Ultralight backpacking camp stove

[pretty_monster]

i'll be on my own this year and cooking only for myself, never with more than 1 pot/pan. i want to get one of these little guys:



i've seen them priced from $6 to $60. anyone have any experience with these and have any recommendations?

[TT120]

I have one and they work great. The only thing is that you will need a way to block the wind. I have cooked inside my tent with it but I don't think that is a very good idea.

I found that I was mostly using it to boil water either for Mountain House food or coffee so I ended up getting a Jetboil. That works MUCH better for boiling water and can also be used for cooking stuff in a pan if you want.

[digital]

I found that I was mostly using it to boil water either for Mountain House food or coffee so I ended up getting a Jetboil. That works MUCH better for boiling water and can also be used for cooking stuff in a pan if you want.

This! I have two myself because I depend on them so much when camping. However, avoid the titanium version. I normally love titanium but it is not so great with the Jetboil. I've burned myself numerous times with it.

[ygmir]

I"ve used these with great success. "Svea" camp stove.
I've found them even under 10 bucks in used stores and yard sales, or CL.
no moving parts. White gas/naptha fuel. only an orifice to clean if it does not work.

[graidawg]

We used a biolite and rate them as awesome, but not cheap. Of course we had a thunder god bring us huge amounts of precut wood.

Trying to work on a Swedish candle for fire this year

[ygmir]

We used a biolite and rate them as awesome, but not cheap. Of course we had a thunder god bring us huge amounts of precut wood.

Trying to work on a Swedish candle for fire this year

rubbing two Swedish candles together will not be as effective as two pieces of wood.........well, at least not for cooking.

[pretty_monster]

We used a biolite and rate them as awesome, but not cheap. Of course we had a thunder god bring us huge amounts of precut wood.

Trying to work on a Swedish candle for fire this year

rubbing two Swedish candles together will not be as effective as two pieces of wood.........well, at least not for cooking.

there's a dick joke in there somewhere...

[some seeing eye]

I have used the white gas version of that. Mine had a hose and a fuel bottle with a pump. In particular the MSR Whisperlite, which is also available in a (liquid) flexfuel version for traveling worldwide.

These liquid fuel stoves require getting a small flame going to heat the block that vaporizes the fuel. Not tricky, but not instant on.

I have not used the fuel canister stoves that look similar and fit below the assembly which I think is your picture. Any decent camping store should be able to demonstrates how each is started. I opted for a system that did not have disposable fuel cartridges.

Definitely recommend a wind break, especially on the playa!

[Lonesomebri]

Is space an issue, or are you also planning to use this stove for backpacking? Just because you could get a clunky car-camping propane canister stove with a couple burners that sits square on a surface for the same cost and there would be less likelihood of the stove and pot flipping over. I'm cooking a can of dintymoore and on top of the precarious minamalized stove top, it's like a house of cards. For backpacking I have a couple variations on small stoves, white gas and canister mix, but just for the ease/safety of having a pot boil on the stove in camp with the wind and whatnot, I have the larger clunkier more stable stove out on the playa.

[maladroit]

Bulky green liquid fuel, generator-tube-in-the-flame, red tank in the front Coleman stove hasn't failed me yet. Nor have I needed to refill the tank during a week's worth of cooking.

By no means a backpacking stove...it's bigger than a backpack. But Burning Man is car camping, not backpacking.

[Ratty]

I've always used a butane stove but this year I'm bring my propane one. The wind is an issue and a good propane stove heats things quicker. the deciding factor was that I now bring a propane lantern and it just makes sense.

[pretty_monster]

Is space an issue, or are you also planning to use this stove for backpacking?

i won't actually be backpacking with it but space is an issue. i live small. all of my burner gear (including my bike) fits into in my 650 sq/ft apartment with myself and all of my sewing & crafting stuff. i also prefer small cars and hope to be travelling in a Scion IQ to the burn. anything i can do on a smaller scale suits my lifestyle. that little collapsible backpacking stove is something i've been enamored with since i saw someone else post a pic of one here.

i also have these 2 on my wish list:

[Elorrum]

*perk!* Did someone mention stoves?
that one you have pictured there is fine, if you aren't a big camper or a big camp cooker, you can get a cheap windscreen.
The options offered for the jetboil are great, and expensive.
a twenty dollar tops butane burner, and a windscreen (ebay, blah blah zon, etc. around 8 dollars.)
I like an alcohol burner as well with the same windscreen (google: trangia burner) that's going to be cheap too, and maybe 8 dollars for a can of denatured alcohol (just get it in a paint department, if you buy it at a camping store it will cost more.)

primus makes one too that stores on top of the fuel can, space saver.

[pretty_monster]

ohmygod the trangia. i had to check out a how-to video and.... i am in love <3

it is a work of art. it makes my minimalist heart dance with joy. efficient, compact joy.

[ygmir]

Elorrum knows her stuff!! listen Grasshopper..............

[Captain Goddammit]

I'm only familiar with alcohol stoves from the boating world. Boats use them because propane vapors are dangerous in a boat hull, certainly not because they work that well.
I hate the alcohol stoves. I'm not sure an alcohol stove can even melt butter... boiling water might never happen. When I need to cook anything I fire the generator and use electricity.
Are the camping versions any better? If not I'd lean toward propane just because it works.

[The Rod]

It's all about the BTU's:

Heat Output of Different Stove Fuels
Denatured alcohol for use in cookstoves contains a mix of methanol and ethanol, which have different heat outputs.

Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, contains approximately 12,500 BTU of heat per pound.
Methanol, or methyl alcohol, contains just over 10,000 BTU of heat per pound.

The exact ratio between the two varies substantially by product—you'll need to do some research to figure out which ones offer higher ratios of ethanol. (Zen and the Art of the Alcohol Stove is a great place to start.)

White gas contains approximately 20,000 BTU per pound, or nearly double the amount of denatured alcohol.

Canister stoves contain a mix of propane and butane. (You can learn more in this previous post: How Canister Stoves Work: The Science Behind the Fuel.)

Propane contains approximately 21,500 BTU per pound, more heat than any other campstove fuel for its weight.
Butane is a close second, with just over 21,000 BTU per pound.

[Elorrum]

My parents chartered a boat in the Virgin Islands, and reported that an overproof rum was the cooking fuel. The alcohol burner I use is not pressurized, not a super cooker, but boils water and makes a pot of coffee, heats soup, etc. maybe slowly, but quietly. It's light, and is a all in one stove and pot stand. The butane stove is faster, noisier, (mayhaps safer, if this tips over, you've got a fire on your hands)

then my all time favorite kit if you can still find it, swedish military surplus:

[Ratty]

With propane and butane are closer in BTUs than I thought. Maybe the lack of efficiency from my butane wasn't it's fault. Maybe it's the altitude or stove design. I'll find out this year when I bring the 2 burner propane stove. I boiled water for spaghetti and vowed not to do it again. Now it's only cup o noodles.

[Lonesomebri]

For some reason this reminds me of the bicycle I brought my first year. It was a small fold-up commuter type bike, very small and compact. It was hard to get up to any speed out on the playa without constant standing up, the smaller wheels made it more difficult to go thru soft spots, it took much more energy to get anywhere, the seat was uncomfortable... I eventually hunted down green bikes, until I noticed the first shirt cocker on one and gave that up. Anyway, the bike was compact and I got a lot of compliments on it's look...

[Elorrum]

ah, the "it rooks mahvel-us" argument. I make stoves from pepsi cans that work fine too. It's all about the gear about the gear, no trouble. The upshot is you probably won't cook much, and whatever you bring will be fine.

[pretty_monster]

... The upshot is you probably won't cook much, and whatever you bring will be fine.

exactly.

i'd be more concerned about optimum speed and efficiency if i was going to be cooking with any regularity or in large volume. most of my food will be no cook or MREs with heater packs. i only need something to warm up precooked bacon or make some ramen or warm up canned soup/veggies. i'm not planning on spaghetti for 100 people or cooking steaks.

plus, i can only allot, at the absolute most, .5 sq/ft to storage at home. my burner gear totes area about maxed out and a new stove isn't the only thing on the shopping list.

[Ratty]

If you bring those ready to eat meals in a pouch that don't require refrigeration you can cook them without a stove. Put them in your car between the windshield and a reflective window guard. (You'll have one of those anyway to keep the sun out.) After a few hours of sun they will burn your mouth. I leave my can of soup on top of the car in the morning. It's hot enough for a quick snack.

[FIGJAM]

Ratty, I don't know which 2 burner stove you have, but I upgraded to one of those last year.

I looked at colman and then at a generic model that was cheaper and more compact.

When it's packed for travel it's about 2 and a half inches thick.

Boils a quart of water in about 3 minutes and works so well that on a chilly morning it will warm the whole playapod in 5 minutes.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-2 ... d/23623718

[maladroit]

It's not the stove warming up the playapod, it's the warm comfortable feeling of slipping away into carbon monoxide asphyxia.

[Soapdish85]

+1 on the MSR whisper light. I use it countless times a year backpacking. Very efficient on fuel, plus I get to use the white gas for my contact staff

[CyanEssence]

I've done a lot of backpacking and camping, growing up in the Boy Scouts, and later on leading backpacking trips for teenagers. I agree with the recommendations for the MSR Whisperlite, and I would recommend the MSR Whisperlite International. It allows you to use several fuel types, including white gas, kerosene, and unleaded auto-fuel, which is nice if you are in a bind. It is a little more expensive, but it lasts and it's reliable.

You will definitely need to practice with it a little bit before hand, and learn to use the wind-guard.

[Poodles!]

Depending on what you are cooking and weight/size requirements, I currently use these stoves for backpacking.

Whisperlite - covered in other replies.

Brasslite - Alcohol stove. 4.5 oz if I remember correctly. Boils water fine, can simmer.

Soda Can Stove - Alcohol stove. Less than an ounce. It boils water, but that is about it. http://www.thesodacanstove.com/alcohol- ... build.html.

I prefer alcohol burners for backpacking, patience and tinkering are part of the fun.

[DoctorIknow]

i'll be on my own this year and cooking only for myself, never with more than 1 pot/pan.

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: make sure that when packing up for the trip, you have a stable surface for whatever kind of stove you have. Perhaps the surface can be portable (a 2x2 or 3x3foot piece of plywood) and set up in your tent or car if it's too windy outside.

[CyanEssence]

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: make sure that when packing up for the trip, you have a stable surface for whatever kind of stove you have. Perhaps the surface can be portable (a 2x2 or 3x3foot piece of plywood) and set up in your tent or car if it's too windy outside.

I second this. Most stoves are capable of at least some degree of fuel spillage, and that would not be very LNT.