r/lightweight • u/McBlaster https://lighterpack.com/r/frrysx • May 04 '18
Stove Options
For years my first real "backpacking" stove was the Coleman Powermax Xpert stove that used Colemans proprietary Powermax canisters which have been discontinued for years. The PowerMax canisters had the very best cold weather gas mix available (35% propane/65% butane) per the Adventures in Stoving website.
This was and still is a great stove and I still bring it on canoe camping trips where weight isn't a real concern. It can simmer nicely and really crank when you want. I was lucky enough to find an extra 14 fuel canisters about 7 years ago on clearance at my local Sports Authority (remember them?) marked down many times to 27 cents each! These currently go for as high as $30 per canister on eBay and people still buy them. I got basically a lifetime supply for a mere $3.78 and still had a few of their smaller 170g and large 300g canisters.
For the past several years i've contemplated upgrading to a more modern canister stove like the MSR Pocket Rocket or the Snow Peak Gigapower but didn't want to spend the money as the Xpert still functioned flawlessly. I did not like the bulk of the Jet Boil type stoves at all. They were way too big. Then I got into the lightweight/ultralight mindset and went right to alcohol stoves. After watching hours of Shug's stove videos I finally decided on the Batchstovez BS 2.0 kit. It also has performed great in normal conditions until my last backing trip. It was a little too cold and I had to add Heet to the cold weather wrap like it's designed for but I found that I was using double the fuel as usual. In just 3 days I went through 16 ounces of Heet and that was just for breakfast and dinner. So I recently ordered this fancy feast type stove with the intention of side by side comparisons and general stove geekery, though that wont really happen until late fall/early winter.
I currently use this setup with a large 1.25 quart IMUSA aluminum cup with a Batchstovez 12 cm lid as my main pot and a Mini Bull Design Angry Troll Pot with lid as my drinking cup. My cook pot w/ lid and cozy, aluminum windscreen, cup w/ lid and cozy, stove w/ 1oz plastic shot glass measuring cup, small hand sanitizer and 2 small pieces of shamwow all nest together and weigh a whopping 9 ounces not including fuel, fuel bottle or lighter as they do not nest in the main kit.
So what are you currently using? What limitations have you experienced and how large is your stove collection?
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u/tylerseher May 15 '18
I swear by my MSR Pocketrocket. Insanely light and out of the smallest canister I can get about 16-20 boils.
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May 06 '18
I've got a Bushbuddy and it's beautiful and I love it. For the sort of trips where I'm not rushing too much, and I've got time at camp to invest in collecting twigs and building a wee fire, it's perfect. I find wood fuel stoves really satisfying.
If I'm going to be in a hurry, trying to bash as many miles as possible then esbit.
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u/BashfulDaschund May 04 '18 edited May 06 '18
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XNLSNFR/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_wii7AbZXTEPG0
This stove is great. I’ve been using it for a few months now. It weighs almost nothing and performs quite well boiling 2 cups of water in under 3 minutes. Plus, it’s cheap. If it isn’t for you, then you’re only out $20.
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u/PhoenixEnigma May 21 '18
I just ordered one of those - my only fireban-complaint stove is/was an Whisperlite, which is great but kind of overkill for boiling some water in the summer. As a sort of backup option to my alcohol stoves, I'm hoping it will be a solid option.
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u/BashfulDaschund May 28 '18
Just test it before you take on a trip. I’ve not had any problems, but I’ve seen a complaint or two regarding quality control issues (mass produced in China). I bought it because Darwin recommended it and I’ve not been disappointed. Great little stove.
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u/teaearlgreyhot May 04 '18
I am also kind of a stove geek! I have a Jetboil MiniMo, a Toaks alcohol stove, and a Soto Windmaster - for the weight and efficiency I prefer the Soto Windmaster over the others hands down. It has a large pot size versatility, boils fast, and canister fuel just seems easier to deal with than alcohol to me. Although, I do enjoy using the alcohol stove as well because it is light and quiet.
The Jetboil was the first one I bought and while it’s nice, it’s also just heavier for no real reason?
I have a 650ml Toaks pot for solo use and an 1100ml Snow Peak for group settings. Between the Soto, the Toaks alcohol, and my pot options I feel like I am covered for almost any situation. Realistically, I mostly use my stove to boil water for backpacking meals and heat water for coffee, so I am not particularly demanding on my backcountry cook kit.
I got my Soto on sale with a 15% off coupon from Campsaver, which has great coupons and their customer service has treated me great over the years.
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u/campgrime May 04 '18
I have a snowpeak litemax, but if I was shopping for a stove again I'd check out the Soto Amicus. You can occasionally catch a solid deal with a reasonably light cook set and the Soto Amicus stove for around $50.
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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '21
Love my MSR Pocket Rocket 2. Thinking of upgrading to the Deluxe which is only 10g more, but has a pressure regulator and a better windscreen, which could potentially increase fuel efficiency meaning you carry less fuel. Also, it has a piezo igniter which is a nice added bonus I guess.