Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => Camping It Up => Topic started by: Blodwyn Pig on 09 April, 2018, 11:22:04 am

Title: what little stove?
Post by: Blodwyn Pig on 09 April, 2018, 11:22:04 am
MSR pocket rocket 2? prob only for heating water, or simple fry up, Triangia is too much bulk I think.  New to all this. ???   canister compatibiliity?
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: andrew_s on 09 April, 2018, 12:40:22 pm
The small canister-top stoves are mostly pretty much the same.
You may like to consider burner size and pot supports against your pan size - a bigger burner spreads the heat out more, reducing the tendency for things to burn on, but used with a small pan you lose heat round the side.
Some have piezo ignition, which is nice when it's working, but reportedly has a tendency to break.

Ones that are different from normal that you may like to think about are...
Optimus Crux - the burner folds flat enough to allow it to fit in the recess in the base of a 220g canister, in a pan. May be slightly wobbly as a result.
MSR Superfly & Primus Duo stoves - allow the use of blue Camping Gaz canisters as well as regular threaded ones.

I prefer the remote canister/hose versions like this Alpkit Koro (https://www.alpkit.com/products/koro), which allows the canister to be turned over to combat the loss of power you get at the end of the canister or in cold weather. The preheat loop (brass-coloured tube next to the burner) is necessary to allow this - not all hose-connected stoves have it.

Threaded canisters are pretty much all interchangeable. The only exception is that Coleman canisters can occasionally not work with non-Coleman stoves - the valve is set fractionally deeper.

The blue Camping Gaz canisters don't have screw threads on the valve, and can't be used with stoves that attach using the threads. These are much more common than threaded canisters on the near continent (i.e. many/most supermarkets, rather than just outdoor shops).

If using a canister-top stove, it's useful to get some feet for the canister to assist with stability. I prefer the MSR version (http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/msr-universal-gas-canister-stand-p200306)
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Blodwyn Pig on 09 April, 2018, 01:04:44 pm
what about the little Esbit ones?
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 09 April, 2018, 01:34:30 pm
I recently got a Soto Amicus - similar to a Pocket Rocket but with a piezo and a larger burner, and apparently harder to blow out.  I haven't used it yet though so can't confirm any of that.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Oxford_Guy on 09 April, 2018, 01:42:16 pm
MSR pocket rocket 2? prob only for heating water, or simple fry up, Triangia is too much bulk I think.  New to all this. ???   canister compatibiliity?

If you're looking for something small without a connecting house, I can highly recommend the Soto Amicus stove, I have the version without the built in piezo ignition (I didn't want it), but it's available with that, if preferred. It's surprisingly good

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/all-stoves-c145/soto-amicus-stove-p7354

I actually use an MSR Wind Pro II most of the time, though, as generally prefer remote canister stoves, and it's still small enough to fit into my MSR Titan cookset:
https://www.msrgear.com/windpro-ii

Regarding canister compatibility in general, you can get adapters that let you use Camping Gaz blue cylinders on stoves with Coleman-type threads. The one for using threaded Camping Gaz cyclinders is relatively small (e.g. https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/edelrid-ventilkartuschen-adapter/ ), the one for using the pierce-able non-threaded cylinders is much larger and heavier and must stay attached to the gas cylinder until it's empty (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/stove-accessories-c132/puncture-cartridge-adaptor-p390 - looks like this one is discontinued, though).



Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Jakob W on 09 April, 2018, 01:42:51 pm
Esbits are popular with squaddies, but AIUI really only useful for heating water and ration packs. IIRC the tablets aren't particularly cheap (unless HMG's picking up the tab, of course!)
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 09 April, 2018, 01:50:54 pm
If you're mostly heating water, how about a Jetboil-type thing?
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: mark on 09 April, 2018, 03:35:06 pm
Snow Peak Giga Power 2, with or without the piezo ignitor. The piezo ignitor on mine broke distressingly quickly. If the respective company's websites are to be believed, the Snow Peak GigaPower runs longer on a given canister than the Pocket rocket. 4 pot supports instead of 3 and an optional heat reflector/windscreen are two more nice touches for this stove. MSR (and possibly others) sell little piezo ignitors separately, which is what I now prefer. Like Andrew_s says, the MSR canister support is excellent.

The threaded canisters are becoming more common everywhere, as MSR Pocket Rockets become more ubiquitous.

Remote canisters and the option to invert the canister for liquid feed improve cold weather performance, extend burn time for a given canister, and make a close fitting wind screen a safer option. They do add cost, weight and bulk, though.

JetBoil type things boil water quickly, but they only work with the pots and pans designed for your particular Jetboil thing. The MSR Windburner system seems to do better in windy conditions than the Jetboils, from what I've heard.

The extremely cheap gas stoves with bigger burner heads frequently do not have a pressure regulator. The flame gets progressively weaker quickly, and they don't burn as long on a given canister. The regulator on the more expensive stoves (Pocket Rocket, GigaPower, Crux, etc.) maintains an even flame almost through the life of the canister, and makes for a longer burn time for a given canister.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: bikepacker on 09 April, 2018, 04:04:29 pm
I never got on with the Jetboil although quick to boil it is bulky and very limited. I have a few different stoves but the canister top one I think is the best is the Fire Maple https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/gas-stoves-c140/fire-maple-fms-116t-gas-stove-p1268. It boils water very quickly and seems more economical with gas than the Pocket Rocket.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: andrew_s on 09 April, 2018, 05:33:05 pm
4 pot supports instead of 3
That's more a disadvantage than an advantage.
Any pan will sit solidly on 3 supports, but if either the pan or the 4 supports aren't properly level, there's be wobble (same as stools or tables on uneven pub floors).
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 09 April, 2018, 05:49:34 pm

Doing a fry up on a canister top stove when half asleep is a recipe for spilling bacon on the grass...

Remote canister stoves lower the centre of gravity, reducing this risk. But at the cost of extra weight and bulk.

Personally I have 2 stoves I use regularly. A Primus Omnilite Ti. This burns everything but meths, is stable, controllable, and expensive.

The other stove I use is the Zelph Starlyte (http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyte-burner-with-lid.php). This is a meths stove, simple, rugged, stupidly light. No control, but for ease of use when boiling water (frying on it would be interesting...), it's hard to beat.

J
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Butterfly on 09 April, 2018, 07:07:48 pm
An alpkit kraku stove with an MSR pietzo lighter. It can store inside a pan or titanium mug with a gas canister.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Wowbagger on 09 April, 2018, 11:33:32 pm
I just bought one of these and I think it's brilliant.

https://www.alpkit.com/products/koro

Haven't used it outside yet.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 10 April, 2018, 01:02:01 am
I just bought one of these and I think it's brilliant.

https://www.alpkit.com/products/koro

I have a remote canister stove that was an emergency purchase on account of a car packing cockup leading to barakta tea deprivation.  Works well enough, but it seems to occupy a slightly disappointing middle ground between a stove like the Koro with a pre-heat loop, and the super-compact canister-top models.

Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Blodwyn Pig on 10 April, 2018, 08:15:13 am
I am tending to favour the Alpkit Koro ATM, just wish it had a wee stand like the MSR liquigas one.but how long does the gas last, ie how many brew ups, and how many spares would you need to carry(I know, depends how long your away for) but the faff of finding a shop if you run out. ?
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 10 April, 2018, 09:01:01 am
I am tending to favour the Alpkit Koro ATM, just wish it had a wee stand like the MSR liquigas one.but how long does the gas last, ie how many brew ups, and how many spares would you need to carry(I know, depends how long your away for) but the faff of finding a shop if you run out. ?

Depends also on the temperature, wind, and air pressure.

The only stove I have stats for is the alpkit jetboil clone, that boils 500ml of water in 2 minutes on 5-6gm of fuel.

As for getting the spare canisters. It depends where you are.

The standard gas canister is not as standard as you might think, in France it is more common to find the piercable camping gaz canisters. You will also find that many supermarkets sell meths. This is one of the reasons I have a multifuel stove and a stupidly compact/light meths stove, to cover all bases.

Open a map, close your eyes, point at the map, find the nearest village, and work out what fuel you can get in that village. This gives you an idea of what stove fuel to use.

J
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Wowbagger on 10 April, 2018, 10:39:19 am
You can carry an adaptor which allows Coleman-style stoves to use the continental non-pierce canisters.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 10 April, 2018, 10:41:04 am
You can carry an adaptor which allows Coleman-style stoves to use the continental non-pierce canisters.

At which point your adaptor weighs the same as your stove...

J
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Wowbagger on 10 April, 2018, 10:42:13 am
Possibly, but since they are both so light it's a bit like taking a full rather than a half-full canister with you.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Paul H on 10 April, 2018, 12:04:27 pm
If you're mostly heating water, how about a Jetboil-type thing?
I like my Jetboil, not the lightest, smallest, fastest, but for my use just so totally faff free and convenient.  That it all fits together, inc fuel and tea bags in a clean package means it often fills the space previously occupied by a flask.  That it locks together means I don't even need a level surface to use it and holding on to it in operation acts as a great hand warmer.  When considering weight and size, efficiency also needs to be taken into account, the design allows me to take a smaller canister than I used to for the same use.
IMO it is just a water boiler, I've tried to use it for other stuff, even buying the pan adaptor and group pot, they were disappointing and have sat unused since their one and only tour. I wouldn't like to attempt a fry up with one, I'm sure it's possible but there's better options if that's on the menu.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 10 April, 2018, 12:23:38 pm
In the US and canada, what is gas canister availability like? 

Types I'm aware of are:
Threaded valves - as far as I can tell these should all be compatible
Unthreaded resealable Campingaz valves
The old pierce-type campingaz cylinders

How likely am I to come across each in North America?

Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: αdαmsκι on 10 April, 2018, 12:39:58 pm
We managed to find the propane / isopropane / butane gas canisters with a screw thread without too much difficult in western Northern America. These are the ones I'm talking about these (https://www.cadetdirect.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/500x500/8e31f3fa6a25b50c1bfa9c68940c11e0/p/r/primus_cartridges-all_500.jpg)
(Click if the image doesn't appear.) (https://www.cadetdirect.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/500x500/8e31f3fa6a25b50c1bfa9c68940c11e0/p/r/primus_cartridges-all_500.jpg)

This is one of the the chains we used when buying those canisters: https://www.big5sportinggoods.com/store/

In Canada we probably used the MEC store in Vancouver: https://www.mec.ca/en/products/camping-and-hiking/camp-kitchen/stoves-fuel-and-fire/fuel/c/1283
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: andrew_s on 10 April, 2018, 12:41:11 pm
I am tending to favour the Alpkit Koro ATM, just wish it had a wee stand like the MSR liquigas one.but how long does the gas last, ie how many brew ups, and how many spares would you need to carry(I know, depends how long your away for) but the faff of finding a shop if you run out. ?
I get about 5-6 days out of a full 220g canister, based on a mug of tea with the breakfast muesli, a mug before & after the evening meal, and the evening meal (typically pasta-based, using a pot cosy (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/sale-c872/other-c879/antigravitygear-pot-cosy-p107)* rather than simmering the pasta)
I carry the canister in use, and a spare, relying on finding a replacement between the original running out and the spare running out.

* pot cosies are made from Thermawrap (https://www.wickes.co.uk/Thermawrap-General-Purpose-Foil-Wrap-1000mm-x-7m/p/145707), which can be bought in large rolls from Wickes, B&Q etc for around £25, or small quantities suitable for a couple of pots from backpackinglight.co.uk for around £7 (plus gaffer tape). If you've got 8-10 minute pasta, bring it to the boils, then put the pot in the cosy and it will be ready in 13-15 mins.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Whitestone on 11 April, 2018, 07:42:58 am
The threaded canisters are also available in hardware stores and builders supplies - they are commonly used for things like small blow torches as used in plumbing.

Generally how many days' usage do you want and how quick do you want to cook/boil things? A simple homemade meths stove will boil 500ml of water in 7 mins on something like 10ml of fuel. Costs nowt apart from time to make it and weighs next to nowt, OK, 10g, you don't need specialised canisters to hold the fuel. Everything will pack in to a 400ml mug. A bit more work in very cold weather but I've used one in -6C.

I've lots of stoves from the Saturn V like MSR GSK all the way down to Pocket Rocket clones and the above meths stoves.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Moleman76 on 11 April, 2018, 08:07:53 am
there are a number of "cat food can", beer can, etc. DIY stoves out there ...
https://www.thesodacanstove.com/alcohol-stove/cat-food-can-stove/index.php (https://www.thesodacanstove.com/alcohol-stove/cat-food-can-stove/index.php) is just one of many sources.

Along with this, you would want a fuel container with the measured dispenser tube on the side.

These are really best just for boiling water.  Very little heat output regulation, etc., but fun to make and play with.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Whitestone on 11 April, 2018, 11:47:28 am
A bit rushed on my last post as I was about head off to work.

Yes, the alcohol stoves are best if you simply want to boil water and rehydrate stuff. There are some commercial and homemade versions that allow simmering but I've not used those. The time taken to boil a given amount of water isn't really a problem as you can usually do something else whilst the stove is doing its thing. They also take a bit of getting used to, they aren't just screw burner on to canister, turn on and light. With experience you get to know how much fuel to put in the stove to boil a given amount of water taking in to account ambient temperature and the like, if I get it wrong then usually the water's close enough to boiling to make no difference or I've a few seconds of extra burn at the end.

The Trangia was one of the few stoves I never used when young and when climbing but that was mainly because of the bulk of the associated cookset.

I'm usually short of space when touring/bikepacking so use either a homemade beer-can stove or one of the pocket rocket clones. I'm also not doing any fancy cooking, just a brew and rehydrating something in a bag which cuts down on washing up  ;D  One of this year's "tasks" is to try a few basic one pot meals.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2018, 02:13:22 pm
there are a number of "cat food can", beer can, etc. DIY stoves out there ...
https://www.thesodacanstove.com/alcohol-stove/cat-food-can-stove/index.php (https://www.thesodacanstove.com/alcohol-stove/cat-food-can-stove/index.php) is just one of many sources.

Along with this, you would want a fuel container with the measured dispenser tube on the side.

Seems like a false economy compared to a proper Trangia-style burner, which you can snuff out and seal with the unburnt fuel inside it, so no need for titrating precise amounts of fuel, or burning off the excess.  It also has simmer control.

At which point you should consider the Trangia Triangle or Trangia Mini.  (Proper Trangias are brilliant for all sorts of reasons, but well outside the scope of 'little stove'.)


Quote
These are really best just for boiling water.  Very little heat output regulation, etc., but fun to make and play with.

Agreed.  Fine for fun or as a one-off.

Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: SA_SA_SA_SA on 11 April, 2018, 02:54:31 pm
there are a number of "cat food can", beer can, etc. DIY stoves out there ........
Along with this, you would want a fuel container with the measured dispenser tube on the side.
Seems like a false economy compared to a proper Trangia-style burner, which you can snuff out and seal with the unburnt fuel inside it, so no need for titrating precise amounts of fuel, or burning off the excess.  ....
At which point you should consider the Trangia Triangle or Trangia Mini..  ...
But home made water boiler stoves like a caldera c(l)one* are quite predictable in the amount of meths needed to boil a given amount of water in given conditions. Or you can make a single wall 'chimney style' stove that is empty-able (Trail Designs 12-10 is double wall but someone claimed that is unnecessary...after they broke it leaving only the inner... :)  ).
I drew lines on a small Nalgene bottle for measurement but an alternative is to collect medicine  measuring tubs.

I thought Trangia only recommended meths storage in burner when camping, but to empty it when packing for travelling (but I suppose their worries about leaks could be avoided by  packing separately outside pans).

A Triangle and windshield and pan/mug is a lot heavier than a metal mug and cone stove (eg 200g for mine) but does allow simmering (easier than on real trangia 27 IMO).  The triangle at least has some built in wind resistance: the mini kit  just seemed missing a windshield to me.

*Home made version of Trail Designs Caldera cone who are fine about DIY for own use**
https://www.traildesigns.com/ (https://www.traildesigns.com/)
**Note added to calm USA(BPL) readers who sometimes get upset at DIY of patented things due to US patents forbidding private use unless permitted by holder.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2018, 03:00:46 pm
I thought Trangia only recommended meths storage in burner when camping, but to empty it when packing for travelling (but I suppose their worries about leaks could be avoided by  packing separately outside pans).

They do, but in practice I've never found it to be a problem.  Particularly if you seal the burner while it's still warm (but not hot enough to damage the O-ring) so any leak would tend to be of air *into* the burner.  Ziplock bag for belt-and-braces.


Quote
A Triangle and windshield and pan/mug is a lot heavier than a metal mug and cone stove (eg 200g for mine) but does allow simmering (easier than on real trangia 27 IMO).  The triangle at least has some built in wind resistance: the mini kit  just seemed missing a windshield to me.

Yes, I think the Triangle is a much better design than the Mini.

Although personally I'm with the OP, and prefer a little gas stove if I'm trying to keep the weight/volume down.  Trangia 27 for real cooking when I'm not.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: mark on 11 April, 2018, 03:26:02 pm
In the US and canada, what is gas canister availability like? 

Types I'm aware of are:
Threaded valves - as far as I can tell these should all be compatible
Unthreaded resealable Campingaz valves
The old pierce-type campingaz cylinders

How likely am I to come across each in North America?



Threaded valve (MSR, Snow Peak, Primus, JetBoil, et.al.) are very common, but I've heard of people being unable to find them in really small towns in the middle of nowhere. Any specialist hiking/climbing/camping store will have them. Wal-Mart sells a Coleman canister with this thread, but the fuel quality is apparently inferior.

Campingaz stopped importing to the US several years ago, so forget the unthreaded/pierce-type cartridges.

Where do you plan on going?
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: bikepacker on 11 April, 2018, 03:47:51 pm
Coleman and Camping Gaz are part of the same company, have been for many years. Maybe that is why Camping Gaz products stopped being imported into the USA.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: mark on 11 April, 2018, 03:56:50 pm
Coleman and Camping Gaz are part of the same company, have been for many years. Maybe that is why Camping Gaz products stopped being imported into the USA.

Are Coleman products still sold in Europe? I remember seeing them here and there, but that was a few years back.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 11 April, 2018, 04:31:00 pm
In the US and canada, what is gas canister availability like? 

Types I'm aware of are:
Threaded valves - as far as I can tell these should all be compatible
Unthreaded resealable Campingaz valves
The old pierce-type campingaz cylinders

How likely am I to come across each in North America?



Threaded valve (MSR, Snow Peak, Primus, JetBoil, et.al.) are very common, but I've heard of people being unable to find them in really small towns in the middle of nowhere. Any specialist hiking/climbing/camping store will have them. Wal-Mart sells a Coleman canister with this thread, but the fuel quality is apparently inferior.

Campingaz stopped importing to the US several years ago, so forget the unthreaded/pierce-type cartridges.

Thanks, that's useful.  I spent years using one of these (https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.winwood-outdoor.co.uk%2Facatalog%2Fcampingaz_Twister270_medium.jpg&f=1) stoves and was a bit perturbed when I started looking for something more lightweight and finding they all had a different thread.  Clearly I was behind the times!

Quote
Where do you plan on going?

Here, more or less.

(https://lostbyway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/rideToChina_wmc_small-1024x356.png)
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: mark on 11 April, 2018, 04:42:11 pm
Looks very cool. https://www.rei.com has a store in Winter Park, FL. Order stuff online, pick it up in the store when you arrive, no shipping charges. They've got ~150 stores in the US, some of them are bound to be on your route. Lots of camping/backpacking stuff, more and more cycle touring stuff. The flagship stores are huge, the others not nearly as big.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 11 April, 2018, 06:13:42 pm
Good call on the Miami REI, thanks  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: bikepacker on 11 April, 2018, 06:29:54 pm
Coleman and Camping Gaz are part of the same company, have been for many years. Maybe that is why Camping Gaz products stopped being imported into the USA.

Are Coleman products still sold in Europe? I remember seeing them here and there, but that was a few years back.

Yes Coleman gas, stoves and tents are still available.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 11 April, 2018, 10:44:53 pm

Here, more or less.

(https://lostbyway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/rideToChina_wmc_small-1024x356.png)

Given that route can I very strongly suggest that you *DO NOT* go for a canister top screw on stove (pocket rocket et al). You will find issues with finding fuel.

Go for a multifuel stove that allows you to screw on a canister too. MSR make a whisperlite stove that will work on liquid fuel (petrol mainly), and also canister gas. This is the most affordable of the multifuel stoves. Then you get into the MSR Dragonfly, lovely, burns everything, sounds like a jet engine, or the Primus stoves. The Primus Omnilite Ti is what I went for, it's the lightest multifuel stove, it burns petrol, diesel, av gas, kerosene, everything short of meths and vodka. If you can't justify the price of the titanium version, the omnifuel is much the same, but heavier. Note both primus stoves are loud, but they sell a silent adapter that screws on the top and improves things greatly.

I hear a lot "I've always used stove x, with fuel y, and I've never had any problem finding fuel for it." And I'm sure for many that is the case. For many that is not the case.

My housemate was going hiking in Northern Italy with his mum. I offered to lend my MSR Whisperlite stove. His mum said "it's fine, I have a gas stove, I can get gas everywhere".  10 days later they get back. Turns out they couldn't find the right gas anywhere on their trip, and ended up doing all their cooking on the tiny hex cooker my housemate had forgotten to remove from his bag before packing.

"You can get meths in every supermarket" I was told, when cycling in the Benelux. Yes, you probably can. The problem was I couldn't find a supermarket anywhere on my 130km 3 day bike tour... I ate cold food...

"Petrol is available everywhere" I was told. I got to slovakia to meet some friends, they had bought cars, diesel cars. I couldn't burn anything they had in the jerry cans of fuel. Nnnngh.

Yes, these are all just anecdotes. But the plural of anecdote is data, and if you are going to travel off the beaten track to middle of nowhere. You want to keep your options open. Get a multi fuel stove, and then you don't have to be picky or worry about gas canister threads. If you want to be really paranoid, in addition, take a long something like the zelph starlite stove, it's tiny, fits in a pocket, and can be forgotten about right upto the moment the only thing you can find by way of fuel in a tiny village in the mountains, is isoproponal alcohol from the chemist...

Thanks

J

Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2018, 10:58:42 pm
[...] Yes, these are all just anecdotes. But the plural of anecdote is data, and if you are going to travel off the beaten track to middle of nowhere. You want to keep your options open.

This seems like a good time to mention http://fuel.papo-art.com/ which is the sort of thing that's worth downloading to your phone or other portable computing device and saving for times of need, if not exporting to Dead Tree Format (which is non-volatile and can - in extremis - also be used to assist with fuel ignition).
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 11 April, 2018, 11:15:21 pm

Here, more or less.

(https://lostbyway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/rideToChina_wmc_small-1024x356.png)

Given that route can I very strongly suggest that you *DO NOT* go for a canister top screw on stove (pocket rocket et al). You will find issues with finding fuel.

Go for a multifuel stove that allows you to screw on a canister too. MSR make a whisperlite stove that will work on liquid fuel (petrol mainly), and also canister gas. This is the most affordable of the multifuel stoves. Then you get into the MSR Dragonfly, lovely, burns everything, sounds like a jet engine, or the Primus stoves. The Primus Omnilite Ti is what I went for, it's the lightest multifuel stove, it burns petrol, diesel, av gas, kerosene, everything short of meths and vodka. If you can't justify the price of the titanium version, the omnifuel is much the same, but heavier. Note both primus stoves are loud, but they sell a silent adapter that screws on the top and improves things greatly.

I hear a lot "I've always used stove x, with fuel y, and I've never had any problem finding fuel for it." And I'm sure for many that is the case. For many that is not the case.

My housemate was going hiking in Northern Italy with his mum. I offered to lend my MSR Whisperlite stove. His mum said "it's fine, I have a gas stove, I can get gas everywhere".  10 days later they get back. Turns out they couldn't find the right gas anywhere on their trip, and ended up doing all their cooking on the tiny hex cooker my housemate had forgotten to remove from his bag before packing.

"You can get meths in every supermarket" I was told, when cycling in the Benelux. Yes, you probably can. The problem was I couldn't find a supermarket anywhere on my 130km 3 day bike tour... I ate cold food...

"Petrol is available everywhere" I was told. I got to slovakia to meet some friends, they had bought cars, diesel cars. I couldn't burn anything they had in the jerry cans of fuel. Nnnngh.

Yes, these are all just anecdotes. But the plural of anecdote is data, and if you are going to travel off the beaten track to middle of nowhere. You want to keep your options open. Get a multi fuel stove, and then you don't have to be picky or worry about gas canister threads. If you want to be really paranoid, in addition, take a long something like the zelph starlite stove, it's tiny, fits in a pocket, and can be forgotten about right upto the moment the only thing you can find by way of fuel in a tiny village in the mountains, is isoproponal alcohol from the chemist...

Thanks

J

I had a whisperlite but sold it  ;D

Just what I needed while I was in the middle of nowhere in Central Asia*, but heavy, bulky, dirty, complicated and expensive whenever I'm not.  I might have to reevaluate when I get to China, but I've got 9,000 miles of Europe, US and Canada to do first, and I'm sure my nice little gas stove will do me just fine.  If I run out at some point, you know what?  That's okay.  It isn't the arctic and it isn't the Himalayas, I don't need a stove for drinking water so I don't need an uninterruptible supply of cooking heat.

*Well actually, not really.  I used it sometimes when I was there last year, but not enough to justify carrying it for the two weeks I was there.  If I'd had a longer trip than that, sure, but eating cold food for two nights wouldn't have been an unbearable hardship for the sake of carrying 500g of extra stove up many, many, many mountains.  I probably wouldn't have taken it if I was *just* going for the trip, but several items in my kit were there on a test run for the forthcoming trip.  The Whisperlite got exchanged for a smaller, lighter, cleaner gas stove.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 11 April, 2018, 11:42:28 pm
Ed Pratt, he who is unicycling round the world, has a kit breakdown video. Can't remember what stove he uses but it is worthwhile checking out his kit. He fits it into very little space. Go look him up on youtube. It is a multifuel type stove.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: andrew_s on 12 April, 2018, 12:40:00 am
Given that route can I very strongly suggest that you *DO NOT* go for a canister top screw on stove (pocket rocket et al). You will find issues with finding fuel.

Go for a multifuel stove that allows you to screw on a canister too.

Rumour would have it that there's a pretty high chance of failing to get a multifuel stove or its fuel container through airport security these days.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2018, 12:49:50 am
Rumour would have it that there's a pretty high chance of failing to get a multifuel stove or its fuel container through airport security these days.

Last advice I heard on that matter was that you can improve your chances by making it smell as Not Like Fuel as possible.  Wash traces of paraffin away from the burner with alcohol, clean the fuel bottle out and give it a deliberate taint of extra-smelly shampoo or lemony fresh Household Cleaning Product™, and pack it without a lid attached, that sort of thing.

No personal experience, and I wouldn't like to rely on it.  But that goes for most aspects of air travel, tbh.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 April, 2018, 08:38:39 am
I wouldn't like to set the plane on fire though! Worth noting (or maybe not) that it's also illegal (in the UK at least) to take fuel, both liquid and gas, on trains. Probably no one's going to know about it though, unless the train is Eurostar.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 April, 2018, 08:45:24 am

Here, more or less.

(https://lostbyway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/rideToChina_wmc_small-1024x356.png)

Given that route can I very strongly suggest that you *DO NOT* go for a canister top screw on stove (pocket rocket et al). You will find issues with finding fuel.

Go for a multifuel stove that allows you to screw on a canister too. MSR make a whisperlite stove that will work on liquid fuel (petrol mainly), and also canister gas. This is the most affordable of the multifuel stoves. Then you get into the MSR Dragonfly, lovely, burns everything, sounds like a jet engine, or the Primus stoves. The Primus Omnilite Ti is what I went for, it's the lightest multifuel stove, it burns petrol, diesel, av gas, kerosene, everything short of meths and vodka. If you can't justify the price of the titanium version, the omnifuel is much the same, but heavier. Note both primus stoves are loud, but they sell a silent adapter that screws on the top and improves things greatly.

I hear a lot "I've always used stove x, with fuel y, and I've never had any problem finding fuel for it." And I'm sure for many that is the case. For many that is not the case.

My housemate was going hiking in Northern Italy with his mum. I offered to lend my MSR Whisperlite stove. His mum said "it's fine, I have a gas stove, I can get gas everywhere".  10 days later they get back. Turns out they couldn't find the right gas anywhere on their trip, and ended up doing all their cooking on the tiny hex cooker my housemate had forgotten to remove from his bag before packing.

"You can get meths in every supermarket" I was told, when cycling in the Benelux. Yes, you probably can. The problem was I couldn't find a supermarket anywhere on my 130km 3 day bike tour... I ate cold food...

"Petrol is available everywhere" I was told. I got to slovakia to meet some friends, they had bought cars, diesel cars. I couldn't burn anything they had in the jerry cans of fuel. Nnnngh.

Yes, these are all just anecdotes. But the plural of anecdote is data, and if you are going to travel off the beaten track to middle of nowhere. You want to keep your options open. Get a multi fuel stove, and then you don't have to be picky or worry about gas canister threads. If you want to be really paranoid, in addition, take a long something like the zelph starlite stove, it's tiny, fits in a pocket, and can be forgotten about right upto the moment the only thing you can find by way of fuel in a tiny village in the mountains, is isoproponal alcohol from the chemist...

Thanks

J
Strikes me that a lot of this depends on your definition of "available". 130km through Benelux without seeing a supermarket? Sure, but you could easily have found one if you'd been prepared to deviate a little.

On a slightly different note, Italy is apparently a country where LPG is widely available at petrol stations. It's a shame camping cannisters are not refillable like vehicle tanks; the thing I don't like about using gas is putting all those empties in the bin!
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2018, 01:35:55 pm
Strikes me that a lot of this depends on your definition of "available". 130km through Benelux without seeing a supermarket? Sure, but you could easily have found one if you'd been prepared to deviate a little.

Similarly, I've observed that you can't get water in the East Midlands on a Sunday...

 
Quote
On a slightly different note, Italy is apparently a country where LPG is widely available at petrol stations. It's a shame camping cannisters are not refillable like vehicle tanks; the thing I don't like about using gas is putting all those empties in the bin!

They probably are, given sufficiently naughty plumbing...  Not the sort of thing that's practical to carry on a long tour, but might be viable for re-using the same cartridge on multiple weekends or S24Os.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: andrew_s on 12 April, 2018, 01:49:39 pm
Refilling canisters has certainly been done, and there are discussions & advice on the web if you google.
I gather that the awkwardnesses are getting hold of anything other than pure butane at a price that makes it worth while, and that the valves aren't made for long term use, limiting the number of refills.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2018, 01:52:43 pm
Yes.  It seems to me that if you're going to use pure butane, you can just use those catering stove cartridges (I recently bought a pack of 4 for £3.99) with anna daptor and suitable care and attention vis cartridge orientation.  They work fine as long as it's not properly cold, especially when combined with a liquid-feed stove so you don't have to boil the liquid butane in the cartridge.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 12 April, 2018, 03:38:04 pm
<snip>
Strikes me that a lot of this depends on your definition of "available". 130km through Benelux without seeing a supermarket? Sure, but you could easily have found one if you'd been prepared to deviate a little.

Also, 130 km in three days?  That's 27 miles a day.  I guess if that's your grand total daily distance, you don't have so much flexibility to deviate a few miles either side of your route to go to the shops.  If you pack lighter and cover larger daily distances, you might find your availability problems disappear.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: LEE on 12 April, 2018, 03:43:32 pm

Doing a fry up on a canister top stove when half asleep is a recipe for spilling bacon on the grass...

Remote canister stoves lower the centre of gravity, reducing this risk. But at the cost of extra weight and bulk.

This. 

Cannister-top stoves are simply crap on the sort of ground where 99.9999% of people need to use a camping stove.

I swear by the remote canister tripod style (similar to Wowbagger's Alpkit, though mine is steel - Campingaz). Rock solid for kettles and even large pans.  They are also easy to shelter from cross-winds.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: fuaran on 12 April, 2018, 04:01:34 pm
For shorter trips, easy enough just to carry enough fuel with you. You can take a gas cylinder big enough for a weeks cooking, then no worries about finding somewhere to buy it along the way.
Unless you want to make dozens of cups of tea per day...
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 April, 2018, 04:07:01 pm

Doing a fry up on a canister top stove when half asleep is a recipe for spilling bacon on the grass...

Remote canister stoves lower the centre of gravity, reducing this risk. But at the cost of extra weight and bulk.

This. 

Cannister-top stoves are simply crap on the sort of ground where 99.9999% of people need to use a camping stove.

I swear by the remote canister tripod style (similar to Wowbagger's Alpkit, though mine is steel - Campingaz). Rock solid for kettles and even large pans.  They are also easy to shelter from cross-winds.
Having proved that it is possible to simultaneously scald grass with a potful of boiling water and set it on fire by tipping over a lit stove, I've bought a stand for my cannister-top stove. It's just three plastic legs which the cannister sits on. Haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, but it was only £6 as opposed to eg £45 for the Alpkit remote cannister stove linked to above.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: andrew_s on 12 April, 2018, 07:05:34 pm
I've bought a stand for my cannister-top stove. It's just three plastic legs which the cannister sits on. Haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, but it was only £6 as opposed to eg £45 for the Alpkit remote cannister stove linked to above.
Different brands of canister vary in diameter, so some will fit better than others, with poorly fitting canisters either not being gripped properly, or the legs not properly spread out (eg  2x105°+ 150°, rather than 3x120°).

That's why I recommended the MSR version up above; one of the grippers is spring loaded so it grips all canisters reasonably.

I'd suggest visiting some shops and trying a few out, so at least you start off with a canister that fits.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: nikki on 12 April, 2018, 07:37:37 pm
using a pot cosy (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/sale-c872/other-c879/antigravitygear-pot-cosy-p107)*

* pot cosies are made from Thermawrap (https://www.wickes.co.uk/Thermawrap-General-Purpose-Foil-Wrap-1000mm-x-7m/p/145707), which can be bought in large rolls from Wickes, B&Q etc for around £25, or small quantities suitable for a couple of pots from backpackinglight.co.uk for around £7 (plus gaffer tape). If you've got 8-10 minute pasta, bring it to the boils, then put the pot in the cosy and it will be ready in 13-15 mins.

Ooh, having previously spent an inordinate amount of time waiting for rice to cook, that looks like an interesting approach. I'm curious to give it a go, having watched the how-to video (https://www.antigravitygear.com/shop/product-category/antigravitygear-pot-cozy-kit/) and noting that Toolstation do a small roll of ThermaWrap for a tenner...
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 12 April, 2018, 07:45:08 pm
using a pot cosy (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/sale-c872/other-c879/antigravitygear-pot-cosy-p107)*

* pot cosies are made from Thermawrap (https://www.wickes.co.uk/Thermawrap-General-Purpose-Foil-Wrap-1000mm-x-7m/p/145707), which can be bought in large rolls from Wickes, B&Q etc for around £25, or small quantities suitable for a couple of pots from backpackinglight.co.uk for around £7 (plus gaffer tape). If you've got 8-10 minute pasta, bring it to the boils, then put the pot in the cosy and it will be ready in 13-15 mins.

Ooh, having previously spent an inordinate amount of time waiting for rice to cook, that looks like an interesting approach. I'm curious to give it a go, having watched the how-to video (https://www.antigravitygear.com/shop/product-category/antigravitygear-pot-cozy-kit/) and noting that Toolstation do a small roll of ThermaWrap for a tenner...

You don't actually need anything magic and insulaty for rice.  Bring it to the boil, put the lid on it, cook something meaty or otherwise in the 15 minute range and then maybe factor in a bonus 30 seconds to bring the lukewarm but by now miraculously fully cooked rice back up to temperature.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 12 April, 2018, 08:05:06 pm
I've bought a stand for my cannister-top stove. It's just three plastic legs which the cannister sits on. Haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, but it was only £6 as opposed to eg £45 for the Alpkit remote cannister stove linked to above.
Different brands of canister vary in diameter, so some will fit better than others, with poorly fitting canisters either not being gripped properly, or the legs not properly spread out (eg  2x105°+ 150°, rather than 3x120°).

That's why I recommended the MSR version up above; one of the grippers is spring loaded so it grips all canisters reasonably.

I'd suggest visiting some shops and trying a few out, so at least you start off with a canister that fits.
I wondered about different cannisters being different diameters so asked when I bought it – and was assured that all brands of the same size are the same diameter. Well, use will tell.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Oxford_Guy on 13 April, 2018, 11:19:46 pm
I've bought a stand for my cannister-top stove. It's just three plastic legs which the cannister sits on. Haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, but it was only £6 as opposed to eg £45 for the Alpkit remote cannister stove linked to above.
Different brands of canister vary in diameter, so some will fit better than others, with poorly fitting canisters either not being gripped properly, or the legs not properly spread out (eg  2x105°+ 150°, rather than 3x120°).

That's why I recommended the MSR version up above; one of the grippers is spring loaded so it grips all canisters reasonably.

I'd suggest visiting some shops and trying a few out, so at least you start off with a canister that fits.
I wondered about different cannisters being different diameters so asked when I bought it – and was assured that all brands of the same size are the same diameter. Well, use will tell.

That's not always the case from my experience
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: mark on 14 April, 2018, 02:32:19 am
Would it be simpler to just plan on changing stoves a few times during your trip? Campingaz or alcohol for the European leg, Coleman fuel or multi-fuel for the North American leg, and whatever is most common in Asia. If nothing else, this would save you the trouble of arguing with airline security people about your stove every time you got on a plane.

Regarding MSR and other multi-fuel stoves: MSR's website states that their stoves will last longer and run better if they are used with white gas/Coleman fuel (or MSR's own rather expensive fuel). My experience is that running unleaded auto fuel in a MSR stove results in a fair bit of smoke and soot, while running Coleman fuel results in a much cleaner cooking experience. I've also found that US filling station owners/managers are getting pickier about what type of container their customers put fuel in.

One more vote for the MSR canister tripod over the plastic models. It's much sturdier and, as Oxford_Guy points out, canister size is not quite as consistent as the shop staff would have you believe.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 14 April, 2018, 11:11:37 am
Was that aimed at me mark?  That's basically the plan: exist on gas until Anchorage, then if I can't get it in Asia, buy a local petrol stove.  Then again, food in the sticks in China might well turn out to be cheap enough that I don't need to cook - it'll be something to find out on the ground.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 September, 2018, 12:03:33 pm
I have a little titanium canister top stove that is very powerful and tiny.  However, anything running on butane/propane mix is hopeless in cold weather, by which I mean almost any summer morning.  It'll work wirh a fresh canister until the propane has boiled off, then dwindle to almost nothing.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Kim on 23 September, 2018, 02:42:27 pm
I have a little titanium canister top stove that is very powerful and tiny.  However, anything running on butane/propane mix is hopeless in cold weather, by which I mean almost any summer morning.  It'll work wirh a fresh canister until the propane has boiled off, then dwindle to almost nothing.

The best work-around for this is a stove with a pre-heat loop, but that adds bulk.

Or stand the cartridge in a container of water.  Tap-cold water is a much more effective way of delivering heat to the canister than chilly air.  But that adds even more bulk.

I've got one of those little titanium stoves, and it works nicely as a one-shot roadside brew-up device.  For camping, I either bring something better for actual cooking, or don't bother with a stove.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Butterfly on 23 September, 2018, 06:29:03 pm
We have pads like a round hand warmer that work to warm the canister. An actual hand warmer might do the job as well. Or putting it in a sock in your sleeping bag.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Karla on 23 September, 2018, 08:23:15 pm

Here, more or less.

(https://lostbyway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/rideToChina_wmc_small-1024x356.png)

Given that route can I very strongly suggest that you *DO NOT* go for a canister top screw on stove (pocket rocket et al). You will find issues with finding fuel.

Go for a multifuel stove that allows you to screw on a canister too. MSR make a whisperlite stove that will work on liquid fuel (petrol mainly), and also canister gas. This is the most affordable of the multifuel stoves. Then you get into the MSR Dragonfly, lovely, burns everything, sounds like a jet engine, or the Primus stoves. The Primus Omnilite Ti is what I went for, it's the lightest multifuel stove, it burns petrol, diesel, av gas, kerosene, everything short of meths and vodka. If you can't justify the price of the titanium version, the omnifuel is much the same, but heavier. Note both primus stoves are loud, but they sell a silent adapter that screws on the top and improves things greatly.

I hear a lot "I've always used stove x, with fuel y, and I've never had any problem finding fuel for it." And I'm sure for many that is the case. For many that is not the case.

Two continents, four months and nine thousand miles in, do you know how many times I've had to go off-route to find the correct gas cylinder?  Once, with a round trip distance of fifteen miles.  I probably didn't need to make that diversion either, I was just being a bit paranoid about how long my cylinder would last.  I probably did need to make that diversion to stock up on food.

Is fifteen miles every four months an acceptable cost for the advantages given by a gas stove?  That's for the individual camper to decide of course, but if you aren't prepared to accept that level of risk then you should probably switch sports and take up tiddlywinks.  Personally I'm confident that my run of luck will hold out through Japan, so I'll be into a five figure mileage before I have to consider switching stoves in China.  At that point my £30 Soto gas stove will have been well worth it.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: rogerzilla on 23 September, 2018, 09:37:56 pm
White gas stoves work in any conditions but they are not small or light.  Also, if you run them on available-everywhere petrol rather than nice clean naptha (Coleman fuel, Primus Powerfueĺ, Aspen 4, panel wipe) they stink and clog.  The SVEA 123 is probably the smallest but ir's a PITA to get going, with no pump.
Title: Stove for a loner
Post by: He’s off again on 27 February, 2021, 11:08:04 pm
Hi, my first post😀😀

I do almost all my cycling alone and the occasional audax (which I almost always seem to end up alone anyway!).  I don’t really like cafes and that when I go out for the day but prefer to be self sufficient to the fullest degree.   Though I som3times stop at a garage for a quick coffee and snack.

I’d like though a stove which is reasonably quick so I can make myself a fresh cuppa whilst I’m having a minute.   I might even get into it and do a quick pasta or rice bag for lunch.  You never know I might even do a bike packing overnight trip.   I was thinking a jetboil.   I don’t know much about stoves and don’t want to rush and get one if there are better choices.

Any advice?
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Bolt on 27 February, 2021, 11:50:20 pm
I've had good service from this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LZ7OO76/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_F767AB9PVC8T6PVH757J?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

It's tiny and weighs next to nothing. Fits in a standard size camping mug along with a gas canister
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2021, 12:48:16 am
I've got something similar to the above, which combined with an Alpkit mug works well enough for hot drinks or snot noodles.

Jetboil style things are also a good option (I believe they're substantially more efficient, so quicker and less fuel-hungry), if you're only planning to boil water.

For longer camping trips involving real cooking, I prefer a Trangia.  But a meths stove isn't a brilliant way to make hot water if you're shivering in damp cycle kit at 3am.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: andrew_s on 28 February, 2021, 01:15:42 am
A Jetboil, or copy, with a fresh gas canister, is the quickest way of boiling a mugful of water for your tea.
They are fairly wind resistant, and everything packs neatly inside the mug section.
However, they aren't too good for thicker stuff like a can of baked beans, as they are prone to burning stuff on the bottom, and, being operated in an upright position, can get quite a lot slower if it's not very warm and the gas canister is getting towards the end of its life.

Canister top stoves, like @Bolt's, are the smallest, lightest, and cheapest option. It's not so easy to keep the wind off the flame, and they have the same problem with the perfomance dropping off in the cold or towards the end of the canister.

The other alternative is a remote canister/preheat stove (eg Alpkit Koro) (https://alpkit.com/products/koro). The preheat loop (a metal tube passing through the flame) means that the stove will run on liquid gas, with the gas canister upside down (turn canister over after the stove is lit). This allows full performance right to the end of the canister.
Having a wide base and being low to the ground, they are more resistant to being knocked over, and it's easier to keep the wind off.

There are also remote canister stoves without the preheat loop. These are good for stability and ease of wind protection, but are worse than canister top stoves for end-of-life or low temperature use. Attempting to turn the canister over will give a big flare and maybe set fire to something.

The problem of lack of performance in the cold or towards the end of the canister is because the propane that allows reasonably good performance on an unused canister gets used more quickly than the butane part of the gas mix, with the result that by the time the canister is much more than half used, there's hardly any propane left in the mix.
This can be mitigated to some extent by using an isobutane-propane gas mix (https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/msr-isopro-gas-cartridge-113g-D3512041.html) (more expensive than basic propane/n-butane mixes).
(Propane boils at -42°C, isobutane boils at -12°C, n-butane boils at 0°C, the boiling point of a mix is intermediate, and the canister temperature needs to be about 10° over the boiling point for reasonable gas pressure).


FWIW, I use a remote canister/preheat stove (MSR Windpro)


For a roadside cuppa, another alternative is a thermos.
The right 500 ml flask (https://thermos.co.uk/stainless-kingtm-flask-470ml) will go in a bottle cage, and if you preheat the flask and fill with freshly brewed black tea, it's still OK 4 hours or so later. Milk is best taken separately and added at drinkies time.
Title: Stove for a loner
Post by: Davef on 28 February, 2021, 07:28:35 am
I would consider a solid fuel burner. Half  a tablet will boil a 500ml titanium mug of water in a couple of minutes. I have a burner that weighs 13g and folds away to the size of a matchbox.

https://esbit.de/en/product/solid-fuel-stove-titanium-st11-5-ti/  shows it in use with a 750ml pot, but I use a mug with a lid.

That said, most of the time I just use a vacuum flask.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210228/4c665d759338e6ee0532e07a46530234.jpg)
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Paul H on 28 February, 2021, 09:46:05 am
I like the Jetboil style, had the original version for 12 years before it wore out, replaced with a Primus Lite+ which is smaller, a bit better in the wind, has a nicer pot to stove coupling and some small pins so it can be used with any pot.  I boil water with it, that's all, mostly for drinks, occasionally for some instant food. It's small enough to carry on day rides and not resent it if it doesn't get used. There are faster and smaller stoves, but it's a very neat package and one thing not often mentioned is how discreet it is, I've used mine in places where setting up a stove might draw attention.   I did buy the Jetboil 1.5L pot to use it for cooking, but didn't get much use from it, it offered no advantage over a conventional stove.  There's several much cheaper variants, I bought but didn't keep an Alpkit one, it was certainly good value, but bulky and crude compared to the Jetboil or Primus. The good ones are not cheap, but I don't enjoy sitting in a cafe if I'm on my own and in comparison the Jetboil paid for itself many times over.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: quixoticgeek on 28 February, 2021, 11:03:04 am

Stoves. I hope you plan to cook the can of worms you just opened :p

What are your trade offs? what would you prioritise? You can generally have only some of the below:

1) Affordable
2) fast
3) resilient in the wind
4) efficient
5) clean to use
6) lightweight
7) stable

Let's come back to 1.

For fast, you can't really beat the jet boil type stoves. I had a pre production review unit for the alpkit clone. I am pleased to see all my feedback was taken on board. The unit I had would boil 500ml of water in a couple of minutes, and would do so on just 5g of gas. Very efficient. But it is a one trick pony. You boil water, nothing more. Fine for heating up a boil in a bag meal. But try to heat up a tin of soup and you're more likely to weld it to the bottom. But for a cuppa on the road, hard to beat.

The trade off for the jetboil and clones is weight. They are not small, they are not light. You could go with the BRS3000 or any of the many similar stoves like that linked above. Be careful tho, some of the cheap chinese stoves have a nasty habbit of exuberant unexpected disassembly. They are also atrocious in the wind, unless you get one of the fancier ones like the MSR pocket rocket deluxe, even then it's not fantastic, but it's better than the rest. The other downside of the canister top stove is they are not very stable. This is a problem for the jet boil as well.

You can get remote canister stoves, but the issue you run into then is they are bulkier, and often heavier.

Kim mentioned the trangia, but there's a lots more to alcohol stoves than just the trangia. I have an Evernew titanium clone of the trangia, and it's amazing. For a meths stove it's fast, it's light, and it works well. At boiling water.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EnRPDxGXIAA73Im?format=jpg&name=large)

The problem with a lot of these stoves is you can't turn them off, and you have to basically burn all the fuel you put in them. The trangia does allow you to store fuel in the stove, but it's a heavy unit. I have a zelph starlite stove, which does allow you to put the lid on, and store fuel in the stove. It's lovely. It's light, it's efficient. and it's bloody slow. BUT. The big weakness of meths stoves is the cold, below about 10°C, they become a pain to light. If I have a meths stove on a winter trip I keep the fuel bottle inside my jersey for a bit before I use it, to warm it up a bit.

What about esbit solid fuel stoves? Well they work. But they are messy. You can't turn them on/off, they leave a horrible residue, and they are slow. And you have to worry about the wind.

So what does this boil down to? (sorry).

Pick what is most important to you. Want fast and efficient, get a jet boil. Want cheap, light and reasonably fast, get a stove top gas unit. Want cheap, light, and don't care about the speed, get a meths stove like the zelph starlite (and a pot stand and wind shield).

I have a selection of stoves in my collection. The one I use for big trips is a primus omnilite. Why? Because I don't have to worry about fuel. I can run it on a gas can, I can run it on petrol, I can run it on av gas. "But you can get gas canisters everywhere!" I hear you cry. Can you tho? A few years back my then housemate was going hiking with his mum in Northern Italy. I offered to lend him my MSR Whisperlite international stove.

"It's ok, I've got my gas stove we'll be fine" said his mum
"you won't be able to find gas for it" said I
"Sure we will, it's standard" she replied.

I didn't push the matter.

Two weeks later said housemate staggers up the stairs into the flat.

"Turns out you're right about the gas canisters"
"Oh?"
"Yep, we could get gas all right, but none of them had the right fitting for our stove"
"Let me guess, blue camping gaz"
"Yep"
"What did you end up doing?"
"I had an esbit stove with me, we used it for the whole trip"

We think that the threaded canister is standard, but it's far from universal. In France and some neighbouring areas, the blue camping gaz pieced containers are the most common, and to get a threaded unit can take a lot of distance. You can get adaptors, but that's going to add weight, and bulk. This is why I love my omnilite. I don't have to worry about fuel, I can always find a petrol station, or maybe a farmer has some diesel. It'll burn everything, apart from meths. But that's fine, cos I also carry my zelph starlyte. That thing weighs less than 20g. My omnilite ticks off everything apart from affordable.

On the subject of fuel canisters. If you go the gas route, get the MSR ISOPRO ones. They have a gauge on the side, pop in a pan of water, and see what level it floats at, read off the markings, and you know how much fuel you have left.

Hopefully this helps a bit.

J
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: quixoticgeek on 28 February, 2021, 11:12:49 am


Found another useful picture:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdYrt9HXgAUc4PN?format=jpg&name=medium)

That's an MSR ISOPRO gas cart with the level markings.

J
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2021, 12:04:33 pm
pop in a pan of water

This is also the solution to pressure problems in cold conditions or with mostly-depleted gas canisters.  The water is a much better source of heat than air, and serves to keep the butane above its boiling point.
Title: Stove for a loner
Post by: Davef on 28 February, 2021, 01:15:01 pm
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210228/9959ebd280786e4831cc350e5e5c1d02.jpg)
As mentioned by QG solid fuel is affected by wind but most stoves benefit from a wind break. I have fashioned my own which I wrap round the mug when stowed. I now have a proper lid.

I also have an msr whisperlite multi fuel stove from the 80s that burns petrol which is handy sometimes, various gas stoves including a jet boil and a trangia style meths burner.

I disagree that you cannot stop a meths or solid fuel burner once lit.

Edit: and here it is packed away and popped over the top of a bidon ready to go in the bottle cage.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210228/6875a31801919c7c41aeca4e635acfc3.jpg)
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: hatler on 28 February, 2021, 01:47:49 pm
Hi, my first post😀😀
/snip/
Any advice?
Welcome !

And I think the answer to that question is 'yes'.  :-)
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: mark on 28 February, 2021, 03:00:57 pm
Hi, my first post😀😀

I do almost all my cycling alone and the occasional audax (which I almost always seem to end up alone anyway!).  I don’t really like cafes and that when I go out for the day but prefer to be self sufficient to the fullest degree.   Though I som3times stop at a garage for a quick coffee and snack.

I’d like though a stove which is reasonably quick so I can make myself a fresh cuppa whilst I’m having a minute.   I might even get into it and do a quick pasta or rice bag for lunch.  You never know I might even do a bike packing overnight trip.   I was thinking a jetboil.   I don’t know much about stoves and don’t want to rush and get one if there are better choices.

Any advice?

For late spring through early fall temperatures, the various cartridge top burners (MSR Pocket Rocket, Snow Peak GigaPower, etc.)will work just fine, without the bulk, weight and expense of system stoves (dedicated, insulated pot with heat trap) like the JetBoil or the MSR Windburner. Most cartridge top stoves can be packed into a 700ml or larger pot together with a 100g cartridge and a Bic cigarette lighter, making a very compact, lightweight package. As the temperatures drop,  the heat exchanger and insulated pot of a system stove speeds up the boiling process greatly, and the insulated pot is nice to drink your coffee/tea out of on a cold day. I've found the MSR Windburner to be about the sturdiest and most wind resistant of the system stoves, and the burner design is very efficient.

Lots of gas cartridge stoves come with a piezoelectric push button igniter, which the sales staff will tell you is a very convenient, easy way to light your stove. It would be if it worked, but they never seem to work in any but the most benign conditions. I've found a disposable cigarette lighter (a Bic lighter) to be about the most dependable way to light a stove. If it's really cold out I might have to clench it in my fist to warm up the butane, but otherwise these are a very dependable way to get your stove going.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Karla on 28 February, 2021, 04:00:39 pm
For the sake of a few seconds extra boil time, I'd use a cartridge top stove (I like the Soto Amicus, the MSR Pocket Rocket is a common good one, then there are lots of others), which as Mark says, will fit inside your pan along with a lighter and a gas canister.  The piezo on my Soto lasted about 3 months' constant camping use, so long enough for you to get plenty of mid-ride brew ups if you don't want to carry a lighter, and given it's only a mid-ride brew up, you aren't stuck in the desert without a stove if it does break.  Saving the bulk on a day ride is, I guess, more convenient to you than a slightly faster boil. 
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 February, 2021, 04:12:45 pm

Stoves. I hope you plan to cook the can of worms you just opened :p
Of course they do.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/25/How_to_Eat_Fried_Worms.jpg/220px-How_to_Eat_Fried_Worms.jpg)
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: rogerzilla on 28 February, 2021, 04:35:27 pm
 Coleman.  Works in freezing conditions (butane blends won't) and plenty of power. 
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 February, 2021, 04:42:25 pm
I have a cartridge-top stove, a remote-cannister stove with preheat loop, and a meths stove. I've never used a jet boil, a Trangia-type meths stove, or a petrol stove. The one I've use most by a long margin is the cartridge-top item, but that's because I've had it by far the longest (since 1996). I bought it originally for tramping (as they call hiking in the southern hemisphere) and it's good for that because, as everyone's already said, it's small and light. It suffers in the wind – I got a windbreak for it that fits round the top of the cannister – and it's unstable on anything less than a perfectly level surface, which is why there's a small patch of burnt grass surrounded by half-cooked pasta in Napton-on-the-Hill.

So I got the remote cannister one. I reckon it's more efficient, it's definitely more stable, and it's better in the wind because, being lower to the ground, it gets more protection from a windbreak. It's also a bit bulkier, though not much heavier, and I think it was a bit more expensive (I can't remember the price of the cart-top stove back in 1996 but I know I was on a budget!).

The meths (I keep typing methanol then having to delete) stove I've only used once, cos as soon as I got it, this pandemic thing happened. But based on that, it's pretty fast. It's not controllable – it's either burning or not – though it does have a simmer ring, I haven't used it – but you can most definitely blow it out, and easily, no matter how much fuel is in it. You can also store fuel in it. It is tiny and weighs nothing. Being low (right on the ground) it is easy to shield from the wind. Don't yet know what it's like for proper cooking... But another advantage it has is not running out of gas unexpectedly (you can easily see how much meths is left in your bottle) and not having to dispose of a metal cannister.

However, if I were just wanting a roadside brew, as opposed to proper camp cooking, I would and do take a thermos. Especially on an audax where (for me) time is usually tight. But rather than put it in a bottle cage, I'd put in saddlebag (or whatever luggage you have); that way it will stay warm much longer and also won't rattle!

Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2021, 04:49:21 pm
But another advantage it has is not running out of gas unexpectedly (you can easily see how much meths is left in your bottle) and not having to dispose of a metal cannister.

I reckon this is a real advantage for cycle touring, plus you can skiddle liquid fuels between containers (so you can top up a bottle that fits nicely on the bike[1] before setting off and know you've got enough for a week or so).  With gas you need to carry two canisters most of the time.

Not so much for a roadside brew, where you merely need to be sure the canister isn't too perilously close to empty.


[1] Those pure butane catering-stove cartridges fit nicely on the bike.  And can be used with a remote-cannister stove if you know what you're doing.  But they're strictly a warm-weather thing.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 February, 2021, 04:51:55 pm
Agreed. If you just want a roadside brew, and fancy the fun of making it on the spot rather than taking a flask, you probably want gas, and by the sounds of things probably a jet boil type, for speed.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: quixoticgeek on 28 February, 2021, 05:49:44 pm
I disagree that you cannot stop a meths or solid fuel burner once lit.

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/meths-stoves-c141/eby254-titanium-alcohol-stove-p40

This is the burner I have. How do I pour the fuel back into the bottle if I only burnt half of it? Or how do I stop it leaking all over my pot when I put it back in there?

J
Title: Stove for a loner
Post by: Davef on 28 February, 2021, 06:01:30 pm
I disagree that you cannot stop a meths or solid fuel burner once lit.

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/meths-stoves-c141/eby254-titanium-alcohol-stove-p40

This is the burner I have. How do I pour the fuel back into the bottle if I only burnt half of it? Or how do I stop it leaking all over my pot when I put it back in there?

J
That one maybe. My one is similar but with a screw on lid so I carry fuel in it. Putting the lid on extinguishes it. Not titanium though. With yours you could drill a drainage hole in the bottom and fit a bung.

Edit:
Titanium with lid is available -https://gbr.grandado.com/products/lixada-portable-mini-titanium-alcoho-stove-with-lid-cross-stove-stand-rack-outdoor-camping-hiking-backpacking-alcohol-stove?variant=36798887755925&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItr63-ZSN7wIVhbHtCh3x2gg1EAQYCCABEgJbaPD_BwE
Though there does not seem to be an o-ring so I would be a bit wary.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: quixoticgeek on 28 February, 2021, 06:10:13 pm
That one maybe. My one is similar but with a screw on lid so I carry fuel in it. Putting the lid on extinguishes it. Not titanium though. With yours you could drill a drainage hole in the bottom and fit a bung.

Yes, you have a trangia, or trangia clone. I explicitly said they can have fuel stored in them. Tho careful not to melt the o-ring by putting the lid on too soon...

But the Trangia is heavy 110g.

My stand* is 57g. The burner is 36g.

So the whole stove weighs less. Than just the trangia burner.

My whole set, including 500ml mug, is 167g:

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/meths-stoves-c141/eca268r-titanium-pot-500-with-titanium-stove-p964

J


* https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/all-stoves-c145/eby257-titanium-dx-stand-for-alcohol-stove-p961
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Kim on 28 February, 2021, 06:16:26 pm
Yes, you have a trangia, or trangia clone. I explicitly said they can have fuel stored in them. Tho careful not to melt the o-ring by putting the lid on too soon...

That's not how you melt the o-ring.  (You're supposed to use the simmer ring with its flap closed to extinguish the burner, not the lid, and by the time it's cool enough to remove with bare fingers, the o-ring will be fine.)  You melt the o-ring by not noticing that the o-ring has stuck to the top of the burner rather than staying with the lid, and proceeding to light it.  Usually, but not always, in the dark.  You flick it off with a convenient implement, but by then it's too late...

(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/richforrest_50th/2018_06_07_19_34_09.sized.jpg)

The trick is to get spares from andrewc when he over-orders them, and stick one in the pocket of one of your touring panniers alongside the useful bit of string, tent/mat/pannier patching materials, dehydrated face cloths, Dunwich earwig and assortment of cable-ties.
Title: Stove for a loner
Post by: Davef on 28 February, 2021, 06:27:44 pm
That one maybe. My one is similar but with a screw on lid so I carry fuel in it. Putting the lid on extinguishes it. Not titanium though. With yours you could drill a drainage hole in the bottom and fit a bung.

Yes, you have a trangia, or trangia clone. I explicitly said they can have fuel stored in them. Tho careful not to melt the o-ring by putting the lid on too soon...

But the Trangia is heavy 110g.

My stand* is 57g. The burner is 36g.

So the whole stove weighs less. Than just the trangia burner.

My whole set, including 500ml mug, is 167g:

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/meths-stoves-c141/eca268r-titanium-pot-500-with-titanium-stove-p964

J


* https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/all-stoves-c145/eby257-titanium-dx-stand-for-alcohol-stove-p961
If we are getting competitive weight weeny wise, my mug, lid, burner/stand is 86g in total. Not weighed my heat shield. Then there is fuel weight - if you look at the first pic in post #10 you will see use of renewables ! I “cooked” 2 meals a day for a 7 days using only a total of 28g of fuel tabs broken into pieces combined with sticks (I was in a dry environment)
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Zed43 on 28 February, 2021, 07:29:27 pm
For audax and biking in general that does not involve camping I wouldn't bother with a stove, but bring a 1 litre thermos (the Thermos brand is very good). No faff, and if you put plain hot water in also suitable to make yourself one of those cup-a-soups or another chemical concoction like instant noodles.

On the topic of meth stoves (which I agree are not the best option in your use-case), speedster stoves (https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/alcohol/meths-burners.html) (UK based) uses carbon "felt" and a lid to preserve unburnt fuel.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 February, 2021, 08:34:35 pm
Was just about to mention Speedster stoves! This is the one I have: https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/alcohol/meths-burners/60ml-spll-proof-meths/alcohol-burrner.html Yes, you can just blow it out and the unburnt fuel can be tipped out if you really want, or just leave it in there with the lid screwed on.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: quixoticgeek on 28 February, 2021, 08:36:14 pm
Was just about to mention Speedster stoves! This is the one I have: https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/alcohol/meths-burners/60ml-spll-proof-meths/alcohol-burrner.html Yes, you can just blow it out and the unburnt fuel can be tipped out if you really want, or just leave it in there with the lid screwed on.

They are a clone of the original Zelph starlite stoves...

J
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 February, 2021, 08:39:52 pm
Looked that up. Yeah, it does look very similar, though the Speedster has a wider, separate pot stand.
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyte-stove.php
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: quixoticgeek on 28 February, 2021, 08:45:07 pm
Looked that up. Yeah, it does look very similar, though the Speedster has a wider, separate pot stand.
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyte-stove.php

I have the version without the integral stand. I have a couple of speedster pot stands to use.

J
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: mzjo on 28 February, 2021, 09:15:30 pm
I disagree that you cannot stop a meths or solid fuel burner once lit.

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/meths-stoves-c141/eby254-titanium-alcohol-stove-p40

This is the burner I have. How do I pour the fuel back into the bottle if I only burnt half of it? Or how do I stop it leaking all over my pot when I put it back in there?

J

Back in the 80's when my first (and only ex) introduced me to Trangia stoves they had a screw-on cap with a seal ('O' ring). You took the seal out and used the cap to extinguish the stove; then you put the seal back in when the beast had cooled to stop the fuel leaking in transport. It worked too! Obviously progress has not been made in this respect in the intervening years!

My stove is a camping gaz one with those resealable canisters (cv471 I think) - but then I don't need to use it outside the camping gaz catchment area! If I had the money, the need and other decent excuses I would undoubtedly go for a multi-fuel stove of some type or other.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Davef on 28 February, 2021, 09:25:07 pm
Oh, I forgot, I also have a varga that is a meths stove and you can flip it over and use a solid fuel tablet. I have owned it since may 2019 but not yet used it. It is a featherlight 24g including pot stand and fits inside my mug... as it was a lot smaller than it looked in the pictures so I expect left over unburnt meths won’t be an issue when I get round to trying it.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 02 March, 2021, 07:38:21 am


What about esbit solid fuel stoves? Well they work. But they are messy. You can't turn them on/off, they leave a horrible residue, and they are slow. And you have to worry about the wind.

J
I guess you haven't used the modern replacement for esbit; the alcohol cube.
I've cooked with one on a couple of trips. Much, much better than an esbit. One cube cooks a meal. Half a cube is enough for hot drinks. Since it is just an alcohol gel, you can slice a cube up with a knife without contaminating the knife. The cubes are waterproof.

Several cubes will fit in the burner for transport.

Yes, a windshield is required - I've used heavy-duty Al foil, works ok.

They aren't quick compared to other options, but a lot, lot better than many. Simple, cheap, small and light.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: salar55 on 02 March, 2021, 03:07:50 pm
Have a Vargo woodburner stove very light, some twigs and tinder no need to carry fuel. Titanium and folds flat, best part is the built in windshield perfect for a metal cup.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: salar55 on 02 March, 2021, 03:58:02 pm
As the coffee shops are only doing carryout and are usually mobbed if near exercise areas. Going to try this, saves looking for twigs. Conversion kit for alcohol fuel for the woodburner. https://vargooutdoors.com/converter-stove.html
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: loadsabikes on 02 March, 2021, 04:06:15 pm
For a high speed brew, the Brukit by Alpkit.
A great Jetboil type stove at a bargain price.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: SteveMG on 04 March, 2021, 05:17:34 pm
GAS CANISTER ADAPTERS: if you have been looking for hard to find gas canister adapters (for use with Campingaz Easy-Click, and puncture-type gas canisters) They are now available from the official importer here: https://mercatorgear.com/product-category/kovea-gas-canister-adapters/

MSR pocket rocket 2? prob only for heating water, or simple fry up, Triangia is too much bulk I think.  New to all this. ???   canister compatibiliity?

If you're looking for something small without a connecting house, I can highly recommend the Soto Amicus stove, I have the version without the built in piezo ignition (I didn't want it), but it's available with that, if preferred. It's surprisingly good

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/all-stoves-c145/soto-amicus-stove-p7354

I actually use an MSR Wind Pro II most of the time, though, as generally prefer remote canister stoves, and it's still small enough to fit into my MSR Titan cookset:
https://www.msrgear.com/windpro-ii

Regarding canister compatibility in general, you can get adapters that let you use Camping Gaz blue cylinders on stoves with Coleman-type threads. The one for using threaded Camping Gaz cyclinders is relatively small (e.g. https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/edelrid-ventilkartuschen-adapter/ ), the one for using the pierce-able non-threaded cylinders is much larger and heavier and must stay attached to the gas cylinder until it's empty (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/stoves-c12/stove-accessories-c132/puncture-cartridge-adaptor-p390 - looks like this one is discontinued, though).
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: Jakob W on 06 March, 2021, 08:21:59 pm
I've been known to pack a Trangia and kettle; not exactly lightweight, but stable and easy to use, and it's not like my Carradice is short of space.

I just bought a Wild Stoves Woodgas stove; packed in an MSR stainless pot it's probably marginally smaller than the Trangia and of similar weight, so that may come with me in future if I'm heading to the woods...
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: nobby on 07 March, 2021, 10:30:32 am
For a high speed brew, the Brukit by Alpkit.
A great Jetboil type stove at a bargain price.
Just bought one of these.
Title: Re: Stove for a loner
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 14 March, 2021, 04:30:13 pm
For a high speed brew, the Brukit by Alpkit.
A great Jetboil type stove at a bargain price.
Just bought one of these.
Pleased with mine but can see that it could burn a meal.
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: mmmmartin on 26 March, 2021, 10:31:27 pm
My experience has been that you can often find the screw in canisters in trade type shops, I once in Denmark couldn't find any canisters for a gas stove until I found a gas canister for a blowtorch, exactly the same fitting. Had to hold the pot all the time so it didn't fall over cos the canister was about 80mm wife by 200mm high. Worked fine though. Also in Patagonia in Chile I found it fairly easy to find screw in gas canisters
Title: Re: what little stove?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 March, 2021, 10:00:48 am
Laughing gas "cream supplies" shops might have them too, for chefs' blowtorches.