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Post by hikerjer on Feb 20, 2021 8:05:35 GMT -8
I’ve been using an older model Pocket Rocket for more years than I can remember. I have never had a single issue with it. I need a Bic to light it but I hardly consider that a drawback considering it’s reliability over the years.
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rangewalker
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Agitate, organize and educate.
Posts: 1,029
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Post by rangewalker on Feb 20, 2021 8:20:56 GMT -8
I thought about getting one of those cheap knock-offs on amazon but I'm a little worried about burn quality (efficiency & evenness) with the knock offs. I would stick to the name brands on canister stoves. Both the Soto Windmaster and the MSR PR Deluxe seem to the standard. My aversion to the Jet Boil and the MSR Reactor is a personal problem, not the device's merits. The darlings of Amazon and YouTube Thruhikers seem to be the BSR 3000 and its clones among the UL crowd. I hiked with some folks last year and a bunch in 2019 that had them. At altitude, poor burner design really messed with their combustion. I went through more fuel with water boiling rescue for friends. I was given an Olicamp Ion last year for gram weiner trals. couple pics of my old Giga windscreen. It's a modified Snow Peak Ti Bowl. Works like a champ: Nice. I retired my Gigapower last year.
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almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Feb 20, 2021 8:22:34 GMT -8
Not sure where you got your information about JB's in cold? Sounds like operator error. Hard, cold experience on repeated trips where the stove would not light, would not stay lit, would not light, and the person borrowed my Snowpeak. That same Jetboil worked fine every evening at dinner, but mornings were in the low 30s, and the stove failed. And on other trips it would be randomly some other person's Jetboil, with the same pattern of fail each morning. I don't make it up, I just report 'em. But like I said, they must have improved over the past years, as it's been a while. The die-hard Jetboil users I know have upgraded to the more recent versions.
Have successfully used my alcohol stove in high winds that kept blowing out my friend's Jetboil as well - another trip we resorted to sitting under my big hammock tarp, nailed down to the ground, to keep the Jetboil lit and everything else from blowing away... that was one windy evening. It hasn't happened recently tho, and certainly not during the pandemic.... Cool windshield - I have the original stainless one that goes with the Giga. It doesn't always go with me tho. Kinda heavy.
The best stove for windy conditions is the MSR Windburner. No flames, works like a champ in any conditions. My fishing buddy uses one and loves it. I keep using the Snowpeak. Finding a nook in granite or using the sleeping pad works fine.
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Post by bradmacmt on Feb 20, 2021 8:35:14 GMT -8
Hard, cold experience on repeated trips where the stove would not light, would not stay lit, would not light, and the person borrowed my Snowpeak. That same Jetboil worked fine every evening at dinner, but mornings were in the low 30s, and the stove failed. And on other trips it would be randomly some other person's Jetboil, with the same pattern of fail each morning. I don't make it up, I just report 'em. But like I said, they must have improved over the past years, as it's been a while. The die-hard Jetboil users I know have upgraded to the more recent versions. That just doesn't jive with my experience (or my hiking partners) going back to the original Jetboil. Could have been a faulty mfg because I've just not seen that with mine, nor my friends and we've all used ours in temps colder than 30*... c'est la vie.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,876
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Post by driftwoody on Feb 20, 2021 8:40:02 GMT -8
This thread has prompted me to search backpacking stoves for the first time in a few years. If I was to purchase a new one (and possibly a pot as well) it might very well be the Olicamp Kinetic Ultra Titanium Stove and Hard Anodized XTS Pot reviewed in this link.
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zeke
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Peekaboo slot 2023
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Post by zeke on Feb 20, 2021 8:50:22 GMT -8
Doing research like that only makes me want to buy more stuff. I already have too much stuff. Someone is going to get some really good stuff when I leave it to them.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2021 9:32:32 GMT -8
This wind screen works very well, and is the setup I use. Works great with a wide flame burner, but you need a narrowish pot. Designed to work with the Optimus Weekend HE type.
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Post by hikerjer on Feb 20, 2021 10:50:29 GMT -8
This wind screen works very well, Looks great. Where do I get one?
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Post by bradmacmt on Feb 20, 2021 11:07:13 GMT -8
Loks gret. Where do I get one? Jer, Optimus makes that one.
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Post by hikerjer on Feb 20, 2021 12:29:02 GMT -8
Thanks Brad. I’ll check it out.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Feb 20, 2021 15:29:28 GMT -8
Routine failure to light in the morning, when the canister would be coldest, sounds like a fuel vaporization issue. I had a Bluet fail on So. Cal. Mt San Jacinto back when. Thing sputtered to an out, we switched canisters and it roared off. Later picking up the “empty” we discovered it had plenty of liquid butane in it. Even at the modestly less air pressure it was cold enough (and that only means for butane below 0° C) the pure Butane of that era wouldn’t vaporize.
Modern mixes from better brands fix that by providing a mixture of gasses that reliably vaporize at lower temperatures such as iso-butane and iso-propane. Pure propane is too volatile and requires heavier steel walled canister to contain the pressure, so it’s not a backpacker fuel choice.
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almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Feb 20, 2021 18:37:11 GMT -8
Hard, cold experience on repeated trips where the stove would not light, would not stay lit, would not light, and the person borrowed my Snowpeak. That same Jetboil worked fine every evening at dinner, but mornings were in the low 30s, and the stove failed. And on other trips it would be randomly some other person's Jetboil, with the same pattern of fail each morning. I don't make it up, I just report 'em. But like I said, they must have improved over the past years, as it's been a while. The die-hard Jetboil users I know have upgraded to the more recent versions. That just doesn't jive with my experience (or my hiking partners) going back to the original Jetboil. Could have been a faulty mfg because I've just not seen that with mine, nor my friends and we've all used ours in temps colder than 30*... c'est la vie. It doesn't jive, but it was true - one jetboil out of 2 or 3 on a trip would have that issue, in the morning, if it was cold.
Sorry, but that's how it went.
My friend with the MiniMo loves it - doesn't seem prone to issues. But if I ever get one of those heavy wingdings, it'll be the MSR Windburner... it's faster and doesn't ever blow out.
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Post by tomqvaxy on Feb 21, 2021 17:21:16 GMT -8
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Feb 21, 2021 17:33:32 GMT -8
Non-piezo here. As I understand it, butane won't vaporize well in cold temps, so just when you need your stove to light, your lighter will need to sit in your pocket for a while until it warms up. Same fuel Bic uses.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,876
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Post by driftwoody on Feb 21, 2021 19:17:38 GMT -8
I've used a tripod stabilizer similar to the Optimus product for about a decade. If it prevented one tip-over, it's been worth the carry.
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