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Camping stoves

Started by Simon Everett, January 17, 2017, 02:10:37 PM

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Its Me

Reigniting an old topic,no pun intended.
I am looking for a backpacking stove and am thinking of either MSR pocket rocket,Soto Winemaster,Alpkit Koro orKovea Spider.
What is your thoughts on these or any other suggestions.

       A

sagecirca

Quote from: Its Me on December 10, 2019, 11:44:18 AM
Reigniting an old topic,no pun intended.
I am looking for a backpacking stove and am thinking of either MSR pocket rocket,Soto Winemaster,Alpkit Koro orKovea Spider.
What is your thoughts on these or any other suggestions.

       A

I've been using the pocket rocket for the last few years now along with the MSR titan kettle and titan cup - they all fit into each other and weigh very, very little. I am a fan of the tea-break when fishing most rivers and I find that combo works well for me. The new pocket rocket has a self-igniter built in but I always a carry a spare one too.

Fishtales

Quote from: Its Me on December 10, 2019, 11:44:18 AM
Reigniting an old topic,no pun intended.
I am looking for a backpacking stove and am thinking of either MSR pocket rocket,Soto Winemaster,Alpkit Koro orKovea Spider.
What is your thoughts on these or any other suggestions.

       A

My tuppence worth.

Pocket Rocket---reminds me of the old Camping Gas Bluet stoves, which I still have, and I found them easy to tip over unless you had a good solid flat surface. Even then they were easily knocked.

Soto Windmaster----again, reminds me of the Bluet stove :)

Alpkit Koro------no longer available according to the store page.

Kovea Spider----looks good but looks a bit flimsy to me.

This one is close to the style I have and it also has the pre-heater for cold mornings :)

https://www.tiso.com/tiso-prim-1125945/primus-express-spider-ii-stove-no-colour-tiso-prim-1125945
Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.
http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/

Looking for a webhost? Try http://www.1and1.co.uk/?k_id=2966019

arawa

An alternative thought: https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/bushcraft/RD104.html
Literally fits in your back pocket! The stainless version weighs 141g and costs £25 and the titanium is 56g and £45.
I am perfectly happy with my micro kelly kettle but ......


Fishtales

Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.
http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/

Looking for a webhost? Try http://www.1and1.co.uk/?k_id=2966019

caorach

Quote from: Its Me on December 10, 2019, 11:44:18 AM
Reigniting an old topic,no pun intended.
I am looking for a backpacking stove and am thinking of either MSR pocket rocket,Soto Winemaster,Alpkit Koro orKovea Spider.
What is your thoughts on these or any other suggestions.

I did use a "canister top" type stove similar to the pocket rocket but the whole operation sat very high so not only was it prone to being unstable but it was also very vulnerable to wind and eventually I moved away from it. They are small and light and so have their place but in the end I gave up on it for my purposes.

I have a few other stoves and will give some views, again this relates on to my use but it may give you ideas as to what is important to you...

Crusader Stove - burns solid fuel "tablets" or even better the chafing gel used in buffets to keep the food warm which can be bought in big catering size buckets for very little money. The Crusader is the simplest thing known to man as it is basically a cup and a little dish in which you light a fire. It is very basic, relatively inexpensive, good for boiling up a brew, a bit slow and inefficient, especially inefficient in a decent breeze, and perhaps a little heavy but for many purposes hard to beat.

Multi-fuel stove mine is an MSR Dragonfly - These stoves will burn a range of fuels but I run mine on Coleman Gas which is basically liquid fuel as it is clean and doesn't gum the stove up. The stove needs priming and, clearly, if you intend burning something like diesel then you need to make plans for how you'd get it primed. The stove plus a full fuel bottle is relatively heavy and although it claims you can adjust the heat output this is simply not true in anything but complete flat calm as if you turn it down the wind blows it out. Once you get it going, and priming might take a minute or so, then it is pretty efficient and with the big fuel bottle it would probably boil enough water to pour you a decent bath.

Canister gas stove - I've already mentioned why I gave up on the canister top type stoves but here I mean the type that sit on the ground and connect to the canister with a sort of hose arrangement. I have an MSR Windpro II and would use this stove quite often. It sits low to the ground and MSR supply a very simple wind shield and so you can get it to work, with thought and care, in most conditions. It is also relatively stable and it can run with the gas canister inverted which means you can squeeze a bit more heat out of it or use the gas right down to the last drop without a huge hit on performance. All you need carry is the stove and a canister of gas so this can be a very lightweight and compact solution. The stove is very efficient and fast though as the canister approaches empty or in cold conditions it isn't quite so effective but this is nothing you can't solve by using the brain. Again it is supposed to be able to simmer but it simply can't in even the lightest of breeze as it will blow out plus with the construction of most lightweight pots etc. it is better just to consider this a system for boiling stuff. If I had to pick just one than this is the one I'd probably go for.

Stove "system" I have the MSR Windburner - this is the sort of stove setup where you get a burner and a special pot that all screw onto the top of a gas canister and, generally, everything you need including a small gas canister will pack away into the pot. This system does suffer slightly from one of the problems of the pocket rocket type stove in that the whole setup is a bit tall and so less than ideal on uneven ground however, I've found it not such a big problem with the Windburner for some reason. The Windburner, as the name implies, is designed to work in the wind and so being tall doesn't cause problems in that respect but be aware that my experience is that in anything above the most gentle of breezes you need to use your head and get some shelter as it doesn't work in real wind. I used the Windburner on Lewis for all of the season just ended and loved it however it is relatively heavy and bulky compared to the Windpro II I mention above and it does just one thing which is to boil water, it is very fast and efficient at doing this. So very convenient but not for someone looking to be ultralight or with very limited pack space. If you saw any of the video reports I posted to the forum over the summer/Autumn then it was the Windburner in all of them. 

Bobfly

I find it hard to see past my well used Optimus Climber compact petrol stove. Also called the Svea 123 and also Optimus Svea. Been made for 100 years and still being made. Simple and very reliable and now seen as a bit of an old cult classic. Burns 50 minutes on 120ccs of petrol or white fuel. Much cheaper than any gas canister stove to run. Sounds like a German Doodlebug bomb when on full chat !!! Lovely sound!!!
~  <°))))):><       ~   <°))))):><

Billy

I use a Primus Spider.
Folds up really small and I can get the gas canister, stove, Swedish firesteel all in my small pot set.

I also bought a small flat folding windbreak which slides down inside the pocket of my rucksack but the stove sits so low in the heather that I have only had to use it once on North Uist.

Looking forward to using it again in 2020.

Billy

Its Me

I settled for an Alpkit Koro that I have been watching on eBay the last 4 days and won it.
Thanks for your replies.

        A

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