stove with good track record

[adirobdack46r]

I'm looking for advice on a stove for most conditions, that people have had great luck with. All I've ever hiked with is a little primus stove that takes the pressurized cans. It is basically the same stove as say an MSR pocket rocket. Have always had decent luck with it but tried to make some hot coco a couple weeks ago and it wouldn't boil water to save its life. I had very little flame though the can of fuel felt about half full. generally I summer hike, this day was only about 35degF. I've heard these stoves don't work well in the cold or at high altitude because they are pre pressurized and the fuel thickens in the cold.

There are so many choices out there. I'm looking for advice on something simple, relatively light, works well in summer and winter.

 

[giggy]

I use the pocket rocket and try this before you write off the primus:

1) use the 4 season fuel - still not 100% great in cold weather, but...have had decent results above 15 to 20 degrees.

2) make sure the cannister is really tight. A few weeks ago, I had a similar problem with small flame and at first I thought it might be the cold - but it was well over 40 degrees and I tightened the cannister big time and then all was well.

that being said, the cannister is not ideal for really cold temps (below 0, etc..) but above 15 or 20, I have had good results....

do what you can to get it out of the wind too


you can warm the cannister by sleeping with it or tucking into your clothes prior to cooking.


personally, I like the simplicity of the cannister stove and while most of my buddies use the white gas ones, becuase I am an idiot and there are too many moving parts on those, I have to keep it simple with the pocket rocker

 

[leaf]

yeah, i've got a primus that uses the pressurized gas. works like crap in the cold weather. not even going to bother bringing it to the cascades next month.

i've already got enough gas when i sleep.

 

[Little Rickie]

I love my SimmerLite with a small fuel bottle or a small home made alcohol stove, sometimes both.

 

[erugs]

When our backpacking gear was lost on a return flight, we replaced our MSR Rocket Pocket with the MSR Superfly. It cost just a little more, weighed a bit more, but has the ability to use a number of different types of canister fuel, which makes it a little easier to buy additional canisters at the last minute. In addition, our pots (needed to be replaced, too) fit with more stability on the Superfly. I also carry a White Box alcohol stove as backup when backpacking, and as part of my standard gear for day hikes.

 

[sardog1]

SVEA 123R.

They can have my SVEA when they pry it from my cold, dead hands. And when they fill it up again, it will keep on working, at any air temperature down to -35F and below, just as it has done for me for the last forty years.

Yeah, the kool kids will laugh at you. They don't know what the hell they're talking about.

 

[DougPaul]

My 35+ year old Optimus 8R (plus pump) still works perfectly well.

As does my 30+ year old MSR Model G.

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

Superfly in the summer, Dragonfly in the winter. The combination has never let me down.

 

[Chip]

Superfly in the summer, Dragonfly in the winter.

Isn't that the the name of the new Chris Tucker/Jackie Chan movie ?

I love the stove discussion ! I replaced my 30 year old Optimus 8r with the Optimus/Primus Varifuel. Burns loud and proud anytime, anywhere on almost anything, mostly Coleman fuel. Despite it's high temps and jet roar, it's very fuel efficient.

I had very little flame though the can of fuel felt about half full.

You may need to clean the jet/nossel thing, in addition to the above suggestions.

 

[adirobdack46r]

Come to think of it, a ways back in mid summer I did have a similar issue with low flame and I did in fact just crank the stove on to the canister tighter and it took right off. I forgot all about that till reading some of the above replies. If I get in to winter camping I'll probably need a different style stove. But for right now, I bet it was just how far it was screwed on to the canister. I never suspected the stove as being shot, as after I couldn't boil that water and decided to just pack up, I did swap to another canister and it flamed right up. So I figured it was either a bad canister or that it didn't like the temperature. I didn't even think at the time that it could have been how hard it was crewed on. I guess some of the cannisters are not manufactured to the exact same specs and on some it really has to be cranked down to open the pathway up. I've used a mix of canisters, Primis, MSR, Coleman to name a few, can't remember which one I had the problem with.

 

[adirobdack46r]

Which brings up another question. From what I've seen, all those canister type stoves will screw on to most of the casisters out there no matter who made them. In all of your experiences and experimentations, has anyone determined one canister to burn hotter or better then he others? i.e. MSR, Coleman, Primus, etc.

 

[Oldsmores]

sardog said all you need to know

Couldn't have said it better myself...

SVEA 123R.

They can have my SVEA when they pry it from my cold, dead hands. And when they fill it up again, it will keep on working, at any air temperature down to -35F and below, just as it has done for me for the last forty years.

Yeah, the kool kids will laugh at you. They don't know what the hell they're talking about.

 

[Snowflea]

For my next backpacking adventure, I want to make one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pajkt594Ruw Meow.

In the meantime, the Pocket Rocket works great.

 

[kevinmac]

For my next backpacking adventure, I want to make one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pajkt594Ruw Meow.

Thanks for posting... neat little idea.

 

[DuctTape]

I use alcohol stoves exclusively even in the dead of winter. If I had to choose only one design for all my use , it would be the Fancee Feest stove made by zelph at bplite.com. It is the most versatile and works great even in sub-zero weather. No muss no fuss all the time. Note: this is a different stove than the one Andrew S makes in the youtube video, though it uses the same cat food can as its base.

 

[Little Rickie]

If I had to choose only one design for all my use , it would be the Fancee Feest stove made by zelph at bplite.com. It is the most versatile and works great even in sub-zero weather. No muss no fuss all the time..

I bought some cat food so I could try making the stove but haven't had the guts to eat the cat food yet.

I haven't bought my fiberglass clothy yet. Can I get it at Home Depot?

 

[DuctTape]

I bought some cat food so I could try making the stove but haven't had the guts to eat the cat food yet.

I haven't bought my fiberglass clothy yet. Can I get it at Home Depot?

Go to an automotive store, you are looking for body repair cloth, commonly called "Bondo" http://www.amazon.com/Bondo-499-Fiberglass-Cloth-sq-ft/dp/B000BQSKQY

 

[fritz]

svea

Loaned my svea 123 to my son 30 yrs ago. haven't seen it since. I really liked that burner.
Anyone know if they are still available

 

[MichaelJ]

One comment for all the Pocket Rocket lovers ... the Superfly is just a tiny bit of weight and size more, but gives you I believe a bit more stability, and a piezoelectric lighter. Now, of course I always carry matches as a backup, but it's nice to have that extra piece of mind.

 

[Chip]

Loaned my svea 123 to my son 30 yrs ago. haven't seen it since. I really liked that burner.
Anyone know if they are still available

Yes, and pretty reasonable for what you're getting.