question about stoves

[blacktail]

#7498

maybe i should call it a burnner..i have been looking at a PRIMUS stove or burner for out in wilderness hunting..i am trying find out if any one has used one..if not what kind of stove do you use for a diy hunt..thanks john

[grumpy]

#62827

I have a “Pocket Rocket” uses butane/propane mix. Doesn’t work in winter, but the rest of the time it is great. Don’t like liquid fuel, seen too many guys that had the fuel leak in their pack. Think about that… a sleeping bag that could turn into an inferno with just a spark.

[David Coulter]

#62864

I’ve been using an old Coleman single burner and MSR International (multi-fuel) stoves for decades with good results. Liquid fuel can be a pain, but I never carried the bottles inside my pack. I put them in an outside pocket. Once you get to know your stove, you’ll be able to pack one bottle of the appropriate size and be good for the weekend. Pack extras in compatible fuel bottles.

I’m sure others will chime in with more up to date methods.

[Etter1]

#62908

I’ve had a primus. They’re great and super light. As was mentioned, the only issue is lighting one in cold temps. I’ve had trouble with them from 20 and below.

[blacktail]

#62970

thank you so much..i have been looking at the pocket rocket which i think is a msr and the primus stove..if i can get my water to a boil then every thing is good..john

[David Coulter]

#63016

If you need to boil water fast, the MSR is like a jet engine for that. They don’t do great for slow cooking, they can boil some water quick. D

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#63026

The MSR Pocket Rocket and the Jetboil are very similar, and like David says they both excel at boiling water fast, but if you’re looking to do more involved cooking with the ability to simmer, etc. they may not be the best choice. I keep a Jetboil in my truck for road trips, just for when I want to pull over and make a cup of coffee quickly on the tailgate. I can literally be back on the road with a hot cup ‘o joe in 2 minutes.

The venerable MSR Whisperlite is also a darn good backpacking stove that offers more cooking versatility. I’ve used those extensively on extended backcountry trips, from Alaska to Patagonia. Pretty easy to repair too, if/when needed.

I’m assuming you’re talking about something you plan to carry backpacking? I know they’re not for everyone and every situation, but I love my Emberlit twig stove – 5oz. and I never have to carry any fuel bottles. Of course, you have to spend a little more time gathering tinder/twigs, but everything is a trade off, and I don’t mind building a little fire anyway. In wet conditions, you need to plan ahead, though. They also just introduced a new model, designed to either run off of natural fuel, or you can use it in conjunction with an alcohol stove.

Just another idea…I’ll be curious to hear what you decide.

[Carl Brickey]

#63371

I use a little coleman canister stove (cheapo knockoff of msr pocket rocket) as Smith said that style boils great but doesn’t simmer well. I used to sell backpacking gear and everyone who bought the whisper lights loved them after the fact, also had a friend with one and they cook well. That being said, I’ll reiterate, it’s a trade-off with what you want to do. Just boil water with freeze-dried food and hot drinks? I’d go with a jet boil or rocket type. If you want to cook meals and aren’t close to an outfitter (shipping on canisters of fuel is $$$$$$) I’d go with the whisper light style stove. I’m planning on a whisper light this season for my backpacking/car camping/hunting. But I like to eat big meals:D

[David Becker]

#63417

I’ve really enjoyed using my Jetboil. It has been problem free for years now. It gets water boiling very quickly and is quite fuel efficient.

Like was already mentioned though, there’s very little nuance with it. It’s either “off” or “full tilt boogie.” So it mostly gets used for boiling water for coffee, tea and dehydrated meals. My wife likes to be a more adventurous on backpacks and actually COOK so we take a little MSR stove when she wants to do that.

[Cameron Unruh]

#63421

I have used a Whisper Light stove for over 20 years. And I would add the very same Whisper light stove for all 20 years and it is still burning strong. I recently have switched to the Jetboil and I love it…it is fast and packs up in one nice container. My combo now is a Jetboil with a penny stove alcohol burner that I made. I can get 11 min of simmer from about 1/2 oz of fuel with the penny stove which I made from two soda cans.

[drew4fur]

#63495

I have two stoves: a trekstove which burns biofuels, e.g., twigs, sticks, leaves, etc.; and a whisper light.

The trekstove isn’t made anymore, at least not under the same name, there are a couple similar stoves called the bushbuddy and the nomadic

http://www.bushbuddy.ca/index.html

http://www.nomadicstovecompany.com/#

I love my trekstove, and I have used it all over North America, backpacking trips in Costa Rica and outback Australia. It doesn’t have any moving parts, it doesn’t get clogged on the burn off from low quality fuels, and it boils water pretty darn fast.

All that being said, if you’re not constantly thinking about collecting and keeping dry tinder on hand, the biofuel stoves can be frustrating to get going, If its windy they don’t boil water all that fast, and if you’re biofuel isn’t something that burns very hot, then they can take a long time to bring a useable amount of water to boil. Finally, biofuel stoves are NOT allowed during stage 1 and higher fire restrictions; i.e., if you get caught using a biofuel stove on USFS, NPS, or BLM lands during fire restriction, you will get fined.

I’ve used a whisper light off and on when I didn’t want to or couldn’t build open fires; all of my backpacking friends own/use one, it is possibly the most recommended stove there is. It is popular b/c it is reliable, easy to maintain, and versatile.

Now, in my personal experience the whisper light will burn a variety of fuels; That being said, whenever I have chosen to use anything other than store bought white gas, the stove WILL clog and I will have to dismantle it and clean it. It’s not that hard to do, and MSR sells maintenance kits for the whisper light. There’s also plenty of you-tube videos on how to maintain and clean a whisper light. Regular maintenance at home before a trip will virtually eliminate any frustrations when it’s being used out on the trail.

My recommendation, get a whisper light first. After that, you can upgrade to one of the more specialized stoves if you feel that speedy boiling or more bushcrafty style stoves suit your wants/needs more.

[TMS]

#7665

blacktail, I have a Primus multi-fuel stove and all the accompanying pieces that I would love to sell. Been trying to sell it off and on for a couple of years. It has about 6 or 8 total burn hours of use. Never had a problem, I just don’t need it anymore.

It is a Primus model MFS 3288 stove. It comes with a complete repair kit (with tools) stored in a small Nalgene screw top container and two 1 liter liquid fuel bottles. It will burn any flammable liquid as well as pressurized butane canisters. I printed out a copy of the English language instructions as I have lost the original instructions. The repair kit does have the original instruction manual.

If you have any interest, just let me know and we can try to work out the details.

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#14192

I went thru 3 MSR stoves the last 20 years. I like them a lot. efficient and light. But I still have my old reliable Coleman single burner and still use it sometime. It’s all banged-up but always works like a charm! Lately I’ve been thinking about trying the Biolite stove. A friend of mine who constantly camps out has nothing but good things to say about it, so….maybe

[Charles Ek]

#18574

I have a Coleman single burner that is serving a life sentence in the garage for having tried to kill me once. I have a GAZ stove inherited from my parents that I keep as a memento. I have a Whisperlite that I bring on trips when I need something to occupy my mind and there’s no room for a book.

When I need a reliable stove that has never failed me, down to subzero temperatures, and has never been maintained, I bring the SVEA 1-2-3 that my parents gave me when LBJ was President.

I should mention that the addition of a SIGG Tourist cookset is very helpful with the Svea. You can find them easily on eBay at reasonable prices.

One caveat: This is not a stove to bring on a SEAL mission. The roar it makes while in use will draw the attention of every sentient being within a hundred yards or so.

[woodchuck]

#22330

My aging joints has forced me to adopt a lot of the ultralight backpacking methods. One of which is a very lightweight stove that you make yourself. Called by many names, mostly beer-can stoves, these are easy to make and easy to find fuel for. I prefer using denatured alcohol, but HEET works just as well.

Detailed instructions on making your own can be found here:

http://zenstoves.net/BasicTopBurner.htm

Once you get it going, it only takes 2 or 3 minutes to get a pot of water boiling.

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