Recommendations for inexpensive stove

[erugs]

I returned home from a trip to WY recently and one of my bags hasn't arrived yet. I'm heading out west again (WA) next weekend and need to replace some of what was in the bag that the airline can't find. I saw an add in Sierra Trading Post for a Cook-Lite Comb, by Primus. Has anyone had any experience with this stove? We'll be car camping and backpacking and I don't want spend a lot right now replacing gear that may come back to me in a few months, but I don't want to waste money, either.

(I did a search of this site but nothing I saw answered my question.)

 

[Jason Berard]

If you have about 30 minutes of free time, and some basic tools, then this is a GREAT stove! I love mine. Its lightweight, and cooks as fast as my whisperlight, and only uses about 1 1/4 ounces of alcohol to boil a quart of water.

stove link here

 

[onestep]

I'll second the Alcohol stove recommendation.

I've tried several of the homemade variety and all work well. My favorite though is the Trangia. Here is a pic of my cookset that I use for backpacking. With a few additions this basic set up works well for car camping too

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Ellen -

Tough to go wrong with MSR's Pocket Rocket for $40.

 

[erugs]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've wondered about making my own, following directions. Kevin-the Rocket Pocket is what is in our missing gear. We did have trouble keeping our pan steady on that model. Do you know of any fixes for that problem? (The MSR Blacklight pans did help, with the ridges, but my son now has those out in Colorado.)

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've wondered about making my own, following directions. Kevin-the Rocket Pocket is what is in our missing gear. We did have trouble keeping our pan steady on that model. Do you know of any fixes for that problem? (The MSR Blacklight pans did help, with the ridges, but my son now has those out in Colorado.)

I know what you mean - those tiny stoves don't have much of a surface area to support stuff, which is one of the reasons they're so light. I don't have a solution either - I once asked a REI staffer if he knew of any aftermarket gizmo, and he didn't, but that was a couple of years ago so maybe there is now.

It's a bit of a conundrum - do you want a super lightweight stove, or one with windscreens, wide cooking surface, outriggers for stability, etc.

 

[DougPaul]

According to some review that I saw, the Snow Peak Giga Power Stove http://www.rei.com/product/643058 was better than the pocket rocket. There are versions with and without the piezo lighter and also a titanium version for the ultra-lighters (REI carries all 3 versions.)

It might also be worth considering some of the stoves that use inverted butane cannisters--they work better in the cold.

Doug