Camp Stove recommendations

[Gcosloy]

I've got one day left to use my REI 20% discount. Appreciate a recommendation for a light, easy to use, safe camp stove. (for Kayak camping, of course). There are so many alternatives and I don't have the time now to do the research. Sometimes I wish I lived in Russia where store shelves would have but one selection for just about any consumer entity and then usually would be out of stock any way. Many Russians look down their noses at us Americans and our consumer society and claim a superior spirituality for themselves. Who knows- the flip side is, if they disagree with you, they may throw acid in your face!

[...]

Gene,

I have only used one type of stove, but for me it has worked fine. I use a JetBoil plus the optional, and sold separately, pot. Last year I camped a great deal and used my stove every day. I like a hot coffee and hot meal at breakfast, hot thermos of tea and hot soup at lunch, as well as hot tea and a hot meal at dinner time. The JetBoil works for the kind of cooking I like to do, which is quick and simple. I also feel it is safe. The one error that many campers who are new to the JetBoil make, it filling the container above the fill line as noted on the inside. When you do that, the water will boil over and you could burn yourself attempting to turn off the burner. I tend to be a heavy user of my stove and as such the automatic starter will tend to fail. I anticipate that problem and always carry two alternative methods for starting the burner. In many ways I value my stove as being a very important piece of safety equipment and as such it needs to work and work well for me. The JetBoil does that consistently.

Hope this helps.

Warren

Edited April 6, 2013 by Warren

[JohnHuth]

My kayak gear is basically my backpacking gear, and vice versa (modulo trekking poles versus paddles and some other details). I use an MSR pocket rocket. Compact, light, reliable, uses isopro. It's reasonably cheap. I think I've had mine for the better part of 10+ years.

I've sometimes flirted with the idea of one of those hobo-style alcohol stoves that thru-hikers on the AT use - just to enhance that part of the image, but I don't mess with something that works.

[rfolster]

If you are a boil-and-eat kinka guy for stuff like coffee or tea and oatmeal or rice, then the JetBoil system is a good way to go. If you want to really cook, then I suggest an Iso stove. The mini systems that attach directly to the fuel canister have an increased safety risk should the seal fail, which is why I use one with a remote connection.

I don't recommend the gas stoves since they need to be pumped to pressurize the fuel, then preheated before you can actually light the stove and start cooking.

[Phil Allen]

Rob- The Jetboil uses isopropane/butane mix, just like the other canister stoves. Gene, depends on your needs. Jetboil or MSR reactor for fast hot water, on canister stoves like the MSR pocket rocket for compactness, alcohol stoves for greatest simplicity and availability of fuel; liquid fuel stoves for the highest energy density ... I like the remote canister stoves, where the canister and the burner are separate. My experience is that they allow better simmer if you actually might cook something, as compared to just reheat/rehydrate it. Can't go wrong with most choices this day.

best

Phil

[BethS]

I love the MSR pocket rocket for most purposes, light and simple. It simmers well and the fuel canisters are reasonably compact. The liquid fuel stoves with pump and remote (refillable) fuel bottle canisters are best for winter; cold and very windy weather. The fuel lasts longer, pump means you can always keep the fuel pressure constant, and the remote fuel bottle means you can put a windscreen around the entire burner without worrying about overheating the fuel canister. They were really designed for mountaineering, melting tons of snow, etc. Seriously high BTU's, BUT they are more fiddly; most people prefer simple canister stoves for 3 season use. I like the MSR because you can use it with any pot, but the Jet boil/Reactor type setups are faster and more efficient for boiling water. If that is all you are planning to do get one of those, otherwise I'd look at the canister stoves.

[EEL]

Gene:

Only if you need to be self sufficient for a many, many days and/or need a stove that will burn fuel you can find at most docks, should you consider a "liquid" fuel stove. The work fine and using them is no big deal, but the cannister stoves are far more popular for regular use due to ease of use, etc. When you start needing to use windscreens and/or playing around to keep the cannister pressurized or find the fitting leaked and there is no fuel left; then the advantages of the "liquid" fuel stoves become apparent. However, odds are on a summer trip you never have any problems. Any of the many cannister stoves will work just fine. Some simmer better than others, some are more wind resistant that others, but they all work fine. As others have said, the JetBoil has certain advantages for certain uses.

Ed Lawson

For whom the brand MSR is forever linked to the ugliest ice ax ever made.

Edited April 7, 2013 by EEL

[rfolster]

...most people prefer simple canister stoves for 3 season use.

I would like to dispell the "myth" that canister stoves can not be used in the winter. It is true that the liquid fuel stoves work better in the cold due to the "custom" pressurization of the pump on the fuel canisters, but I used my MRS WindPro II canister stove this past winter while winter-camp-testing, and it worked just perfectly. This model comes with a bracket that allows you to invert the canister to deliver liquid fuel to the burner, but I don't think that I even needed to do that. Not the best photo, but here was my winter camp test site:

Also, a handy tip is to always have two canisters on hand, one for "current use", and one new canister for when the current one runs out or fails. Find your own system of keeping track of which one is which, but don't count on two partial cans if you don't keep track. We actually went through three partial cans in one day when we were first testing stoves, simply because we could not tell just how much fuel was left in each can, and there wasn't much. If you always keep one fresh, you know that you have "that much" fuel in reserves.

[EEL]

While it is true cannister stoves work in somewhat cold temperatures at sea level, they definitely have limits and require more care. The following links provide some useful info and discussions. When you get to the point of needing to invert a cannister stove you are really using a a cannister stove "hacked" to work as a liquid fuel stove. Might as well use a liquid fuel stove for the benefits it provides at that point.

http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2011/02/stoves-how-gas-works-and-winter-choices.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/canister_stove_faq#.UWGLYyeyjqV

http://www.wintercampers.com/2010/11/08/canister-stoves/

http://www.trailspace.com/forums/camp-kitchen/topics/32997.html

Good idea to always mark the cannister you are using if carrying more than one. As Rob notes, having a collection of partially used cannisters tends to lead to unhappy campers. Given issues with leaking gaskets and never really knowing how much fuel is left, always having a full spare is prudent.

Ed Lawson

[Suz]

Boil and Eat type cooks - Jet Boil - easy to use, quick to use (this is a canister style stove and so downside is you need to flatten and recycle the cans). Other brands are also making this type of stove now. They are called system stoves. When I got mine, they were the only real contenders. My two Jet Boils have performed well for 5 years. Only repairs needed were to replace the ignitor on one of them. It is prone to breaking when packing into itself.

Optimus Stove - http://store.primuscamping.com/backpacking-stoves/multi-fuel/omnifuel-153-stove-w/bottle-pouch-and-windscreen/ This is my go to stove for camp cooking. It is reliable, can burn nearly any liquid fuel, field repairable and will last a life time. It has all metal parts and so will last longer than a stove with plastic parts. I would imagine that is why it is more expensive than others of this type.

I own a few old MSR Dragonfly's. New models are considerably cheaper than the Optimus and have numerous plastic parts. This was what I used prior to purchasing the Optimus. One of the fittings failed on one of my Dragonfly's and I have yet to fix it. I decided to just save the one for parts for the other. I still use this stove but it is NOISY in comparison to the Optimus, which is noisier than a Jet Boil!

Of course you could go low tech like Kate and make your own alcohol stove. http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/index.html While I do have one and admired the size and simplicity of it, I decided it was too dangerous for me. It burns dry gas and the flame is clear when burning. I had a little accident with one and no one was hurt but that was at home and I decided the risk wasn't worth using one in the field where an accident couldn't be managed as easily as it can at home.

Edited April 8, 2013 by jason
swapped "white gas" for "dry gas" in the alcohol stove section

[Nancy Hill]

You've probably already bought your stove, but I'll put in my 2 cents worth anyway. My favorite stove is my (canister-type) Soto OD-1R. It's only good for small diameter pots, but that's fine with me.

I looked online for the Brunton Stove Stand that I sometimes use with my canister stoves (Soto or Optimus Crux), but it is discontinued. I found a similar item that looks interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/Olicamp-329015-Xcelerator-Titanium-Stove/dp/B007S3MHI0

One difference is that the stove is included, whereas the Brunton included just the stand with braided line; I supplied canister and stove of my choice. I bought it for instances where I might want to use a windscreen.

I know that my reply does not help you use your REi coupon, but the stove is interesting and someone might want to give it a try as it got good reviews a few places. The MSR windpro and whisperlite have the same remote canister setup but they are a lot more expensive. Maybe worth it? I don't know. I wonder why Brunton discontinued the one I have. It seems like a great idea and I have never seen anything else like it.

As far as gas stoves go, I had a bad experience on a MITA trip where my companion's MSR stove leaked the first night out and was not field-repairable. Mine lasted through the trip, but decided to just about blow itself up a few weeks later on a different trip. I brought it back to REI where they looked at me like I was nuts. Then, they started the stove and couldn't turn it off because there was a leak below the shut off and it continued to burn. That was in the store and was quite interesting!

I now carry my Soto and my Optimus as a backup. They are so small that I don't mind the extra space one more little stove takes.

-Nancy

[Suz]

As far as gas stoves go, I had a bad experience on a MITA trip where my companion's MSR stove leaked the first night out and was not field-repairable. Mine lasted through the trip, but decided to just about blow itself up a few weeks later on a different trip. I brought it back to REI where they looked at me like I was nuts. Then, they started the stove and couldn't turn it off because there was a leak below the shut off and it continued to burn. That was in the store and was quite interesting!

I now carry my Soto and my Optimus as a backup. They are so small that I don't mind the extra space one more little stove takes.

-Nancy

I think it is useful for a group to have more than one stove. If I am leading the group and bringing supplies, I always bring more than one stove and my field repair kit. Can't choose to skip meals when someone is paying you for the trip or depending on you for it.

My MSR Dragonfly failure was also in the fuel supply line. I think it was corroding from salt water/salt air usage. It was about 8 years old. I feel that the 'good' stoves should last a good long time and shouldn't be 'throwaways'.

In that spirit, my husband bought a old Trangia stove with multi pots sets. Must be 50 years old and cost about $100 but will always work and nothing can go wrong with it.

[northerngirl]

JetBoil for me...i like that i am supporting a local business and the less i have to cook, the better i like it. I keep it simple. Gourmet is for in the kitchen, not at the campsite in my oppinion. For me anyway, you are all entitled to go all out if you like...

[Phil Allen]

One other item to consider in stove choice is fuel accessibility. This might have changed, but years ago it was really hard to find white gas fuel in europe. All the stoves were either canister or trangia alcohol stoves. Some have had success burning unleaded gasoline in their white gas stoves, but it killed one of mine by jamming up the fuel filter. Also, it's really hard to pump a pint of petrol into the bottle with out a lot of spillage.

best

Phil

[gyork]

Cat alcohol stove http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/falk-catstove/

unless I am warming a kettle of soup for campmates, in which case I would barter fuel for food (prefer), or bring my old dual-fuel Coleman 442, or MSR whisperlite (both heavy, white gas).

Edited April 8, 2013 by gyork

[brambor]

Hi Gene,

it has been way over 10 years ago since my pump liquid fuel stove did not make it in my checked baggage. Ever since then I used a pocket rocket with canisters. It's a simple way, reliable, portable. It is a great stove especially for domestic trips where compatible canisters are widely available. Jetboil is basically same thing but more expensive yet nicely fine tuned for maximum output.

Contrary to some popular beliefs I have had issues using my pocket rocket in winter camping on several occassions.

Nowadays I mix and match depending on occassion. Sometimes I carry two stoves in one - Solo woodburning stove and inside I have a Trangia Spirit Alcohol stove. When Kayak Camping one can find almost unlimited amount of ideal short wooden sticks that are just about perfect for the Solo woodburning stove. This is expecially useful if you go on a multiday expedition or if you want to have a cooking kit where you never have to worry whether you have enough canisters or whether your canisters are full. The alcohol stove is a nice backup if it gets really wet and other occassions as well.

Having said that, you really can't go wrong with a pocket rocket canister stove or the Jetboil.

[Gcosloy]

Thanks to all who replied. I ordered the MSR Pocket Rocket for economy, availability of fuel, and simplicity. Since I'm going to be a newbie in this and initially just boiling water for freeze dried food, I won't need anything more exotic. I am impressed with all the knowledge and experience you responders have demonstrated. Making your own alcohol stove really took the prize. Although some forty years ago I used to do distance bicycle camping and made my own one man tent out of poly to save weight. Not much more than a bivy shelter.

[brambor]

Hi Gene,

I'm not sure why you consider yourself a newbie if you have already got an experience with long distance bicycle camping? I would think that sort of experience to be highly valuable. I hope to join you on some camping trips.

[Pintail]

Gene, despite not having been camping for an age, I am also a happy Pocket Rocket owner: a great, <tiny> stove! ;^)

[jason]

This looks like it might be another option for winter camping. You can cook and heat your tent at the same time.

When broken down one might find a way to rig the flat pack onto ones back deck. (It's not for me as I don't like having anything on my back deck).