View Full Version : MLD Caldera Stove Help
mak52580
12-30-2009, 15:12
I am looking at potentially purchasing a caldera stove system and was looking at the MLD Caldera stove (http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=129&osCsid=ea92a544a09a4d1eb8dde785f3f5dc07)with the 850 mug (http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=113&osCsid=ea92a544a09a4d1eb8dde785f3f5dc07). Does anyone have any experience with this setup and have any comments/suggestions? Also, I am looking to nest another mug inside of it since I prefer to have my drink simultaneously with my food and you can't do both with one pot. It doesn't necessarily need to be titanium, but lightweight is nice.
Or, if anyone has any other options of other similar stoves that they are using it would be helpful as I'm just transitioning to alcohol. Thanks!
I just got this same setup for Christmas, so my experience thus far is limited to one test burn in my backyard plus fiddling with it a little.
I like it. The lid on the mug fits well, and for now at least I'm keeping the 7 gram mesh bag that came with it to keep the handles together and the lid on. I weigh the stove at 15 grams, the cone at 24 grams, and the pot plus lid at 90 grams, exactly as advertised.
The pot/mug seems perfect to me --- I can fit my fairly large fist inside so cleaning it shouldn't be a problem, and it's big enough to cook for two or eat a bowl of cereal out of, etc.
In my test burn I didn't get it to a rolling boil before it ran out of fuel, but it was about as hot as I want it --- I use already-treated water so don't need to boil the heck out of it, just get it hot enough to make a hot meal. At an ambient temp in the upper 30's F, I got 2 cups of water to "hot enough" (not boiling, but bubbles forming, near boiling) using 15 ml of denatured alcohol. This took just under 5 minutes.
I don't think it's a great option for nesting another mug inside of, as the cone is designed to fit inside the mug. Personally, I just use a 20 oz plastic gatorade bottle to drink flavored drinks out of, but each to their own! You might like instead one of the variants of the Caldera Keg system, where the outer plastic that protects the keg is food grade plastic you can drink out of. Antigravity Gear (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/www.antigravitygear.com) sells a variant on this, as does Gossamer Gear (http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/Caldera_Keg-GVP.html), maybe others.
I was torn between Caldera Keg and the MLD Caldera UL setup, but my initial impressions at least of the latter are quite positive --- packs into a very compact and lightweight unit that will use less fuel (more efficient system) than my previous alcohol stove setup.
Or, if anyone has any other options of other similar stoves that they are using it would be helpful as I'm just transitioning to alcohol. Thanks!
One option is to try the Zmart Stove Kit.:)
You get a nice size aluminum pot, the windscreen and the stove.
The Caldera system does not include the pot, plus you have to furnish the stakes to support the pot. The cost of their windscreen and stove is $35.00 no pot and you have to pay shipping charges.
The Zmart kit is available at the low price of $35.00 which includes the Kmart grease pot that has become popular on the AT and FREE shipping. The modified StarLyte stove used in the kit is a field proven, reliable stove. Just the stove alone is sold at backpackinglight.com for $20.00+
This is an introductory offer. It's an option. It's something to consider.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/obijiwa/grease%20pot%20kit/th_ZMartCookKitWindscreen.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v228/obijiwa/grease%20pot%20kit/?action=view¤t=ZMartCookKitWindscreen.flv)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/obijiwa/grease%20pot%20kit/th_ZMartCookKitUTube.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v228/obijiwa/grease%20pot%20kit/?action=view¤t=ZMartCookKitUTube.flv)
The MLD 850 is a great size for solo use. The UL Caldera will fully nest inside the MLD850... but there isn't room for any mug I have seen. You could nest a mug (such as the Sea to Summit Delta InsulMug) inside the MLD850, and then put the UL Caldera inside the mug, but then the UL Caldera sticks out an inch or more beyond the pot. You can maintain protection of the UL Caldera by nesting it inside a mug, and then put the MLD850 over the mug coming from the opposite direction. Then you just need to find something that keeps the pot and mug together and retains the lids. An appropriately sized mesh bag would be a good option.
I expect the same strategy would work with e full size caldera cone, though I haven't tried this. Obviously, the mug and mld pot would overlap less.
--Mark
PS: I have been using alchohol for the last 5 years, but I found the esbits using UL Caldera + GramCracker stove + MLD850 is a really combination.
Snow Peak (http://www.snowpeak.com/lux/kitchen/mugs/stacking.html) has a number of different sizes in nesting pots and mugs and sold in combination.
Something there might fit.
. . .