backcountry stoves

[DarkTimber]

Originally posted by Duckbutt:
 

Originally posted by wingnut:
It's hard to beat a Jetboil in my opinion.  We were sad when they were outlawed for fly in hunts.  We use MSR reactor with white gas now.

Mike

I did a fly in a couple years ago with Jetboil.  What got outlawed and by who? [/b]

TSA prohibits flying with canister fuel in checked or carry on luggage.  If you buy it at your destination some bush pilots will take it and some won't based on my conversations with a few different ones.

[DarkTimber]

I use a MSR Pocket Rocket probably 90% of the time.  I can get 5-6 days out of a small fuel canister (at 10,000-12,000 ft)in a package roughly half the weight of a Jetboil or a Reactor Stove.   Anything more than about 6 days and the Jeboil and Reactor start catch up to the Pocket Rocket due to efficiency and saved weight of fuel.   I also have a Whisper Lite but haven't used it in years mostly due to its weight.

[Steve O]

Gents--the flying service Mike and John use prohibits the ISO cans because of their status with the FAA. Most of the smaller outfits in AK are not regulated like they are. It is not a blanket statement. Check with your flight service. I always pick up a couple cans for my Jetboil when I get to where I am going and leave the leftovers for them when I am done. My flight service last year had two Rubbermaid totes filled with them for me to choose from...

I love the JetBoil, I never cook in pots and pans, I just boil water for everything. Easy clean up, no scent to attract bears.

[DannyBows]

I have a SilverFire Scout wood gas stove that I've found to be pretty impressive. It only weighs 12 oz. and packs in two pieces inside itself. It burns any biomass material. I've used it with twigs and small finger sized sticks, and got great burns with it. It burns very cleanly due to the gasification process. If you are mainly just boiling water it's a good option. No need to carry fuel. It's a top load up draft stove so I use a Vaseline soaked cotton ball on top of the fuel to get her going.

Check YouTube for reviews of it.

[V I Archer]

I have never liked the idea of the canister stoves.  Seems too wasteful to me and a bit of pain to ensure you take enough full canisters in and out.  I have run a MSR Whisperlite for years.  Great for a fast boil of water for a coffee or dehydrated meal.  Can't simmer worth a damn though which is something I would not mind having from time to time.

[J-dog]

Originally posted by Biathlonman:
I like my svea alcohol stove and gsi haulite kettle.  Fuel is easy to come by and there is nothing to break.  I've been around enough jetboils to appreciate what they can do, and I really liked the french press feature, but I just can't give up my svea.

I use a trangia (full big cook kit with family and a small kit for solo) more than anything around here, kit I put together. I have a jet boil and it does what it says but not really a fan?? not a thing wrong with it but igniter broke second time out.
They (trangias) will boil water but there is a timeframe involved! they big trangia with full windscreen is awesome! you can cook gourmet on it!! the small kit can be testy. I have fried many fish on the side of a creek though on it!- they dont break that is for sure!!

[J-dog]

I am thinking about keeping omnifuel ti lite at truck with cookware and grease,spices and like full kitchen??? then packing in a pocket rocket style stove for water boiling when packed in hunting. Live on dehydrated meals.
If I was to kill something we can have the kitchen at the truck??

Thought

[bswear]

I use the omnifuil ti whenever I need a stove.  Never saw the point of a stove that might not work well below freezing.  The small fuel bottle is not very heavy.

[Bluefeather]

I use a Markill Devil isobutene stove for warmer temps and a Peak 1 multi fuel stove for colder temps. One of the alcohol stoves like an Evernew  might also be a good option.

[Rob W.]

Optimus crux lite. I've used one for all my backpacking and hunts for the last few years.

[Kevin Dill]

Primus ETA Spider Stove. Most fuel efficient setup I've ever seen. I got 10+ days from one medium canister last September.

My pilot does fly isobutane canisters and told me there was no restriction on doing so at his level.

[degabe]

Pop can stove it will fit in your pocket.

[J-dog]

Originally posted by degabe:
Pop can stove it will fit in your pocket.

Basically the burner of the trangia system is a pop can stove, just stouter.

[Brock]

a MSR pocket rocket has done me good for a few years now....self contained and easy to use...cant beat the convenience and lack of worrying about fuel leaks with the small gas canisters.

[kevsuperg]

http://beprepared.com/hydroheat-flameless-heat-cooker.html

I use this, hydroheat. So far for my needs it has worked great regardless of altitude or weather.

[WESTBROOK]

Home made fancee feast or Toaks alcohol stoves, both are unaffected by cold and boil 2 cups of water quickly. If I think I will be able to have a wood fire, a Folding Firebox Nano only weighs 6 oz and will do all the cooking you need.

[mzombek]

I have done quite a bit of winter camping in the past. What I found is if you are going to be in temperatures below 30deg., propane is not the way to go. Propane does not evaporate much under 30deg. I purchased an MSR whisper lite where the white gas is pre heated over the burner when burning to evaporate the white gas.
All stoves have good and bad, the white gas has to be handled very carefully though.  I have used the whisper lite for a long time and has never failed me.

[Dave Weiss]

I'm a big fan of the Solo stove. They aren't fast, but they always work. As long as you can find a couple handfuls of twigs, you've got fuel. I've used mine in the alpine in Alaska, blueberry twigs and dead willow are great.

[Kevin Dill]

I needed to review my data on canister fuels and thought this might be useful:

Propane:
Sea level boiling point: -44°F/-42°C. Of the three types of common LPG fuels you’ll find in fuel canisters, propane provides the highest vapor pressure and therefore the best cold-weather performance.

Isobutane:
Sea level boiling point: 11°F/-12°C. This is the next best thing to propane. Isobutane is far superior in terms of vapor pressure and cold-weather performance to normal butane. You’ll usually find it in the higher-quality canisters.

Normal Butane or N-butane:
Sea level boiling point: 30°F/-1°C. Butane is the worst of the 3 fuels in cold weather. It delivers the lowest pressure and therefore the worst stove performance in many conditions.

Most good fuel canisters contain a mix of 20% propane and 80% isobutane. There may be a very small amount of N-butane but it's under 2% unless buying very cheap canister fuel for summer use.

Until the last couple years I had avoided canister fuel setups and went with liquid fuel stoves. I was concerned about cold weather performance. What I noticed was a slight decrease in vapor pressure and stove performance in (morning) temps below 30F. It wasn't really noticeable most of the time. Using a remote canister stove (connected by flexible fuel line) allows the canister to be inverted and a greater concentration of fuel output achieved. The canister can also be held above the pot (not directly over the actual stove burner) and warmed slightly to increase vapor pressure and performance.

The upshot for me is a canister stove works superbly in backcountry environments and temps into the 20s...lower with appropriate care. I enjoyed not carrying a gallon of liquid fuel and needing to refill a bottle periodically. I still have both stove types but think the canister is destined for more future use on hunts.

[Michael Pfander]

I have used my Kelly Kettle for over 15 years now.  I like its green chops more as I get older.  No waste, no hydrocarbons, no fuel but whats around.
MAP