Caldera Cone System

[Eddy Walker]

I hear people talking about this system. What is so great about it? The ones I have seen take up a lot of space vs a reg alcohol stove and a aluminum foil windscreen.

Someone enlighten me :)

[EndoftheTrail]

Some people like the windscreen design. And the faster boil time and fuel efficiency as well. The first is self evident — but the second and third are not that significant — and particularly the last — you won't see much practical difference unless you going on a long trip. But then, on a long trip, canister might be even more efficient weight wise…

It's a priority between the above — versus the additional pack space and weight and fussing required.

[Brad Groves]

Fuel efficiency is great; about 1/2 what I've seen with other alky stoves. Very stable, supportive; no fussy pot supports. Windscreen is thin aluminum, not bulky…

[Hal Potts]

Eddy, I have the Caldera Cone system made from a Fosters can and I like it and use it. You are right that it takes up more space than a Pepsi Can stove and a windscreen. I think the main advantage is that it is extremely thermodynamically efficient and so you can carry a lot less alcohol. You can ditch your pot grabber since you won't need it. I now carry only 4 fl oz of alcohol for cooking on a 3 day trip which is quite a lot less than I used to carry. It is also a self contained system that makes a nice neat package. I think it weighs about 6 oz (but the carry case doubles the weight.) I like and use it, but I am a "boil water only" person. Obviously a pot made from a beer can has some cooking limitations and I think it's not for everyone.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

The Tri Ti version can use alcohol, wood, and ESBIT tabs. Its wood burning efficiency is amazing due to an internal inverted cone that creates a hot air downdraft.

[EndoftheTrail]

Curious, a set up designed for the Firelite 550 — what is the packing dimensions when you compact down the screen, stove, a small BIC lighter, a small towel, and say 4 ounces of fuel?

[Lynn Tramper]

You will not find a more stable or wind resistant windscreen, period. That includes canister and white gas stoves. It's fuel efficiency is superb, and in Ti-Tri-titanium it is incredibly versatile. We take our Ti-Tri screen with us on all trips, even use it with our canister stove because it is such a superior windscreen.

[Greg Mihalik]

Ben,
Here is one configuration. This is my winter time day-trip contingency stove kit.

The overall height is defined by the height of the rolled Cone.

Contents are
6 ESBITS
GramCracker with Sides
Canister of Matches
Instant mashed potatoes, instant refried beans, 1.5 oz of olive oil.
Spoon

Kit total is 16 ounces
Kit without food or fuel 5.85 ounces
Kit without food, fuel or cozy 5.36 ounces

[EndoftheTrail]

Thanks, Greg! A picture says a thousand words. I'm sure this will help OP as well in deciding.

[Pieter Kaufman]

Too, depending on which titanium pot/cup you might use, if you opt for the ULC version of the Caldera Cone, your entire kitchen will fit inside your cup, with the lid on.

I have a MLD 850, and I can fit the ULC Ti-Tri cone, several esbits, a short Ti spoon, the BPL trapper's mug, graham cracker tab holder thingy, a couple extra zip locks, and even a bag or two of instant oatmeal if I'm in esbit mode completely 100% inside the 850 cup; put the lid on, and put it in the net bag the cup came with. Pretty amazingly compact system and very light.

[Rand Lindsly]

Eddy:

Just wanted to spell out the options in one go.

The primary decision point in choosing a Caldera is whether to go with the taller/standard Caldera that does take up more space, or the ULC Caldera that takes up no more space than a regular alcohol stove and windscreen…..and the whole thing fits in your pot.

The taller Caldera is more efficient and isolates your pot and stove from the wind. The ULC Caldera fits completely inside your mug and and optimizes packability…..but doesn't isolate your mug.

This is the battle you must wage. We are Switzerland….. we will provide either…..whatever is most important to you….efficiency….or shoving everything into a pot. We provide both!

Rand :-)

[Donna C]

I just got my Ti-Tri and have to admit, it's not what I thought it was, it's better! I only tried the alchohol stove to boil water in the wind at home and quick as a bunny, a full MSR .85L pot came to boil. It's light-weight, compact as far as I can tell, and I can see me using the Esbit function more than anything. I haven't had a chance to play with it but thumbs up to a well-made, thought out product.

: )

[obx hiker]

Hello Ben! ;)

[Monty Montana]

Hi Eddy! Just so that you have an objective basis of comparison regarding the efficiency of the Caldera Cone, here are some interesting numbers. Using the Snow Peak Mini Solo pot paired with a Vargo Triad alcohol burner and a BPL Ti windscreen, 16 oz of water boiled in ~10 minutes and consumed 30 ml (1 oz) of fuel. Pairing the pot with a Caldera Cone the same amount of water boiled in 6 minutes and consumed 15 ml (1/2 oz) of fuel. Significant difference, yes? Happy trails!

[mori costantino]

I experimented with different alcohol stoves and systems prior to settling on the Caldera Cone for my 2009 PCT Walk. I used a CC the entire way.
In the desert and in northern california (during fire season) I did feel a little vulnerable because of the lack of a quick turn off valve, but because the cone entirely encompasses the stove and flame I used it carefully and without problems. I did add a small titanium circle on the ground to further isolate the stove.
I found the CC to have economic fuel consumption and reasonable boil times (My meals were simple).
After 5 and a half months of continuous use it was beginning to show some wear at the dovetail joint. Damn good for 2600 miles, in my opinion

[Gordon Smith]

Trail Designs recently made a Ti ULC cone for my Snow Peak 600 mug. What I love about it is that the cone fits perfectly inside the already diminutive SP600 mug, making for a very compact, yet efficient cookset. Additionally the SP600 serves as both cookpot AND drinking mug, further saving some weight and bulk.

A few pics, etc, I had posted to a different thread:

Here's the kit (minus the optional potscreen):

(The lid came from from Tinny)

Everything fits inside the SP600 (except the stakes):

That little fuel bottle is just 1 oz., but I found that alternatively you could fit two of the BPL "hockey puck" containers inside the mug, which together would hold 4 oz:

No idea how reliable they are for this purpose though.

Here's the SP600 & ULC Cone in action:

Great little kit!

G

[Eddy Walker]

oops meant Greg..sorry about that

thanks for posting a picture of your setup. I do freezer bag cooking so I wouldn't need that plastic container. How would you carry the cone then?

[Eddy Walker]

thanks to everyone for your replies. I will have to see if there is a cone to fit my pot. I noticed most pots used in this system have handles. Mine doesn't so would that cause problems.

[Greg Mihalik]

Gordon,
Very sweet setup!

Any idea how much full is used to reach a full boil?

Thanks.

[Gordon Smith]

Greg,

In my test runs I was getting 2 cups, rolling boil, in 12 minutes on .8 oz of Everclear, without using the optional potscreen. The alcohol burned for one more minute. This is outdoors, 48 degree water and 45 degree air, slight breeze.

I need to do more tests with the potscreen. The one test I did with it didn't show much benefit, however Russ and Rand say they're getting good results with it. It does add .625 oz weight and a bit of fidget factor. It fits inside the mug along with the cone. If nothing else I'm sure it would help greatly in windy conditions, so it's likely worth carrying for that reason alone.

A couple pics of the potscreen:

G

[Greg Mihalik]

Thanks Gordon.

It really does a pretty good job considering that the heat transfer is only the bottom.

I didn't know about the screen. The whole setup is starting to look like a Fissure.

It's fun to watch the evolution.

[EndoftheTrail]

Gordon:

Did you get just the cone that fits your SP600 – or did you get the whole set up — cone and stove, etc. — dedicated to your SP600? Are the two tent stakes required? I didn't know that Caldera system requires tent stakes? Also, what is the average time required to bring 2 cups of water to a full, rolling boil and how much fuel is required? Thanks.

My water boiling needs are two cups at a time. I can fit my entire kitchen including 4 oz. of fuel inside my Firelite 550 pot — which is smaller than the SP600. However, if the Caldera delivers significantly faster boiling time using less fuel and it can all fit inside a SP600 — then that will pique my interest.

[Konrad .]

Hey Ben, hes got tent stakes b/c he has the compact version. The normal caldera doesn't require stakes. Also, he wrote "In my test runs I was getting 2 cups, rolling boil, in 12 minutes on .8 oz of Everclear, without using the optional potscreen. The alcohol burned for one more minute. This is outdoors, 48 degree water and 45 degree air, slight breeze."

Results would be different if he was using Heet, and indoors, or under different conditions in general for that matter

[BlackHatGuy]

"The normal caldera doesn't require stakes"

Just for clarification, the Ti-Tri Caldera requires stakes if you're going to burn wood, but not if you're using alcohol or esbit. The aluminum Caldera doesn't need stakes since you shouldn't be burning wood in it, only alcohol or esbit.

[EndoftheTrail]

Hi Konrad:

Yeah, that part confuses me. The system is supposed to be used with both stove and screen — so using without the screen gives different (inferior) results. Or am I missing something here??

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