Backpacking/BOB stove

B

Buck268

Joined
Nov 5, 2006
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Currently I have an Esbit ultralight folding stove along with a 2qt aluminum pot for backpacking/BOB use. Recent tests show that its lacking. A full burn of one esbit fuel tablet on a mild, 80 degree summer day with a half pot of water (roughly one quart) did not result in a boil (less than 1000ft above sea level).

Looking for options, I've considered many but other than a stainless steel GI canteen and cup, these two really catch my eye.

EIALA Camping Stove - Amazon Link

Esbit CS585HA 3-Piece Lightweight Camping Cook Set - Amazon Link

Yup, I know they are totally different fuel sources. I like the fact the Esbit can use naturally available fuels. But of course, I can just as easily retain my current esbit ultralight folding stove for use with natural fuels while having the option of carrying the gas fuel as well with the EIALA. Primary use will be water boiling and such for my BOB but my secondary goal is to end up with a function backpacking pack (kinda makes sense, I think!).
 
What part of the country do you live in and how long do you stay out when backpacking? These things determine fuel choice.
 
pinnah said:
What part of the country do you live in and how long do you stay out when backpacking? These things determine fuel choice.
Click to expand...

Michigan. As for time out, well that will be minimal. I understand that fuel bottles would be likely be "best" for efficiency, but I'd much prefer an off-grid solution.
 
My sense is that one has to think realistically about emergency conditions and how long they will last. Are we talking long term Walking Dead type infrastructure collapse (unrealistic, imo), war driven refugee flight (unlikely in Michigan, I think) or natural disaster recovery (common)? IMO, this tempers fuel choice.

Ounce for ounce, white gas (or automotive gas) packs the most BTUs. For winter camping in New England, I rely on a Svea 123. Utterly reliable, even at -15F. For storm outages, it is easy enough to stock pile enough Coleman fuel to last a while and automotive fuel can be used in a pinch. If you want more petro-chemical options, MSR and Optimus both make multi-fuel stoves that can run on kerosene. I recall when our town in Ohio was shut down and cut off for 3 days in 78 due to a blizzard. For making it through blizzard power outages, my plans include my Svea.

If you want to avoid reliance on gas, I would look closely at stoves that will burn either wood or alcohol/gel/esbit. The Caldera Cone system is an integrated system that does this.

The Emberlit stove that Codger mentioned (btw, it sure is great having you back Codger!) can be combined with a "pot sits on top" type of burner to make something very much like the Caldera Cone. Just assemble the Emberlit using the floor as a 5th panel, and pots like the GSI Soloist will mate perfectly.

Untitled by Pinnah, on Flickr

This is sitting on top of an (alcohol only) Batchstovez 2.0, which I really like.

Untitled by Pinnah, on Flickr

If you want to maintain the ability to burn Esbit, you could swap out the Batchstovez for a Flatcat Multi-Fuel burner, which will burn alcohol, gel, Sterno and Esbit.

IMO, the utility of the Emberlit really depends on how you hike. For UL trips, I don't take it. For trips where there is some risk of being caught out, I do for the ability to burn wood, even if fuel runs out (or isn't taken). It's a great peace of mind and it is usable. But, I find cooking on it to be tiresome and just not worth the effort compared to the easy and reliable alcohol burners. If I've logged a lot of mile and am hungry, I prefer the alcohol (for season use).
 
I am partial to the mini trangia cookset I've seen people use the pot stand with a small twig fire but I can't speak to its effectiveness. The alcohol burner however works great and the fuel is readily available.
 
First choice: MSR Whisperlite. Liquid works better at altitude & cold conditions than cannister. fuel is easy to find
I've used the same one for 25+ yrs. Have used it around 7,000 ft with temps in the hi- 20's with zero problems.

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/simple-cooking/whisperlite/product


another system I've played with is the Solo Stove Titan. Pretty slick unit, just scavenge for small tinder chunks
keeps the fire contained, & once it gets going burns hot. I picked up the Alcohol Burner as a back -up, and it
works very well by itself in wet conditions or if you just want to do morning coffee.

https://www.solostove.com/solo-stove-titan/

https://www.solostove.com/alcohol-stove/
 
May not be ultralight, but for the ability to have an actual stove you can't beat the good ol' Coleman 508.
 
As soon as I read the post I immediately thought of my Mini Trangia and was going to suggest that you Google it, but as I scrolled down I saw that Savage99 had already beat me to it. It's everything that you need in one compact package. Add a simple windbreak (home-made from a disposable roasting-pan) and you're good to go. It is safe and simple and quiet and dead-on reliable ... if a bit leisurely. I believe that it was originally designed for a wicked overland multi-day forced/march throughout the Scottish mountains ... the "Karrimor Wilberness Marathon" or whatever. Google it. You will become a believer. And not a big investment. :)
 
nothing wrong with doing a butane stove, but don't bother with that one. For a little more, you'll get a much better stove. There are many to choose from, I'd go for an MSR micro-rocket, Or anything from Kovea or Soto, the no-name off brands are just as likely to leave you high and dry, its worth spending a few bucks if its going to be your only stove. I know lots of folks who use the cheap ones, but its never the final option, as they are always part of a group with multiple stoves, and fuel types.

For just occasional use though, the cans suck since you can't really fill them (you can, but at your own risk) and half a can might be enough, or it might not. I'd go for alcohol if you are in mild conditions, or a liquid fuel if you are at altitude or very cold. In which case, whisperlite, XKG, or any of the other many liquid fuel stoves are worth looking at. When you go multi-fuel, you lose overall efficiency, so that's a consideration. But limiting to one fuel type might also be a problem if you can't find some if you need it.
 
savage99 said:
I am partial to the mini trangia cookset I've seen people use the pot stand with a small twig fire but I can't speak to its effectiveness. The alcohol burner however works great and the fuel is readily available.
Click to expand...

Yup. Trangia Mini/Trangia 28. Extra light. Utterly reliable. 0.8 liter aluminum pot with nonstick lid, pot lifter, and Trangia spirit burner with pot stand at only 330 grams total. Fuel that can be found almost anywhere (and this should be key in a BOB stove). Excellent choice for BOB.

It's now my choice for summer hiking and backpacking.

MINITRAN.gif
 
Folks, I'm posting from my iPhone so I'm restricted to posting link to my Flikr account and not BBCode (seriously Yahoo?)...

If you want to dive in both feet with alcholol stoves, I highly recommend Hiram Cook's YouTube channel. Here are a few things I've learned in the past few years...

The Trangia Mini was my first alcohol stove and a nice way to start. In use, I found the pot/lid to be unbearably clumsy to use. To get any decent performance (with any alcohol stove) you need to add a DIY foil wind screen. Lastly, the pot holder places the pot way too close to the burner. Trangia's do best with about 1.25" of head space. I added a DIY lift to the Trangia Mini stand and got much better results. I really dig the integrated pot/stove/stand concept but found the Mini way too difficult to deal with.

I've since move to using Batchstovez burners (google). They are very light, very, very tough and very efficient. They are also easy to add to pot carry system.

For casual picnics where we want tea, I use a Stanley pot, Batchstovez 1.0 and a couple of dehandled Open Country mugs. This combined with an windscreen made of aluminum flashing all next neatly inside of the Stanley pot.

https://flic.kr/p/mfiKBe
https://flic.kr/p/mfiMKT

For solo or 2-person backpacking/bike touring, I use the GSI Soloist pot (which is misnamed and can handle 2 person meals) and the larger Batchstovez 2.0. When using a flashing windscreen, again the whole kit nests in the GSI pot nicely. As mentioned in an earlier post, I can replace the flashing windscreen with an Emberlit for multi-fuel capability with wood and I'm considering the Flatcat multi-fuel stove for Esbit/gel capability too. But for a straight up fast and easy the GSI Soloist and Batchstovez 2.0 combo is the best I've used so far. Much easier than the Trangia Mini in every respect.

Lastly, for groups of 3 or 4 in three season, I replaced the Trangia Mini stand with the Mojo stand for Trangia burners. The show up on eBay occasionally. I modified mine to nest in the bottom of an Open Country 2 quart pot. It's very very stable and light and has the right amount of headspace to get a more efficiency from the Trangia burner.

The Trangia Westwind is known for giving poor perfromance as it lacks sufficient head space. Hope this helps.
 
I love my ember lit stove. It's 5 pieces and folds into a small space easily.
Will also take alcohol fuel.
I've only used it for wood since there's so much out here.
 
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