fuel or gas cookers

[nlt82]

Morning all. I have enjoyed following the robust debate on what gear people use and prefer. Of course, it does come down to personal preference.
On that note I am interested in hearing from you on what your preferred cooker is. Do people prefer fuel burners or are you a gas burner hiker?
Also if you use fuel does anyone still use a trangia?
Or do you use a combination depending on the environment or hike?


Cheers

nlt82

[nlt82]

By fuel I mean metho spirits or similar

[Son of a Beach]

I prefer gas. It's just easier to manage, and with the right stove, it can still be good in very cold conditions. (When sharing with a larger group I use gas in the Trangia, but usually prefer a smaller lighter stove kit.)

Note that I often do real cooking, not just boiling water and rehydrating stuff. So good heat control is important to me. That's very hard to do with most metho stoves, but OK with some shellite stoves.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

I prefer the simplicity of gas. It's just so convenient and easy.

[madmacca]

For shorter trips, I will nornally use meths on a cat can stove as being cheaper and lighter. For longer trips I will use gas.

I use a lightweight Firemaple burner, but the real problem with gas is that even an empty cannister weighs 100-130 grams. 5 days is about my switchover point where the greater energy density of gas makes the weight of the cannister worthwhile.

My cooking is of the "boil water" variety, so the control issue is not really a factor for me. I also like the fact that you know exactly how much meths you have left, while with a gas cannister in the field it is largely a matter of guesswork.

It is possible to reduce heat on a meths stove by adding a few drops of water, or to make a slower burning DIY stove. But obviously you can't change it WHILE you are cooking. Slower burning stoves normally means greater fuel efficiency.

[Son of a Beach]

Slower burning stoves normally means greater fuel efficiency.

True, but I would have said, "burning stoves slower means greater fuel efficiency". Gas also makes this really easy to do. People just need to be aware of it.

[Scottyk]

Gas for me.
Clean, simple, no chance of a metho spill in your pack. Also great control with simmering etc.

Trangia gas conversion is what I use

[nlt82]

Is that through an additional burner Scottyk? I have a trangia but am interested in how it converts to gas.
cheers
nlt82

[Scottyk]

The burner is a add on you can buy for around the $70-80 mark. Google "trangia gas burner "and you'll find some wildly varying prices.
I use it either the little trangia or the big one if walking in a group.
I like it, some say its too heavy but I think it's a good stable cooking system

[nlt82]

Connect to a specific gas cannister? What is the average burn time for the gas cannister?

[Scottyk]

Any of the commonly available canisters will work, get them from any of the walking shops, Paddy Pallin etc
Burn times vary too much to give you a guess on what you need.
I use about 30g a day when walking solo. This is for me with my eating habits, no hot lunch, only hot coffee in the morning and a hot meal at night.
Get a small canister like this http://www.globetrekker.com.au/cooking/ ... ster-100g/, weigh it, take it on an overnighter and then weigh it again and you have a good indication of your usage and can plan for longer trips.

[nlt82]

Great advice. Thanks for that.

[simonm]

I like using metho burners but I don't know if I have a great reason for it. Perhaps because they are quiet, and slow - a bit like me .

[icefest]

There is a really good series of webpages written on this topic by Roger Caffin.
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Stoves.htm

This is a really rough synopsis.
Generally, by weight:
1-2 days: lightest is Metho
3-infinity: gas
Petrol is (almost) always heavier.

By price:
Normal use: Cheapest metho, then gas.

Petrol only becomes worthwhile if you are melting a lot of snow for a lot of people for long periods of time. Then it is cheap.

[ryantmalone]

Morning all. I have enjoyed following the robust debate on what gear people use and prefer. Of course, it does come down to personal preference.
On that note I am interested in hearing from you on what your preferred cooker is. Do people prefer fuel burners or are you a gas burner hiker?
Also if you use fuel does anyone still use a trangia?
Or do you use a combination depending on the environment or hike?


Cheers

nlt82

I used gas canister stoves for a little bit (MSR Pocket Rocket), however I found myself in an odd spot one Summer on the Bogong High Plains, when the temps dropped below freezing, and I just couldn't cook my breakfast on it, because of how the pressure affected the canister. Was like trying to boil water over a lit match.

I know that there are some newer stoves that have fixed this issue, however I chose to use liquid fuel stoves for this reason, plus the fact that the majority of them are downright bulletproof, field serviceable, and cheap to run.

At the moment, I use either a Whisperlite, or a Optimus Hiker Plus, and they are yet to fail me. Seriously bullet proof, and if you are careful with how you carry your fuel, you'll be fine.

As for a Trangia, in my opinion, they are the most reliable stove on the market, always have been, and always will be. I don't own one, however I used one for around 15 years of my life, and it is hands down the best stove on the market. In my opinion anyway.

[corvus]

G'day ,
I own all types of stoves (bit of a tragic) and now favour a remote gas burner with a heat exchanger if you can afford one they will boil and simmer ,if using in warmer climes you can even use those cheap butane cartridges with an inexpensive adaptor.
corvus

[MartyGwynne]

I own several gas stoves and also a small and a large trangia. The trangia is great in my opinion for temp control but it makes it nice and slow which is good in the right places. I add water and also can vary the simmer ring to get the right temp.
I also like the gas ones (low tech one) which screw straight on top of the gas bottle. But you do need to guard them from the wind. I use gas for longer walks and where weight needs to be kept low.
I also cook food from scratch rather than boil water then add to food then heat again etc so my preference for stoves is different from others.

[Orion]

There is a really good series of webpages written on this topic by Roger Caffin.
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Stoves.htm

An excellent resource, but not perfect. Roger has made a common mistake in quoting the energy content of fuels in that he shows the higher heating values for the gases and the lower values for petrol and metho. Since nobody really uses these numbers when they plan a trip it is inconsequential unless you're a stove geek.

This is a really rough synopsis.
Generally, by weight:
1-2 days: lightest is Metho
3-infinity: gas
Petrol is (almost) always heavier.

Only 2 days of advantage for metho? I think when making this sort of comparison it's necessary to be specific about stoves, pots, and rate of fuel usage. There is also a another perspective -- the average weight over the course of a trip. Looking at it this way metho does better.

Other lightweight contenders include esbit and stoveless.