Stoves

[fishmonger]

I've used so many stoves over the years, I don't really know where to begin. Currently I still own my 1980's Bleuet GAZ stove, but only to one day go back on the Muir Trail in full vintage gear to shock the ultra-lighters

I never use white gas or alcohol stoves, only propane/butane, even in winter. Has worked well for me over 25+ years of mountaineering, so I won't change that. The only thing that has changed is the weight and efficiency of the stoves. My current stove/pot selection ranges from a Vargo Titanium mini burner that's about 3 ounces and mates well with a super thin 1.2 liter titanium pot - good for 3-season solo trips, but as of late it has lost out to my new Jetboil Sol - super light, although I have my doubts about reliability with all the plastic on there. Still, more efficient than the Vargo and super light as long as you can live with an 0.8 liter pot for everything.

For group hikes I have a Gigapower stove that sits nice and low to the ground with remote canister, and it can handle a pretty large pot without getting unstable. As of last winter I also have a Jetboil Helios for cold weather and group use - very efficient, but rather bulky with the 2 liter pot. It can also take a 3 liter pot if you're in large groups. Worked very well at -10F on Whitney melting snow this winter. The Helios comes with a nice windscreen that keeps things going pretty well, while for the other setup I need to bring a custom foldable aluminum screen or just use the terrain.

These bigger stove/pot combos do not make any sense in solo outings. The Jetboil Sol or Flash are pretty much the thing to get for efficient and reliable water heating. Everything else that weighs a little less is a much bigger PITA to deal with.

For summer trips I have considered trying one of the very efficient wood burning stoves. Not sure if I want to deal with that (especially after a rainy day), but there are a few ounces of weight savings in the cards if you can wait for the coffee a little longer and carry branches up a mountain pass if you need to cook above 10,000 feet. There are some rather efficient designs out there that work with just a few twigs.

[frediver]

A cheap plug for a new wood stove.
Check out Emberlit.
I have no connection except I just bought one.

[freestone]

Make sure you check out the new regulations for fire above 10,000 feet effective last August. My understanding is you can not even carry wood for a wood burning stove to a location above 10K. I bought a wood burning stove last year but have not used it yet because of this new regulation.

[funcrew]

Beverage-can alcohol stove with a wind screen. Very light, quiet, and works great. Have used it down to maybe 25 degrees with no problems.

[mp88]

This is the stove I haved used for two years now, it has NEVER failed me and the whole kit weighs 15oz with 8oz of fuel. I can get 8 pots of boiling water at 16oz of water or simmering water with 20oz of water, a good trick with these stoves is to put your water in the sun before boiling it if possible.

[Chris B]

This is my first post on this forum, I have just signed up after meeting Mark, one of the site Admins on a recent trip to Yosemite. I like the forum, lots of good advice and stoves just happen to be one of my interests. In theory I should be more interested in the important things like Tents and sleeping bags but I'm just not.

I have been backpacking mainly in Europe for more years than I like to remember and have played with virtually every stove going, however I have come down to 3 favorites that I use depending on the trip.

1 MSR SimmerLite, this is my choice for longer trips with a few friends. Kicks out a lot of heat regardless of conditions and is pretty economical on fuel. You can make it simmer with a bit of experience so you can cook rather than boil meals. I pack this in a small pot, either MSR or Snowpeak to protect it in transit

2 Trangia, I think it is the 27 model, the smaller two person kit, they are a bit heavy (2lbs) but thats for pots, pans, kettle and plate. I think they do lighter version know but mine is 25years old. I often use this in the UK where White gas is not readily available. This is slow but dependable and gives of a nice smell. The big plus with these stoves is the fumes are not to dangerous, they are very stable and do not flare up. This means at a push you can cook in your tent, this is important in the UK where it can rain any day of the year.

3 BCP Crusader - This is standard issue for the UK army (and now the US Army) it is basically a kidney shaped cup than fits under a standard NATO water bottle the "stove" is like a metal bowl which you place a solid fuel tablet then stand the cup in. The original UK version have some basic pot stands but the US version is just a bit of bashed out steel that up hang you mug on. The shape of the mugs makes it much better for eating out of than a round one and the handles are long enough to use it on a fire. The US army use a gel fuel but this is messy, best to use Esbit tablets from REI, one will boil a couple of mugs of water. This is my personal choice for solo trips living on mountain house meals. Stove and mug weigh about 5oz and a weeks worth of fuel about 4oz so very light.

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There are always canister stoves but they are just to simple to be of interest, however I must admit I have a pocket rocket for those trips where you just need a quick meal before hitting the sack.

[markskor]

Chris,
Glad you found us here at HST. Welcome aboard!
BTW, Yosemite was a blast...If memory serves, (often doubtful), spent an evening with Chris in the BP camp - good company too.
Mark

[gochicagobears!]

Currently I use a Snow Peak Giga with the pietzo. I love this stove's compactness and ease of use. However, I did notice last year at Young Lakes in Yosemite that the ignite failed. This was the only time and it hasn't since that time, which perhaps was due to the elevation being something like 9,100' or so... Otherwise, it's been remarkablely reliable.

[fishhunter]

I used a Svea 123R for decades, then went to MSR Whisperlite using white gas (big improvement). But now we use a JetBoil for general water heating and a tiny Brunton if we need to use a pot or fry pan, or just as a backup in case of stove failure (has not been needed yet though). The JetBoil is amazingly fast at boiling water (< 2 minutes / 2 cups) and I highly recommend it.

[hikin_jim]

I bought a Whisperlite in 1987. I continue to use a Whisperlite as a "workhorse" stove today.

The old, blackened stove is a regular Whisperlite that I use as a "workhorse" for making tea and such for larger groups. The shiny, new stove is the new Whisperlite Universal which I'm currently evaluating for a review.

Of course I've got a Svea 123 which is my favorite stove. I generally only use it for small groups since it feels a little tippy with a larger pot on it.


I also use gas stoves a lot. I like the remote style since they can be more easily protected from wind, are more stable, and can operate in colder weather if you turn the canister upside down. Here's an old Rapidfire I've got: .

I also use a Jetboil a lot. I know, not very imaginative, but they're easy.

HJ