Stoves - All opinions welcome

[OverTheHills]

Alright, so I'm looking for my first backpacking stove. Ive always just cooked using a Dakota Fire Pit, but figured I may as well at least look at getting a stove, just for convenience on those rougher and wetter days. As of right now, I'm looking at a Jet boil Sol. I went on a trip with a friend this past summer and he loves it. Any thoughts on the whole stove area?

[HooKooDooKu]

A Jetboil is good for one thing and one thing only... to boil water quickly and efficiently so that you're fuel lasts longer.
You can't "cook" with it and you can't melt snow with it (the bottom MUST have water to avoid burning the fins off).
So if you only want it to boil water, then it's a great stove.

If you want something that is a little lighter, smaller, and more flexible, get something like the SnowPeak LiteMax. It's pretty much the same thing as the MSR Pocket Rocket, but it folds down smaller, is a hint lighter, and it seems to be more stable at holding your pot than the cheaper Pocket Rocket. (Pocket Rocket is about $40 while LiteMax is $60).

From there add you're desired pot. I personally like the MSR Titan Kettle because of it's combination of light weight, large size, and fits the larger diameter MSR canister inside the stove (with the LiteMax under the canister).

If you like the efficiency the jetboil adds with its heat ex-changer fins, you can try the Olicamp XTS. You can find it on Amazon for something in the ballpark of $35.


While no where near a fully inclusive list, I made a chart of some of the more popular stoves and pots recently.


If boiling water is all that you want, the cheapest option can be an alcohol stove. You can practically build yourself the stove for free (or pay someone a few dollars to get something more consistent and perhaps more efficient). Alcohol stoves are pretty much designed to boil water as it is difficult to control the flame with the typical design. But the stove can weigh almost nothing. However, on a long distance hike, the light weight of the stove is offset by the alcohol fuel having fewer BTU per oz than other fuel sources.

[OverTheHills]

This was awesome. Have you had any personal experience with the MSR whisperlite? One of the outfitters around here recommended one of those.

[SteelCut]

I've used WhisperLite stoves for years but only for winter camping where I needed the efficiency of white gas to melt snow. For general purpose backpacking, I'd stick with a canister stove as mentioned previously or you may want to investigate alcohol stoves. These will be much lighter and quieter.

[OverTheHills]

The LiteMax seems to be exactly what I'm needing. Do you use the Gigapower fuel by SnowPeak or something else?

[tarditi]

Do you want to take a fuel canister or try an alcohol stove or fuel tabs...?

I got a small isobutane stove and it works great. Not fancy, but no problems - cook in a GSI glacier cup or small pot if necessary.
I also have an esbit stove with tabs, alcohol stove, emberlit, rocket stove... tried several. I just like different sorts of gear.
For ease of use and overall convenience, I prefer the isobutane.

[OverTheHills]

I'd like to take a fuel canister. I'm not too learned on the whole stove area, but from what I've read the canister stoves are more efficient (let me know if I'm wrong, I may be).

[Odd Man Out]

...While no where near a fully inclusive list, I made a chart of some of the more popular stoves and pots recently....

I've been using home made alcohol stoves, but it took me a long time and a lot of stoves to get a system I am happy with. I have considered trying a canister stove (backpackers can never have enough gear). HKDK's list is good, but I am considering a Soto Windmaster:

http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1RX.html

It's not the most common (or cheapest) stove out there, but I read some great reviews. Maybe someone has some first hand knowledge of this one?

[HooKooDooKu]

The LiteMax seems to be exactly what I'm needing. Do you use the Gigapower fuel by SnowPeak or something else?

I like using the MSR 4oz canister just because the canister itself has a lower center of gravity and a wider base than the narrower/taller gigapower and jetboil canisters. But any of these canisters will work just fine with any of the typical canister stoves (such as The LiteMax, Jetboil, Pocket Rocket, etc).

Because I use the MSR canisters is one reason I like the MSR Titan kettle... the kettle is just wide enough to hold the MSR canister. The Jetboil and many other pots will only hold the thinner gigapower and jetboil canisters.

[HooKooDooKu]

This was awesome. Have you had any personal experience with the MSR whisperlite? One of the outfitters around here recommended one of those.

My 1st stove was an MSR whisperlite international.

The only difference between the regular and international version is that the international version comes with a second orifice needed if you want to be able to cook with kerosene. I've never used the kerosene orifice, but I've liked the idea of having the international version so that I've got a wider range of usable fuels if I ever needed to use the stove at home during an emergency... like an extended power outage.

My canister stove failed the last time I tried to use a half empty canister in cold temperatures (<40º at 1,000' elevation). So now I use the LiteMax when temperatures are warm, and resort to the heavier whisperlite for cold weather where temperatures put the usability of the canister stove at risk.

While it's likely seen fewer than 50 nights in the back country, my whisperlite has been reliable for 20 years.

[HooKooDooKu]

... I am considering a Soto Windmaster:

http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1RX.html

It's not the most common (or cheapest) stove out there, but I read some great reviews.

No first hand knowledge of this particular stove, but it seems that it's primary quality over other stoves like the LiteMax and Pocket Rocket is that the burners are positioned below a protective rim to help reduce the effects of the wind.

But can't you achieve the same thing with a wind screen around any other canister stove? Of course you've got to use a wind screen with caution so that you don't risk heating the canister potentially creating a bomb. But the canister should stay cool if you only place the wind screen on the wind-ward side of the stove (you should stay safe if your canister remains cool to the touch).

I think this is one of the things that makes the Jetboil so efficient. The design of its stove and the fins on the pot form a bit of a wind break like the sides of the Soto Windmaster.

[swisscross]

I bought my first backpacking stove 23+ years ago. A Whisperlite. I used it religiously for 10 years before I gave up backpacking. I now use it during power outages, car camping and cycle touring (as it can burn auto gas) since then. The Whisperlite IS a great stove and when I purchased mine it was the best and lightest option.

I have recently gotten the bug to get back into the woods and started reading a bunch of reviews. WB has a disease when it comes to opinions but the information you will gather, on all equipment, will lead you in the correct direction or spiral you into a state of confusion with gear overload.

My concerns were durability and weight.
I just could not decide.

After agonizing for over a month I decided that less than a ounce of weight (canister stoves not alcohol) was not enough for me to forgo the durability I had come to appreciate and expect from my Whisperlite.

I decided to purchase the Snow Peak Gigapower. This little stove has been around for a while, weighs a hair over 3oz. Many have used it their original stove for over 10 years and describe it as a true workhorse. It has brass threads which tend to last much longer that the anodized aluminum mounting threads that many of their competitors have adopted to reduce weight (as well as SPs model of the LiteMax).

I am an eBay/used gear type of person and saw the Gigapower Titanium model and I had to find out more. They are no longer in production but I have run across a few since my search began. I was able to find a slightly used one at a great deal here on WB, purchased and could not be happier with my decision. At 2.6 oz. it is as light as the popular and readily available canister stoves out.

If I were to have no luck locating the titanium version I would not have hesitated purchasing the regular stainless steel version of the Gigapower.

Enjoy your search, I did.

[swjohnsey]

Simmerlite will save you some weight over the Wisperlite if you decide to go that route. You will have to get one used as it was discontinued.

[gbolt]

I have been backpacking for over 20 years and alway's used the original whisperlite stove with an updated smaller fuel bottle. However, in preparation for lighter weight hiking and a potential AT Thru upon retirement; I looked at the canister / jet boil type stoves. After a great deal of research, I realized that I could try an alcohol stove for low risk and low dollar amount. Thinking I could alway's resell or give away and then purchase the Canister Stove, while not really losing anything. More research got me to purchase the Caldera Cone Stove. I have only used it at home for practice; but currently think this is the best lightweight, low hassle, good boil time stove. Not saying I won't go for the Canister at a later date; but I know the original whisperlite is out except for snow melt winter hikes.

[Praha4]

Snow Peak Litemax stove with the Snow Peak Mini-solo titanium cookset

[Venchka]

YOU FORGOT TO TELL EVERYONE WHEN & WHERE YOU WILL NEED THE STOVE.

Sorry about the caps. Not shouting.
OverTheHills needs a stove for a NOBO start February 15, 2015.
If you want 100% reliability for the first 2 months, white gas is where it's at.
You can switch stoves to anything else you like when you swap out your winter gear for summer gear. Or not. Nothing wrong with a white gas stove.

Wayne

[bobp]

This was awesome. Have you had any personal experience with the MSR whisperlite? One of the outfitters around here recommended one of those.

I can't recommend the Whisperlite. It isn't really all that light, it isn't very quiet, and the fuel pump is plastic, fragile, and expensive. The stove requires regular maintenance (or rather, the pump does). It does provide the ability to do more than boil water, and it cans boil a lot of water at once (you aren't going to boil water for a 12 person trekking crew with a Fancy Feast alcohol stove). If you want a white gas stove, a SVEA 123 is a little heavier, but a lot more robust and reliable. If you only need to boil water for one or two people, and you can resupply weekly (and the weather is above freezing), an alcohol stove will do very nicely. A canister stove is nice for those times when the temperature is above freezing and you need more firepower and flexibility than an alcohol stove affords. Tablet stoves are light, but the fuel can be expensive.

[swjohnsey]

The Wisperlite, Dragonfly, Simmerlite, etc. are great stoves. The pump is plastic but it ain't fragile. Regular maintenance is a drop of oil.

[swjohnsey]

Oh yeah, if you want to go light, go alcohol. I used on of Zelph's stoves. the one with the hole in the middle, very sturdy, no pot stand needed. Alcohol stoves are not as efficient. You will carry more fuel. So on long stretches a white gas stove if more efficient, heavier stove, less fuel. In cold weather (below freezing) alcohol stoves suck.

[Matt65]

I started with a Brunton Butane canister stove.

Then I went to Alcohol.


Sometimes I use an Olicamp Ion


I also like my Simmerlite for bigger meals. Which I prime with hand sanitizer.





The pluses and minuses of each are endless. No one will do it all. Don't be afraid to evolve through different stoves. Buy used, try it out, then sell of it's not for you. Take care of your gear and the resell value will be there.