reliable long term expedition or more than a weekend, group outings, etc. my peak 1 is like using my stove at home. The only difference is that my peak one puts out more btu's.
If I get into ultralight, I might just get one of the other stoves. I think they are all worth trying out. I've tried the alcohol one.
, and its been kicked over, neglected, but still works as good as the day I bought it. Its good to own a machine that hasn't been designed with planned obsolescence. I never even had to replace a gasket. Its noisier than alcohol, because you are using basically a refined gas torch w/a base. Adjustability is better than a normal gas range at home.I've thought about getting another lighter model, but the white gas is still very available and I wouldn't save all that much in weight. I think for weekend hikes one of the canister stoves would be a better choice. For reliable long term expedition or more than a weekend, group outings, etc. my peak 1 is like using my stove at home. The only difference is that my peak one puts out more btu's.
If I get into ultralight, I might just get one of the other stoves. I think they are all worth trying out. I've tried the alcohol one.
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- Aug 7, 2003
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I sometime trip with a friend who swears by the Svea 123. I appreciate its simplicity. However, I make breakfast because that jet aircraft racket coming from his stove is really annoying first thing in the morning.
I never thought I'd become an anti-noise fetishist before I really got into alcohol stoves. Now there is just something totally disruptive and unnatural to me about the gas-hissing flame roaring stoves.
They are great for melting snow, which is why I still have my Whisperlite in the garage somewhere, but it never sees use otherwise.
I never thought I'd become an anti-noise fetishist before I really got into alcohol stoves. Now there is just something totally disruptive and unnatural to me about the gas-hissing flame roaring stoves.
They are great for melting snow, which is why I still have my Whisperlite in the garage somewhere, but it never sees use otherwise.