View Full Version : Best Tip Proof Stove
SunnyWalker
02-23-2011, 23:05
Well, I have used an MSR for cooking and alcohol stove and PR and Stratus Wood Stove. On my last hike for a few days on CDT I used the PR and felt it worked great in that it heated my food. However I felt it was a disaster waiting to happen in that I got this pot sitting on top of this narrow contraption that could easily tip over. Same with many stoves. MSR being not the worst but it is too heavy for me to backpack with. In thinking about it it seems that an effective stove for backpacking and one that is "tip proof" would be very desirable. The only one I can think of that would begin to meet this idea is the Caldera Cone. Man, the pot is not on top of a spindly stand but in that cone and its pretty solid. Caldera Cone here I come. Anybody with comments? :-?
sheepdog
02-23-2011, 23:19
Try an alcohol stove that has fiberglass insulation in it. If it tips the alcohold doesn't spill.
sheepdog
02-23-2011, 23:22
I think it's called a starlight stove. Zelph was selling them.
sheepdog
02-23-2011, 23:25
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/zelph_ss_starlyte_ultralyte_alcohol_stove.html
right here. This is a good stove.
SunnyWalker
02-24-2011, 00:07
Naaaaaa . . . . Don't get me wrong, that stove looks like it'll heat up food real good. My question has to do with the "stand" that the stove "creates". This one is a reject for me also. Cuz it is a disaster waiting to happen. Now I've not owned a Caldera Cone and don't sell them etc. But its the only stove I can think of that is stable when the pot is put "on top of the stove". This stove you have linked me to, one little accidental bonk and it's over. Am I right or am I wrong?
Leanthree
02-24-2011, 00:29
Vargo Traid- You stick the legs into the ground making it quite stable. Obviously this doesn't work if you cook on a hard surface or inside a tent. A good kick would knock it out of the ground still but wont just tip over from placing the pot off center or standard normal use. Weighs 1 oz.
Boils a bit slower than a super cat but you light and put the pot on top so when it is priming, you are still heating the pot so you don't waste the fuel that you are priming the stove with.
Turtle Feet
02-24-2011, 00:39
I received the Caldera Cone as a gift at Christmas. I love it the few times I've worked with it. I bought the cozy's the fit the top and bottom too. You're right - I can't really envision a more stable set up that includes a fabulous windscreen!
Well, I have used an MSR for cooking and alcohol stove and PR and Stratus Wood Stove. On my last hike for a few days on CDT I used the PR and felt it worked great in that it heated my food. However I felt it was a disaster waiting to happen in that I got this pot sitting on top of this narrow contraption that could easily tip over. Same with many stoves.Anybody with comments? :-?
What diameter pot do you use. I'm working on a non tip 3" diameter stove that holds one ounce of fuel suspended and is very stable. Should have it finalized in a week or two. It's based somewhat on the "Ring of Fire Stove.
The folding Woodgaz stove has a nice firm base and pot support top.
There is a Companion Burner for the Woodgaz that holds 4 ounces of fuel in suspension that is a great safety feature.
Rain Man
02-24-2011, 11:10
Anybody with comments? :-?
Yeah... many have no idea what "PR" is. You might try not to "drop names" like that.
I tried a Pocket Rocket on one trip, and it too was a disaster waiting to happen. Shortly thereafter, I got an MSR WindPro. That thing is short and steady as they come ... and has a wide flame. I use it when I'm not using my home made alcohol "super cat" stove.
Rain:sunMan
.
Doc Mike
02-24-2011, 11:24
jetboil with plastic base for the cannister.
This stove you have linked me to, one little accidental bonk and it's over. Am I right or am I wrong?
That is correct, you are right. The stove weighs 1/2 ounce and is not for you.
You should get the jetboil with plastic base for the cannister. Drill some holes in the plastic base and use some aluminum spikes to fasten it to the ground for extra stability.
.
WingedMonkey
02-24-2011, 18:58
Drill some holes in the plastic base and use some aluminum spikes to fasten it to the ground for extra stability.
Fell outa my chair laughing...and I'm still addicted to white gas :sun
jerseydave
02-24-2011, 19:18
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=45352&catid=member&imageuser=29929
Home made stand from a beer can chicken cooker.
Used it yesterday to boil up 1 liter in a larger pot.
Works well
jd
SunnyWalker
02-24-2011, 20:50
Jet Boil???!?!?!? Are you kidding??!? It's same thing as a PR (Pocket Rocket), a disaster waiting to happen (tip). It's not so much the stove that is tippy (although Jeb Boils look tippy) but that the pot that sits on top of the stove is in a unstable position and one little bonk or good wind, or brush or accidental touch and its goners. Now I have not tipped my pot off the PR (my pot is a GSI pot-best one person pot around). But it is like sitting there saying to all who pass by: "Comon, knock me off my stand/stove!" One thing I have just realized if I were to purchase a Caldera Cone I would probably not be able to use the GSI pot. So . . . maybe I'll just keep using the accident prone PR. I like the little thing and the neat little red plastic boxy thing to put it in. However, like I've said it and may like it are accident prone AND inefficient (heat loss). Now on WB I have talked about getting a Zip and other stoves. So far all I bit on (in addition to my Stratus and MSR stove) was the PR. I sure like that GSI pot and the handle and the lid on it makes it so easy to boil and drain. The guy's a genius who made that (was it a guy?).
mkmangold
02-24-2011, 21:29
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=45352&catid=member&imageuser=29929
Home made stand from a beer can chicken cooker.
Used it yesterday to boil up 1 liter in a larger pot.
Works well
jd
Looks good. I'm always amazed at the ideas people come up with here.
I'm confused by the other posts though: are we talking about a stove that is hard to tip over; is small so that you don't accidently bonk it over; or a stove that, if it does tip over, has decent damage control? In terms of sturdiness, the Venom stove by Zelph seems to be sturdier than the Starlyte (I have both) and if it is knocked over, very little if any alcohol will leak out. I also have a plastic tripod for my pocket rocket which increases stability.
SunnyWalker
02-24-2011, 21:52
I suppose one wold worry about alcohol or other fuel leaking or spilling if one were to tip the pot off. However, I actually never envisioned the stove tipping over but if it did it would be to none or minimal damage. I was more worried about the stuff in the pot being spilled! I have looked at the Caldera Cone and it looks like they make one for the GSI kettle, so maybe I could get one without giving up my neat little kettle. The Jet Boil stove sure seems like a big tall sticky thing sitting there. Tippy.
Turtle Feet
02-24-2011, 21:54
I don't know what a GSI pot is, but if they the CC people don't list it as a standard option for them, I bet you could send them the dimensions and they could advise you as to whether they make one that would be compatible.
SunnyWalker
02-24-2011, 22:07
Sounds great, Turtle Feet. But they do list GSI pots with the ones they work with and are useable.
GSI Soloist pot. Check it out. great.
Slo-go'en
02-24-2011, 23:02
I've had my pot fall off my stove and spilling out dinner more then once due to people sitting down on unstable picnic tables and rocking the boat as it were. Once I got a Caldera Cone, this is no longer an issue and haven't lost a meal since.
I received the Caldera Cone as a gift at Christmas. I love it the few times I've worked with it. I bought the cozy's the fit the top and bottom too. You're right - I can't really envision a more stable set up that includes a fabulous windscreen!
Love the stability and wind resistance of the Cone. If you get the Ti-Tri (titanium) model, you can use alcohol, Esbit, or wood (twig) fire, so have a very flexible system.
Buffalo Skipper
02-25-2011, 10:32
The most stable stove I have found is the Brunton Vesta (Iso-butane). We researched these for our boy scout troop, and bought two to try out. Amazing stove! It is the most stable base I have seen in this style. Almost more importantly, it is extremely adjustable. It simmers as well as my stove at home. It is a little heavy, but make no mistake this is a first class stove.
http://www.brunton.com/images/catalog/81-100727_L.jpg
Love the stability and wind resistance of the Cone. If you get the Ti-Tri (titanium) model, you can use alcohol, Esbit, or wood (twig) fire, so have a very flexible system.
I just ordered two stainless steel "Trekker" Kelly Kettles. They are now available thru Kelly Kettle U.S.A.
JAK uses an aluminum Trekker all the time and has nothing but good things to say about it.
It holds 2 cups of water, has a build in windscreen like the Caldera and burns multi fuels. There is an accessory for it to support a cooking pot on top of the chimney. Heat/purify water and cook at the same time.
All that in one little package carried outside your pack.
No fiddle factors involved.
SunnyWalker
03-02-2011, 23:47
That was a good one zelph. Funny. But I think a tree hugger would protest me nailing something to the ground. Might hurt a worm or something.
The most stable stoves I've seen are used by climbers and actually hang from a carabiner. This adds weight and complexity, however, but it's nearly impossible to spill the contents of your pot with one.
Here's a link to some hanging stoves. I believe that it is a rather old one, though: http://www.larsonweb.com/stoves/id1.html
You should get the jetboil with plastic base for the cannister. Drill some holes in the plastic base and use some aluminum spikes to fasten it to the ground for extra stabilityWhat people don't realize is that to build a really dependable base for your stove you don't need to carry the full weight of the concrete, just the cement and a few chemicals. By scavenging throughout the day (old campfires, gravel pits, stream beds, etc.) you should be able to accumulate the remainder of the materials you'll need. Just camp early enough to allow for mixing and for the concrete to set.
Though it is _possible_ to chip out your bolt heads in the morning, it's a pain; in practice you'll probably want a fresh set of bolts every night. Be sure to salvage the nuts though so you'll only have to carry one set of those.
SunnyWalker
03-03-2011, 22:52
Naw, no hangin' stoves for me. Thanks one and all. I appreciate the "goget-ems" on the Caldera Cone. It'll also lighten up my pack.
Slosteppin
03-04-2011, 20:59
Love the stability and wind resistance of the Cone. If you get the Ti-Tri (titanium) model, you can use alcohol, Esbit, or wood (twig) fire, so have a very flexible system.
I totally agree. For just that reason I got a Ti-Tri over a year ago and used it all last year. The pot sits much higher when the system is used to burn wood. The first time I used a wood fire my water was just getting hot and I reached across to get more wood. I bumped the pot and tipped it over. Not only spilled the water but also put out the fire so I had to start over.
I've used many stoves and most were very unstable. That was the only time I have ever tipped one over.
SunnyWalker
03-05-2011, 00:51
SloSteppin, so you tipped over a titanium CC??
MSR Windpro is the most stable stove I've seen.
Well, I have used an MSR for cooking and alcohol stove and PR and Stratus Wood Stove. On my last hike for a few days on CDT I used the PR and felt it worked great in that it heated my food. However I felt it was a disaster waiting to happen in that I got this pot sitting on top of this narrow contraption that could easily tip over. Same with many stoves. MSR being not the worst but it is too heavy for me to backpack with. In thinking about it it seems that an effective stove for backpacking and one that is "tip proof" would be very desirable. The only one I can think of that would begin to meet this idea is the Caldera Cone. Man, the pot is not on top of a spindly stand but in that cone and its pretty solid. Caldera Cone here I come. Anybody with comments? :-?
It looks like you knew all along which stove you wanted:banana
Get the largest diameter and shortest height to make you feel comfortable when heating water/cooking.
You're going to love the fuel bottle they provide with it. Also the smell of the stove while it's burning. It burns in an atmospere deficient in oxygen.
hikin_jim
04-10-2012, 15:51
Jet Boil???!?!?!? Are you kidding??!? It's same thing as a PR (Pocket Rocket), a disaster waiting to happen (tip). It's not so much the stove that is tippy (although Jeb Boils look tippy) but that the pot that sits on top of the stove is in a unstable position and one little bonk or good wind, or brush or accidental touch and its goners. The Jetboil's pot locks on to the Jetboil's burner. The pot cannot fall off the stove. You could tip the whole darned thing over, but you can't knock off the pot.
Here, I'm holding the assembled Jetboil by the burner, upside down. Notice that the pot is not falling off.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-U3FDwS2iiUc/T1IzfQDC10I/AAAAAAAAD_Q/cNXCtyHrPxU/s575/P1100322.JPG
If you're interested at all in the Jetboil, I've got a review that I've written: The New Jetboil Sol (http://seattlebackpackersmagazine.com/review-the-new-jetboil-sol/)
The Caldera Cone (http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2011/10/stove-of-week-caldera-cone.html) is also a very stable set up. Someone else mentioned the MSR Windpro (http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2011/02/stove-of-week-msr-windpro.html) which is also quite stable.
HJ