Comments on: Choosing a lightweight backpacking stove http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/ Ideas, advice, news and reviews, to help you become "one with your pack" Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:38:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Jim http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/comment-page-1/#comment-39183 Jim Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:52:16 +0000 http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/#comment-39183 I agree that stoves really boil down to personal choice; I've until recently only been using gas. I currently own three gas stoves, being a heavy self igniting beast I bought when I first started hiking (weighing almost 200g), an MSR pocket rocket (my favorite due to reliability - having an inbuilt jet cleaner is worth every one of it's 90 grams) and a Kovea titanium superlight (60 grams - but I've never used it in the field for fear of failure (I cannot find any maintenance information on it)). What's doing me in with the weight of gas is the fact that the lightest decent size canister (210 gram) I could find weighs about 100 grams empty (based on weighing three different sizes of can it averaged about an extra 50% of gas weight in canister weight). It’s also worth noting that you have to carry out the empty canister – so carrying a heavier fuel could average out to a lighter pack as a daily average over the length of the trip. On a recent two day hike I averaged about 3.5 g to boil (only just in all but one instance) a cup (250ml) of water, add in canister weight and that ends up around 4.5 grams of canister weight per cup of water. Factor in the dead weight of the stove and you end up around the same weight as most of the other fuels (within about half a gram). I'll admit I'm the short hike only type of hiker, and that the weight saving (of gas) might add up on a three week hike without resupply, but who’s going to go that long without resupply with what food weighs? I agree that stoves really boil down to personal choice; I’ve until recently only been using gas.

I currently own three gas stoves, being a heavy self igniting beast I bought when I first started hiking (weighing almost 200g), an MSR pocket rocket (my favorite due to reliability – having an inbuilt jet cleaner is worth every one of it’s 90 grams) and a Kovea titanium superlight (60 grams – but I’ve never used it in the field for fear of failure (I cannot find any maintenance information on it)).

What’s doing me in with the weight of gas is the fact that the lightest decent size canister (210 gram) I could find weighs about 100 grams empty (based on weighing three different sizes of can it averaged about an extra 50% of gas weight in canister weight). It’s also worth noting that you have to carry out the empty canister – so carrying a heavier fuel could average out to a lighter pack as a daily average over the length of the trip.

On a recent two day hike I averaged about 3.5 g to boil (only just in all but one instance) a cup (250ml) of water, add in canister weight and that ends up around 4.5 grams of canister weight per cup of water. Factor in the dead weight of the stove and you end up around the same weight as most of the other fuels (within about half a gram). I’ll admit I’m the short hike only type of hiker, and that the weight saving (of gas) might add up on a three week hike without resupply, but who’s going to go that long without resupply with what food weighs?

]]> By: Brian http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/comment-page-1/#comment-625 Brian Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:21:26 +0000 http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/#comment-625 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 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

]]> By: Bruce Lewis http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Bruce Lewis Mon, 24 Jul 2006 20:35:23 +0000 http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/#comment-22 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. 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.

]]> By: Mike Kretzler http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Mike Kretzler Sat, 22 Jul 2006 03:50:15 +0000 http://lightbackpacking.com/2006/07/21/choosing-a-lightweight-backpacking-stove/#comment-15 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. 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.

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