Author Topic: Stoves  (Read 15623 times)

Litehiker

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #75 on: 20:05:59, 11/03/19 »
gunwharfman,


Gunny, there are those whom, like the French, "Live to eat" and then there are those whom, like the Russians "Eat to live". I am in the former group and you are decidedly in the latter. That's OK and sometimes, such as cold breakfasts when backpack hunting, I chose not to cook to get an early start at "zero dark thirty".


But at the end of a day of backpacking or hunting I want a hot meal. So the Pad Thai gets cooked and maybe on a rainy morning I will fry up a freeze dried Mexican omelette and pre-cooked sausage. It's "comfort food" to me.


I'm done with long suffering and even short suffering if it's possible to avoid it. (Now where did I tie that llama?)


Eric B.

NeilC

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #76 on: 14:41:03, 14/03/19 »
Cooking hot meals on camping trips is part of the experience for me.

tillster

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #77 on: 11:12:25, 19/03/19 »

After much deliberation this is the one I've gone for  O0


I've noticed this thread a wee bit too late: I'm after a new stove set up, and the MSR is on my list: can I ask what pan / cup setup you've gone with ?


Another setup I have on my shortlist is the Optimus Elektra FE - a lovely engineered bit of kit, though a bit on the heavy side ((750g) if trying to go as light as possible  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optimus-Elektra-FE-Cook-System/dp/B074TJNLP2 [nofollow]


Anyone tried it ??

sussamb

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #78 on: 12:36:59, 19/03/19 »
Where there's a will ...

tillster

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #79 on: 13:08:04, 19/03/19 »
Thanks for the swift reply O0




mow1701

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #80 on: 19:35:30, 19/03/19 »
Depends on what you define as cheap. As the saying goes- buy cheap, buy twice. My vote for the Optimus Crux. It comes in a great neoprene back. The head pivots and arm folds so it can be stored in the bottom of a gas canister. The gas head is wide so spread the heat. Given me good service and doesn’t guzzle gas

tillster

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #81 on: 20:22:11, 19/03/19 »
Hi mow.


The price difference is negligible (under a tenner more for the Optimus?) between the MSR kit and the Optimus kit, the latter being the only one of the two I have (very positive) experience of...... though te MSR is of course insanely popular.


They weigh almost the same too, so that's not an issue.   


Neither the MSR strainer lid nor the Optimus 'frying pan' lid are likely to see much action on my trips, though I suppose they allow for mealbag to be easily shared.


   

Jim Parkin

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #82 on: 10:03:49, 16/05/21 »
I had that but one lost it when moving house.  It was very fast, but quite prone to flare ups, especially on lighting.


Ha... I have just found that - or my Dad did, it was in his shed. I haven't used it for about 15 years. To be honest, I feel happier with meths for standard, or gas on odd occasions. It was a scary stove to use.

Litehiker

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Re: Stoves (Fire Maple Blaze 2)
« Reply #83 on: 20:08:07, 16/05/21 »
STOVE ALERT:


I needed a good stove for my two teenage grandsons. It had to have a remote canister because, as we all know, teenagers are the most careless people on the planet. I didn't want to saddle them with a heavier stove like my MSR Whisperlite Universal, despite MSR's great quality. And I know they would only be 3 season backpacking in the Sierra Nevada or Pacific Coast range where morning temperatures would not be much below freezing at the worst.


After looking around I got them a Chinese Fire Maple Blade 2. The Blade model uses an upright canister only but the Blade 2 model allows the canister to swivel upside down for colder weather because it has a vaporizing tube beside the burner, unlike the Blade. This is a well made stove and very light with its thinner (than MSR) braided stainless fuel line and titanium legs/pot supports.

It was around $60. US on AMAZON.

Eric B.
« Last Edit: 20:11:08, 16/05/21 by Litehiker »

Jim Parkin

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Re: Stoves (Fire Maple Blaze 2)
« Reply #84 on: 20:39:41, 16/05/21 »
STOVE ALERT:


I needed a good stove for my two teenage grandsons. It had to have a remote canister because, as we all know, teenagers are the most careless people on the planet. I didn't want to saddle them with a heavier stove like my MSR Whisperlite Universal, despite MSR's great quality. And I know they would only be 3 season backpacking in the Sierra Nevada or Pacific Coast range where morning temperatures would not be much below freezing at the worst.


After looking around I got them a Chinese Fire Maple Blade 2. The Blade model uses an upright canister only but the Blade 2 model allows the canister to swivel upside down for colder weather because it has a vaporizing tube beside the burner, unlike the Blade. This is a well made stove and very light with its thinner (than MSR) braided stainless fuel line and titanium legs/pot supports.

It was around $60. US on AMAZON.

Eric B.

I got an equivalent (as in rebadged) version for my youngest daughter's 17th birthday last year. Of course she hasn't had a chance to use it yet due to Covid. She's hoping to use it this summer in the Lake district.

Litehiker

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #85 on: 22:16:26, 12/07/21 »
Tillster,


For solo and 2 person cooking I use a 3 cup pot of anodized aluminum with a lid made from a disposable aluminum pie pan, using a center duct tale tab for a lid lifter.
The wider-than tall ratio is the most fuel efficient shape, as is the aluminum pot v.s titanium pots. Very important when using alcohol or ESBIT.


My pot fits my Trail Designs titanium Sidewinder (Calder Cone) 3 fuel stove. It uses ESBIT, alcohol or, with the Inferno gassier insert, wood. Mostly I use ESBIT for longer trips as it is the best for BTUs per ounce compared to alcohol. But in winter in the western Us mountains I use wood for melting snow B/C that takes a LOT of fuel that I don't want to carry.


Eric B.

gunwharfman

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #86 on: 10:16:10, 13/07/21 »
Offered to anyone for free.

I have a very small folding gas fire to give away. It has three flat-top prongs for a pot to rest on and when not in use they fold into themselves to keep it small for carrying. It all fits into a small plastic container about 4"x3"x3". I once felt guilty (about 5 years ago) that I wasn't trying to cook when hiking so to ease my conscience I went to a fishing tackle shop and bought it, and thought I would try cooking for myself but that's as far as my guilt took me. It's been in my garage ever since and has never been used once.

If anyone wants it, just private message me, all I ask is for the postage cost to be refunded to me.

richardh1905

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #87 on: 08:35:17, 15/07/21 »
The wider-than tall ratio is the most fuel efficient shape, as is the aluminum pot v.s titanium pots. Very important when using alcohol or ESBIT.


Aluminium v Titanium - an interesting debate in it's own right.


For cooking, rather than just heating a mugfull of water, Aluminium wins hands down, as it is such a good conductor of heat (and is cheaper). Titanium is a very poor conductor of heat, and due to this, and the thinness of the metal used, hot spots will form on the base of the pan, of no consequence if boiling water, but very bad news if you are cooking a sauce of any kind.


However, for a lightweight setup where you just want to boil water and drink straight out of the pot, Titanium's poor thermal conductivity works to your advantage - no scalded lips! And a close fitting windshield minimises heat loss up the side of the pot.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Litehiker

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Re: Stoves (and utensils)
« Reply #88 on: 19:50:44, 15/07/21 »
Richard,
I agree that for 2 in 1 utensils ti mug works. So for simplicity of kit the ti mug wins.


 Yes, mugs are taller-than-wide and thus inefficient in shape and also, well, being titanium and wasting fuel by being a pro heat conductor relative to aluminum.
What's a cooking backpacker to do? See below.


MY COOK KIT:
Pot-> 3 cup Open Country anodized aluminum     OK for one, barely enough for two.
cup-> plastic and moulded measuring marks   
cut down storage bowl-> very light and used for eating and to transfer food from pot so I can use the pot for other cooking tasks 
spoon-> long handled Lexan (also, no longer sold)  good for FD food bags
no-handle skillet->(yes, a skillet) 5" ceramic coated aluminum (only for winter trips unless I'm cooking for 2) skillet is for frying FD scrambled eggs and pancakes  so it requies a
small spatula->1/4 size but it does work well
pot/skillet gripper-> skeletonize aluminum (eliminated need for utensil handles)


The bowl and cup fit inside the pot. When carried (seldom) the skillet sits in the stiff sack beneath the pot.


As mentioned earlier, I "live to eat" so I do actual cooking, as in boiling spaghetti and cooking the sauce from dehydrated "sauce leather". That explains my cook kit. It is minimalist but adequate.
Eric B.

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Stoves
« Reply #89 on: 11:11:38, 16/07/21 »
I am still a fan of my Jetboil, simply because its portable, well made, and can be taken anywhere, anytime

 

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