Recomendations for camping stoves?

For years I have been using an old MSR GK (the predicesor of the X-GK) that I inherited from my dad. It's old but it's a real workhorse and it always does the job.

However every now and then I see fancy new stoves that my camping buddies bought and I wonder if I should join the modern world and get a new stove. So I am looking for your thoughts on a few stove related questions. Keep in mind that I am poor and really can only afford one stove for all my camping needs.

1. Liquid fuel tanks (white gas or kerosene) vs. gas canisters (butane, propane or mix)? What are the pros and cons?

2. Are these new stoves really any better than the old ones or is it just fancy packaging?

3. Which is you favorite and/or which one do you use the most?
 
rnpollard

rnpollard

Joined
Dec 10, 2000
Messages
554
For short trips or in an emergency kit I love my ESBIT heat tab stove. It boils water and the fuel burns clean. Also can be used as an emergency fire starter.

I bought two with fuel for $3.00 each at a recent gun show so the price can't be beat. I figure 6 tabs will just about cover a 2 night 3 day solo trip.



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Hoah! (Its an Army thing!)
 
I use a propane stove. It costs more per BTU than a Gas stove, but there is far less danger of an accident or spilling of fuel on stuff and less smell. Fuel is available almost everywhere. The equipment is simple: no generator, atomizer, and there is no way for the fuel to be contaminated.
On the down side: In subzero weather, you have to warm the bottle up next to your body inorder to get enough pressure to run the stove or light,
wink.gif

And the stoves don't cost much either.
Dan
 
I have an old Optimus (25 years+) that still works great. They still make them. Burns white gas.
 

This site has reviews of outdoor gear. When I'm considering a new toy, I mean, piece of equipment, I like to look here to see what others think: http://www.outdoorreview.com/

You might take a look and see what others think of the various stoves.

Here’s another site with info:

http://www.gorp.com/gorp/gear/bg_kitchen.htm

Liquid fuel stoves are cheaper to operate than the gas canister stoves. Coleman fuel is available just about anywhere is the USA. A multi fuel stove means you can also burn unleaded gasoline, so the price goes down even more. If you get a stove that uses an exotic type of gas canister you may have trouble finding them locally, as I do.

Also, you never know exactly how much fuel is left in the canister, which means packing along a spare. I’ve not kept up with the developments in gas stoves, but at one time some of them could not be removed without losing the contents.

Cold affects some of the gas type fuels, as Dan K pointed out, but I think the blended fuels (butane/propane mix) have helped cure that problem.

Regarding the gas canisters freezing up in cold weather: here’s a little trick I read at one of the ultralight backpacking sites. Put an inch or so of water in a second cooking pot (or the lid, some aluminum foil with edges turned up, etc) and set the canister in the water. The water will be cold, but it is still warmer than the expanding gas inside the canister, and the water will warm the gas safely. I haven’t tried this, but it seems like it would work.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m putting down the propane type stove. Since you have an MSR stove you know all about the fiddling you have to do with it- lubing the o ring, carrying spare parts, cleaning, preheating, etc. None of that with the gas canister stoves- just light it and go.

If you are interested in going ultralight the Esbit stove is a cheap alternative. I have one and really like it. (I can relate to the money issue, by the way.) You can pick them up at ebay, gun shows, army surplus stores, etc. Used ones are 99 cents here:

www.cheaperthandirt.com

The Esbit fuel is a little harder to find. The best price I’ve found is here:

http://store.yahoo.com/botach/mpiescooksto.html

Home page: http://botachtactical.com/index.html

This site has other outdoor survival goodies too- signal mirrors, etc. I haven’t bought anything there yet, so can’t comment on their service.

Another source for Esbit: www.campmor.com

Does anyone know of a cheaper source for the Esbit fuel?

An alternative to the Esbit fuel is trioxane, which will burn in the Esbit stove. It is much cheaper but a lot bulkier. You can find it at ebay and at www.sportsmansguide.com as well as other places.

Keep in mind that the Esbit stove is basically good for making a hot drink or rehydrating and/or warming a packaged meal (MRE, etc). It’s not intended for actually cooking.

I’m currently thinking about getting a Trangia alcohol stove. Quite a few of the ultralight backpackers speak very highly of it, due to its light weight and compact size. One guy said his Trangia is 25 years old and still going. Basically it is a metal can with a lid and an O ring, so there’s very little to go wrong with it. It burns denatured alcohol, which is readily available at hardware stores, paint stores, etc.

Keep us posted on which stove you decide on, and good luck.

 
I use Coleman propane, or compairable cylenders. If worried about how much gas is in them, weigh an empty bottle to get the base weight and then weigh a full one.....
I've had several fire accidents over the years with other stoves. I have a couple of single burner stoves and a double burner stove that uses this fuel. The single burners usually cost about fifteen bucks. When I leave for Deer camp in November I take a full bottle each weekend and have yet to use more than one on a weekend in subfreezing weather in Northern Minnesota.
Dan
 
I have an old Svea and an MSR stove but what I've been using lately is a homemade alcohol stove. I make mine from an 8oz dole fruit can and a 3 oz spam spread can. Within the next 6 weeks, I will be getting a digital camera and I will show, step by step, how to make one of these. They are fun and cheap (very cheap!) to make, easy to use, and far more reliable than other stoves on the market. And they really put out a lot of heat. Not as much as my svea or msr but enough to boil water in a reasonable length of time. If you use a lightweight titanium pot, you have a really great combo.

There are several versions of this stove on the internet. I've posted written instructions here on how to make one. http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum18/HTML/000589.html There is another one that is made with two pop cans that you can find on the web. I also have a commercial version that works really well that's made in France (forget the name). However, I find the homemade version usually easier to light and lighter to carry.

You also might want to check out this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum18/HTML/000606.html

If your meals are simple and you want to go with something lightweight and dependable, alcohol stoves are a very viable solution. Make a half dozen of them and keep them for spares. Put one in your trunk with a few cans of food for emergency situations. Handy little items.

I also made a nice triangular stand for mine out of 3 pieces of flat aluminum. Again, when I get my camera, I'll post some pics on this.


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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
If your old stove works well, why not keep it and use it?!!!
For homemade 3-fuel, including alcohol stove, try this link:

http://www.monmouth.com/~mconnick/stove.htm

I've used mostly alcohol and kerosene stoves, although I've gotten to like solid fuel (Esbit) for boiling a cup of water.
Kerosene is great; it burns hot; it's safer than gas; I don't mind the smell or messy clean up, although many people do; a little alcohol can help to prime it.
Have an old alcohol stove, like a Optimus, with tank and regular burner, lightweight, burns fairly hot, but no longer made. Optimus still makes multifuel, including alcohol, stoves.
Also have and use Trangia; they're fine, but don't burn very hot.
Use ethyl alcohol, rather than methyl which is toxic, and can be absorbed by the skin.
Ethyl has just enough methyl in it to keep people from drinking it.

Walter

[This message has been edited by wa (edited 02-25-2001).]

[This message has been edited by wa (edited 02-25-2001).]
 
hello erveryone
well im a college student and ide have to say the best investment i made after researching all possible stoves out there including the new titaniume one! was a good ol wood stove.
iTs made by zz manufacturing and called the zip ztove. nice little thing uses two AA bateries that will last about 9hrs. it has a nice little fan that you use to blow the heat up once you put in little sticks or acorns, charcoal, or zip sticks you find along your hike or hunt. a good walking staff collected along the way would easily provide all three meals ( breakfast, lunch and dinner).
THis is a real stove that has an output of about 18,000 BTU and heats a quart of water in about 3-mins. theres two speeds to the fan, a slow speed, and a higher speed that forces hot convection currents to the pot.
whats great about this is also i purchased the added bbq girl and windshild that comes along with it. the grill is quiet nice, you can bbq chicken or whats best was when i caught a nice trout threw it on the grill and put some cayenne, salt, pepper a dash of lemon, and some garlic and onions bulbs collected along the way. put that in some foil and put it on the grill. very nice. did the job and it sure was delish. the windshield is a god send keeps out strong wind and provides greater heat efficiency.
there is a draw back however to this marvel of a gem. the pot does call the kettle black. woodsmoke blackens the bottom of the pan(s) that it comes wit or if you use msr or any other mess kit. its easy to remove, when i got home i put it in some hot water, and some soap and it came off clean without any effort. plus i found that while on a nice solo hike or backpack trip the blacken utensils conduct heat so much better than when new!. still clean the mess kit when you get home hehe.
price is about 50 bucks from campmore.com and i ordered it direct from zz manufacturing. i ordered through them direct through mail abd paid for the sirrra model 11c retil pack ( comes with the pack, and tongs, and some other stuff) and the windshild grill ($20.50). In total i paid $100.80. this includes the $7.30 sales tax (at that time (Feb 1999).
One other thing. this is a private company. the service i got was outstanding!. the lady was cordial, kind, humble and oh man i could go on. she even gave me her home phone and went out of her way to ship it for me through overnight mail. shes truly neat.
thanks folks.
heres thier voice: 626-332-5906
fax: 626-332-7947


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I collect lots of things and I can't resist a new stove when I see one. However i still depend on my Svea123. it is the 1st. stove I ever bought,30 yrs. old & still works great!
One very important item you need with any stove is a wind screen. it will make any stove better and save fuel that you have to carry! Get some roofing valley tin (aluminum)
the size depending on the height of your most used pot. the screen should come at least 1/2 way up the of the pot. get the lenght of the tin to form a screen 3/4 around the stove and pot with at least a 1 1/2-2in. gap around the pot. you do not want to overheat the stove.
For a liquid fuel stove I still like my svea.
but I just bought a coleman multi-fuel to try. if I do a long trip over 4 days I want a liquid stove because of the fuel wt. I also use one when I expect cold weather. for a short weekend trip I will use a LPG type stove. I have a primus yellowstone that works great. I always take a partial/used canister and a full/new spare. The GAZ stoves have been around for yrs. they work fine. its getting difficult to find the OLD
type Bluet stoves that used a puncher type canister. Don't get one!
the old stoves work fine,a new stove is nice only when you can afford it! after a yr. they all look the same, dirty!
 
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