Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: What to cook on?
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RMinMN |
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Rs130754 |
mastertangler: "Hmmm.........tough to beat the Kovea Spyder. A remote Canister stove which is excellently priced and more compact than competitors with excellent simmering capabilities. You can spend lots more (yes I also own several MSR stoves) but why? The Kovea has a nice wide platform for stability as well. " I also really like my Kovea Spyder. I bought mine pretty cheap on a camping saver website. It simmers very well and has great pot support. I did also just purchase a SOTO Windmaster as a second stove to bring since I like to eat and get on the water. I will also bring this with in the canoe for mid-day meal or coffee. If you want pics just let me know and I will send some to you. |
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twistertail |
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ParkerMag |
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butthead |
ParkerMag: "butthead: "ParkerMag, a newer style Nova with the lindal style connector that fits both the ErgoPump and canisters, Polaris Optifuel I think? Or the old style bayonet fitting only? Left side is a bayonet fitting, new version replacing the CEJN fitting used on early Nova's. Used with the + as mentioned a single valve version where the flame adjustment is by turning the fuel line. Upper right a Optifuel with lindal hose fitting and the ErgoPump which conects to a lindal style hose. True multi fuel that can use heavy fuels like diesel to iso-butane gas canisters. I use an ErgoPump to run Coleman fuel (I have jets that fit a variety of stoves and fuels). Some Nova's came out with a fuel line from the OmniFuel stove and fit an ErgoPump also, Kind of a Otpimus/Primus hybrid. Ever do a side by side Nova and Dragonfly comparison? Nova and Dragonfly This is an old CEJN fitting Nova, still a damn good burner. butthead |
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twistertail |
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mgraber |
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mastertangler |
I do not share your opinion however and regularly cook fish with mine without any issues . As per weight I could understand the concern if we are talking backpacking........but the extra 1 or 2 ounces that could be shaved I chalk up to sturdy construction. The thing is not cheaply made despite being about 1/2 the price of comparable MSR stoves. The Spyder is far more compact as well with superior engineering IMO. Having said all that I will probably be taking a MSR this summer since I gave my Spyder along with an Evernew pot to a newbie when I found out he was going backpacking in Colorado. |
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A1t2o |
It can take a long time to get a pot of water boiling, especially when you just started the fire and are trying to cook 2 things at once over it. But if you split it up and use a stove for boiling water, that frees up the hot spot over the fire for the fish or whatever is in the pan. Then once the fire grows, if you need to simmer anything, that boiling water can be shifted to the fire grate and save on fuel for the stove. So if you are just leaning towards getting a stove, gas or twig, to make cooking a little easier, you might want to consider starting small and seeing if all you need is something to boil water. If you know exactly what you want, buy the good one the first time, but if you are unsure then buy something dirt cheap, or borrow, to try it out. Then once you learn what you do or don't like, you go and buy the good one that will last, or is light enough. |
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ParkerMag |
RMinMN: "How many of you are tripping together? A solo traveller could easily get along well with a butane single burner. Move that up to the maximum size group and you'll be starting the next meal before the last person gets served. With a group size of 4 we use two of the isopro canisters with a single burner on each for some meals. When we come it with 4 to 6 fish to cook, the wood fire in the grill is the only way to go." Usually just two here. I've used a single backpacking stove for three. I've used two stoves for groups of four and five. Haven't done, and am not too interested in a trip with more than five, but can imagine it getting tricky with only backpacking stoves for those larger groups. |
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butthead |
butthead |
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lindylair |
Not the fanciest but just a good, durable and affordable stove option that has worked great for us. Buying two at that price is still cheaper than many backpacking type stoves. Primus Classic |
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ParkerMag |
butthead: "Ever do a side by side Nova and Dragonfly comparison? Had both of them on a 5-man trip a few years ago, so that's as close as I've come to a side-by-side comparison. Doing different things with each, so it wan't too pure as far as comparisons go. As I recall though, things were mostly pretty similar, but I do think the Nova can do lower heat settings a little more easily. |
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butthead |
butthead |
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GickFirk22 |
MSR Dragonfly |
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MidwestFirecraft |
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mirth |
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huntfun2 |
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ParkerMag |
butthead: "ParkerMag, a newer style Nova with the lindal style connector that fits both the ErgoPump and canisters, Polaris Optifuel I think? Or the old style bayonet fitting only? That was effectively Greek to me! If this photo shows the two connectors you're referring to, mine is the one on the right. |
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mastertangler |
While the Kovea Spyder head seems tight and compact the flame dispersal is excellent.......there are no "hot spots" like one might find with a pocket Rocket. I have a Wind Pro and find them very comparable except the Kovea is more compact and less $$. Here is the "Adventures in Stoving" review which piqued my interest in this Korean manufactured stove. Kovea Spyder review |
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MarshallPrime |
For years I have used a 2 burner coleman stove with the green gas canisters. It is reliable. It blocks the wind really well. It is heavy and takes up tons of packing space. I have used it for about 10 trips. Recently, for longer trips (3) with more portaging we have been taking the small primus style burner with the smaller butane gas tanks. MUCH easier to pack, much lighter to carry but dont block the wind and sometimes are harder to balance a pot on....depending on the base and what rock you sit it on. Both work well, both WAY WAY better than cooking over the stove...just depends which you prefer. |
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mastertangler |
Kovea spyder you can purchase twig stoves and alcohol stoves etc. but for typical summer tripping of trips lasting less than a couple of weeks a remote canister stove is the way to go IMO. Long trips which include lots of travel a twig stove might be considered as an abundance of fuel starts to get heavy. There is just something nice however about turning a valve and flicking a bic. The blog site "Adventures in Stoving" is a wealth of info and where I came across the Kovea Spyder. Adventures in Stoving |
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butthead |
Not going into "best" just a consideration for adjust-ability and size/spread of the burner head. Too small like the Kovea Spyder results in hot spots on a larger frypan. The Windpro style is larger but not as large as a Whisperlite Universal this photo is from a Rapidfire but uses the same burner as the Whisperlite. The Dragonfly has the largest pot support diameter but the flame spread is between the Spyder and the others, also is a liquid gas stove. A burner like the Primus Classic Trail is both large in diameter and adjustable, but because it's on the canister limits the stability and windscreen option. It makes a difference, depending on the size of pan or pot used, also affects the fuel efficiency of the cooking system. butthead |
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campnfish |
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MN_Lindsey |
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johndku |
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unshavenman |
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butthead |
mastertangler: "I am curious Butthead........have you used a Kovea Spyder or are you using conjecture based on casual observation? Yes I have. It works best with a 5 to 6 inch pot or pan of anodized aluminum medium thick. Good stove but a bit heavy for it's size and footprint, due to the stainless rod bent pot supports. Most of it's flame is projected sideways so not as concentrated as similar diameter heads as the PocketRocket. The Spider was just used by me not owned. I do own a nearly identical wire legged but not pre-heated canister stove, Bulin 100, similar but one I use regularly Alocs G22 with stamped SS pot suports and a pre-heated fuel line. I am very familiar with Jim's blog and reviews, consider him well versed and reliable, not overly critical in opinions. Do note he was mainly boiling in a 5 inch diameter Titan Kettle, and not trying to pan fry fish. butthead |