Gas canister stoves & Light weight gear.

[PGS]

Hi all,

My first post on BW.C ,

I'm building a light weight kit and looking at a couple of options for light, quick/ easy convenience gas canister stoves and to cut the weigh. Use would be Oz bush maybe snow, maybe NZ mountaineering (v low priority). Has anyone had any experience with the following:

Snow Peak GigaPower (auto ignition)
Coleman F1/Power boost.
Optimus Crux Lite

Ive read few articles /reviews re wt vs fuel vs cost etc, so not looking for info on liquid stoves - got that covered already.

Im looking for something that is light, works well with good simmer control (all the above have simmer). I'm also inclined towards the 'burner on the canister style', as I think this is lighter overall, and just as good. Also provides some canister warming in cold conditions.

I like the idea of having a piezo ignition in case I grab and go and forget lighter/ matches, even though in the pack I usually have both. I did look at a Jetboil, but as I already have kettle/ pots, so didnt want to pay the money for what is a good stove, but not what I need. One thing I am mindful about is that these sort of stoves suffer in the wind, and would plan on a wind shield of Al flashing.

For a pack I have been suggested the GoLite Pinnacle. I saw another thread on light packs, and read with interest. Im not in Syd so can check out Kenny's (?) pack choice, and Im not convinced a $50 pack will last very well. TWT. Does anyone know if the Pinnacle has frame, I do not think it has. Any comments on the GoLite Quest as this is more along the lines of what I favour - it has a frame. Any other equivalent options I should look at? I am also mindful that at times I might carry towards 20kg. but hoping to get away from that with the new set up. I am not aware of anywhere in Oz that sells these, but given the $ is good against the USD, its a good time to buy.

Tents, Tarptent Contrail ~780g, good reviews and advice from users.

Thoughts & experiences on any of the above, especially the stoves ??

PGS

[Gabby]

Has anyone had any experience with the following:

Snow Peak GigaPower (auto ignition)
Coleman F1/Power boost.
Optimus Crux Lite

I have the GigaPower (GS-100, titanium), but not with the piezo. I have heard that piezo can be unreliable, so why carry the extra weight if you're carrying matches/lighter/whatever anyway? I like the Giga, but, yes, it's highly susceptible to wind. You'll need to create a windscreen (from an old foil pie pan - what I use) for the stove (but not the canister, which you don't want heated, at least outside of winter --- think "kaboom!" --- see an example of a canister-top windscreen here: http://zenstoves.net/Canister.htm#Wind Mine is a mite taller than the picture.). I have the Crux (not the Crux lite). It folds, it's light and works well, but my version is a bit wobbly. I hear they've corrected this "slop" in manufacture, so YMMV. Either will work just fine. I have found that I prefer the stability and ability to use a full windscreen (for extra weight) of a remote canister, but you can always convert any canister-top type to a remote with a converter stand like the Brunton.

For a pack I have been suggested the GoLite Pinnacle. ... Does anyone know if the Pinnacle has frame, I do not think it has. Any comments on the GoLite Quest as this is more along the lines of what I favour - it has a frame. Any other equivalent options I should look at? I am also mindful that at times I might carry towards 20kg. but hoping to get away from that with the new set up. I am not aware of anywhere in Oz that sells these, but given the $ is good against the USD, its a good time to buy.

I have both the old style Pinnacle (and Jam2) and the new one with the "enhanced" back panel and waist pockets. This pack does not have a frame - only a flexible closed cell insert. I've thought about putting something in with the closed cell to stiffen it a bit (I read somewhere that someone put a shaped piece of that corrugated plastic they now use as yard signs to this purpose), but (after checking kg => lb on "onlineconversion.com" (I'm a stateside neanderthal, and this is ALSO my first post here - I figure, if Franco can post stateside, I can post here.) I wouldn't even consider taking the Pinnacle to 20kg. I'd go with the Quest (or something else)for that kind of weight. As you lighten your load, you can think about a lighter, frameless pack.

[Franco]

At BPL there was a test comparing those stoves and a few others.
The Coleman came out better than most but the other two were pretty close.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... eport.html
However I have seen many comments from happy users of the other two as well.
Franco

Hi Gabby !

[roysta]

The Giga piezo unreliable, really?
I've had one for two years.
This is a fantastic stove.
Never have I had a problem with it.
I always take a few matches with me anyway, but I went to the Giga from a Pocket Rocket.
Great stove.

[matthias]

Another stove you might want to check out is the Kovea Solostove:
http://www.kovea.com/product_view.php?b ... 000&pno=13

I have been using it for almost 3 years now and I wouldn't want any other stove. Gas consumption feels very low to me. The only negative aspect is that it's almost useless in windy conditions unless you turn up the gas, so you need some wind protection.

Regarding the tent, judging from the photos it seems more like an emergency shelter. I would probably not use it in snow myself.
If you need more space and don't mind an additional 200g, you could check out this one:
http://www.backcountry.com/big-agnes-fl ... n-3-season

[Franco]

I can assure you that the Contrail is not an "emergency" shelter it is in fact a favourite through hiker shelter.
That is for folk that spend months on the trail not just 10 nights a year.
I mentioned that I had one of the most active hikers in my backyard this week with her Contrail. That particular shelter has had more that 400 nights since new.
Christine (the Contrail owner) just recently here in Australia has done the Bibbulmum, the Larapinta, the Heysen , the Hume and Hovell, the Great South West Walk,

http://www.christine-on-big-trip.blogspot.com/
With the same tent she has done the Tripple Crown in the US. That is 11,900 km, or about 200 times the Overland...
(BTW, parts are over 4000m...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Crown_of_Hiking
However it is a 3 season shelter and so is the Fly Creek.

The Fly Creek is in reality about 300g heavier , not a big deal to most but if you do a lot of kms (Christine for example does 20 to 50km per day) the extra weight and volume does make the difference.
Note that the BA is a lot smaller inside than the Contrail.
Like most American brands you need to set up the fly first and has no protected entry. So if it rains you will get a wet floor getting in and out of it.
Not that the Contrail is perfect either. Christine had problems in high winds, however I fixed that for her with a mod that will be official in 2011.
(that is adding a center rear strut to help the front guyline in getting longitudinal tension. About 30g extra...)
Franco
franco@tarptent.com

[johnw]

Another stove you might want to check out is the Kovea Solostove:
http://www.kovea.com/product_view.php?b ... 000&pno=13

I have been using it for almost 3 years now and I wouldn't want any other stove. Gas consumption feels very low to me. The only negative aspect is that it's almost useless in windy conditions unless you turn up the gas, so you need some wind protection.

I've also had the Solo for several years and agree with this. It's a good unit, not the lightest at about 125gms but not heavy either. Yep, you need a windscreen and seems to be economical on gas. I've since picked up a (lighter) second hand Kovea Titanium but have yet to use it in the field, so can't really compare them. Bench test at home indicated that the Titanium is a bit noisier.

[Franco]

I have the Kovea Ti
Works well (inc the piezo) but you need to keep an eye on the pot support arms as they can fold back easily.
Franco

[johnw]

I have the Kovea Ti
Works well (inc the piezo) but you need to keep an eye on the pot support arms as they can fold back easily.
Franco

Thanks Franco. Come to think of it I did notice that when I tested it a while back. I thought they may have become a bit loose through previous use.

[matthias]

I can assure you that the Contrail is not an "emergency" shelter it is in fact a favourite through hiker shelter...

Like I wrote, I only judged it by looking at the photos. I guess it simply depends on individual preferences. I currently own a 1-person ultralight tent that is similar to this one from a form factor and space point of view, and I don't really like it because you can't even sit in there properly. At the moment I am planning a trip for up to 6 months that also includes the Bibbulmun track (for which a tent isn't even needed) and a number of others and I made the decision to rather carry 300g more and have a tent that is high enough to sit in there and has a vestibule. But as I said, everyone has different preferences.

[Franco]

Well I have seen both of them...
Just for curiosity, what similar tent to the Contrail do you have ?

Franco