Cook stoves

MSR Reactor?
Anyone used one of these? Backpacker mag gave it a good review if I remember correctly.

Link to plans, templates and instruction
http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm



Click on the Alcohol stove tab and check out the drop down menu…

well
Well the two burner coleman stoves are always good and durable…they have been the standard for camping stove for a long time. its big and may not be good for kayaking but for canoing…

small version stove

coleman apex—good and lightweight and have a simmer mode which is nice. ive used both above stoves for a long time.

msr’s whisperlight is good too.

Thanks for the links

– Last Updated: Aug-15-08 8:54 PM EST –

I used the Pocket Rocket on my latest trip. One can of fuel lasted the whole trip practically (5.5 days). Gave out the last night. That was 3 people with light cooking, but boiling water every am & most pms. I thought that was pretty good!!

now I just have to find people who will come to a stove making party. Maybe beer will help boost the guest list.

Long Drive…
can we do the party by VTC?

Sure
I will just have to mail everyone their beer in advance. : )

MSR
I use a MSR XKG-EX. It’s loud, doesn’t simmer, not the lightest, doesn’t pack as well as others, and cost around $130. However, it will burn anything you put in the tank, is the number one proven expedition stove worldwide, super fast boil times, and has never failed me. It’s over kill for most trips but it’s cool.Also, I’m not a canister guy, I prefer liquid fuel. I used a Peak 1 prior to this for 10 years.



Jerry

Optimus Hiker
has been my latest stove. I to am moving away from the canister fuels. Lately I have also been taking a Thremette to boil water using sticks and twigs, why burn expensive fuel to boil water? Another just tried option for the water is a Littlebug folding stove. It has the advantage over the Thremette by being easier to transport in the kayak. I use a pot I was already taking but now it has a black coat :slight_smile:

Lightweight Camp Stoves
I have used just about every type of camp stove on the market over the 50+ years I have backpacked, climbed, river run, and XC Skiied. As an Outdoor Living Instructor I purchased many different types of stoves so students would get experience using different models and types of fuels. I have used propane, butane, white gas, alcohol, and regular gas models.

The best stove I have ever used for all around use at sea level to high altitude is the Optimus 8 R white gas stove. It has only one moving part. It is easy to prime and light. It boils a pint of water in under 3 minutes. It sits low in its windscreen and is indistructable. In forty years of using them I have never had a malfunction. Cost is $59.

Linky???
Paddle easy,



Coffee

Where?
Where might one find an 8R for $59? I’ve never been able to find one except on auction, sold as “vintage” for ridiculous prices.



BTW, I swear by the Coleman designs. I have a Feather 400 (among others) that works like a charm. There’s no complicated priming procedure to follow and I get a blue flame in under 30 seconds, max. For those really cold days, a bit of bark set alight under the generator, a blob of fire paste or a squirt of antibacterial hand gel (you should have it with you anyway, it’s mostly alcohol) pre-heats it enough to light in the coldest weather. As for the MSR folks who exclaim, “but you can’t field strip it”, that’s a load of crap. I can disassemble every piece of Coleman equipment I own with the Multi-tool I never leave home without. No tiny parts to lose. Just pack a spare generator and put a few drops of oil in the pump once a year. The real testament is though, that I’ve never had to field strip an “all in one” Coleman stove, so long as it was operated per the directions. Will my Feather 400 pack down to the size of a thimble and burn everything from ether to road tar and in between? No, but for canoe camping, it’s not an issue. A few pints of Coleman fuel will last quite a while.



Phreon

Optimus 8 R white gas stove
How funny, I’d like to find one to display…

There are
Russian copies out there for under $50, hard to tell from the real thing.

Jetboil PCS. All I need
Small , efficient, cooks the type of food I eat and makes great coffee.

ditto Jetboil
Easy on fuel, works fast, stores easy. If boiling water is your means of cooking it’s excellent.

jetboil lover
I have had my jetboil for three years now. I don’t go anywhere without it (camping/hiking/kayaking). It will boil a liter in minutes. Super efficient equals less fuel. I have the coffee press addition, great. Coffee in minutes. Draw backs are, as repeated, doesn’t simmer foods well (too hot). I will try the new jetboil cook pot this week.

Found a vid…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSIFxpTZ280&feature=related



Paddle easy,



Coffee

Primus Multifuel
I just picked up a used Primus Multifuel (Himalaya) stove. It has a metal pump unlike MSR’s, will burn White gas, Coleman fuel, kerosene and butane cannisters. I’ve tried it with the butane and white gas and it works great. It’s a real rocket, but can simmer with a little fiddling on white gas and perfectly with butane.



Sierra Trading Post has these new from time to time for $70 bucks and geartrade.com has 'em “like new” for around $30 now and then.



Phreon

I like my zip ztove
I dont have to worry about packing fuel and it spilling all over my gear. Cleanup may take a little more elbow grease

Jet-Boil fuel use
Mystical asked …



“I also am fascinated by this Jet Boil-first time I have seen it. It claims to heat water faster than my electric one at my desk at work. Does it really boil two cups of water in two minutes? I could definitely see using that a lot. It says it is a fuel miser as well. How many cups per fuel canister? How does wind affect it?”





On solo canoe trips, I have been getting 6 days of use from one 100 gram cannister. That is boiling 3 cups of so of water in the morning, and 4 to 5 cups for dinner.



For two people, I have used the 220 ? gram large size cannister, and get about the same usage, but just a bit less - I don’t use the Jet-boil pot with the large cannister, just use a regular one qt pot on top of the por support they sell. Not as efficient as the heat-exchanger cup that comes with the stove, and more wind sensitive, so not as fuel efficient that way.



I actually jsut got back from a hunting trip, packing in to 11,000 feet. Elevation does not seem to affect the performance much, if at all. Camped a few days at 11k, and a few at 8k. For cold weather, its a good idea to keep the canister in your sleeping bag with you, so it starts out warm - I haven’t had to do that yet.



I don’t let the stove run on idle, rather I shut it off after the water comes to a boil.



So far, it has worked fine at temps about freezing (some frost) - haven’t tried it yet in colder weather.





I also have two Peak 1 white gas stoves, and like them as well as hte Jetboil, but they are heavier and bulkier to pack for backpacking.