Another fun topic - What stove?

[bobby49]

Over the last 45 years, I've used just about every kind of backpacker stove: MSR white gas, twigs inside a titanium cone, Esbit, and butane. Currently I go with butane. I have one of those tiny folding 25 gram burners that screws onto a butane canister. If conditions are mild, then I burn about a half-ounce of butane per day. If conditions are more normal, that goes up to about one ounce per day.

[JayOtheMountains]

I also use an old Snow Peak stove (Gigapower 2.0 is the current version). I have also never had a single issue with it. I just use a match or lighter to get it going. As WD said, it simmers quite well. I take a single sheet of aluminum foil to use as a windscreen, though I've only used it once in about ten years. The tiny stove and the matches fit inside the cooking pot so it doesn't take up any space and the matches stay dry.

Same. I've been using this setup for ~18 years with no issues.

For cold or winter efforts I carry my trusted Whisperlite.

Stoves I own/tried: Jetboil, Snow Peak gigathing, Chineese Ti gigathing knockoff, Pocketrocket, whisperlite international, penny stove, esbit.

My go-to for stoves is the Gigapower.

Situationally, I feel stove choices revolve around a few undiscussed factors, each having their own merit in what stove to acquire or bring.

Cost
Size/Weight
Performance

What cooking is to be accomplished? If it's just boiling water we are all seeking the best performance to weight ratio that fills our budget. Seriously the little Ti thing I scored on Amazon is great and performs just as well as a similarly sized/type of stove from Primus, MSR, or Snow Peak. A small iso-butane canister can last 3-4 days if only using it to boil water in a 700ml cup 1-2x a day. Whereas if we need to actually cook (think frying pan for fish, or one-pot meals), then performance then again becomes a determining factor along with fuel weight. I've cold soaked. I've wanted hot coffee in the AM. I've gone all fancy gourmet.

A seasoned hiker may have multiple stoves that have been acquired over the years for various purposes. We tend to upgrade gear when it's needed or when there becomes a feature that piques interest enough to warrant the purchase. Stuff costs money, though and I can certainly see merit in asking opinions of others.

• My first stove was a hand-me-down clamp-on style of portable gas stove. They don't make 'em anymore and I seldom find the gas cartridges anywhere.
• Then an upgrade to an early pocketrocket that I abused lovingly. It was sadly lost on a rafting trip.
• 18 years ago, I acquired a snow peak gigapower (gen 1, no piezoelectric starter) that lives through to today.
• I acquired a Whisperlite for high-elevation and winter trips. It has served me quite well (with dedicated maintenance) for 18 years.
• Jetboil came about when all I wanted was a coffee press for car camping as it was the new hotness at the time, but I after using it for a year in New England both in summer and winter conditions it went into the extras bin for being single-minded; it wasn't until more recently that the pots have caught up with the stove, but the entire system is far too heavy and bulky for my needs.
• I acquired the BRS 3000T Backpacking Stove (search it on Amazon, not bad for ~$17) to compare it to the Gigadohickey. Its now in the kit as a second stove when on trips with more than 3 people. I still prefer the Gigadohickey.
• I have tried and appreciated penny stoves, but they were really only a one-trick pony.
• I have tried esbit.
• I have tried sterno.
• I even resort to using wood when it's allowed.
• I have gone stoveless and cold soaked or just planned on/around packaged foods.

The best answer that you're likely going to get is that it depends on what your goals are? Are you part of a pack train? Carry all of the everything then! Are you just boiling water? Do you really need an upgrade?
Do you like to cook, fry, or share for others?

Ultimately, what stove you need will be determined mostly by what you are willing to spend. A Whisperlite International will set you back ~$130, the BRS 3000T is roughly $17; wood is free (assuming you're allowed to have fires where you go). Your cooking style will determine the fuel needed, and sometimes performance is directly related to price while at other times the performance will be conditional to the environment you are in. For truly cold or high-altitude stuff you will really want a white gas or "liquid fuel" type of stove. When its cold out our packs are always heavier anyway with extra clothing and food; a tad bit more weight for fuel needs to be understandable.

[Wandering Daisy]

A stove is something used every day, twice if not three times a day, trip after trip, year after year. Even at $150, the incremental cost over the life of the stove is insignificant. The cost of the cannisters over time is far more expensive than the stove itself. If cost was really a factor, then I suppose one would save more by using a stove that uses white gas would save more.

I used white gas for years. I never liked the gas smell and after accidently setting the gas bottle on fire (cannot even remember how that happened) I quit using them. Do not try blow out a gas can on fire- you will just singe your eyelashes. I went to cannister stoves. But I also blew up a cannister stove- must have had the cannister cross threaded because when I lit the stove it blew up to high heaven! It was 4th of July! We could see the fireworks down at Lone Pine from our high perch. Never found the stove pieces or the cannister- just the rim of the cannister.

[Gogd]

The thing that amazes me, WD, are the folks who think they have it more together than the rest of us, and insist they can safely cook in their tent or vestibule because "they know what they are doing". As your firework story alludes: all liquid (edit - and gas) fuel camping stoves are bombs that can go off at anytime, regardless if you are a greenhorn or an old sourdough.
Ed

[bobby49]

Another data point was shown on one high altitude expedition. There were 12-14 of us spending days to go up, and the high camp was nearly 20,000 feet, so we were dealing with high altitude effects, fuel weight, and other factors. Plus, when you go that high, the thin air makes you a little bit stupid, so having a foolproof stove was important. Obviously we were melting snow. I was in a tent team of three, but most of the other tent teams were two people. Each team had its own stove, since we never knew when one team might be forced to retreat (one did). Each team chose to use white gas, but my team was so frugal with stove use that we burned the same amount of fuel as the two-person teams over the course of eleven days.

[freestone]

My stove set is a mish-mash of manufacturers and changes somewhat depending on where i am going. Most often its a Trangia bowl and lid with a Trail Designs 12-10 or Trangia alcohol stove. Other times its a Sno-Peak 900cc pot and Bushbuddy twig stove if fires are permitted.
Canister stoves are super easy to use and the lightest way to go but they do have some annoyances that I can avoid by using alcohol instead. There is a learning curve to their use but once dialed in they are are fun to use and very quiet.

[rlown]

I'm a white gas guy. Always liked Coleman products. If I need to make an emergency fire, liquid fuel is great to have on hand.
Also, when it is cold out and have to melt ice for the morning, I cram my poly bottles with ice/snow and they sleep with me. Saves a lot of fuel.
Body heat works well to melt stuff and keep electronics warm.

[oldhikerQ]

Now using an MSR Pocket Rocket deluxe. Very happy with stove performance so far; especially in wind. Previously used a Snow Peak Lite Max Ti stove. That served me well for many years, but its performance in the wind left lots to be desired. Went through a bunch of fuel on several occasions with that stove. The MSR simmers a bit better than the Lite Max as well; a plus for me since i do more than boil water to re-hydrate the days gruel. Plus, the MSR is a bit more stable with my 1.4 liter primary pot.

Many moons ago, i used an MSR model G (still have it in its original box with all of the companion accessories) and a Svea 123. Svea for groups of two, Model G for parties of four.

[bobby49]

I led group trips, both summer and winter. My rule of thumb was that we wanted one white gas stove for each four people in the winter, partly because of the need to melt snow. So, I had MSR model G, model GK, model XGK, and newer. Then we wanted one white gas stove for each six people in the summer. When I quit group trips, for one or two people in the summer we used one small butane stove.

[kpeter]

I used a Svea and Primus decades ago and graduated to an MSR Whisperlite. Used it for a long time then went to an original Pocketrocket.

My current stove is the SOTO WIndmaster. The Pocketrocket Deluxe (Not Pocketrocket 2) was basically copied from the SOTO design and the two are essentially equivalent--both have the big advantage of being far more resistant to wind due to the concave burner design. However, some online testers found that the SOTO was a little more fuel efficient and reliable than the Pocketrocket Deluxe, so I went for it. Last summer we used my brother's Pocketrocket Deluxe and it worked just as well.

The original Pocketrocket and Pocketrocket II have a three-way windscreen on top of the burner, while the WIndmaster and Pocketrocket Deluxe recess the burner into a bowl. The bowl does a much better job protecting against wind than the projecting windscreen of the older stoves, so I would only recommend designs that incorporate that feature. My guess is they all will start doing it soon enough.

I would never go back to my old original Pocketrocket or Whisperlite, though. Wind really is a frequent problem and it is so nice not to have to mess with a windscreen or worry about the stove going out.