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One of the problems every walker faces in choosing a stove is how to compare their performances. The claims by the manufacturers are notorious for spin, hype and, in a few cases, a bit worse. In this series of articles, we present solid scientific measurements of the performance of a wide range of canister stoves, principally in terms of heating efficiency (grams of gas required) and heating rates (aka boil times).

  • Part 1 of the series explained how we made these measurements, including a test rig developed especially for the task.
  • Part 2 (this article) surveys a wide range of conventional Upright and Remote canister stoves for performance.
  • Part 3 will survey Heat-Exchanger stoves and see if and when they offer a weight reduction.
  • Part 4 will examine various aspects of stove efficiency, including pot diameter.

    • However, the reader should note that 'performance' is certainly not the only criterion to be considered in selecting a stove. Pot stability has a high ranking, as does the ability to simmer very low. Reliability - or fragility, is also important if you are doing anything more than weekend trips. The list goes on, but we are only concerned here about 'performance'.

    ARTICLE OUTLINE

    • Introduction
    • Test Measurement Principles - Recap
      • Interfering Effects
      • Inverted vs Non-Inverted Feed
    • The Stoves
    • Test Results
    • Analysis
      • Uprights vs Remotes
      • Stove efficiency vs Flame Diameter
      • Stove Efficiency vs Power Output
      • Burner Heads
    • Comments on Individual Stoves
      • Snow Peak GST-100 (Ti)
      • Snow Peak GST-120
      • MSR Pocket Rocket
      • Optimus Crux (also Brunton Flex, Fire-Maple FMS-109)
      • Primus Micron Ti 2.5
      • SOTO OD-1R
      • Brunton Raptor
      • Vargo Jet-Ti
      • MSR WindPro
      • Kovea Moonwalker
      • Primus Gravity II EF
      • Optimus Stella +
      • Brunton Vapor AF
      • Snow Peak GS200D
      • Kovea Expedition
      • Coleman Fyrestorm Ti
      • Coleman Xtreme
      • Coleman F1 Ultralight

    # WORDS: 7580
    # PHOTOS: 5

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