Stoves - What do you use?

Dylan07 said:
I think I'm going to try the Coleman 1 burner. It doesn't weigh all that much to me. Plus there's 2 of us going so we can distribute the weight pretty well. And maybe later I will pick up the MSR pocket rocket. Hell if they took the same fuel the msr would be good for boiling water quickly and the Coleman would be good for using a frying pan with.
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That'll do the job. :thumbup:

If you're going to pick up a Pocket Rocket later, I'd pick up the Micro Rocket. It's basically the PR's replacement, better in every way.

Not sure on using the coleman propane canisters with the pocket rocket. I'm pretty certain you need an LPG-Lindal adapter for the different valves, based on the last time I looked that up. I haven't risked trying with mine. LPG/Propane canisters are higher pressure than the IsoButane fuel canisters, could have a dangerous effect even if they thread correctly. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in on that. I err on the side of safety.
 
To follow up, now that I am at a computer and not on my phone.

Here's a Kovea LPG-Lindal adapter. Hikin' Jim does some good stove review work, his blog is highly worth perusing if you're looking into stoves. Regarding this particular topic, I agree 100% with him:

Hikin' Jim said:
[...]Now, a word of warning: propane is going to have a higher vapor pressure than the gasses typically used for backpacking. Yes, the gasses typically used for backpacking include propane, but not 100%. Usually propane is no more than about 1/3 of the total mix.

Higher vapor pressure could mean higher danger, so pay attention. If the pressure is too high, you could get flame "lift off" where the flame is blown away from the burner. In that situation, the flame will frequently die out while the gas is still flowing.

OK, let me get this straight. I've got a hot stove with the flame out but the gas is still gushing out. Um, couldn't that be a little dangerous?

Why yes, as a matter of fact it could. Gas + air + heat = KABOOM! If you're lucky, all you'll lose is your eyebrows. If you're unlucky, you'll be finding out for 100% sure whether or not there really is a God, if you know what I mean. So, warning:

Propane is a highly flammable and potentially explosive gas.
Backpacking stoves are not designed to operate on 100% propane. Use at your own risk. Risk includes loss of property, serious bodily injury, and death.

[...]

Final warning: Adapters open up a whole new world in terms of fuel and stove combinations that can be used. Adapters also open up a whole new world of hurt if you exceed the limitations of a particular set up. Just because you can hook up something up doesn't mean it's a good idea. Above all else, be careful."
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If I accepted the risk, this would be excellent for cold weather use.
 
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Thanks for all the tips HikingMano. I appreciate the responses. I will just buy the correct fuel canisters for each. Its not all that much extra weight. We dont do all day hikes just a few hours, camp out and then continue to the next place. So 2 stoves between us should not really be an issue. Thanks again.
 
Another plus for the micro-rocket. its a laser beam of heat, but the pot supports are much better than the old one. And for the price, very reasonable. I've done a fried egg in a heavy fry-pan on the micro-rocket and it did very well. But with thin walled pots, it will just be a boiler. But it simmers much better than my whisperlite!
 
I love my Kettle #1 and the old Esbit stove combo for when I'm on the move and don't want to fuss with a fire. I have also used the Esbit with twigs, bark, etc.

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gadgetgeek said:
Another plus for the micro-rocket. its a laser beam of heat, but the pot supports are much better than the old one. And for the price, very reasonable. I've done a fried egg in a heavy fry-pan on the micro-rocket and it did very well. But with thin walled pots, it will just be a boiler. But it simmers much better than my whisperlite!
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+1 on the Micro Rocket. It packs a wallop. This is my new overnight kit. The stove is small enough to nest in the mug.

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I mainly use a good gas stove. The weight of fuel used, the convenience, and that you don't tend to get any of the problems associated with adding your own pressure to a liquid fuel system really carries the day. Obviously having a remote bottle and pre-heater tube on it helps...................I've got a couple of those little micro stoves too, but those are a bit niche. I don't like cooking on them, and to me they really are just quick water boilers. That said, they come into their own when I run them off non-standard hardware store canisters. Tiny ones of those aren't much different in size for a ladies handbag sized can of BO basher, about the size of the liquid fuel bottle you can see in the pic here actually. Poke a hole to stick it in or find a crevice and voila � uber portable and quick, no messing about. Hardly an economical way to do stuff, but a niche I like to have covered.....................When I'm going to be out in the really cold for a while I do move away from the gas stove. Good as it is for a bit below freezing it's not its strength. Then there's the issue with part full canisters. For this I use the old lump, the Coleman 442. It's heavy but it's a great winter stove. I run mine on Aspen 4T................The one in the pic is something I've been playing about with of the tredder for the last couple of months. I wanted something light and compact that didn't give me the loads of tiny half useless cannisters that I get with the micro burner / hardware cannister niche combo. I'm out on the tredder too much to sustain that for then 'cos the waste gets old fast. Supercats and coke can stoves are ok and save a bunch of weight, but I find the keep filling a Supercat a PIA, and then there's the residual fuel problem. The Trangia is heavier but it holds enough fuel to be useful and I can carry fuel in it. The thing it is in is a cut down Sigg bottle. Don't trip on the colour. I got them many years ago when carrying water in metal bottles was all the the range. They were plain Aluminium and I had a mate anodize them funky colours.
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baldtaco-II said:
Good as it is for a bit below freezing it's not its strength.
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Yup, but if you can run a propane gas stove, you're good to go :thumbup: Also, inverted gas canister stoves can help a bit too, if using regular isobutane stoves.

baldtaco-II said:
Then there's the issue with part full canisters. [...] I wanted something light and compact that didn't give me the loads of tiny half useless cannisters that I get with the micro burner / hardware cannister niche combo. [...]
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That's the thing that annoyed me about canister stoves as well. I've been working on it by measuring full and empty canisters and marking how many boils (average conditions) I get per average canister. Once I have a general idea of how many boils under average conditions I can get out of an average canister, keeping track of how many uses I have left per average canister before each trip (based on weight) should become much more reliable. I used to just take half used canisters on car camping trip for quick morning brew boils for folks. It's another nice thing about alcohol stoves; if you just want to boil and don't mind the wait, can't beat the ability to plan by looking through a translucent bottle.

And I don't know if it's just me, BTII, but I can NEVER see your pics :confused:
 
HikingMano said:
Yup, but if you can run a propane gas stove, you're good to go :thumbup: Also, inverted gas canister stoves can help a bit too, if using regular isobutane stoves.That's the thing that annoyed me about canister stoves as well. I've been working on it by measuring full and empty canisters and marking how many boils (average conditions) I get per average canister. Once I have a general idea of how many boils under average conditions I can get out of an average canister, keeping track of how many uses I have left per average canister before each trip (based on weight) should become much more reliable. I used to just take half used canisters on car camping trip for quick morning brew boils for folks. It's another nice thing about alcohol stoves; if you just want to boil and don't mind the wait, can't beat the ability to plan by looking through a translucent bottle.And I don't know if it's just me, BTII, but I can NEVER see your pics :confused:
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Yeah, but if I'm going to go with a the pure propane the bottle is a beast, might as well go for the 442 and end the part bottle thing. I saw some light propane bottles the other day that fit straight on. Guy was out of stock and wanted £20 each for them. That's crazy for a container that suffers all the deficiencies of regular disposable iso/butane..........................Yeah, I use up part bottles on non-critical stuff like fishing..................................Can you get the pic from this link? http://s24.postimg.org/48p8qkklv/SIGG5756b_Nn5xz_A.jpg ....................
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Yeah, I gotcha.

And yes, I can see the pic from the link, thanks. It must not like being img tagged for some reason. At least for me.
 
I am also unable to view these pictures. I generally right click the icon, take the properties and paste that into my browser and then am able to see them.
 
Yeah, I don't even see an icon or red X or anything, so I typically just quote the post then take the image url from there. Just figured I'd see if anyone else had the same problem.
 
I love my Jetboil. It is so compact, light and fast to boil that it is a pleasure to use. I take it hiking/backpacking, camping, snowboarding and even use it at home for fast boiled water. It has an attachment that allows me to use larger pans with it as well. Just an awesome piece of kit.

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I have three stoves, an old Coleman 442 that has never let me down. A Svea 123 that has been very dependable as well.

And an Emberlit, The Emberlit is just so easy, no fuel wories, folds flat, nothing to break. No flare-up, explosion worries. Works equally well in winter or summer.

I slide it in a pocket on my Moab 10 on day hikes, it just works. Paired with the GSI Kettle it's just a nice simple piece of kit. My friends all laughed when they first saw it, now most own one too.

Beer for size reference only, I swear!







 
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I agree on the Emberlit as most of you already know. As to the topic of partially filled gas cannisters... I weigh mine and mark the weight on them with a sharpie marker. Since I know the weights of both full and empty cannisters and the amount of cook time I get from them with my particular stove on high, I can pick from the lot according to my needs for a trip. Maybe this tip will be helpful to someone concerned about the drawbacks of cannisters.
 
Codger_64 said:
I agree on the Emberlit as most of you already know. As to the topic of partially filled gas cannisters... I weigh mine and mark the weight on them with a sharpie marker. Since I know the weights of both full and empty cannisters and the amount of cook time I get from them with my particular stove on high, I can pick from the lot according to my needs for a trip. Maybe this tip will be helpful to someone concerned about the drawbacks of cannisters.
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Great Idea!

How do these newer gas stoves handle cold weather?

I have not messed with the newer ones, but my white gas stoves were very popular on winter outings, because the gas ones performed poorly in cold weather. If that has been overcome, you can't beat their convienence.
 
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