What stove do you use?

[rucksack]

etrangere

You are correct. The Primus OmniFuel and MultiFuel EX stoves come with three jets: 0.45mm for gas, 0.37mm for Shellite, and 0.28mm for kerosene & diesel. The Primus-designed Trangia Multifuel X2 stove only comes with two: 0.35mm for both gas and Shellite, and the same 0.28mm for kerosene & diesel. I agree with you about the jet sizes; I am sure that is how they have backed off the stove so that it can be used in a Trangia 25 set-up. The difference for Shellite is minimal (0.37mm down to 0.35mm), but there is a considerable change for canister gas (0.45mm down to 0.35mm). One less jet to worry about though. I will let you know how the X2 performs after my upcoming trip. I should be able to give it a good workout over the three weeks. I have kept my old Primus gas stove burner for the Trangia, as I have had it for ages, and I don't mind keeping it. It can keep the other stoves company.

I was trying to think of a dual Shellite / canister gas burner that would suit your Trangia 27, but short of a bit of serious shed work, I cannot immediately think of one. I have seen an Optimus Nova 'converted' to burn canister gas and liquid fuels. The Nova has a single jet too, so if you fancied a bit of 'manufacturing', you might be able to come up with a Nova-Trangia hybrid. Voids any warranty, of course, and probably in both directions. The Kovea dual fuel Booster+1 might also work, but it would be a pity to cannibalise those wonderful geared legs. The new MSR Whisperlite Universal also burns canister gas and liquid fuels, but I don't know if it will fit into a Trangia without a bit of surgery. You could always 'trade up' to a Trangia 25, but that's another stove, isn't it?

rucksack

[kyle]

Got my new stove in the mail yesterday from the states. A new Jetboil Zip, pretty much the same as the other newer models out (Flash), just doesn't have a built-in igniter and doesn't have the gel pad indicator thingy to tell when its hot (cause apparently steam isnt enough?).



Performance wise its great, super hot, super quickly and when filled with liquid it stays super hot. Around the 2 minute mark for 500ml of water to boil, a lot faster than sitting around the old Trangia. Might do a side by side test when I go and get fresh fuel.

Ive always got some kind of spark on me (lighter, flint, matches, zippo) so im not too worried about the lack of igniter, but it does cause a bit more hassle if you are fiddling with the flame size and accidentally put it out, take off mug - relight - mug back on.

Pretty small, pretty light, I think its a winner.

Comes with everything you see in the pictures (apart from small Trangia pot and gas canister) and all fits inside (apart from Trangia pot). More feedback in the next couple of weeks after heading out bush. So far 2 minute noodles, popcorn and hot chocolate yesterday for lunch at home worked a treat, all prepared with the Jetboil.

[photohiker]

I tried the Supalite stove today, boiled 500mills of water and used 7 grams of fuel. That works out 4-6 extra boils per canister I can get with the Supalite.

Not bad, about 14.3 boils per 100g. Almost the same as my SnowPeak (15), both well down on the Jetboil though (20+)

From a weight (fuel + stove) perspective, Jetboil seems to come into its own at around 5-7 days.

[ULWalkingPhil]

I was originally considering the Jetboil Sol Titanium from the states, till I read a warning in the manual and read some reports on the heat exchange practically melting because of the high heat output if you don't use liquids in the pot at all times.

[vagrom]

Thanks Tony,
there was a recent thread about a model released to replace the Pocket Rocket; possibly the "Pocket Micro". Reference was made to the Achilles Heel of the former, perhaps something to do with the arms or inherent instability due to the height of a full bowl of food, off the ground. I thought some criticism attached to MSR's outsourcing of manufacture to Korea. I went home and noticed that mine was Korean made (bought Adelaide 12/'07). It's a very smart and well made piece.
As with so much other camping stuff e.g Petzl's Tikka, a lot that follows appears to simply imitate; often cheaper and less well made.
As with the Rocket, so with the bowls. I'm glad you see Titanium as a bit overhyped. Marvellous stuff; light, shiny and strong. But the cost! The misplaced Titanium spoon...AAARGH! (Eastons still sell $8 tent pegs. There must be a market for them).
Glad you've done the comparisons. It'd just be a pity to have enquirers going past perfectly good stuff that's been around for ages, bamboozled by the choice of stuff that greets someone setting out to gear-up safely and affordably.

As for lids, they'd be hard to find but I got an old 6"x2" circular, alum. baking dish in a op. shop that weighs 88gms. It fits nicely over the 27 series Trang. bowls and acts as a heat trap, not just a lid. At a pinch, it's an extra bowl. It's so light that it bends easily so the Trang. bowls nesting inside it, protect it in transit. The flame's still not shielded but the insulating effect seems plain.

[gbedford]

Quite a good discussion.
I have used a pocket rocket gas stover since they came out. The billy supports are fine but I use a jet boil base to add stability for the cylinder.
Sounds like those Monatauk Gnat stoves are good but I am not htat bothered by a few grams and not having to fork out more money.
In the snow I use a MSR Simmerlite. Terrible at simmering and it flares more when lighting, compared to the old Whispherlite but it is significantly lighter.
MSR have a new multi fuel stove coming out which will burn gas or shellite. Could be alright in the snow as the gas cylinder can be inverted.

Cheers,
Gordon

[rucksack]

etrangere

You are right about the jets. The Primus OmniFuel and MultiFuel Ex stoves each come with 3 jets: a 0.45mm for canister gas, a 0.37mm for Shellite, and a 0.28mm for kerosene and diesel. Primus have reduced that to two jets for the Trangia Multifuel X2 stove: a 0.35mm for both canister gas and Shellite (very helpful) and the 0.28mm for kerosene & diesel. I am sure that this is how they have backed off the stove so that it can be used in a Trangia 25 windshield. Perhaps, they couldn't back it off enough to run the X2 in the Trangia 27?

There are a few dual canister gas / liquid fuel stoves around, including the Kovea Booster+ (gas & Shellite) and the new MSR Whisperlite Universal (gas, Shellite, kerosene & diesel). I have also seen an Optimus Nova re-plumbed to run on gas and liquid fuels. A bit of work in the shed required on that one and it has obviously voided any warranties. Have you thought about trading 'up' to a Trangia 25; you could run an X2 then - it's only 'another' stove after all. (Just joking.)

rucksack

[John Sheridan]

Is the Kovea Supalite titanium the best gas stove you can get, I am looking for the lightest cooking system, at the moment I have a trangia mini, kind of weighs a bit with the fuel and I would take about 500 mls for a a 10 day trip.

If you wanted to boil 500 mls a day for 10 days how long would the Kovea Supalite titanium last on one canister, don't mind taking two canisters

I like the idea of being able to simmer as well, I like my pancakes and stuff that needs simmering

Cheers.

How much is the Stove and one gas Canister weigh ???

Thanks.

[Tony]

Is the Kovea Supalite titanium the best gas stove you can get, I am looking for the lightest cooking system, at the moment I have a trangia mini, kind of weighs a bit with the fuel and I would take about 500 mls for a a 10 day trip.

If you wanted to boil 500 mls a day for 10 days how long would the Kovea Supalite titanium last on one canister, don't mind taking two canisters

I like the idea of being able to simmer as well, I like my pancakes and stuff that needs simmering

Cheers.

How much is the Stove and one gas Canister weigh ???

Thanks.

Hi John,

The Kovea Supalite is a good choice, I am very happy with mine and it is my first choice stove.

For a ten day trip, one person with an average usage of 15-20g per day you should only need one 230g canister, the full canister weighs in at around 356g, so the empty canister weighs around 126g.

What you do need to get the most out of an upright canister gas stove is a good windscreen but a windscreen should be used with caution, there are some good articles about windscreens and safety on these sites Roger Caffins FAQ on Overheating gas Cartridges - Myths and Facts, Jim Woods Base Camp Build Your Own KiteScreen and Adventures in Stoving Windscreens.

One bit of advice, do not run the gas stove flat out, you will just waste fuel, a boil time for 500ml of around 6-8 minutes is the the most efficient, do not use a small diameter pot, around 130-150mm diameter is a good size.

Tony

Last edited by Tony on Thu 08 Sep, 2011 8:19 am, edited 2 times in total.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Is the Kovea Supalite titanium the best gas stove you can get, I am looking for the lightest cooking system, at the moment I have a trangia mini, kind of weighs a bit with the fuel and I would take about 500 mls for a a 10 day trip.

If you wanted to boil 500 mls a day for 10 days how long would the Kovea Supalite titanium last on one canister, don't mind taking two canisters

I like the idea of being able to simmer as well, I like my pancakes and stuff that needs simmering

Cheers.

How much is the Stove and one gas Canister weigh ???

Thanks.

Hi John, I've only owned my Kovea Supalite stove for one day, I tried it twice yesterday. Boiled 500 mills of water and used up 7 grams of fuel.
The gas canister I'm using is a Coleman, the total weight is 364 grams for the canister, the canister holds 220 grams of gas.
The stove is only 60 grams.
It's early days, still need to run more tests to confirm, but if I boiled 500 mills per day for 10 days, I would use up apx 70 grams of fuel.

I was a little surprised with the total weight of the gas canister at 364 grams. However the one canister will last a long time, certainly more than enough for 10 days.

[Bronski]

I love rethinking and coming up with new things for the camp kitchen setup. I started out with a generic trangia stove given to me for my 18th that soon died a death with use it was intended for (kind of like a kmart mountain bike that comes with a sticker warning it's not for off road use). You get what you pay! Since then I have used a pocket rocket, very happily. And only earlier this year I bought a brunton vesta butane stove. The set up for this is coupled with a snow peak burner sheet and a windscreen. I still intend on using my pocket rocket, it'll mostly depend on what I plan to cook as to what I'll take. I am a frustrated chef in the backcountry, so I have a few other modifications to the kit too. I do like being able actually cook rather that re-hydrate and heat! I love my titanium pots and am able to cook stuff that would otherwise burn black to the pot by using a simmer mat. I still need to cut down the simmer mat though. I'll take a photo of both my setups and show you my two kits.

[photohiker]

I was a little surprised with the total weight of the gas canister at 364 grams. However the one canister will last a long time, certainly more than enough for 10 days.

Yea. Even the 100g runs to around 190 when full.

Regarding Consumption. I used about 1.75 250's in Scotland with the SnowPeak. 3 boils per day in cool to cold generally windy weather, dehy cooking and brews in the vestibule with windscreen. The first 250 only lasted the first week (coldest and windiest) and the second was half gone by the end of the second week. I carried a 100 as spare. The second 250 was bought at one of the towns on my route in the highlands and it had a different iso mix, burned better than the first.

Conditions on the trail can wreak havoc on your calculations. I had expected the 250 + spare to last the whole trip. I was surprised the 250 ran out so quick but wind and cold temps challenged the heat more than expected. If/when I do it again, I'll take the jetboil. Its more efficient and doesn't seem to get knocked around so much by a breeze. Pretty sure a single 250 with a 100 as backup would do the whole trip with that one.

[corvus]

For the record I use Kovea/elemental 230g canisters 364g full 134g empty. Last week
using my FMS-100T stove outside with 2degrees in the evening and 4 degrees in the morning two of us used 76g of gas to cook a pasta dish with 525ml of liquid and 8mins simmer plus boil 2750ml for drinks, breakfast and wash up so I guess we would get three days out of one 230g canister which would increase in warmer weather by one more day .
corvus

Last edited by corvus on Thu 08 Sep, 2011 8:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[norts]

One thing a mate noticed with the supa light , it is easy to not get it sealed properly , the large square bit on the stove sometimes catches on the lip of some canisters. I use the normal titanium kovea and it doesnt have the boxy bit.


Roger

[vagrom]

We had a mini "situation" as we came off the Ducane Range 3 years ago. Our leader was using a flashing shield with a Kovea gas stove; the Rocket look-alike, with a petzo. Something happened and every time he tried to wind the stove piece from the cannister it was clear that sealing wasn't occuring and the gas was running free. No drama; we simply let the thing empty itself. But we wondered if heat provided by the shielding had fouled something up. In light of comments above about unwarranted panic, it seems that once in a blue moon you get a dud cannister where the seal fails (?).

[corvus]

Is the Kovea Supalite titanium the best gas stove you can get, I am looking for the lightest cooking system, at the moment I have a trangia mini, kind of weighs a bit with the fuel and I would take about 500 mls for a a 10 day trip.

If you wanted to boil 500 mls a day for 10 days how long would the Kovea Supalite titanium last on one canister, don't mind taking two canisters

I like the idea of being able to simmer as well, I like my pancakes and stuff that needs simmering

Cheers.

How much is the Stove and one gas Canister weigh ???

Thanks.

In my opinion the FMS116T at 48g with its variants (Gnat etc) is a really good stove it has a big burner head for heat spread (like the Optimus Crux) and you will get it to simmer (as all canister top stoves) only if you use a wind shield and monitor it with care in use still like my PR and Kovea Ti stoves but find their burner head flame a bit too concentrated when used with Ti or thin Aluminium pots
corvus

[Bronski]

This is my basic cooking kit for generally colder conditions. I haven't used the brunton stove on any trips yet, but I like so far the bigger burner.




My trusty old pocket rocket. Always goes on warmer/costal trips. I DISLIKE sand! So I love having the little table

[Andy1912]

Well, I'm currently live in Vietnam and usually hike with friends on dry season (yeah, there're only 2 seasons here: dry & rainy). So I love this guy:

It's a Vargo Titanium Wood Stove. Back in QLD, I usually used alcohol stove.

[frenchy_84]

lots of people with the Kovea Supalite but not many with the Optimus Crux, Is there are reason people dont like this stove?

[doogs]

lots of people with the Kovea Supalite but not many with the Optimus Crux, Is there are reason people dont like this stove?

I am interested in this too, as I have earmarked the optimus crux with cookset as my next purchase. I currently have a trangia with a gas conversion kit which is great but bulky and I have a cheap fire maple stove which I would only take on day trips and overnighters due to reliabilty.

[corvus]

I love my Optimus Crux (I have the folding one) and would still be using it it I had not purchased the FMS-100T ,the Crux is a really good stove 89g nice big burner head, will simmer however does get slow in very cold conditions ( which is common for Tasmania)if used on top of the canister.
I used mine with a Brunton remote stove stand and cobbled up a very basic copper wire "heat exchanger" which did improve the cold weather performance.
corvus
P.S. which Fire Maple stove do you use doogs ?

[doogs]

P.S. which Fire Maple stove do you use doogs ?

Sorry Corvus I meant Star Fire (One Road) One word out of the two being correct isn't a bad effort for me

[dclayw]

I've had a pocket rocket for around 10 years, has served me well and never had a problem with it. No reason to change really. Does have stability problems but is fine if you're careful. I'm careful, never had a spill with mine.

[corvus]

Just been looking at some more stoves (cannot help myself is there a stove collectors anonymous out there ) and discovered that that the FMS-116T is now selling for what it should be $61.00 US dollars FIS ex Honkers so if you can pick one up from Kathmandu for $40.00 AU you will get a bargain
Gees the Multi fuel FMS-F1 and FMS-F2 are looking good
corvus

[rucksack]

Corvus, do you want to be tempted?

Kovea have a couple of new stoves out this year; their new remote canister Camp 5 (KB-1006), which weights in at 156g, and is 44g lighter than your Fire Maple FMS-100T. They rate it at 1725 kcal (6845 BTU). I haven't seen one in real life yet, but it's on Kovea's web site, along with their new Flame Tornado (KB-1005), which they claim tips the scales at a puny 76.7g and rate at 1892 kcal (7508 BTU). The Camp 5 also has geared legs & pot supports, something that Kovea seem rather keen on. Tempted?

Snow Peak no longer have their interesting GigaPower Li Metal Crab (GS-320) on their web site, (which in all likelihood, 'inspired' Fire Maple to come up with their FMS-100, FMS-100T and FMS-F2 family of stoves - and these have obviously already caught your eye), but I see that they have their GigaPower BF stove (the GS-300A) back in production. I have 2 of these. The Snow Peak GS-300A is a fabulous remote canister stove; a bit heavy at 416g (in its hard case, but only 305g san case). Snow Peak rate it at a very serious 11,200 BTU and I believe them. I have run mine in very cold sub-zero temperatures, using an inverted gas canister and it worked a treat. Piezi ignition too and very stable with wide pot supports. What more could you want?

It's never-ending isn't it?

rucksack

[corvus]

G'day rucksac,
Mrs corvus has just put a "hex" on you as we are both now retired and income is tight (but not that tight) so I can look at stoves provided she can check out Chinese beads and Snuff bottles and you can be rest assured that I will be checking out the stoves you mentioned not overly keen on Piezo since I broke one just use a fire steel now as they are fail safe and break proof
corvus

[corvus]

Looked at both the Kovea KB1005 and 1006 neither of them "ring my bell" so our nest egg is safe for a bit longer
corvus

[ninjapuppet]

In terms of shellite stoves, is there anything lighter than a whisperlite out there?

[rucksack]

Yes. The original MSR Whisperlite (Shellite only) is in the middle of the ruck now, as far as stove weight is concerned.

The following are stove only figures, and are only 'some' of the Shellite stoves around, of course. You need to add another 100g or so for a pump to each of these figures, as well as a fuel bottle. Some pumps are lighter, (as light as 78g) and some are heavier, (up to 130g).

Edelrid Hexon Multifuel (Shellite, gas, kerosene) GERMANY - 220g (+113g for the pump)
MSR Simmerlite (Shellite only) USA - 240g (+100g for the pump)
Kovea Booster Calm (Shellite only) KOREA - 298g (+78g for the pump)
Fire Maple FMS-F2 (Shellite & gas) CHINA - 300g (+ pump)
MSR Whisperlite (Shellite only) USA - 305g (+100g for the pump)
Optimus Nova+ (Shellite, kerosene, diesel, plus) SWEDEN - 321g (+ 130g pump)
Optimus Nova (Shellite, kerosene, diesel, plus) SWEDEN - 330g (+ 130g pump)
MSR Whisperlite International (Shellite, kerosene, diesel) USA - 330g (+100g for the pump)
Primus MultiFuel EX (Shellite, kerosene, diesel, gas, plus) SWEDEN - 334g (+102g for the pump)
Primus OmniFuel (Shellite, kerosene, diesel, gas, plus) SWEDEN - 339g (+102g for the pump)
Kovea Dual Max (Shellite & gas) KOREA - 340g (+78g for the pump)
Snow Peak GS-010R (Shellite only) JAPAN - 355g (+ pump)
MSR XGK-EX (Shellite, kerosene, diesel, plus) USA - 374g (+100g for the pump)

E&O accepted, of course.

A third incarnation of the MSR Whisperlite (to be called a Whisperlite Universal) will be released next year. It will burn Shellite and the same liquid fuels as the Whisperlite International does, plus gas.

rucksack

[ninjapuppet]

Thanks Rucksack. I didnt expect you to go to all that trouble of listing ALL of that.. but thanks alot!

Just havent been up to date on stoves for ages and was wondering if there was anything surpassing my whisperlite in terms of weight. I really do prefer the operation of the optimus nova over the whisperlite but at such a weight penalty when mountaineering, i keep reaching back into my stove collection for the lightest one every time I pack. The whisperlite set is 434g (excl bottle), compares to my nova complete set at 621g (excl bottle)
I had 3 nova stoves at one stage, and their weights varied somewhat (305g, 310g, 332g)

As for the new universal model, Its great for someone starting out and only wanting to have 1 stove, but for those who have a few in their collection to choose from, I think its a jack of all trades and master of none. It wouldnt win on a weight basis compared to the original whisperlite. You need to change jets with different fuels unlike the nova series (its easy to loose or damage jets). And for gas, jetbol titanium and MSR reactors will trump it for efficiency.