rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jan 28, 2016 20:45:31 GMT -8
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idahobob
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many are cold, but few are frozen
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Post by idahobob on Jan 28, 2016 21:17:45 GMT -8
All those stoves work, and for canister stoves I'd go with a Snow Peak Gigapower or a cheap $12 stove. But the one I use is the Caldera Cone, with the split cone made of titanium. I have a 900 ml pit and a1.9 L pot, for solo or two person use.
These stoves work fine in winter, but for higher btu output for melting snow, liquid gas stoves like the MSR dragonfly are my choice.
A trip where we compared several stoves compares them is on my blog.
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Post by Coolkat on Jan 29, 2016 6:04:51 GMT -8
Dirt cheap, light, and effective. Can't go wrong with that. Sometimes gear is over thought!
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jan 29, 2016 8:04:29 GMT -8
Can't go wrong with that. Sometimes gear is over thought! Exactly. You can spend a lot on a ti pot, which will weigh about .5 oz less than this. We did that. The first trip with it, my husband managed to drop it in a fast mtn stream. Bye-bye forty-dollar pot. BTW, my 1.5L pot has a broad enough base that it is very effective with the White Box stove, and is big enough to handle a family of 4. Sometimes I do a second pot of water for hot drinks or dessert, but for most meals, it's enough.
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Westy
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Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
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Post by Westy on Jan 29, 2016 8:54:23 GMT -8
We are bona fide members of the Backpackers Temperance League and therefore do not use alcohol stoves. We are also members of our local Anti-Campfire Alliance. Thus we use gas canisters for 3-season and liquid fuel for 4-season. The stove selection for any given outing is determined by duration, fuel consumption and number of participants. Once the stove is determined, the pot is selected. We should also mention, that we are strictly water boilers and go "Cadillac Style" (AlpineAir, Mountain House). We don't like to clean pots. Essentially we have an arsenal of (3) stoves and (4) pots allowing us to match a variety of situations. originally thinking of a MSR pocket rocket The Pocket Rocket is a great, light weight stove best suited for a 3-4 night excursion utilizing a maximum size 1.3 Liter Titanium Pot. The instability potential of the 1.3 liter pot can be mitigated by using an (8) ounce fuel canister vs. a (4) ounce canister. That combination would be sufficient for a solo or (2) hikers. It will consume more fuel because of limited wind protection, a wind screen might be helpful but not necessary. The food, cooking, stove, fuel and pot aspect of backpacking is very likely the most diverse and variable element of the activity. In the end, each user, with time and experience has there own, My Way
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jan 29, 2016 12:34:03 GMT -8
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Post by Crockett on Jan 30, 2016 17:00:47 GMT -8
To my mind nothing beats white gas stoves in terms of versatility and simmering ability and they are my go-to stoves when canoeing and car camping but I made the switch to canister stoves for backpacking where the meals are more simple and gear weight more of an issue. I did a lot of research at the time before deciding on the Snow Peak Gigapower. My main criteria was that I wanted one that simmered well and I have been very happy with it. There isn't a great price differential between the SP and the various "flamethrowers" out there so even if you expect to do little else than boil water, I suggest choosing a stove that simmers. There will be times where you will want that feature.
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jazzmom
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a.k.a. TigerFan
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Post by jazzmom on Jan 31, 2016 6:24:13 GMT -8
I realized that the kitchen is where my laziness and my gram-weeniness sort of come together. I'm a 3-season backpacker and I carry a canister stove simply because it's just easier. I had a cheap basic Primus stove (no longer made) forever but bought a Monatauk Gnat a few years ago. Super light (1.9oz), with a wider flame pattern, surprisingly controllable. Pot sits close to the flame, so less vulnerable to wind. I "cook" more on the trail lately and I can do long simmers with this stove. I steam-bake, too. I'm really happy with it. It's not the cheapest on the market but, for how long these stoves last, it doesn't make much difference in the long run. That said, you can buy the same stove from Fire Maple for less than half the price (I didn't find this out until well after.) www.amazon.com/Maple-Titanium-Stove-Camping-Cooking/dp/B00CPL16Z0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1454248928&sr=8-5&keywords=backpacking+stoves+mapleFor pots, I've been using this Toaks 900ml wide pot lately. Perfect for solo, wide enough to cook in. 3.6 oz with a lid and handle. Love the Open Country aluminum pots, too, and have a larger one for groups (I think it's 2 or 3 litre size.) www.amazon.com/TOAKS-Titanium-900ml-130mm-Diameter/dp/B00F4MR9I0/ref=sr_1_16?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1454249383&sr=1-16&keywords=toaks
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Jan 31, 2016 10:13:46 GMT -8
Just to add my 2¢ -
Stoves and pots - lots of options, depending -
If just boiling water, only going out for a few days, and no fire restrictions, any of the above will work fine... and the smaller, the lighter, the better...alcohol, twig, canister, or white gas. FYI, The cheapest my not be the best option...I hate a stove that falls over easily...bendy arms...one good fart of wind...
Just another thought, always try and match the stove's flame pattern to the pot's diameter. The flame's heat can be wasted if too wide/pot too skinny. I personally carry a larger pot (2 lit) which also serves as a safe haven for my spinning reel, canister stove, scrubbie, etc, and more importantly, also allows the boiling of rice/ pasta dishes.
Where are you hiking and when...altitude? Here Sierra, we often get seasonal fire restrictions...1) Something about the "Stove must have a real shut-off valve"...thus alcohol or twig stoves in summers are often banned in some specific areas; can earn you a hefty fine too, if. Also, 2) No fires above 9,600 ft (or 10,000)...timberline.
What if you want a stove to actually cook, simmer anything, or just cannot eat B&B meals on a daily basis? Consider a remote canister stove...sits lower/stable, allows a windscreen, inverts for use in colder temps, and is hot enough to cook trout.
BTW. At one time carried a white gas (MSR XG, or similar) as this was the stove mountaineers carried. Now find canisters work so much better in summer months, and the XG is used only in winters - melting snow or for larger party cooking.
Lots of options, depending.
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toejam
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Hiking to raise awareness
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Post by toejam on Jan 31, 2016 23:00:08 GMT -8
I think this is crazy simple, compact, and uses half the fuel of a Pocket Rocket. Pocket Rockets & Giga Powers are great little burners, but it's been years since I used one in the woods.
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dh024
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Post by dh024 on Feb 7, 2016 11:44:22 GMT -8
We are bona fide members of the Backpackers Temperance League and therefore do not use alcohol stoves. I'm not being critical, just curious: what does the Temperance Movement have to do with non-consumptive stove fuel?
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Feb 7, 2016 11:46:57 GMT -8
We are bona fide members of the Backpackers Temperance League and therefore do not use alcohol stoves. I'm not being critical, just curious: what does the Temperance Movement have to do with non-consumptive stove fuel? It has to do with making a joke: alcohol being the common denominator for the purposes of an exaggerated pseudo- connection.
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dh024
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Post by dh024 on Feb 7, 2016 11:49:58 GMT -8
It has to do with making a joke: alcohol being the common denominator for the purposes of an exaggerated pseudo- connection. Ha - very dry!
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Post by trinity on Feb 8, 2016 18:18:48 GMT -8
Just happened upon this, by far the most comprehensive stove comparison chart I've ever seen. I took my Caldera Cone out for a spin this past week. Have to admit, I don't really see the appeal of alcohol. I found it difficult to use and slow compared to my canister stoves. Maybe there's a bit of a learning curve, maybe it's just another HYOH thing. I'm sticking with my Gigapower.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Feb 8, 2016 20:59:57 GMT -8
I have a ton of alcohol stoves and canister stoves. Slow? Pfffft. Who cares how fast the water boils? If you're in a hurry why are you out there? Me and my White Box have made coffee for plenty of Jetboilers whose stoves wouldn't light in the morning. The appeal of alcohol is simplicity -- boil the water, that's all she wrote, no piezo to fail, no mystery of how much fuel there is left in the canister, no moving parts to fail and leave you eating cold food that takes all day to rehydrate. A simple stove made from a cat food can boils in 4 minutes or less on an ounce of fuel, 1 liter of water, and that's plenty for me to wash my hands, rehydrate the grits, and have tea or coffee.
I do take canister stoves often, when sharing them or when with a group where I am likely to run up against the "out of fuel/stove won't work" issue - I loaned my canister to someone who ran out of fuel, and have loaned my stove plenty of times to people whose Jetboil failed. Alcohol stoves being out of the question during the severe fire bans these past few years have resulted in quite a lot of used canisters for me. (Some places they wouldn't allow anything that burns, at all, leaving me with cold coffee, sun tea and cold food around the clock.)
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