Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Stoves
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Lindenknight |
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Blatz |
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boonie |
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Lindenknight |
Several questions….. 1. What is the best stove for simmering? 2. How long will your stove run on simmer and with what size canister? 3. Will all brands of canisters fit your stove? 4. Have you had any problems with your canisters or stove? |
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Bjfinnegan |
Medium canisters seem to work best for base width and height. Add the JetBoil folding base for extra stability. For a 5 night trip with 4 guys only boiling water for beverages, occasional oatmeal, and dehydrated bag meals every night we run 2 canisters and 2 burners and have only once had a can actually run out. Typically they just get very close and we'll burn the remains out and poke holes with the Jetboil can puncher. We carry a small IsoPro cannister as backup incase lower temps or windy conditions affect our useage more. As a bonus, if you use a thermacell there is a unit that can fit on top of the Isopro cans or you can buy an adapter that can refill the small cartridges with a little modification. Same is true for the adapter to fill up a windproof lighter. |
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NEIowapaddler |
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lindylair |
Primus Classic Trail Stove It has a 4.7 rating on 563 reviews. It is not the lightest nor the most compact but it does the job very well. Still pretty light and compact. I have no particular interest in this product or this company, just appreciate outdoors equipment that does what it is supposed to do, does it well and does it for a long time. And it is ridiculously affordable. (Paid $19.95 for mine back in the day) Works with numerous brands of canisters, never had one that didn't work. They come in small, medium and large, we tend towards the large ones because they are a better value and a bit more stable. Bring two of those for a 5-6 day trip and usually have plenty of fuel left at the end of the trip. But we use it a lot, don't cook over the fire. Not as sexy as some of the other offerings out there. Not ever a single day of regret, one of the top 5 gear purchases we have made for sure. |
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andym |
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keth0601 |
My personal vote goes for a remote canister stove which allows you to invert the canister (a must for cold weather) from any of the main brands (primus, optimus, msr, kovea, etc). That seems to be the best all-around stove setup for most people if you could have only one. There are better stoves for specific uses, but you didn't call out any of those. |
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Hammertime |
lindylair: "If you are considering a one burner canister stove I would throw this out there as the best value on the market. We have two and they are bulletproof, significantly larger burner which helps to eliminate hotspots as opposed to tiny little flame heads, goes down to a simmer easily or up to a blowtorch. Does not have a igniter, not a problem for us. Made by a reputable company and the reviews on sites like Amazon are stunningly positive. At this price you can buy two and use them on flat ground to put a griddle on them for a breakfast for a larger group or a fish fry(which is what we do sometimes). We have had ours for a dozen years or so and still work like the day we bought them. Could not have said it better myself! Primus classic trail all the way. REI sells a GCI knockoff that is just as good. I have two of each to get a couple skillets going for 8 person fish frys. I can’t speak to fuel use as we always bring too much and don’t worry about it at all. |
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sns |
I had been searching for a very light canister stove that would simmer better than my 1-ounce BRS (yes, I know that a bic lighter will simmer better than the BRS). Really have been impressed with the Kinetic so far...took it on 3 trips last year and it did well. Weighs 1.7 oz. |
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boonie |
butthead also alluded to the fact that it's not clear how much fuel you actually use of the 50 oz., how much you bring back, and what you do to increase efficiency and conserve fuel. Like him I also do all the suggested things to do that. Only you can decide based on your variables and priorities. |
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butthead |
Pretty much all the canister stoves are adjustable and can simmer well. '2. How long will your stove run on simmer and with what size canister?' Simplest answer ounce for ounce of fuel the same as a liquid fueled stove. '3. Will all brands of canisters fit your stove?' With a few exceptions any "lindal valve: canister will work, most branded canisters are made in the same plant in S. Korea '4. Have you had any problems with your canisters or stove?' Very few, mostly bent valve pins in the canisters, and boil-over clogging the burner. Think of how you like to cook and the size of pot-pans. Small burner for small diameter pots, larger burner for larger pots. On canister burner, MSR Pocket Rocket/Jet Boil, lightest most compact, but small burner tall and less stable with limited windsreen compatability, best suited for solo and small groups. Remote fuel can burner Primus Spider/MSRWind Pro, larger burner on stable support for larger pots, can use wrap around windscreen, better all weather use with inverted canister, more complicated cooking and group size. What type of stove do you use currently? butthead |
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butthead |
My favorite canister stove Alocs G22, right next to the slightly larger MSR WindPro, shown heating a 1 quart pot. butthead |
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Loony_canoe |
A regulated burner also helps prevent this issue. This would be most likely be found on the heavier and costlier stoves. |
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butthead |
sns: "Butthead, as the resident expert, wondering if you have any experience with the Olicamp Kinetic canister stove? No, but have looked at midsize canister top burners, Kinetic Ultra/Fire-Maple FMS-116T Titanium/SOTO WindMaster Stove. Light and compact still rather carry and cook on remote canister stoves. I prefer to add the weight for the stability and use of a full windscreen. I do feel the canister top stoves are hard to mess up. Have 3 oddball orientals and a Pocket Rocket. Solid, good simmer, in spite of the small burner, I only use my smallest pots on them, and inexpensive. That Kinetic Ultra looks like a great burner, until something like a Primus Trail Classic is made with weight in mind, if made in Ti comes along. If you want better simmer use a 3/4 windscreen with your canister top stove. butthead |
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kjw |
Outdoor Gear Lab Here is stand I bought (actually bought 2). MSR Stand MSR how much fuel to carry MSR estimates on fuel use |
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boonie |
Last year I used 3 grams per boil on average (120 grams/40 boils), but usage varies somewhat with wind and temps. I usually figure 3.5 grams and add a 10% margin for error. YMMV The Sol is a system stove and the pot is somewhat protected by design. I don't use an additional windscreen with it, but generally use it on the grate which is level and stable and often somewhat shielded by rocks. If using a windscreen with a canister stove only enclose the half facing the wind; enclosing the canister could cause overheating and explosion. The old "Adventures in Stoving" blog has a lot of information you'll find useful and indicates stoves are more efficient when run at 35-40%, which is what I aim for. It takes me about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes to boil 8-12 oz. I usually use MSR or JetBoil canisters, but most any of the major isopro canisters will work interchangeably. The only one that I've heard of occasionally being problematic was some Coleman canisters. I have not had any problems with the stove or canisters, but I do test each canister with the stove before I leave. I also weigh and mark each one to monitor fuel used and remaining. Problems with canisters are sometimes created if the stove is ratcheted down too tight on the seal. Some things I like about them: They are simple and quick to use (screw it on and light), virtually maintenance free, there's no fuel to spill, and they can be used during fire bans when only pressurized gas stoves with a shut-off valve are permitted as opposed to my old alcohol stove, twig burners, or esbit (solid) fuel. It is also easy to carry a spare burner for only a couple of ounces. If you are going to do a lot of cooking, you may want to look into the remote canister stoves. |
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Lindenknight |
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Lindenknight |
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boonie |
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butthead |
Lindenknight: "Butthead....Regarding your answer to question #2.....Ounce for ounce, canister fuel is equal to liquid fuel.....my last trip out for 8 days I carried a 30oz MSR bottle and a 20oz MSR bottle for a total of 50 ounces of Coleman fuel. I figured 3oz of fuel per meal, two meals a day. So....if each canister has 8 oz of fuel in it, does that mean I would have to carry at least SIX canisters for the same usage? That seems quite bulky in comparison. Have been alternating canister and Coleman fueled stoves since 1995. I'm quite conservative on fuel using windscreens and cooking methods. I can do a solo 7 day and nite trip on 1 8oz canister or an 11 oz fuel bottle with 9 oz of fuel. Either will weigh 13+ oz, the Coleman liquid fuel tank and pump combined. a new/full canister with 8 ounce isobutane empty fuel bottle and MSR pump 5 ounces, add 8+ ounces of fuel and it's the same weight. Right around 1 hour full blast on either for cook time. My 11 day solo trip in Quetico used 9 ounces Coleman fuel in a MSR Simmerlight stove Next favorite stove solo tripping Alocs G22. If I needed 50 ounces of fuel it would be the same canister or Coleman. But you would bring back more empty weight and spend $48 (8 times $6) on canister while $6 (1/3 times 128 ounces @ $18) for Coleman. I do conserve fuel wit a windscreen always used and bringing most items to a quick boil shutting the burner off and putting pot in an insulated container. I find most baked items (biscuit) take about 20 minutes of simmer and around 1 ounce of fuel butthead |