Stove, tried a lotta changes to stay pretty much the same

[Dead_Like_Disco]

I've been pouring over gear for the last few months looking for what works for me and these are some of the things I've learned from testing different types of stoves in my area. I'm pretty much looking to just boil water so it's all geared toward that.

Origionally it was all about as light as I could possibly get so I tried a titanium graham cracker stove using esbit tabs with a beer can pot. Super light and works buts it's kinda slow and after more reading I found the residue left on the pot is pretty toxic.

I then tried various self built alcohol stoves again worked fairly well, light weight but again slow and the fuel was kinda on the heavy side.

After a few weekends of day hiking and some over nighters my beer can pot was getting thrashed so I started using a protective sleeve for it... Kinda negated some of the weight saving over some of the lightest titanium pots I could find.

I even went a weekend stove less just to try it out and even though it's doable it's just not as enjoyable at times.

In an anticlimactic turn I pretty much went back to an ISO-butane stove with a titanium pot. Some things I learned along the way were the use of a silicone lip guard for the pot to use as my cup and that if you get a pot without a handle you can save about an ounce and then use a welder's mat (carbon felt) cut down and used as a windscreen/pot gripper. Just came down to the durability/convenience and weight being in the right ratios. My set-up is lighter after this excercise so that is bonus.



Olicamp burner, toaks 550ml handle less pot and silicone band. Stove and fuel canister fit in the pot, carbon felt windscreen/gripper (not shown) gets wrapped around the outside.

[dunamis]

Yeah, I stick to using my MSR pocket rocket. I think it weighs 4 oz.? An 8 oz. isobutane canister holds plenty of fuel for a 72 hr. bug out (you could even use a 4 oz. canister.) However, in colder weather (20 degrees and less) the effectiveness of this system is limited and completely non-productive if the temp drops too low.

I'm really thinking about acquiring a multifuel expedition type stove that has higher productivity in cold weather and high altitude situations. They are definitely heavier, but another advantage is being able to refill the fuel canisters with a multitude of different fuel choices. A great item for inch, IMO.

I have an aluminum 1 oz. pot that nestles an 8 oz. canister and a plastic bowl/cup inside. I think it's a bit sturdier than the titanium pots.

Another consideration is that I use the handle on my pot to set it directly in the fire. Most of the time I don't even need my fuel canisters but has been an issue of convenience over the extra work of starting and maintaining a fire.

[maldon007]

I would love to see the carbon mat in action. And if I was to look for this material, where would I find it?

[Dead_Like_Disco]

You can find it at Home Depot where they sell the butane torches, the little ones for soldering copper plumbing. I think it's called a plumber's mate.

[Dead_Like_Disco]

Maldon, sorry it took me a bit to get back to you properly. Life happened and I was giving my girlfriend rides to and from work until I was able to get a wheel bearing replaced on her car yesterday.

My original one that I used for alcohol stoves was too short so I made a new one and here's the picture tutorial:





If your water boils over and gets the felt wet, like I did, just flip the felt over to use it as a pot gripper.

A mail order source for carbon felt is here:
https://www.minibulldesign.com/productc ... category=6
20 bucks plus shipping for a sq/ft.

Hope that helps!

[maldon007]

Does it stay in a curved shape?

[Dead_Like_Disco]

It holds it's form enough like in the pictures to be free standing and wrapped around the pot leaning against the pot in places. When it's not in use I just fold it up for storage.

[Tommy Tran]

Add my vote for msr pocket rocket and a 4oz can! Im not super ultralight so i have the fuel can stashed in my 20oz stainless gsi cup-pot. That carbon felt is a nifty idea, ill share it with my buddy that i make fun of cause he uses that silicone 3 finger grip the edge of the pot thingy, lol.

[DeadCanadian]

If you get a multi-fuel stove like the MSR Whisperlite International, make sure you check the seals and get extra seals.

One day I took mine out and set it up on a picnic table and tried to light it twice only to find out that fuel has leaked onto the table because the O-ring inside the pump where you connect the hose had dried and split; I could have had a fireball on my hands if the fuel on the table lit.

[drop bear]

I still like to use a separate cup for drinking rather than my cooking pot. I just get a coffee and a meal at the same time.

And they are three dollars.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Eco-friendly ... bf0&_uhb=1

[Dead_Like_Disco]

I'm running two different BOBs. This is for the "ultralight" one I'm building up. My other one has a separate cup and such. In another week or so I'll be doing an outing with my bushcrafty bag and get some pics up of that particular set-up.