Feather Fire Stove [Archive]

Dazzy001

01-14-2008, 10:56

i just ordered the Feather Fire Stove, What do yaw think of this unit from: http://www.packafeather.com, It's the Feather Fire XL. :-?

Thanks in advance.

Darren

SouthMark

01-14-2008, 11:03

I have been using one for about three months. It is a nice stove especially if you need to simmer. I take it along when I plan on baking and cooking in my pot as opposed to freezer bag cooking. It is well made.

bredler

01-16-2008, 02:25

how does the flame adjustment work?

SouthMark

01-16-2008, 10:31

It has an adjustable band around the air jets controlled with a small knob located outside of the windscreen.

g8trh8tr

01-16-2008, 18:49

They are a bit pricey for an alcohol stove but I love mine. The fact that you can control the temp/flame is awesome.

No Belay

03-16-2008, 09:58

I have only owned one long enough to use it on a three day hike but over all I'm pretty impressed. It's a nicely constructed stove with a very simple flame adjustment mechanism. I enjoyed it's fuel efficiency and the fact that I could extinguish the stove and recover any unburnt alky. The flame control knob is on a long flexible shaft which allows you to adjust it from outside the wind screen. Nice !

The down side of the stove is you have to set it on a flat metal surface for the simmering adjustment to work properly. If air can leak under the stove it negates the air/flame control. This adds additional weight but not much. I used the bottom of a Hungry Mn pot pie pan and it worked well. Also the stove is very susceptible to wind when the flame is turned down. I had to make a small depression for the stove and bank the wind screen with dirt to get good results. The lower temps, 30-35* may have been a factor here. I burned yellow Heet with mine and was impressed with the boil times.

Two Speed

03-16-2008, 10:12

I would be very interested in a long term field report on this stove. The ability to change heat output is fascinating to me. I can simmer and change the heat output on my Trangia, but that involves some fancy handling of the simmer ring.

On the same line, any Trangia cultists (like myself) that have tried the Feather Fire?

Quoddy

03-16-2008, 10:22

I was pleased with the original FeatherFire, but my small FireLite 550 titanium pot/cup barely fit on the built in stand. I've since begun using the XL with excellent results. The stand is much more secure and I've used the stove down to as low as single digits (fuel kept at close to freezing) on a recent hike. It's what I'm taking on both the LT and CT this year. I trimmed the windscreen from it's original length and used a small, square piece of it for a base. That seems to work better than a flimsy piece of foil.

Christopher Robin

03-16-2008, 20:32

Does the XL come w/the wind screen or do you have to buy onr for it.

Quoddy

03-16-2008, 21:43

Does the XL come w/the wind screen or do you have to buy onr for it.
It's an extra. http://www.packafeather.com/stove.html

No Belay

03-28-2008, 09:38

I made a positive post earlier in this thread concerning the XL. After using it on 3 short trips, it's gone back into it's box and into the retired gear closet. The performance of this stove is totally unpredictable due to it being so easily influenced by enviromental factors, especially the wind. It would be a great shelter or hut stove but is a major pain in the arse in open exposed areas. It is defineatly a special purpose stove as far as it's ability to simmer but I don't require that ability often enough to put up with it's temperment. I'm going back to my pressurized alky. If you're interested in buying this stove drop me a PM. I have the XL and an unaltered wind screen just beggin for a new home.

envirodiver

03-28-2008, 11:12

No Belay, you had problems due to wind even with the windscreen?

I heading out today with my feather fire XL (1st time using it other than at home). Hope I have better success than you did.

kytrailman

03-28-2008, 13:29

I have heard some very negative feedback concerning the effeciency of this stove. Check bplite. there are some threads there.

Rickosovitch

06-26-2008, 00:14

I was very happy with this stove for some time. I don't just boil water, I actually cook on the trail and my home-dehydrated meals need to come up to the boil slowly and then simmer for a few minutes before finishing off the stove while I make my coffee. The XL did this all very well on a total of about 20 days and nights on various trails. But on my most recent jaunt (6 days and nights in the Kalmiopsis/Craggies area) I had trouble with the flame adjuster sticking. And this is not the first time this has happened. But it was the first time the lid you put on to squelch the flame just didn't work. Several times I had to pull the outer part of the stove right off the reservoir and put a pot on the reservoir to put out the flame. I think this is because the outer portion is getting every so slightly reshaped by simple handling. I store the stove inside a cup, inside my mess kit. So it's not getting bumped around. And setting a full pot of food or water on the little reservoir isn't a long term solution because the very flimsy aluminum of this stove could easily be damaged by one bad placement. Anyway, I may use this stove on short weekend trips, but when I head out on longer trips I just don't feel I want to rely on it. I'm going back to good old white gas, but upgrading from my Whisperlite International to the Optimus Nova. The guy I was hiking with in the Craggies had one and while it's loud, it's a wonderful piece of Swiss engineering. And something I know without doubt I can rely on.

Eldorado

07-12-2008, 23:13

I purchased a FeatherFire some time ago. I was intrigued by the idea of being able to simmer. Unfortunately, the stove was completely unreliable. It might work really well under optimum conditions with a really level surface, but not on the trail with cold, rain, and wind, not to mention unlevel cooking surfaces. Also when you adjust the flame to simmer you have to be careful because you can easily upset the whole thing and then you have a nice little flare-up on your hands. When you factor in the steep price, I would not recommend this stove.

urbansix

07-13-2008, 08:36

I tested one before taking it on hikes. Decided against it due to fuel capacity and thus burn time. I'm usually cooking for two, and it was not long enough for boiling+cooking (such as pasta). Never tried it in the field, so I don't know about reliability with environmental variables. Went with white box stove in the end but now seriously considering going back to trangia. Neat little well-crafted stove though.

Old Hillwalker

07-13-2008, 12:28

I'm starting my SOBO at Baxter day after tomorrow. I'm bringing my FF-X/L and my Penny Stove as a backup in the event the FF X/L performs poorly. I also am using the Bakepacker Lite which seems to work very well with the FF-X/L. I will post my findings as I go along. If it fails performance tests be assured that it will not be tossed in the woods beside the trail. I also bought the FF windscreen which works well with both stoves.

oops56

07-13-2008, 15:15

I think you should take a paper punch in your back pack to make a super cat stove you will need it.A penny stove for a back up:eek::eek:

Old Hillwalker

07-13-2008, 17:35

I think you should take a paper punch in your back pack to make a super cat stove you will need it.A penny stove for a back up:eek::eek:

Been using my Penny Stove for two years now ... no complaints. Just doesn't run the Bakepacker as well as the 16 to 18 minute burn time of the FF.

Kinda nice tasting pancakes and biscuits on the trail with no clean up.

Dazzy001

08-13-2008, 09:45

I made a small bolsa wood base for my Feather Fire XL, I then varnisded it and then had it heat coated. Never had a issue after i made this base, I do however aggree that there are issues with this stove if you do not have a flat surface to put the stove on.

Old Hillwalker

08-13-2008, 13:21

During my July Baxter to Monson sopping wet hike I carried both my Featherfire, my Bakepacker lite cook pot and a Heineken Penny stove with a little four cup Ti pot. My main reason for carrying both was the desire to experiment a bit with the Bakepacker which doesn't work at all with the Penny stove's burning time. The Featherfire burns about 16 minutes with two oz of fuel, and the Penny about 6 minutes with one oz. Most of the recipes and Adventure Foods dehydrated meals required around ten minutes of boil time in the Bakepacker.

For the seven days through the 100 mile woods I used about 28 oz of denatured alky. Had I used the Heine Penny stove and FB cooking I would have carried less weight and used half the fuel.

I used the FF supplied windscreen with both stoves and will continue to use it even when I leave the FF stove home.

I had no issues with wind, and more often than not didn't even use the windscreen.

Bottom line: The FF stove worked well, but weighs much more than the Heine stove and used maybe twice the fuel. However, the FF does allow you to extinguish the flame and recover the unburnt fuel and is a simmering wonder.

If I want to go as light as possible and don't want fancy stuff like biscuits, pancakes and cakes I will leave it in the equipment locker. Adventure Foods seems to be out of business and after eating some of their meals I understand why. The meals I had were donated to me and are all gone now.

Got to say, that their omelettes and huevo rancheros were darn good but the other meals not so much.

oldfivetango

08-13-2008, 13:48

I wonder if anyone here has an FF and Brasslite turbo IID and how
they compare to one another?I like the ring on the Brasslite as it
appears to be foolproof compared to the FF control but since I have
never used an FF before it is hard to say.

Also,am I the only guy with a small primer pan to put under
an alky stove?Is that extra bit an issue with people?
Inquiring minds want to know.........
Oldfivetango

oops56

08-13-2008, 15:29

oldfivetango

08-13-2008, 16:00

I like to prime pan or prime wick not to much or it boil the alcohol in stove to fast and have shorter burn time just get to know your stove.I got one of the basslite with the hole at bottom ajustable. Not my cup tea so i just use it to make char cloth 1/2 oz. fuel is just right. Its been so long on boiling water not sure what is what.

30 ml of alcohol in my turbo 2d and a tight windscreen and I
am boiling 2 cups of water in about five minutes on a rolling boil
in most cases.Love mine although I was tempted to buy an FF just
for kicks.
OFT

Skidsteer

08-13-2008, 17:02

ofthearth

02-04-2009, 14:02

Skids-are you familiar with this stove? Opinion? Better stove for simmer?

tia

Gumbi

02-04-2009, 14:32

i just ordered the Feather Fire Stove, What do yaw think of this unit from: http://www.packafeather.com, It's the Feather Fire XL. :-?

Thanks in advance.

Darren

My opinion is that the simpler an object is, the less likely it is to fail. That is why I have switched to alcohol stoves in the first place. I use a modified version of the Supercat ( I use only eight holes punched evenly around the 3 oz. can rather than 20). It is one piece and it is it's own potstand. There is nothing to go wrong with it and it is sturdier than your typical popcan stove. Granted, it doesn't do well in extremely cold weather (it failed me at -9F), and it doesn't simmer. But I like it for what it is. I don't like the FF because there are so many pieces which makes it more likely to fail than my supercat.

I would just as soon go to an MSR whisperlight than to the alcohol version of it. But that is my opinion. (take it with a cup of salt:D)

Rickosovitch

04-02-2009, 13:59

One other consideration worth mentioning here; this stove achieves its extreme lightness by being made of very, very thin aluminum. It's fragile and easily damaged. If you're a very careful person, this might not be a problem. If you're at all absent-minded or clumsy (like me) this probably isn't the stove for you.

handlebar

04-02-2009, 18:38

I used mine over 100 days on the PCT. It's the updated design (as of 07-04-09) that has a solid band that the adjuster loosens rather than the band with holes in it that the screw gear slid over the open ports to adjust the amount of air admitted. I did have a problem with that older version.

Mine seemed to simmer quite well. I've used it in all kinds of weather including winter camping at 10F. The trick for that is to have some kind of insulation under the stove. I use the top of my home-made pot cozy (closed cell foam circle the diameter of my pot) and squirt a bit of alcohol on the top of the stove to prime it. Occasionally had to heap up soil around the bottom of the windscreen in exposed, windy areas on the PCT.

The stove body is fragile---seems like it's made of a pepsi/beer can. Never a problem as it lives in my cookpot inside my pack.

dart7383

05-16-2009, 01:37

I've got one, and I love it. Mine is one of the new designs. The pot stand is a little weak for my tastes, and you have to get it level. They are a little thin, but I put mine in a ziplock inside my pot and it seems to ride just fine. I made my own windscreen, and have had no trouble keeping it lit or not being able to boil... I was going to use it for my thru this year before my dumb ass tripped and buggered up my knee(surgery on Mon). It worked great for that week in the rain flawlessly. Oh, and the bottle top they sell with the little straw is worth it's weight in gold to me.

Jayboflavin04

05-17-2009, 10:36

I can get damn near 30 min burn time on two OZ of alky on FF with the choke ring fully closed. I would agree that the pot stand on the regular FF is questionable. I use graphite to lubircate the worm gear on the choke ring mechanism. Basically, it works as advertised, no complaints so far.