Liquid Fuel Stove for Winter?

[redpoint]

I don't know what Climber your talking about but the Svea 123 weighs 19oz empty.

I was referring to Anrkst6973's post above ... I'm not sure which stove he was referring to.

 

[desmobob]

The Coleman 442 Feather is simple, self-contained, and reliable. I love mine.


Stay sharp,
desmobob

 

[redpoint]

A couple of other points to consider with multi-fuel stoves aside from having excellent performance at high altitudes and in cold weather [cold weather being the OP's primary concern].

Pros:

Multi-fuel: you literally can burn anything in a multi-fuel: jet fuel, gasoline, kerosene, naptha etc ... whatever is on hand ... makes for a great bug-out stove.

Cold weather: the only option for super cold weather/high altitudes

Very High output

More economical/ease of refill: you can buy large quantities of fuel and toss it in fuel bottles. Isobutane canisters - difficult to know exactly how much is left, fuel is more expensive and not available everywhere.

Cons:

Liquid-fuel stoves are freaking loud.

Need serious priming prior to use and hence are difficult to light for people not in the know.

Heavier

______________

I have two stoves: MSR Dragonfly [1997 ... rebuilt once] and a MSR [Isobutane] WindPro. I love the WindPro for short trips b/c it's so easy to light [my wife hates lighting the multi-fuel stove] and is whisper quiet. However, on longer, colder trips in the mountains I use the Dragonfly.

______________

On an aside, but still stove talk, you guys should check-out these awesome stoves, designed for heavy use, but not for backpacking [obviously]. I've read that they're ridiculously tough.

http://partnersteel.com/prod01.htm

 

[desmobob]

Cons:

Need serious priming prior to use and hence are difficult to light for people not in the know.

I've never had to prime my Coleman Feather, even in upstate NY winter conditions. It's so easy to use, it makes me wonder why people bother with complicated liquid fuel stoves that require separate fuel tanks, priming, etc., when the weight difference is minimal.


Stay sharp,
desmobob

 

[kgd]

I've never had to prime my Coleman Feather, even in upstate NY winter conditions. It's so easy to use, it makes me wonder why people bother with complicated liquid fuel stoves that require separate fuel tanks, priming, etc., when the weight difference is minimal.


Stay sharp,
desmobob

Because when you do find the lower temperature that your stove doesn't operate, you are S*it out of luck......However, there is always beef jerkicles

 

[desmobob]

Because when you do find the lower temperature that your stove doesn't operate, you are S*it out of luck......However, there is always beef jerkicles

Sh*t out of luck if you don't know how to work the stove. All you have to do is warm up the generator tube.

I've had mine for years and it was/is used in the Adirondacks in winter hiking, camping and ice fishing. I have never had to pre-heat the generator to get the stove lit.

Stay sharp,
desmobob

 

[valcas1]

I have used and will continue to use my Coleman 533 Duel fuel stove for winter camping. I think it is as bullet proof as one can get. Yes, It isslightly heavier than other out there but it is so darn reliable.

If I recall it puts out like 10,500 BTU's that's hot and it can simmer too!

 

[redpoint]

I've never had to prime my Coleman Feather, even in upstate NY winter conditions. It's so easy to use, it makes me wonder why people bother with complicated liquid fuel stoves that require separate fuel tanks, priming, etc., when the weight difference is minimal.


Stay sharp,
desmobob

That's what I meant by "priming", you just have to warm the "generator tube" over the burner, thus converting the liquid into a vapour ... there's nothing complicated about it, you just can't turn the valve on and light it ... or you get a fireball. I've used the Coleman stoves before too and they certainly aren't devoid of pre-heating or priming. The reason people prefer stoves with remote tanks is b/c changing tanks is a breeze [switch bottles]; the weight can be shared by two people [someone carries the fuel ... another carriers the stove; and they're way less bulky. Stoves with the tank below are pretty bulky stoves.

 

[desmobob]

That's what I meant by "priming", you just have to warm the "generator tube" over the burner, thus converting the liquid into a vapour ... there's nothing complicated about it, you just can't turn the valve on and light it ... or you get a fireball.

Your original post mentioned "serious priming" and "difficult to light." Now, you're saying you can't just turn it on and light it without getting a fireball?

I'll repeat what I said.... I've never had to prime my Coleman Feather for winter use.

When it's very cold out, the burner will burn freely for a few seconds (taller, unstructured yellow flames, no "roar") when first lit until those flames quickly warm the generator. Is that what you mean by "fireball"?

The Coleman Feather is one of the easiest to use and most reliable stoves out there. To read this thread you'd think they were cantankerous and dangerous firebombs.



Stay sharp,
desmobob

 

[BlackHills]

When it comes to winter, I rely on my MSR whisperlight.

+1 I have a 20+ year old Whisperlight that works as well as the day it was new.

 

[brians]

Your original post mentioned "serious priming" and "difficult to light." Now, you're saying you can't just turn it on and light it without getting a fireball?

I'll repeat what I said.... I've never had to prime my Coleman Feather for winter use.

When it's very cold out, the burner will burn freely for a few seconds (taller, unstructured yellow flames, no "roar") when first lit until those flames quickly warm the generator. Is that what you mean by "fireball"?

The Coleman Feather is one of the easiest to use and most reliable stoves out there. To read this thread you'd think they were cantankerous and dangerous firebombs.



Stay sharp,
desmobob

That sounds like what I'm looking for.

Given what you know of the Coleman's. Would you recommend the 533, the Feather, or the Exponent Multi?

 

[baldtaco-II]

"When it's very cold out, the burner will burn freely for a few seconds (taller, unstructured yellow flames, no "roar") when first lit until those flames quickly warm the generator."

That's what happens to my 442 - Yellow crappy inefficient burn for a couple of seconds the blue roaring goodness. I take paste but I've never really needed it to get the burner working in any conditions. The paste is just a handy clean flammable that is useful and in a neat plastic tube. Kinda thing I'm likely to have anyway.

 

[jca21]

"When it's very cold out, the burner will burn freely for a few seconds (taller, unstructured yellow flames, no "roar") when first lit until those flames quickly warm the generator."

That's what happens to my 442 - Yellow crappy inefficient burn for a couple of seconds the blue roaring goodness. I take paste but I've never really needed it to get the burner working in any conditions. The paste is just a handy clean flammable that is useful and in a neat plastic tube. Kinda thing I'm likely to have anyway.

are you referring to coghlan's fire paste?

 

[baldtaco-II]

That sounds like what I'm looking for.

Given what you know of the Coleman's. Would you recommend the 533, the Feather, or the Exponent Multi?

From what I have just read the 533 puts out a bit more heat than the 442 and is more bulky yet a little more stable. I haven't checked that but supposing it is true it still wouldn't be enough for me to give up the 442. No idea about the other one.

 

[baldtaco-II]

are you referring to coghlan's fire paste?

Nope, just an anonymous pale blue tube of gel that comes from the camping / surplus shops round here.

 

[kr1]

I have a dragonfly and it is a great stove with the added ability to simmer, not just boil. I also have a svea 123 as well as a few other stove and it also is a good stove but it can be finicky. The first time I ever saw someone "prime" it they just poured fuel on it and lit the whole thing turning it into a fireball. Not recommended but that's how this guy got around any difficulties priming it.

I have used the dragonfly down to -25 without any problems. Not just boiling water but also cooking eggs and sausage and pepperoni, etc. Its a good stove for winter use and I have found it to be very reliable.

KR

 

[fujita yuji]

The Svea 123 climber. Its been around for nearly 100 years and still in prodution. what better recomendation could you ask for?

Here I cannot agree more..

 

[redpoint]

Your original post mentioned "serious priming" and "difficult to light." Now, you're saying you can't just turn it on and light it without getting a fireball?

My apologies for being misleading desmobob . It's not complicated [for someone used to using them], but lighting a liquid fuel stove is more complicated than lighting an isobutane stove, hence why I said they're difficult to light [by comparison]. Isobutane stoves require no special attention, but they lack the performance in extreme cold.

The Coleman Feather is a liquid-fuel stove and therefore the same procedure is required though it's output is nearly 4000 BTUs less than the dragonfly so perhaps the "fireball" is less pronounced. I had a Coleman Peak 1 Apex II [same burner as the feather I believe], and the procedure was exactly the same in cold weather as any MSR. It was a great stove and at the time, it was the only stove that could simmer well [on the market], but I found it to be very fragile compared to MSR's offerings.

The "fireball" can and should be avoided. I'm not overstating "fireball" here - if you ignite the liquid fuel on a cold liquid-fuel stove, there's some serious flame action. If when cold [and I mean winter type cold], you turn the fuel valve to high on a liquid fuel stove, the burner fills with liquid fuel and will continue to pour liquid fuel out through the burner. This occurs because the evaporator tube is not hot, hence the fuel is a liquid, NOT a vapour. If you light this liquid fuel it ignites into a big-ass flame - "fireball". The PROPER way to light a liquid fuel stove is to prime it using [flammable paste - which I've never used] or what I do [after pressurizing the tank], allow a small amount of fuel to enter the burner, close the valve, ignite, then slowly open the valve and the flame should simmer down relatively quickly. This is not a problem in warm weather, but in cold weather, these stoves [MSR, Coleman ... etc.] need to be primed ... i.e. the evaporator tube needs to be hot for proper operation.

 

[brians]

Desmo is not the first person state that the coleman doesn't need priming.

"Lighting this stove is easy - just pump and light - no priming required. It takes a minute or two to go from the initial high yellow flame to the tight blue cooking flame as it "self primes". Lighting a Whisperlite is a minor ordeal, sometimes major."

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-550B7...&s=sporting-goods&qid=1256942892&sr=1-3-spell

 

[Rotte]

+1 I have a 20+ year old Whisperlight that works as well as the day it was new.

+1 for the MSR Whisperlight. Mine has a multifuel jet for kerosene, etc..., but runs best on white gas (universally available in NA). I think this stove is the cold weather gold standard.