Friday, July 21st, 2006...2:55 am

Choosing a lightweight backpacking stove

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Lightweight backpacking for beginnersIt’s All About Fuel

In the past few years, manufacturers have developed a large number of really small, light and efficient backpacking stoves.

Most of them are 4 ounces or less. But that’s only half the story.

The other half is the fuel. It’s my experience that when you read expert recommendations about picking light stoves, the experts forget that fuel can double or triple the weight.

A Glut of Stoves

I own four stoves: a Peak DLX electronic ignition , a Brasslite-designed alcohol stove, a home-made alcohol stove made from cat food cans, and an Esbit Solid Fuel Stove.

Four stoves? To my wife’s chagrin, that’s true. Why do you need another one of those? she complained. Well, I NEEDED a home-made stove because that’s what Flyin’ Brian Robinson, the ultimate lightweight backpacker, used when he established his Triple Crown record.

Then I NEEDED the Brasslite because it is a very nicely designed and refined version of the one I made from cat food cans.

I NEEDED the Esbit because it was lighter than the self starter.

What I Have Learned

So what have I learned that I can pass along to you in your quest to become a lightweight backpacker?

I’ve learned that it really doesn’t matter which you stove you buy (or build) because by the time you add enough fuel for a multiple day trip, the total weight of stoves is about the same. Your final weight will depend on how much cooking you do. I cook fresh pasta most nights, sometimes eat oatmeal for breakfast, make morning coffee and sometimes Hershey's Good Night Kisses Hot Chocolate at night. That requires a lot more fuel than if you merely heat a few cups of hot water for rehydrating food or having a single morning cup of coffee or tea or a single package of instant oats.

Be light. Be safe. Be one with the pack.

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3 Comments

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3 Comments

  • Mike Kretzler
    July 21st, 2006 at 8:50 pm

    I own three stoves: an MSR Whisperlite, an MSR Simmerlite, and a pop can alcohol stove I made myself. I agree with your conclusion that the fuel is the weight.

    I generally go with just boiling water, actually cooking seldom, but I have a hard time paring the fuel down to just what I need. I always come home with plenty left, which isn’t such a bad thing.

  • Bruce Lewis
    July 24th, 2006 at 1:35 pm

    Hi Mike,

    Thanks for your comment. To be honest, I have the same problem figuring out how much fuel to carry. After several trips where I tried to minimize the fuel to save weight and ran out at critical times, I have now been taking too much. Just trial and error, I guess. You’ve got a nice website.

  • Brian
    January 18th, 2007 at 10:21 am

    It’s much more complicated than that. You have to measure grams of fuel per litre of water boiled.

    Alcohol is very heavy, next is esbit, then diesel/avgas, then white gas, then canister fuel which is the lightest. The only reason alcohol and esbit can be lighter on short trips is that you save the dead weight of the stove.

    Brian

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