Author Topic: Your winter stove?  (Read 3389 times)

Litehiker

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Your winter stove?
« on: 22:24:09, 12/11/19 »
Some prefer inverted canisters for winter.


-> I prefer white gas and have an MSR Whisperlite Universal (which also has inverted canister mode). In white gas mode the Universal is very reliable, whereas the inverted canister stove at around 10 F. and lower has problems. (Yes, I'm aware of the copper "Moulder Strip" and have made one.)


-> The Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti woodburning stove is great for melting snow. with the Inferno gassier insert it is hottt! And as long as finger sized wood is available I don't have to carry a lot of white gas to melt snow.


I once owned an MSR Dragonfly adjustable stove that was great for baking B/C its simmer ability was amazing. But I sold it B/C it was so heavy.


Eric B.





richardh1905

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #1 on: 19:09:40, 14/11/19 »
I have a Primus Omnilite titanium multi fuel stove. No way would I spend £180 on a stove though - it was a retirement present!
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Owen

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #2 on: 19:59:33, 14/11/19 »
For years I had a Colman peak 1, stove but where the leg was brased on came apart so that was that.


I've now got a MSR Whisperlite Universal, like you. Not used it with white gas yet. I mainly got it to use on a trip to Northern Scandinavia that I've been planning for while now. The problem is I need a month or so off work to do it. If all else fails I retire in four years. I've a very light little gas stove that I use for summer camping so I've hardly needed the MSR really.

zuludog

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #3 on: 23:06:38, 14/11/19 »
For years I used an Optimus 96, a half pint paraffin stove all year round
When the screw on cartridge top stoves became available I used one of those in summer, and kept the 96 for winter

Then when hose connected gas stoves became available I changed to using one of those all year round, which was fortunate as by that time the 96 had become rather leaky and tempremental

fernman

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #4 on: 09:01:48, 15/11/19 »
by that time the 96 had become rather leaky and tempremental

They were ALWAYS leaky and temperamental!  :D
I had one since - well, since before some people on here were born. It smelt of paraffin, you had to carry a little bottle of methylated spirits that you poured into a small circular 'trough' and lit to preheat the burner, then you gave it a few pumps. If you were lucky it lit with a nice, blue roaring flame, if you were unlucky it went whoomph! and you got a stinking yellow burning column capable of setting fire to your tent if you had it in the porch. Apart from that, it was the weight of half a house brick.
My current stove is a Chinese BRS-300T,  cheap to buy, tiny, very powerful and only 25g weight.

zuludog

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #5 on: 11:23:26, 15/11/19 »
FERNMAN - All that you say is true!

As I was getting more frustrated with the 96 I considered a Trangia for a while, and borrowed one for a weekend or two
I have friends who love them, but I just couldn't take to it, so I settled on a hose connected gas stove. In fact I've had a couple by now - A Coleman which was steel; A Primus Gravity; and an OEX
I've forgotten the model of the OEX, but it has a pre - heating coil

alan de enfield

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #6 on: 16:49:04, 15/11/19 »

My current stove is a Chinese BRS-300T,  cheap to buy, tiny, very powerful and only 25g weight.

I bought 'quite a few' of those (but the 45gram ones) when there was a 'price war going on.
The 1st one was about £5, then I bought a couple at £2 and when they got down to 99p I bought several more.

Set up for life !!


Apache

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #7 on: 22:45:41, 15/11/19 »
It hasn't got that cold for me. So far my MSR windburner using MSR or Jetboil fuel works well. I do have a Coleman which I run on Aspen fuel but that is more for car camping than backpacking. If it gets that cold that canister gas with a regulator can't cope I am probably staying home.

alan de enfield

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #8 on: 06:40:55, 16/11/19 »
It hasn't got that cold for me. So far my MSR windburner using MSR or Jetboil fuel works well. I do have a Coleman which I run on Aspen fuel but that is more for car camping than backpacking. If it gets that cold that canister gas with a regulator can't cope I am probably staying home.

Keeping the gas cartridge in your sleeping bag with you ensures it 'flows' OK.

With the 'screw-on' top mounted stoves - Once lit, the heat reflected from the bottom of the pan and from the windshield is enough to (generally) stop the gas temperature getting too low.

Sleepy

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #9 on: 06:46:28, 18/11/19 »
I don't remember ever having a problem, down to about -10°c I think that's as cold as I've gone though.


I've tried a good few stoves, I think my favourite was my msr dragonfly after I modified it to run reliably on diesel - but it was so loud when flat out, you may as well have struck up a little jet engine!! Which wasn't ideal for the morning cuppa on a campsite, especially if you had an early start.


I use an msr windburner now, I love it apart from the regulator which takes a lot of getting used to  :-\  I don't think I've used it below freezing yet though so can't comment on its ability in the cold


My biggest gripe with gas stoves is the lack of spread on the flame, many (most) you might as well use a blow torch! You end up with a spot about an inch wide on the bottom of the pan that's near red-hot and just burns any kind of food - their only real use is for boiling water  ???  I suppose you could do a spot of plumbing with them if you had to  ;D

alan de enfield

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #10 on: 09:11:14, 18/11/19 »

My biggest gripe with gas stoves is the lack of spread on the flame, many (most) you might as well use a blow torch! You end up with a spot about an inch wide on the bottom of the pan that's near red-hot and just burns any kind of food - their only real use is for boiling water  ???  I suppose you could do a spot of plumbing with them if you had to  ;D

That is a problem with some of the very small 25-45g lightweight stoves.
Depending on what I'm doing I have a number of different stoves, this one, for example has a 2" diameter burner, and works well with the smallish frying pan (Bacon & Eggs - Hmmmmm)








Sleepy

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #11 on: 11:23:47, 18/11/19 »
It does seem to be the lighter you want to go, the more likely it is to have a blow torch, I don't really see why it should be like that though- it would only involve a different shaped burner

alan de enfield

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #12 on: 21:07:28, 18/11/19 »
It does seem to be the lighter you want to go, the more likely it is to have a blow torch, I don't really see why it should be like that though- it would only involve a different shaped burner

It depends on how important weight is - my little burners weigh 45 grams (1" burner size, OK for boiling water), my bigger burner weighs 290 grams (2" burner, OK for 'cooking' food)

That's a huge difference, if using dehydrated food then all you need is boing water so the lightweight stove is ideal.
The difference is more than the weight of a gas cartridge (210g)

fernman

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #13 on: 22:33:46, 18/11/19 »
It depends on how important weight is - my little burners weigh 45 grams (1" burner size, OK for boiling water), my bigger burner weighs 290 grams (2" burner, OK for 'cooking' food)

That's a huge difference, if using dehydrated food then all you need is boing water so the lightweight stove is ideal.
The difference is more than the weight of a gas cartridge (210g)

And boiling water is all I ever use one for  O0

Sleepy

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Re: Your winter stove?
« Reply #14 on: 01:01:35, 19/11/19 »
Thing is though, I'm convinced a domed burner or ring of holes (instead of a flat plate with vertical holes) could be incorporated into the tiny lightweight stoves to make them more useful - adding 2 or 3 grams. But for some reason they just don't  :-\  even my msr pocket rocket (with a relatively hefty price tag) is next to useless for actually cooking anything!


I have one actually, the alpkit Krakau - also sold as little bee etc etc. If I can get one for a couple of quid I'll see if I can confirm my theory with a little tinkering  ;)

 

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