Best Stove to use...

[MtDoraDave]

I don't know if this should be in this thread or in the general section, but the moderators may chime in and move it if they feel it's better in the general section.

A poll would be a nice idea, sticky if possible - though I don't know if polls are part of the software here.

By my observations of what people I've camped with on the trail use, it seems the vast majority use a jetboil...they really seem to be the hands down winner in boil time. Second, I would say are the pocket rocket users. Next come other gas canister stove users, followed by the alcohol stove users, then the white gas stoves. Friends out west swear by the Solo Stove (wood burning), but I haven't seen one used on the AT.

I have the Snow Peak Gigapower Auto ($50) and bought the windscreen made for it separately for about $10. The windscreen seems to really help in windy conditions (all too common on the trail)... but I haven't seen anyone else with one even though they are supposedly very highly rated.




What do YOU use, and why?

[left52side]

I have switched to an alcohol stove full time now,before that I used A pocket rocket style stove with the canister. I have found that I prefer the alcohol stove to any other stove I have tried and I prefer the fancy feast style of alcohol stove.
When temperatures are colder I will use the zelph version of the fancy feast stove with the tomato paste can.
My reasons for this is the weight first of all,by switching to alcohol stove I have saved a considerable amount of weight in my pack,also I like the variables that alcohol stove brings me,I can bring as little as 1 ounce of fuel for an overnighter or as much as 8 ounces for for a week plus of fuel,
The fancy feast stove weigh almost nothing comparable to anything else that requires a canister.
Anyway this is my choice of stove used with A 900 ml titanium pot by vargo and a titanium long handled spoon.

[nsherry61]

My favorite cook set, is one I like to think of as my fancy feast alcohol system. You can kinda think of it as a combination JetBoil like "system", but one that uses alcohol as fuel. It's also a great emergency stove because, being solid sterling silver, if I run out of money on a thru-hike, I can sell my stove and pay for my next year of backpacking.

Silver stove.jpg

Now, if this forum software would let me upload this picture in a vertical format, I would be even happier . . .

[turtle fast]

Nsherry61 I thought was having outdoor high tea, just needed some Wedgewood cups/saucers with cucumber sandwiches and scones!
I'm another alcohol stove user using an Etowah stove (I prefer the combo fuel one) I also use a supercat stove as I like the availability of the fuel on the AT (I've ran into canister users who ran out and had problems refueling). In non dry states, I fuel up with Everclear alcohol which has dual purposes as a disinfectant, and as a beverage additive around a campfire in moderation! I wondered if anyone used high proof moonshine on the AT.

[DuneElliot]

I have the SP Giga also, with the wind shield. It was given to me and I haven't had the chance to try it out yet...I didn't realize the screen was supposed to sit so low but I guess now I know.

[swisscross]

Nothing wrong but plenty right with the SP GigaPower.
Wonderful stove. Many consider it having the best burner heads of all canister stoves, myself included.
It is a work horse and will last you years.
I love the brass threading instead of alum. Many will tell you that anodized alum threads used on other stoves is stronger than brass. True, until the anodizing is worn off (would take quite some time to wear it off).
Sort of heavy considering some of the newer designs out but at 3.1 oz it should not break your back.

The auto lighter is junk. Remove it, it will fail over time, and you can save a little weight.
The wind screen works ok but not as well as one hung from the pot.
I made one from a SP titanium bowl using the one in your pic as a template. Weighs about .5oz instead of 2oz.

I used my GigaPower this past weekend (mine is the titanium version that is no longer made) and AGAIN it was flawless.

That being said, my go to stove is a Zelph Fancy Feast stove. I like the fact that I can carry 1oz of fuel for an overnighter, it is silent, weighs less (stove) and I don't have to deal with recycling the canisters. All wins in my view.

Again there is nothing wrong with the Giga. You own it, use it.

[MuddyWaters]

There is no " best". Not for stoves, or anything else.

There is only options which are best at different circumstances

They are all the best under right conditions

[nsherry61]

There is no " best". . . They are all the best under right conditions

Really? ;-)

[Hosh]

+ 1 on the "best" analysis, the internet is cluttered with people who think their way is the one and only.

I also own a GigaPower non piezo with the windscreen. It runs like a hose, has decent simmering control, although I usually just boil water or maybe a 1 - 2 minute simmer for hard to re-hydrate meals. The windscreen is heavy, I've looked at options, the SnowPeak bowl is a good one, but I don't have a dremel tool.

I looked at the Snowpeak Litemax, it's lighter but with an addition of a windscreen it's not much lighter and almost 80 bucks if you do titanium windscreens. It would be my choice if I ever lost my GigaPower or my kids stole it.

Solo, I too use alcohol, David Gardner's GOLD beer can set up. It's light, his stoves work pretty good and it can be used with esbit, wood or alcohol. The Jetboils are very efficent but I would think you would need a long time between re-supply to make it more weight efficient than alcohol or esbit setup.

So make sure you bring along a secondary fire starter, run the p*** out of the Gigapower and then give it to your grand kids.

[Another Kevin]

No "best", surely! It really is a factor of what you use it for.

In deep winter, I use a Whisperlite. Nothing beats the fuel efficiency of a naphtha stove (except perhaps a kerosene one), and you go through a LOT of fuel if you have to melt your drinking water. Canisters are cantankerous in deep winter unless you use an inverted feed stove, and inverted feed stoves are just as fiddly as naphtha, so why not just go with that?

In more temperate conditions, I use a homebuilt alcohol stove. Fuel is easy to carry, I can see how much I have left, and for my short trips it's nearly the lightest option.

Esbit is perhaps even lighter, but it's expensive, dirties the pot, and STINKS. I can't abide the stench of Esbit. But it's a great option if you want to carry a stove that you don't expect to use but might have to.

If I ever had to confront hiking under a fire ban, I'd get a canister stove. Also, if I were a less patient man, I'd ditch my alcohol stove in favor of the faster heating that a canister gives.

And for that matter, there's nothing like my Coleman stove for cooking up breakfast for a big group in a campground.

Different tools for different purposes.

[Mags]

Doesn't really matter on the AT for three-season backpacking. Take an alchie stove or any of the myriad of sub-3oz canister stoves. You'll be fine.

(And AK's stove use pretty much mirrors mine. Including the dual burner stove for campground use! )

[BubbaGump]

Homemade wood burner from a baked bean can. Cheapest and lightest. Definitely not luxurious.

[Bubblehead]

Anyone on the trail using an esbit stove?????

[buckeye49]

I use the Gigapower with the same windscreen. Works great in all 4 seasons.

[One Half]

Anyone on the trail using an esbit stove?????

I have used an Esbit on short hikes.

[nsherry61]

I frequently use an Esbit when I am not planning on a lot of cooking and I'm solo (i.e. only one hot meal a day or trips that are mostly no-cook). They are the lightest, the tabs make absolutely awesome fire starter, and they work as well or better than many alcohol stoves. The fuel is a bit more expensive, they have a smell some people don't like, and they leave some very easy to clean off deposits on the bottom of your pot.

If I'm planning on hot meals twice a day and/or have a hiking partner, I generally take a canister stove. I frequently carry a few Esbit tablets in my pack just as stove backup and fire starter. That way I feel comfortable packing light on my stove fuel because I've got reliable backup.

[sheepdog]

If you know how many stoves you have: you don't have enough stoves. Most times I hike with two stoves. just because.

[turtle fast]

Esbit works ok, but it can get pricey if your out for a thru hike.

[sheperd80]

Ive used a variety of canister stoves over the years, then finally bought a jetboil flash, then made an alc stove which i havent used on a real trip yet.

Ill never get rid of the jetboil. Its convenient, fast and self contained which i love for overnight and weekend trips. I like to have options so ill probably bounce between that and the alc stove.

Long distance, hiking intensive trips...alc stove. Casual trips with friends...jetboil and/or campfire when possible.

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[QiWiz]

In eastern woodlands I like my own FireFly wood burner with Esbit tab backup. Before it was a product it was a DIY project I made for my own use. Above tree line in windy heights out west I like the original Caldera Cone with an Esbit burner. If this is not allowed by an existing fire ban, I would use a canister stove like a LiteMax or MiniMo.